World Screen

LOS ANGELES: Tracey Morgan (30 Rock) has signed on to star in the FX Networks comedy pilot Death Pact, from Rob Long and Tad Safran. Death Pact, produced by FX Productions, was co-created by Long (Sullivan & Son, Cheers) and Safran (The Long Weekend). Morgan will star as a formerly lazy pot-dealing …

RANCHO PALOS VERDES: Fanhattan, which is backed by the investors behind TiVo, Netflix and Sonos, has unveiled Fan TV, a set-top box that brings together live TV, cloud DVR and streaming services all in one destination. The company designed Fan TV in partnership with Yves Béhar. The set-top box is …

SANTA MONICA: Lionsgate Entertainment has posted a profit for its fourth quarter, after seeing a loss last year, driven mainly by an increase in revenues. Earnings for the studio were $163 million for the three months ended March 31, compared to the year-ago loss of $22.7 million. Lionsgate’s revenues for …

SANTA MONICA: Jon Feltheimer has extended his tenure to serve as the CEO of Lionsgate through May 2018. Feltheimer has been the CEO for 13 years. During this time, Lionsgate’s market capital has increased from $80 million to nearly $4 billion. Dr. Mark Rachesky, Lionsgate’s chairman of the board, said, …

SAN FRANCISCO: CBS Corporation has wholly acquired TV Guide Digital, which includes TVGuide.com and TV Guide Mobile properties. CBS Corporation purchased the remaining 50-percent stake in TV Guide Digital shares from Lionsgate. The companies’ 50-50 partnership for the TVGN cable channel, announced in March, will continue. “TV Guide is one of the most-enduring …

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has unveiled its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series, led by The Sopranos, with Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family and M*A*S*H in the top five. Determined through online voting by members of WGA West and WGA East, the list places …

NEW YORK: Several promotions and executive appointments have been made at A+E Networks under its new president and CEO, Nancy Dubuc, including Bob DeBitetto being tapped to lead the brand-new in-house production studio A+E Studios. DeBitetto becomes the president of brand strategy and business development for the newly formed A+E Studios. …

PORT WASHINGTON: The number of viewers watching TV shows using SVOD services is on the rise, with Netflix maintaining a clear dominance in the market, according to The NPD Group’s new VideoWatch VOD report. In Q1 2013, the number of viewers watching TV shows using SVOD services was up 34 percent compared …

NEW YORK: FOX Sports has reached a deal for the broadcast rights to qualifying matches for the UEFA EURO 2016, as well as the European qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup, and is sublicensing half of the game inventory to ESPN. The agreement covers exclusive rights in the U.S. and …

LOS ANGELES: John Landgraf, currently the president and general manager of FX Networks and FX Productions, has been upped to CEO, a role that sees him, among other responsibilities, overseeing the launch of FXX. Landgraf will continue to report to Peter Rice, the chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group, in …