Top Stories

WARSAW: The Polish DTH service Platform ‘n’ has unveiled a new OTT service, nVOD NET, which delivers offerings from HBO On Demand and the TVN Player. nVOD NET transforms the Platform ‘n’ satellite receiver into a multimedia home-entertainment terminal. The service delivers a broad selection of films, documentaries, TV series and …

AMSTERDAM: Chellomedia’s Sport1 channel in the Netherlands has renewed its agreement for the broadcast rights for the UEFA Champions League for the next three seasons. Sport1 is signed up to provide live coverage and edited highlights across its channels and online until 2015. Sport1 is also set to broadcast the …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide Channels has tapped former UKTV executive Tracy Forsyth to serve in the new role of VP of commissioning, in an effort to increase the production of original content. Forsyth, who takes on the role in January 2012, will act as BBC Worldwide’s executive producer on all commissions as …

LONDON: Zodiak Rights has landed sales with broadcasters in Australia and New Zealand for more than 50 hours of programming. Network Ten in Australia picked up the new series Food Hospital, an eight-episode hour-long series produced for Channel 4 in the U.K. by betty. It examines the science behind using …

MILAN: MP & Silva has acquired the international media rights for the Italian Serie A through the 2014-15 season. The rights cover all territories outside of Italy. The new agreement covers the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. Riccardo Silva, the president of MP & Silva, said: “Since 2004 Italian Serie …

LONDON: Sky Sports F1 HD, a new service launching in March 2012, is dedicated to providing in-depth Formula 1 coverage, including live events from the Grand Prix season. The dedicated channel will be provided at no extra cost to Sky TV customers who already have Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports …

LONDON: UKTV and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) have struck up an exclusive deal for the new J.J. Abrams series Alcatraz to air on Watch and Hart of Dixie, starring Rachel Bilson, to join the lineup of Really. The 13×1-hour Alcatraz is the latest from Abrams (Fringe, Lost). The …

MUNICH: Red Arrow Entertainment Group’s Scandinavian production arm, Snowman Productions, has purchased a majority interest in the Swedish digital production house Hard Hat. Snowman was launched by Red Arrow in October 2010 in Sweden, later rolling out to Denmark at the start of 2011. The move to take on a …

GENEVA: The European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) entertainment format The Magic Circus Show is set to broadcast across seven European pubcasters during the Christmas season. The 90-minute show features more than 70 European children performing circus acts in Geneva. Children from Switzerland, France, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium perform …

PREMIUM: A U.K.-based television software company is enabling over-the-air broadcasters to add time-shift channels without satellite, cable or the Internet, reports Jay Stuart. Motive Television’s Television Anytime solution involves adding software to the existing infrastructure of any television or online platform to make possible features such as VOD and time-shift …