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LONDON: Operating profit was up 5 percent at BSkyB for the three months ending September 30, with revenue up 4 percent.  Operating profit reached £310 million ($500 million). Revenue was £1.7 billion ($2.7 billion).  Subscriber growth did slow, increasing by 20,000 quarter-on-quarter to reach 10.3 million subs. The number of HD …

LONDON: James Murdoch has been reappointed as BSkyB director, with only 5 percent of the shareholders voting against the move.   Murdoch had previously stepped down as chairman over a phone-hacking scandal at News Corporation’s British newspapers arm. At the company’s annual general meeting, Murdoch gained the support of 95 …

LONDON: ITV has ordered the sitcom Vicious, which stars Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, for its 2013 schedule. Gary Janetti, who has been a writer/producer on such shows as Family Guy and Will & Grace, will pen the series, which has been co-created by Mark Ravenhill. Vicious is a Brown …

LONDON: Sky has secured a new multi-year licensing pact with NBCUniversal International Television Distribution for the exclusive TV rights in the U.K. and Ireland for current, upcoming and library feature films. The films are for its Sky Movies service. All titles covered under the pact will be available to Sky …

BUDAPEST: Chellomedia’s Chello Central Europe has picked up more than 150 hours of programming from BBC Worldwide for its movie channels Film Mania and Film Café. Titles involved in the deal include the successful BBC series Death in Paradise, The Deep and book adaptations such as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice …

LONDON: BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies are joining Cyfrowy Polsat, which is Poland’s largest DTH platform, later this month. The agreement, secured by BBC Worldwide Channel, means that the BBC’s thematic channels are available on all major DTH, cable and IPTV providers in the country. These four services join …

LONDON: Virgin TV customers can now access programming on the go from their computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones through the new cloud-based Virgin TV Anywhere service. The service offers the ability for live streaming of up to 45 channels at launch, depending on a customer’s TV package and method of access. This includes …

LONDON: Shine International has appointed Katrina Neylon, currently the VP of sales, to the role of senior VP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Ruth Clarke exited the post earlier this year. Neylon steps into the role, reporting to Nadine Nohr, the CEO of Shine International. Neylon will be …

MUNICH: ProSiebenSat.1 more than doubled its underlying net income in the third quarter, to 65.1 million euros ($83 million), with its performance bolstered by the 50-percent rise in digital revenues, to 85.9 million euros ($109.5 million). The group reported total revenues of 636.9 million euros, a gain of 7.1 percent. …

LONDON: E4 has commissioned Drifters, a new comedy-drama series about a trio of young women entering the world of adulthood. Starring Jessica Knappett, Lydia Rose Bewley and Lauren O’Rourke, Drifters revolves around the lives of Meg, Bunny and Laura, three women who are learning what it’s like to live in the real …