BURBANK: Disney/ABC Television Group has elevated Skarpi Hedinsson to the position of chief technology officer. In his new role, Hedinsson will be tasked with developing and implementing advanced technology strategies and solutions to drive the group’s consumer- and business-facing products and services. He will focus on the use, optimization and ...

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LOS ANGELES: Cable and OTT platforms lead the 2016 Golden Globe TV nominations, with Netflix scoring the most nods, followed by HBO, Starz, Amazon Video and FX. As for most-nominated series, American Crime, Fargo, Mr. Robot, Outlander, Transparent and Wolf Hall each landed three nominations. Mr. Robot and Outlander are ...

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NEW YORK: FremantleMedia International (FMI) has appointed Caroline Kusser to the newly created position of senior VP of sales and distribution for its U.S. arm. Based in LA, Kusser will be tasked with further building FMI’s reputation in the region and maximizing opportunities for its 22,000 hours of content across ...

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NEW YORK: Seeso, a new ad-free streaming comedy channel from NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, is set to roll out on January 7. Seeso will be available on a dedicated website and iOS and Android platforms, with others expected to be added in the coming months. Subscribers will have access to more ...

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LOS ANGELES: The nominees for the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards have been announced, with returning hits, including Game of Thrones, Homeland and House of Cards, leading in TV categories. Netflix leads for nominations by network for TV programs, with eight. HBO followed with six, then Showtime (5), ...

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LOS ANGELES: Lionsgate TV and ABC have cast Abigail Breslin as “Baby” in the upcoming musical adaptation of the classic film Dirty Dancing. Breslin (Freak Show, Scream Queens, Little Miss Sunshine) will take the lead in the three-hour musical, playing the role originally portrayed by Jennifer Grey in the 1987 ...

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LOS ANGELES: The catalogue of global distributor Mance Media boasts more than 20 first-run movies, TV series and documentaries shot in native 4K, with a refresh rate of two new titles monthly heading into 2016. Highlights include the doc Circles of Life: Iceland 4K, directed by Reinhard Kungel; the theatrical ...

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SEATTLE: Amazon Prime customers can now manage standalone OTT services from providers such as Showtime and Starz via Amazon’s new Streaming Partners Program, which launched today. The hub allows outside SVOD providers to market their platforms to Prime subscribers, delivering their video through Amazon’s streaming infrastructure. Billing would also take ...

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NEW YORK: Rachel Smith has been promoted at Bravo Media to senior VP of current production. Smith reports to Shari Levine, the executive VP of current production at Bravo. Based in New York, Smith joined Bravo in 2013 as VP of current production and currently oversees several hit series for ...

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BURBANK: Renu Thomas has been elevated to executive VP of media operations, engineering and IT at Disney/ABC Television Group. In her new role, Thomas will work under Ben Sherwood, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group (DATG). She will collaborate with members of DATG’s senior leadership ...

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