Top Stories

LONDON: BSkyB, which posted strong half-year profits, is planning to launch a new Internet TV service, positioned as an alternative for people who don’t currently subscribe to pay TV. Expected to launch in the first half of the year, the new service will feature a range of Sky content, including hundreds ...

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LONDON: Shine Group chairman and CEO Elisabeth Murdoch has been confirmed for this year’s MacTaggart Lecture, while Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and Sue Vertue are on board to host a Sherlock master class at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. Murdoch commented: “To be invited to deliver the MacTaggart lecture ...

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LONDON/SANTA MONICA: A range of films from the Miramax library are being offered on demand to BT Vision customers in the U.K. through the signing of a new pact. Films include Chicago, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1 and 2, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The ...

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MUNICH: Sky Deutschland and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution have reached a long-term multiplatform agreement that includes exclusive SVOD rights for all new releases and exclusive pay-TV rights during the license period of the first pay window. Films include J. Edgar, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Dark Shadows, The Dark ...

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MUNICH: Irina Ignatiew has been named the regional sales director for German-speaking countries at SevenOne International, succeeding Bodo Braun. Ignatiew will be responsible for distributing SevenOne International’s program portfolio in the German-speaking countries and finding co-production and co-financing partners for RedArrow productions, as well as third-party programs. Previously, Ignatiew served ...

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LOS ANGELES: At last night’s 18th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, the cast of Boardwalk Empire won for best ensemble performance in a drama, while Modern Family took the win on the comedy side. Individual performance wins went to Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire and Jessica Lange for American ...

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LONDON: Expanding the range of content available on Sky Anytime+, new agreements have been signed to bring BBC iPlayer and ITV Player to the VOD service. ITV archive content such as Prime Suspect, Lewis and Cold Feet join the service, accessible through the main Sky Anytime+ menu as well as ...

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ISTANBUL: Time Warner, News Corp. and the private equity group Texas Pacific have reportedly placed formal bids to acquire the Turkish media group ATV-Sabah, a unit of Calik Holding. Calik Holding bought ATV-Sabah in 2007 for $1.1 billion. One of Turkey’s largest media groups, ATV-Sabah combines a popular television channel ...

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LONDON: The international BBC HD channel is set to launch on Cyfrowy Polsat in Poland on February 1. Under the agreement, BBC HD will be available to all subscribers of the DTH platform’s extended basic tier, Extra HD. BBC HD features British and international high-definition content with a lineup of ...

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LONDON: DRG has named Charlotte Hargreaves the senior VP of marketing and business development. Hargreaves will report to Jonathan Jackson, the COO of DRG, and will be responsible for new business areas and digital platforms. In addition, she will help to grow the brand development side of the business, acquiring ...

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