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MAINZ: ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) is partnering with YouTube marketing platform HitchOn in an effort to boost its ties with social-media personalities. HitchOn allows YouTube stars to answer requests from companies, as well as announce their project ideas themselves. "YouTube plays an important role in our digital strategy," says Alexander Coridass, …

PARIS: Vivendi has picked up a 30 percent stake in the French outfit Mars Films, which specializes in motion pictures. Additionally, Didier Lupfer, CANAL+ Group's executive VP in charge of cinema, is appointed chairman of the CANAL+ Group affiliate STUDIOCANAL. Stéphane Célérier, the chairman of Mars Films, has been named …

MADRID: The Bulgarian dramedy Liaisons is one of the top offerings Imagina International Sales will be showcasing at MIPCOM. Produced by Emo Vision for Bulgaria’s BTV national channel, the scripted series portrays the crisis of a married couple when their lovers enter the scene. The distributor will also present the …

BERLIN: Watchever, a German SVOD service owned by Vivendi, has relaunched its offering with a new structure based on branded channels, compiled by such content partners as BBC Worldwide and The Walt Disney Company. There are 25 channels available initially, with partners that include CBS Studios International and ZDF Enterprises. …

LONDON: FremantleMedia International has picked up the global distribution rights for Boy Machine, a new Swedish musical comedy that the company will be promoting at this year's MIPCOM. Boy Machine comes from FLX, the producers of the hit film The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. The …

CANNES: Murder, a collection of four standalone, hour-long films that Zodiak Rights is presenting at MIPCOM, mixes documentary with drama to tell the stories of gruesome crimes from every angle. “Each standalone film of the electrifyingly tense collection Murder throws a stark and unsettling light on a gripping new case,” …

CANNES: Turkey is this year’s Country of Honour at MIPCOM, and Eccho Rights is on hand with a selection of Turkish dramas. Gönül is a brand-new series on Star TV in Turkey. It comes from Most Productions, the original producer of Sila. Eccho Rights bills it as "a story about …

LONDON: David Schwimmer (Friends) has joined the cast of the new Julia Davis sitcom Morning Has Broken, due to air in 2016 on Channel 4.   The 6×30-minute series is produced by Brown Eyed Boy. Davis will play the role of Gail Sinclair, the star of a TV morning show. Schwimmer will play …

LONDON: Freesat has launched five new music and entertainment channels, including FOX International Channels’ YourTV. The entertainment channel YourTV is FOX International Channels’ first-ever network for the U.K. free-to-air market. It features programming such as the Emmy-nominated drama Shark, Baking Good, Baking Bad and Corrupt Crimes. Additional new channels are Chilled, …

LONDON: FOX International Channels (FIC) has promoted Jeff Ford to senior VP of content development for Europe and Africa, in addition to his current role as the managing director for the U.K. Ford reports to Diego Londono, the COO for FIC Europe and Africa. He will continue to be based …