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LONDON: NBCUniversal has begun offering its movie VOD service PictureBox Films direct to consumers in the U.K. and Ireland following a redesign and rebrand of the platform. With the relaunch, customers can directly access 60 films on their PC, Samsung Smart TVs and iOS and Android mobile devices for £4.99 a …

LUXEMBOURG: Michael Lee is replacing Magnus Ternsjö as the managing director of Liberty Global’s UPC DTH, a leading satellite-TV provider in Central and Eastern Europe. Lee had been serving as the CFO of UPC DTH since 2010. He was first hired by the company in 2000 as group controller for …

LOS ANGELES: This August, FOX International Channels says it will launch FOX Sports in Italy with a portfolio of rights that includes Barclay’s Premier League, Spanish La Liga and more. In addition to English and Spanish national soccer action, FOX Sports in Italy will also carry French Ligue games as well as the FA Cup, plus …

LONDON: FremantleMedia International has licensed more than 220 hours of drama, lifestyle, comedy, factual and entertainment programming to broadcasters in German-speaking Europe. The ProSiebenSat.1 Group in Germany took a number of titles for its female-targeted Sixx channel and VOD service Maxdome. Jamie Cooks Summer and Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals are …

LONDON: The Royal Television Society’s 2013 Cambridge Convention, set to take place September 11 to 13, will feature a speaker lineup that includes ABC’s Paul Lee, Microsoft’s Nancy Tellem and Channel 5’s Richard Desmond. The theme for the Cambridge event this year is "Whose side are you on? Quality content: Who …

BUDAPEST: From filmmaker Kurt Mündl, Cosmos is a brand-new doc series distributed by Tele München International that touches on a variety of wildlife topics, from endangered insects such as the honeybee to surviving the cold. “Cosmos appeals to a broad audience,” says Angelika Koch, the international sales manager for Tele …

TAMPERE: Topi Salo, the former head of development at Shine Group’s Metronome Finland, has been hired by Aito Media to lead its Nordic operations. Aito Media is a Finnish independent television production company that has produced more than 150 hours of unscripted content in Finland, Norway and Sweden this year. …

ATHENS: Greece’s ERT has been given a temporary reprieve, with a court ruling that the pubcaster’s signal can be restored pending a restructure. Last week, the Greek government ordered the closure of ERT as a cost-savings initiative, sparking widespread protests and leaving some 2,700 people without jobs. Greece’s supreme administrative court …

BUDAPEST: Jo, a lead offering from Red Arrow International, has already proven successful in several territories, including Poland, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria. Filmed on location in Paris, Jo is a crime procedural that sees Jean Reno making his return to television. The Taste is new a cooking competition format that …

LONDON: TRACE Group has signed an agreement with Orange Romania’s new Orange TV platform, marking its first launch in Romania. The distribution deal involves a trio of TRACE television networks: TRACE Sports, which spotlights famous athletes; TRACE Urban, a hip-hop and R&B channel; and TRACE Tropical, which features Latin American, …