Top Stories

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK: DreamWorks Animation is said to have offered $150 million to acquire Classic Media, according to published reports. For DreamWorks Animation, the properties in the Classic Media stable—including Casper, Lassie, Where’s Waldo, and a number of other well-known brands—could provide a steady supply of IP for feature-film releases. According …

WASHINGTON: Billy Campbell, who most recently appeared in AMC’s The Killing, has been cast as Abraham Lincoln in National Geographic Channel’s upcoming two-hour film Killing Lincoln from Scott Free Productions. The TV movie, based on the book Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O’Reilly and Martin …

LOS ANGELES: In its first international co-production, Hulu is working with the BBC on the upcoming fourth season of Armando Iannucci’s acclaimed British comedy The Thick of It, while also securing the streaming rights to the first three seasons. Hulu and Hulu Plus will launch the first three seasons on July 29, …

PREMIUM: Ovation, a U.S. channel devoted to celebrating art, artists and artistic storytelling, is looking for high-quality scripted imports to fill its The Best You’ve Never Seen block, Kris Slava, the senior VP of programming and production, tells World Screen Newsflash. WS: What are some of the shows or blocks …

LOS ANGELES: FX’s American Horror Story and AMC’s Mad Men each scored a total of 17 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, followed by Downton Abbey and Hatfields & McCoys with 16 each. Mad Men and Downton Abbey are both up for outstanding drama, alongside Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and …

NEW YORK/EL SEGUNDO: Viacom says that DIRECTV has "no intention" of working with the company to resolve the carriage fee dispute that has left the platform’s subscribers without access to more than 20 channels, while DIRECTV alleges that Viacom has made EPIX a hurdle in the negotiations. Viacom said in a statement: …

BEVERLY HILLS: John P. Roberts has become the new senior VP of digital media and commercial affairs for Endemol USA. Roberts’ duties will include establishing new digital and commercial business opportunities for the company in North America as well as for its Original Media, Authentic Entertainment, 51 Minds, True Entertainment and …

EL SEGUNDO/NEW YORK: DIRECTV has returned the Viacom channels to its lineup after the two companies came to terms on a new carriage agreement following a nine-day blackout. Last week, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Spike, CMT, TV Land and ten other channels were removed from DIRECTV, with the platform alleging …

SEATTLE:  A licensing deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution brings Fringe, The West Wing and a number of other shows to the Amazon.com Prime Instant Video streaming service. The deal also includes Dark Blue, Alcatraz and The Whole Truth, among others. This summer, Fringe and The West Wing will …

NEW YORK: After a ten-day dispute, Hearst Television has reached a new retransmission consent agreement with Time Warner Cable for local stations in 14 markets. "We appreciate the support and patience of our viewers, advertisers and local communities served by our stations, and we regret the inconvenience they’ve experienced over …