World Screen

NEW YORK: HBO has picked up a fifth season of the comedy Girls, ahead of the launch of season four. The fourth season of Girls gets under way this Sunday. The show was created by and stars Lena Dunham. Girls is nominated for best comedy for this year's Golden Globes, …

SEATTLE: Amazon’s first pilot season of the year is set to kick off January 15, with 13 original comedy, drama, docuseries and kids’ offerings debuting on Amazon Instant Video in the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. Seven new comedy, drama and docuseries pilots will be available, including hour-long shows Cocked, …

SANTA MONICA: Consumer spending on digital TV and movie downloads spiked to more than $1.5 billion in the U.S. last year, a 30-percent gain on 2013, according to the latest report from the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG). Total U.S. revenue from in-home viewing of movies dipped 1.8 percent to $17.8 …

LAS VEGAS: Fandango is teaming up with Hulu to introduce its first-ever subscription VOD channel. The service is expected to begin streaming in the first quarter. The channel will feature Fandango's own web-based shows, including FrontRunners, an awards-focused interview program. “We are excited to deliver our original video programming to …

BURBANK: ABC Family has greenlit two single-camera comedy pilots, Kevin from Work and Tough Cookie, both of which are set to go into production later this month. Kevin from Work is a half-hour workplace comedy about a young man who professes his love to a co-worker, thinking he’ll never see …

PASADENA/WASHINGTON, D.C.: National Geographic Channel is prepping its first-ever late-night series, Star Talk, hosted by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, in addition to lining up a brand-new event miniseries, History of the World. The Star Talk series is based on Tyson's popular podcast of the same name. The show, set …

SHERMAN OAKS: ITV Studios America has promoted Gregg Moscot to VP of production, based in the company's Los Angeles headquarters. Moscot has been serving as executive director of production at the company. With his promotion, he continues to report to Sam Zoda, the COO of ITV Studios America. “Gregg is …

LOS ANGELES: Discovery Channel has brought on John Goldwyn, who recently served as executive producer on Gracepoint, to expand its scripted division, and has tapped John Hoffman as executive VP of documentaries and specials. Goldwyn will serve as an executive producer for scripted programming, working closely with Rich Ross, who …

LOS ANGELES: The U.S. syndicated series Celebrity Name Game, co-produced by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, has been renewed for a second season following pickups by Tribune Broadcasting, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Cox Broadcasting and many others. The first season, which premiered this past fall in homes across America, ranks number …

LOS ANGELES: Marielle Zuccarelli, most recently the managing director of international content distribution at A+E Networks, has been hired as the executive VP of international distribution at Sonar Entertainment. Zuccarelli will manage Sonar’s international sales team, based in London, Munich, Madrid and Sydney. She is responsible for developing sales strategies for …