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LOS ANGELES: TV 2 Norway has renewed its long-running multiyear volume deal with CBS Studios International, with the agreement being expanded to cover rights for the SVOD service Sumo. As part of the agreement, Under the Dome returns to the Norwegian broadcaster, which also gains access to CBS's new fall …

LONDON: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is launching the U.S. cable network Spike in the U.K. next spring. The channel reaches almost 100 million households in the U.S. It will now head to the Freeview digital terrestrial TV platform in the U.K. early next year, making it available on free-to-air …

LONDON: A new report from Digital TV Research forecasts a dip in subscriber numbers and revenues for the top half of Europe's leading pay-TV operators. The European Pay TV Operator Forecasts covers 103 operators in 26 countries that represent 84 percent of subscribers. The findings point to subscriber numbers falling …

LONDON: Julie Swanston, the VP of commissioning for BBC Worldwide Channels, has set out her priorities for the new genre brands BBC Earth and BBC Brit. Swanston is charged with commissioning a minimum of 83 hours of content across the two brands. For BBC Brit, the aim is to commission …

LONDON: ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) is hosting a slew of on- and off-screen talent at MIPCOM, including Eugene and Dan Levy, the stars and co-creators of the new comedy Schitt’s Creek. Schitt’s Creek tells the story of a wealthy family who suddenly finds themselves broke and so is …

CANNES: Shine International is coming to MIPCOM with a slate of new formats that “are testament to our creativity and pursuit of extraordinary TV,” says Nadine Nohr, the company’s CEO, as well as a number of high-profile dramas, among them Gracepoint. Included in Shine International’s offering is The Island with …

LONDON: Emmanuelle Namiech has been tapped as the managing director of Banijay International, taking over for Karoline Spodsberg, who was promoted to a new role as Banijay Group’s COO Nordics. Namiech has been working for the last six months in an acquisitions capacity at the company. Now, as MD, he …

LONDON: RaNT!, a creation of Adam Bestwick at Fourth Wall Brands, has won the 2014 License This! Challenge at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE). The character, described as fun and irreverent, has something loud to say about the pieces of modern life that really get on everyone’s nerves, spouting off about …

CANNES: The Oscar winners Dame Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman lead the cast of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, part of the Red Arrow International catalogue for MIPCOM buyers. Also new is the crime series 100 Code, which features Dominic Monaghan (Lost) and Michael Nyqvist (the Millennium trilogy). Another highlight is …

LONDON: David Frank, who previously served as CEO of Zodiak Media, has founded a new content group, Dial Square 86, focused on the creation, enhancement and exploitation of entertainment across all platforms. Frank, who was also founder and CEO of RDF Media, serves as CEO of the newly formed Dial …