World Screen

NEW YORK: After having recently expanded its definition of what constitutes a TV home to encompass broadband Internet connections, Nielsen’s 2014 Advance National TV Household Universe Estimate (UE) is that there are 115.6 million TV homes in the U.S., up 1.2 percent. This is up from the estimated 114.2 million from the …

LOS ANGELES: Danny Zappin, the CEO and co-founder of Maker Studios, a provider of multichannel networks on YouTube, is stepping down, to be replaced by former Endemol CEO Ynon Kreiz. Kreiz, who at one time served as the chief executive of Endemol, has been serving as a chairman at Maker Studios …

LOS ANGELES: FX has picked up a package of blockbuster movies to run on the channel, including scoring Iron Man 3. The network acquired the commercial TV premiere rights for ten titles that have taken the top spot at the box office in 11 of the last 18 weeks. Along with …

UNIVERSAL CITY: Adam Levine, the frontman of the band Maroon 5 and a coach on The Voice, and his producing partner Jordan Feldstein have entered into an exclusive first-look development deal with NBC Entertainment for scripted and alternative programming. The one-year deal will see Levin and Feldstein developing both scripted …

LOS ANGELES: Launching on Netflix in the U.S. this summer, Orange Is the New Black, a new drama set in a women’s prison, is a lead offering from Lionsgate. At the L.A. Screenings, Lionsgate will be talking to international buyers about the show, along with Chasing Life, a drama, and …

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Senator John McCain has introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to encourage a la carte packages from pay-TV platforms, allowing customers to select individual channels they want to subscribe to without having to sign up for bundled packages. "This legislation has three principal objectives: encourage the wholesale …

SILVER SPRING: Morgan Freeman is returning to Science Channel as the host of the fourth installment of Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, premiering June 5. Nine all-new episodes will examine questions about space, science and humankind. Some of the questions tackled in the upcoming season are: "When Does Life …

UNIVERSAL CITY: Five new series have already been announced for NBC’s 2013-14 schedule, including About a Boy, based on the Nick Hornby novel and 2002 movie of the same name. Minnie Driver is attached to star in About a Boy, alongside David Walton. Also getting an order are the comedies …

PREMIUM: Belinda Menendez, the president of NBCUniversal International Television Distribution and Universal Networks International, talks about expanding NBCU’s portfolio of international channels and selling content in today’s multiplatform digital world. WS: The international television distribution business is vastly different today from what it was ten to 15 years ago. What factors …

NEW YORK: Ovation has nine new original series coming to its summer and fall schedules, including the U.S. premiere of A Young Doctor’s Notebook, starring Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe. Around 236 hours of original content is being produced for Ovation in 2013, compared to the 46 hours it produced …