Top Stories

MILAN: Sky Italia has been granted the exclusive rights to broadcast all live races of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship starting from March 2013. Following an agreement with Formula One Management (FOM), Sky Italia will host the live broadcasts for all the events of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship …

WARSAW: Ringier Axel Springer is purchasing a 75-percent stake in the Polish online portal Onet.pl from TVN for 956.3 million zlotys ($270.9 million). Onet.pl is Poland’s leading online portal, reaching about 70 percent of the country’s Internet users. Under the terms of the agreement, Ringier Axel Springer Media will establish …

NEW YORK: Marking its first year under the NATPE Budapest banner, the annual event targeting Central and Eastern Europe will again see delegates converge at the Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel for three days of deal-making on the Danube. Formerly known as DISCOP East, the market has been re-branded by its …

COPENHAGEN: The Danish public broadcaster DR has unveiled two new channels that are joining its portfolio in 2013, DR3 and Lille Ramasjang. DR3 will target viewers 15 to 39, with programming that will "surprise, provoke and challenge." Lille Ramasjang will be dedicated to children 3 to 6, complementing the existing …

LONDON: The British broadcasters ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 and other U.K. companies have come together to draw up a set of best practices guidelines to ensure a consistent approach for the use of social media when promoting premium services. The Association of Interactive Media & Entertainment (AIME) …

LEAVESDEN: Warner Bros. has opened a new film and TV studio in Leavesden, the first of its kind to be built in the U.K. in 70 years, the company said. The £100 million ($154.6 million) facility, dubbed Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, is based just outside of Watford, Hertfordshire. It is the …

UNTERFÖHRING/MAINZ: Sky Deutschland has built upon its deal with ZDF Enterprises, securing the exclusive rights to crime thrillers and films across satellite, cable, IPTV, the Internet and mobile devices. The new, long-term pact offers exclusive pay-TV access to crime series like Die Rosenheim-Cops, the SOKO series, Ein Fall für zwei …

LONDON: Cuckoo is a brand-new comedy series from Roughcut Television for BBC Three that features Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live) alongside British comedian Greg Davies (The Inbetweeners). The show was created and written by Robin French and Kieron Quirke. It centers on Ken (Davies) and Lorna (Helen Baxendale) Thomas, who collect …

ROME: Sky Italia is bringing to Italy its first channel exclusively dedicated to art with the fall launch of Sky Arte HD. Sky Arte HD will feature programming that showcases Italy’s cultural and artistic heritage. The channel will launch on November 1, featuring a schedule that has reportage, magazines, features, …

LONDON: Sky will remain as the primary U.K. home for Premier League Football, securing 116 live matches per year for the seasons from 2013-14 until 2015-16. Sky Sports will show 116 matches per season. BT will show 38 games, while ESPN UK and Al Jazeera will show none. Sky will …