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STOCKHOLM: Group sales were up 13 percent at a constant rate for Modern Times Group (MTG) in the first quarter of 2014, following growth in the Nordic and emerging market pay-TV operations and the Scandinavian free-TV business. Operating costs were up 17 percent at a constant rate, and 9 percent …

PARIS: TF1 and M6 have decided to close down TF6, a joint-venture DTT channel. According to the French newspaper Les Échos, the channel will go dark at the end of this year. The paper also said that TF6 had been operating at a loss for four years, recording a net …

DOHA: Al Jazeera English has launched to Swedish viewers through the DTT platform Boxer, after having been granted a license from the Swedish Broadcasting Authority that is valid until March 31, 2020. The English-language news and current affairs channel currently reaches more than 270 million households in 140 countries worldwide. …

LONDON: Meredith Chambers is teaming up with Karl Warner to share the role of managing director at the indie Electric Ray, a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television. Chambers will focus on producing factual content, while Warner leads the company's entertainment push. Chambers joins Electric Ray from Shed Media-owned indie …

LONDON: The latest U.K. ad forecasts from the Advertising Association/Warc Expenditure Report predict growth of 5.5 percent in 2014 and 6.5 percent in 2015, bringing ad spend past £20 billion ($33.7 billion) for the first time. U.K. ad spending was at £17.877 million ($30.1 million) in 2013, a gain of …

LONDON: Maker Studios has appointed Dan'l Hewitt, who previously worked at VICE Media, Yahoo and Bebo/AOL, to serve as its managing director for the U.K. Hewitt is a former general manager of VICE's Advice division. He also co-founded Voower, an online ad marketplace. At Maker Studios, Hewitt will be based …

LONDON/NEW YORK: Viacom and Northern & Shell Media Group have reached an agreement regarding the acquisition of Channel 5 by Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) for £450 million ($757 million). Under the terms of the agreement, Viacom will acquire all brands and assets of Channel 5. This includes the flagship …

LONDON: BBC Three is bolstering its entertainment offering with three new formats plus additional seasons of returning favorites, including The Revolution Will Be Televised. Nick Helm, who stars in the recent BBC Three comedy Uncle, presents a new series called Nick Helm's Heavy Entertainment. The fast-paced variety show features stand-up, …

LONDON: While profits fell by 15 percent to £623 million ($1.05 billion), BSkyB posted a 6.6-percent improvement in its revenues for the nine months ended March 31, 2014, and reported 74,000 net new TV customers. Total revenues at the company for the period were £5.7 billion ($9.6 billion). The company …

LONDON: Content Media Corporation has entered into a first-look deal with the U.K. indie KEO Films, as the factual specialist moves into the scripted arena. Both companies will be working together to jointly develop scripted material. Content will have the first-look distribution rights to represent the programming in the international …