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LUXEMBOURG: Oliver Fahlbusch is taking on responsibilities as the head of RTL Group’s corporate communications, effective July 1.  Fahlbusch joined RTL Group in August 2006, as deputy head of corporate communications. He also previously held successive positions at Bertelsmann’s corporate communications department from April 2000 to July 2006. He became a member …

BUDAPEST: BBC Worldwide has licensed a package of 90 hours of programming, spanning several genres, to Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Heike Renner, the company’s territory manager, reveals to World Screen Newsflash. Included in the deal were seasons one and two of Sherlock, which has now been licensed into more than …

BUDAPEST: NATPE has reported that more than 430 buyers and 200-plus selling companies were on hand at the Sofitel for the three-day event, which wrapped in Budapest today.  Delegations from South Korea, Spain and France had a presence at the market, along with the Hollywood-studio majors. First-time exhibitors hailed from …

STOCKHOLM: Modern Times Group has acquired the exclusive broadcasting rights for the men’s and women’s 2016 and 2018 EHF European Handball Championships for Sweden, Norway and Denmark.  MTG will broadcast matches on free- and pay-TV channels, as well as on the Viaplay online pay-TV service. Matches involving the local national …

MILAN: Sky Italia customers will gain access to Sky on Demand as of July 1, bringing subscribers thousands of Sky programs that are available to watch anytime.  The service is free of charge to existing subscribers. Sky Italia will offer the new on-demand service in advance exclusively to customers who …

BEVERLY HILLS: Several additional dramas and comedies from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution are headed to Netflix’s streaming platform in the U.K. and Ireland, including the brand new season of Arrested Development. The three seasons of the critically acclaimed sitcom produced for the FOX network from 2003 to 2006 are …

BUDAPEST: ORF-Enterprise has concluded a number of deals with broadcasters from across Central and Eastern Europe, including the sale of a package of 50 hours of natural-history programming into Hungary.  MTVA Hungary picked up 50-plus hours for Duna to air in 2012 and 2013. Another package, of around 160 hours, …

PARIS: Jean-Bernard Lévy is stepping down after seven years at the helm of Vivendi following a clash with the board over the strategic direction of the group. Lévy has run the company as chairman of the management board since 2005; he joined Vivendi in 2002 as COO. In a statement, …

LONDON: Advertising spending in the U.K. across measured media is forecast to increase 3.4 percent this year, according to GroupM’s This Year, Next Year report, which says that the country’s ad expenditures and growth are well above the anticipated levels in other Western European territories. The report, This Year, Next …

LONDON: Sky’s impact on the U.K. economy has been evaluated for the first time in a study conducted by Oxford Economics, which finds that the British broadcasting group contributed £5.4 billion to the country’s GDP in 2011. The report, The Economic Impact of Sky on the U.K., shows that Sky …