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OAKBROOK TERRACE: Coinstar, owner of the Redbox movie-rental kiosks, has decided not to renew its contract with Warner Bros., which had imposed a 56-day delay for access to DVDs and Blu-ray disks. The Redbox contract with Warner Bros. to acquire movies directly, expired yesterday, with the company opting not to …

NEW YORK: Net earnings from continuing operations fell 5 percent at Viacom for the fiscal first quarter, while revenue was up 3 percent to $3.95 billion. First-quarter operating income was down 2 percent to $1.02 billion, as higher Media Networks revenues balanced lower Filmed Entertainment ancillary revenues. Net earnings from …

SANTA MONICA/ENGLEWOOD: A new multi-year licensing agreement sees more than 500 Lionsgate film titles become available to the Starz Entertainment premium channels and services. The pact marks Lionsgate’s first long-term library deal with Starz. The studio will now provide films across all platforms for the Starz, Encore and Movieplex premium …

LOS ANGELES: Showtime has ordered additional seasons of Shameless, House of Lies and Californication for its Sunday night lineup. Production on season three of Shameless, season two of House of Lies and season six of Californication will begin in Los Angeles later this year. The drama series Shameless is the …

NEW YORK: Asia TV USA has named Timothy Boell as the group head of distribution for the company. Boell will report directly to the CEO and will oversee all distribution efforts for the brands Veria Living and Zee TV Americas. He will be based at the company’s New York headquarters. …

AUSTIN: According to a new report by IMS Research, 2012 is poised to be the year that multi-screen content consumption "transitions from hype to reality." Shipments of residential data modems and gateways will reach 135 million in 2012, according to IMS, and shipments of IP-enabled consumer electronics devices will approach …

BURBANK: ABC Family has unveiled its new original programming slate, which includes the recently greenlit comedy series Baby Daddy, among others. The reality series Beverly Hills Nannies has been added to the channel’s slate, along with a fifth season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Beverly Hills Nannies …

NEW YORK: The TV Land original sitcom The Exes has been renewed for a second season, which is slated for a June premiere alongside the network’s new Cedric "The Entertainer" comedy Have Faith. The Exes stars Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock From the Sun) as Holly, a divorce attorney who introduces …

NEW YORK: Robert Halmi, Sr., the founder of RHI Entertainment, is leaving the company, with plans to launch a new independent production outfit. Halmi, Sr., has produced more than 200 TV movies and mini-series and won more than 100 Emmy Awards. His credits include The Josephine Baker Story, Gypsy, Arabian …

NEW YORK: Verizon Communications and Coinstar’s Redbox unit have formed a new DVD rental and streaming video joint venture. The move combines Redbox’s DVD and Blu-ray Disk rentals with the a new video-on-demand streaming and download service from Verizon. The plans are to introduce the service in the second half …