World Screen

LONDON: Former BBC COO Caroline Thomson, whose name had been tossed around as a potential frontrunner to fill the director-general post, has been appointed the new chair of Digital UK. Thomson takes up the post as of January 1, 2013, replacing Barry Cox, who is retiring after seven years in the …

LONDON: ITV has unveiled the first details of its large-scale rebrand, starting in January 2013, part of which sees the flagship ITV1 channel being renamed simply as ITV. Part of the company’s Transformation Plan, the rebrand will create a unified brand identity that spans across the branding for ITV plc, including …

GENEVA: Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are making the Eurovision-organized Magic Circus Show a yearly event, to be delivered across eight public broadcasters in Europe over the Christmas season. The entertainment program successfully ran in 2010 and 2011. The circus show features more than 60 children from all …

STOCKHOLM: Modern Times Group (MTG) has signed two separate deals that boost its offerings in Denmark, including one for the free-TV channels TV3 and TV3 Puls. MTG entered into a new channel distribution pact with Boxer TV-Access, increasing the penetration of the TV3 and TV3 Puls Danish free-TV services. Boxer will make …

LONDON, November 16: Comedians David Walliams, Frank Skinner and Micky Flanagan are set to appear on I Love My Country, BBC One’s new Saturday night comedy-entertainment show. I Love My Country watches as two teams of famous British people compete to see which group knows more about the United Kingdom. …

PARIS: Banijay Group is teaming up with the French producer Mediatic System on a brand-new channel for the CanalSat platform, Non-Stop People, dedicated to celebrity and entertainment news. The service will be a 24-hour news outlet focused on celebrities and entertainment. There will be a team of 30 journalists reporting from …

LONDON: Phil Clarke, currently the head of comedy and entertainment at Objective Productions, is joining Channel 4 as its new head of comedy. Clarke set up the comedy department at Objective in spring 2003, after having produced the first series of Peep Show in 2002. He was an executive producer …

LONDON: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has hired Richard Parsons as senior VP of corporate business and legal affairs for international production, effective later this month. In his new position, Parsons will manage corporate business affairs for SPT’s international production companies and supervise deal executions on acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic …

BUDAPEST: Will Harrison, whose previous stints include Disney, Time Warner and A&E Television Networks, has been tapped to fill the new post of COO at HBO Europe. Harrison will take on the new role as of January 2013. He will report to Linda Jensen, the CEO of HBO Europe. He …

SINGAPORE: Talent shows, quiz shows and period dramas have proven to be quite popular across Asian territories, says Isil Turksen, Global Agency’s sales director for Asia and Europe. “Therefore, we think that our products perfectly match with the current demands,” she adds. Indeed, the musical talent show Mom, Vote 4 …