Thursday, March 28, 2024

World Screen

The leading source of information for the international media business.

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Showtime to Offer More Strikeforce MMA Fights

December 16, 2011

NEW YORK: Showtime Networks has reached a broadcast agreement with championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company Strikeforce for the network to produce and televise up to eight live events. Beginning on Showtime’s Free Preview Weekend, January 7, Luke Rockhold defends the Strikeforce title against Keith Jardine, to air in …

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Comcast’s Brian Roberts Fined $500K in Anti-Trust Case

December 16, 2011

WASHINGTON: Brian Roberts, the CEO of Comcast Corporation, will pay a $500,000 civil penalty to settle anti-trust charges that he violated pre-merger stock-buying rules. The U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission, filed a lawsuit against Roberts for failing to comply with pre-merger notification requirements, …

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U.S. Adspend Sees Modest Increase

December 19, 2011

NEW YORK: Total advertising expenditures in the U.S. for the first nine months of 2011 increased 1.5 percent from the year-ago period, reaching $104.7 billion, according to Kantar Media. The latest figures from Kantar showed that spending growth slowed during the quarter, up 0.4 percent compared to last year. For …

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Time Warner Cable Gets HBO Go, Max Go

December 19, 2011

NEW YORK: Time Warner Cable customers are gaining access to HBO’s authenticated online video destinations HBO Go and Max Go, delivering some 1,800 titles, including hits such as Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. The companies will hold a brief Beta trial, with the service expected to launch in the …

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Syfy Orders More Paranormal Witness

December 20, 2011

NEW YORK: Syfy has placed a 12-episode pick-up order for season two of the docudrama series Paranormal Witness, which is set to premiere in August 2012. Paranormal Witness debuted in September and is produced by Raw TV (Locked Up Abroad, Gold Rush Alaska). Executive producers are Dimitri Doganis and Bart …

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Lifetime Movies Licensed Internationally

December 21, 2011

NEW YORK: Broadcasters in Canada, Europe, the Asia Pacific and the U.S. have signed licensing agreements with A+E Networks for Lifetime movies. Shaw Media in Canada acquired Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, The Bling Ring, We Have Your Husband, Girl Fight and William & Kate. TF1 in France, …

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Nielsen Reveals Top Shows of 2011

December 22, 2011

NEW YORK: FOX’s American Idol remains the top prime-time program in the U.S., a spot its held since its fifth season in 2007, according to Nielsen’s Top 10 of 2011 list. American Idol‘s Wednesday run on FOX averaged 23.9 million viewers in 2011, 8.1 percent of U.S. TV viewers over the …

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IHS iSuppli: Video Retail Business on the Decline

December 23, 2011

EL SEGUNDO: Sales for physical discs are expected to continue to decline, while electronic sell-through (EST) figures for movies and TV shows increase, though overall purchasing of video content is forecast to dip to $9.9 billion for the year, down 29 percent from its $14.1 billion peak in 2004, according to …

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Liberty Global Appoints Replacement for Senior Exec

December 23, 2011

ENGLEWOOD: Liberty Global has named Bryan Hall the senior VP, general counsel and secretary, succeeding Elizabeth Markowski, who has retired. Hall will be based in Denver as a member of the company’s executive management committee and will report to Mike Fries, the president and CEO of Liberty Global. Hall previously …

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USA Network Tops Prime-Time Ad-Supported Cable Viewing for 2011

January 2, 2012

NEW YORK: USA Network led ad-supported basic cable viewership in prime time in 2011, followed by ESPN, TNT, Fox News and HISTORY. This marks the sixth consecutive time that USA finished number one in total viewers and adults 18 to 49. HISTORY broke into the top 5 in 2011, as the …