Top Stories

MUNICH/BERLIN: There are currently 1,424 online TV services in Germany, according to a report from Goldmedia, and the number of people accessing videos through this method of viewing has increased by around 17 percent year-on-year. The online TV market in Germany is consolidating and "gains continuing professionalism," states the report, Web TV Monitor 2012, …

MOSCOW: MTV Russia, a joint venture between Viacom International Media Networks and ProfMedia, will be taken off the air in mid-2013. VIMN and ProfMedia are ending their partnership, which will see the channel going dark as of May 2013. It will be replaced by a new entertainment channel, Friday (Pyatnitsa in …

LONDON: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks in the U.K. is planning to provide a range of services to support LondonTV, a proposed local channel for London that is backed by the Channel 6 Consortium. If the channel successfully scores a license, SPT Networks would become a program schedule provider and deliver …

LONDON: The Banijay Group company Nordisk FilmTV has entered into an exclusive pan-Scandinavian output deal with Elk Entertainment, the U.K. indie set up by the former heads of Friday TV, behind Minute to Win It. Nordisk FilmTV will serve as production partner to roll out new commissions across Scandinavia. Its …

PARIS: TF1 and Discovery Communications have confirmed that they are in the process of finalizing exclusive negotiations to form a strategic alliance, part of which would see Discovery taking a 20-percent interest in the Eurosport group. There are three key areas that the alliance would focus on, one of which …

SILVER SPRING: Discovery Communications is acquiring the SBS Nordic operations of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, including 12 television networks, in a $1.7 billion transaction. The deal includes four networks in Norway, two in Sweden, four in Denmark and two in Finland. With the purchase, Discovery also gains SBS Nordic’s 19 radio …

LONDON: Channel 4 has agreed to give the BBC the broadcast rights for the 2013 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships. Channel 4 acquired the exclusive media rights for the IAAF World Athletic Series for 2011 to 2013 back in September 2010. The BBC previously took the broadcast rights …

PREMIUM: Friday evening belonged to light entertainment as game shows and formats fared well in the four largest markets of continental Western Europe on December 14. The biggest audience for a program in any of the four markets was in France for TF1’s Koh-Lanta, the local version of the Survivor format, …

LONDON: Chellomedia has appointed Simon Freer as chief commercial officer, Ron Huisman as chief financial officer and Mike Moriarty as managing director for Chello Benelux and Chellomedia Investments. Freer previously served as the global head of TMT at 3i Group. In his new role he will supervise the revenue growth …

STOCKHOLM: SF Norge has purchased a 51-percent share in the Norwegian production outfit Motion Blur, striking up a partnership with its co-owners as well. Motion Blur is co-owned by Harald Zwart, Veslemøy Ruud Zwart, Espen Sandberg, Joachim Rønning and Espen Horn. The company has been producing films in the Norwegian …