World Screen

SANTA MONICA: Assaf Blecher, the VP of programming and development at dick clark productions, is expanding his remit to take on oversight for the joint venture with Keshet International, Keshet DCP. In addition to his responsibilities at dick clark productions, Blecher will manage programming and development for Keshet DCP. The …

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter has bought the video-sharing service SnappyTV for an undisclosed amount, a move the social media company says will help publishers quickly share moments from important televised events as they happen. The four-year-old startup SnappyTV has already been working with Twitter and its media partners to edit and …

NEW YORK: Bravo Media and Universal Cable Productions have kicked off production in Vancouver for Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, the first scripted show for Bravo. Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce centers on a self-help book author who is adjusting to life as a single person. The hour-long program will star series regulars …

NEW YORK: Total advertising expenditures in the U.S. reached $34.9 billion in the first quarter of 2014, an increase of 5.7 percent on Q1 2013, receiving a nice lift from the Winter Olympics, according to the latest report from Kantar Media. Spending was up 9.7 percent across all measured types …

SEATTLE: Amazon Studios is slated to premiere the half-hour dramatic comedy Really as part of its third pilot season, which kicks off on Amazon Instant Video later in the year. Really, which comes from Jay Chandrasekhar (Super Troopers), Main Street Films' Craig Chang and Harrison Kordestani, follows four couples living …

LOS ANGELES: Host Ryan Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. are coming back for the 14th season of American Idol, which is slated to launch on FOX in 2015. Seacrest has been presenting the show, produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, since its premiere …

ATLANTA: The upcoming Katz Broadcasting over-the-air TV networks Grit and Escape have picked up the rights for 157 movies in a multiyear licensing deal with NBCUniversal (NBCU) Television & New Media Distribution in the U.S. and Canada. Genre-targeted titles headed to the male-skewing Grit will star such popular actors as Clint …

LOS ANGELES: Showtime has ordered a pilot for the half-hour comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom and CBS Television Studios. The show, which will have musical elements, focuses on a successful young woman who impulsively gives up her law firm job and Manhattan apartment to find …

BEVERLY HILLS: Starz has added to its executive team with the appointment of David Weil as executive VP and general counsel for business and legal affairs. Weil will be working out of the Beverly Hills headquarters, taking on responsibility for developing the strategic direction of business and legal affairs for …

LOS ANGELES: New York has become the top location for one-hour TV pilot productions in the U.S., according to FilmL.A., hosting 24 drama projects in the 2013/2014 development cycle, as compared with 19 in Los Angeles. In total, there were 90 pilot projects shot in L.A. in the period—19 one-hour …