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AMSTERDAM: HBO has expanded the distribution of its channels in the Netherlands, securing carriage with new cable operators. As of June 25, KPN and XS4ALL will offer the HD channels HBO, HBO2 and HBO3. Telefort will begin offering HBO on July 9. The channels will also be available in standard …

LONDON: Gold has commissioned the one-off The Comic Strip Presents: Five Go to Rehab alongside the documentary 30 Years of The Comic Strip. The Comic Strip Presents debuted in 1982 with Five Go Mad in Dorset. Gold is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the series with The Comic Strip Presents: …

LONDON: A raft of sales have been secured by ALL3MEDIA International across Central and Eastern Europe, ahead of the company’s outing at NATPE Budapest. From the drama catalogue, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries heads to Canal Plus Poland. HRT in Croatia extended its deal for Wild at Heart for seasons four …

LONDON/SANTA MONICA: Sky has secured the exclusive rights to a package of Miramax films in a multi-year licensing deal for the U.K. and Ireland. The deal included such films as Life is Beautiful, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Spy Kids and Starsky & Hutch. The movies will be available across the range …

HAMILTON: Time Warner has shelled out $89 million to increase its ownership in Central European Media Enterprises (CME) to 40 percent. CME sold 9.9 million shares of Class A common stock to Time Warner Media Holdings, and 2 million shares to RSL Capital, an affiliate of Ronald Lauder, CME’s non-executive …

BUDAPEST: Chello Central Europe’s Filmmuzeum is being rebranded as Film Mania, while its Zone Romantica channel becomes Film Café. The new look for both will be unveiled on July 2, with new logos as well. Film Mania offers movies primarily from the 1990s and the 2000s. Film Café, which targets …

LONDON: BBC One has greenlit a pilot for a new series, tentatively titled No Strings Attached, which will be co-produced with The Jim Henson Company and feature a brand-new cast of puppet characters. The show will feature two celebrities stepping into the puppet world. The guests will go head to head …

GENEVA: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reports that 64 million viewers tuned in for the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest, and another 39 million watched the semi-finals, making it the most watched entertainment program on TV in Europe. The 57th Eurovision Song Content was broadcast live from Baku, Azerbaijan …

LUXEMBOURG: Oliver Herrgesell, the executive VP of corporate communications, public affairs and marketing at the RTL Group and the chairman of the corporate responsibility council, is leaving the company. Herrgesell joined the company in January 2006. He is departing the RTL Group by mutual consent. Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de …

BUDAPEST: A key focus for Mediaset Distribution at NATPE Budapest is to introduce buyers to its unscripted formats, according to Clare McArdle, the company’s international sales manager.   “This is a new area for us and we are offering some great entertainment and docu-formats which are new to the Central …