Top Stories

LONDON: BBC Two’s new lineup includes a number of scripted and unscripted titles focused on the Cold War and its effects on Britain. Headlining the slate is Legacy, which follows the life of a young spy during the conflict in 1970s London. The 90-minute thriller, based on Alan Judd’s book, …

LONDON: After having served as CEO of Shine International on an interim basis since September 2012, Nadine Nohr has officially been appointed to fill the post permanently. Nohr has been a consultant to Shine International since 2010. She oversaw the relocation and restructure of Shine group’s global distribution company in …

LONDON: The number of digital TV homes in Eastern Europe will almost double between 2012 and 2018, reaching 121 million, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. Digital TV Eastern Europe notes that this year alone, 13 million digital TV homes will be added, with penetration rising to …

STOCKHOLM: SBS Discovery Media has purchased the Swedish channel TV11 from the TV4 Group, with the takeover scheduled to be complete June 1. The move, which still needs approval from the Swedish Broadcasting Authority, would give SBS Discovery Media a third free-to-air channel, in addition to Channel 5 and Channel …

STRASBOURG: The European Audiovisual Observatory has found that there are now 3,087 on-demand content services operating across Europe. The data covers catch-up TV, video platforms operated by newspapers and various VOD offerings, across different business models, including free ad-supported, pay-per-view, subscription based and services from public broadcasters. In the European …

BUDAPEST: The authenticated VOD service HBO GO is now available to customers of blizoo, the largest cable operator in Bulgaria. The streaming service allows customers who have an HBO subscription and a broadband Internet service to watch select programming whenever they’d like. With shows such as Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and True …

STOCKHOLM/MAINZ: ZDF Enterprises has firmed up a multi-year pact with the Swedish indie producer Tre Vänner for the development of TV projects, including new high-end Scandinavian dramas. The projects will be meant to target Scandinavian, German and international audiences. Though drama will be a focus, productions are set to span different …

GENEVA: The European Broadcasting Union is calling on the European Union to exclude the region’s content-creation sector from its negotiations for a trade and investment partnership with the U.S. “The audiovisual industry should be explicitly excluded from the European Union’s mandate to negotiate a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with …

LONDON: Universal Networks International has secured carriage for the flagship Universal Channel in Germany, where it will launch in September on Sky Deutschland and Deutsche Telecom. Universal Channel is currently seen in 103 countries around the world, delivered in 16 languages. The German launch comes shortly after UNI unveiled a …

LONDON: The legendary comedian Tommy Cooper is the focus of a brand-new single drama for ITV. Written by Simon Nye and produced by Left Bank Pictures, the drama will focus on the story of how Cooper fell in love with his assistant and embarked on a relationship that would last …