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LONDON: James Murdoch has been re-elected as the chairman of BSkyB, with 81.24 percent voting in his favor at the company’s annual shareholder meeting and 18.76 percent against. Around one-third of independent shareholders voted against his reappointment, including Standard Life Investments, which manages more than 6 million shares in BSkyB. …

LONDON/BURBANK: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is among the titles ITV has secured in a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution that also includes the free-to-air rights for films such as 300 and I Am Legend. ITV will serve as the free-to-air home for the broadcast premiere …

DUBAI: The Spanish pavilion at the MyContent market in Dubai will feature seven companies hailing from Spain, among them Imagina International Sales, Imira Entertainment and Zinkia. The Spanish presence at The Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre is organized by the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) in collaboration with …

WARSAW: Four new premium HD movie channels have been added to the lineup of Poland’s Platform ‘n’, bringing subscribers films such as Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2. nPremium, nPremium2, nPremium3 and nPremium4 will be available starting December 15. An exclusive output deal with Twentieth Century Fox kicks off January 2012, …

LONDON: The raft of sales Shine International has wrapped up for the spy thriller The Hour includes a deal with Netflix for Canada and Latin America. The 6×1-hour production, from Kudos Film and Television, was sold by Shine International into more than 80 territories. Among those picking up the drama, …

MILAN: Sky Italia has withdrawn its application to compete for a digital terrestrial frequency in Italy, saying that the so-called "beauty contest" is too slow and is making investment planning too difficult. Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development initiated a competition for the six frequencies after getting authorization from the European …

LONDON: ITV Studios and the former Channel 4 drama commissioners Camilla Campbell and Robert Wulff-Cochrane have set up a new joint-venture scripted production company, Noho Film and TV. Campbell and Wulff-Cochrane have spent the last two years at Channel 4 heading up the drama commissioning, with credits that include, among others, …

SINGAPORE: Spanish producers and distributors such as Imagina International Sales, Imira Entertainment, Motion Pictures and Vértice Sales are heading to the Asia TV Forum and will exhibit at the Spanish pavilion under the banner of Audiovisual from Spain. The Spanish pavilion is organized by FAPAE (Federation of Audiovisual Producer’s Associations …

BONN: Deutsche Welle’s daily European lifestyle magazine euromaxx is getting repackaged by CNCDP China for the Chinese market and other Mandarin-speaking audiences. Under the co-production agreement, CNCDP China will create a Mandarin version, with 78 hours of programming. CNCDP will have broadcast rights for all of its channels and distribution …

PARIS: Canal+ Group has signed the definitive agreement for buying the Bolloré Group’s free-to-air channels, Direct 8 and Direct Star. Canal+ now takes on the Direct 8 and Direct Star channels in two steps, as well as the advertising sales division. Canal+ also has the option to acquire everything at …