World Screen

BEVERLY HILLS: Starz has inked a two-year pact with executive producer David Knoller, who will serve as EP for Blackbirds and the recently renewed Power while also continuing to develop original programming for the premium U.S. cable channel. Knoller also produced and/or directed more than 50 episodes of the drama …

ATLANTA: Raycom Media in the U.S. is set to carry the female-skewed Escape channel and the male-targeted Grit network, thanks to a new distribution agreement secured with Katz Broadcasting. This marks the second distribution agreement for the recently announced channels. Univision Television Group has already committed to carrying the two …

LOS ANGELES: Showtime has given a pilot production order to the comedy Roadies, which is written and directed by Cameron Crowe and executive produced by Winnie Holzman and J.J. Abrams. The comedy follows the day-to-day life of a successful rock tour, seen through the eyes of music's background players: the …

SANTA MONICA: Miramax has hired Daniel Pipski for the newly created role of VP of television, working to drive series development and production as well as third-party TV projects. Pipski reports to Zanne Devine, the executive VP of production and development at Miramax. Pipski is responsible for generating original series …

BERLIN/LOS ANGELES: ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s multichannel network (MCN) Studio71 is introducing the YouTube project The Mansion in the U.S. market. Set in Los Angeles, The Mansion targets both American branded-entertainment sponsors and popular YouTube talent seeking to increase their reach in the online video market. The concept is to bring together …

NEW YORK: As of this month, Discovery Communications is consolidating its worldwide licensing and merchandising businesses into one comprehensive global division called Discovery Consumer Products. Discovery Consumer Products will offer the opportunity for shared ideas, content and product, while also providing licensees and retailers with a one-stop international footprint. The …

NEW YORK: AMC has already ordered a second season of 13 episodes of Better Call Saul, though the Breaking Bad prequel is now set to premiere in early 2015. The network has unveiled several updates on the series, which is filming in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first season of ten …

TORONTO: Lifetime is set to take a behind-the-scenes look at one of the ’90s most popular Saturday morning series in The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story. The film is currently shooting in Vancouver, with a premiere date scheduled for Labor Day, September 1, at 9 p.m. The movie will …

LOS ANGELES: FX Networks has secured the exclusive post-pay window for a slew of this year's highest grossing films, among them 22 Jump Street, The Fault in Our Stars and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Also acquired by FX Networks are Neighbors, Amazing Spiderman 2, The Other Woman, Captain America …

NEW YORK: Following on her HBO feature-length documentary Life is But a Dream, Beyoncé is returning to the premium cable network with a ten-episode series of concert performances, titled Beyoncé: x10. Starting June 29, a new four-minute segment will debut every Sunday night at 8:55 p.m., right before the debut …