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CHICAGO: The sales from the digital downloads, subscription streaming and VOD transactions for movies has more than quadrupled in the last five years, according to market researcher Mintel, which projects that gains will increase tenfold in the ten-year period from 2007 to 2017. Sales went from $1.3 billion in 2007 to …

UNIVERSAL CITY: NBC has cancelled the freshman comedy Animal Practice, which will be replaced in its Wednesday 8 p.m. slot by Whitney. Whitney returns to the NBC lineup in its second season on November 14. The show stars comedian Whitney Cummings in the title role. It is produced by Universal Television …

ENGLEWOOD: AMC has returned to DISH as the result of a new $700 million settlement, with Sundance Channel, WE tv and IFC returning as of November 1. The multi-year pact also sees the music-oriented channel Fuse joining the DISH lineup as of November 1. The terms of the pact see …

NEW YORK: The New York Television Festival (NYTVF), which gets under way today, has more than 50 industry players on board for the event, including the recent addition of Amazon Studios. Amazon Studios is sponsoring the Independent Pilot Competition’s Audience Award, offering a $5,000 development grant to the audience favorite. …

SILVER SPRING: Wonya Lucas, the current president and CEO of the U.S. network TV One, is stepping down at the end of this month, to be replaced by Alfred Liggins, who heads up Radio One. In the wake of Lucas’s resignation, Liggins adds oversight for all the daily network operations for …

PREMIUM: International demand for indie feature films and TV movies is strong, buoyed by the growth of digital channels. For years the American Film Market, or AFM, as it is more commonly called, has championed independent films. While the industry has felt the impact of a sluggish economy and a …

LOS ANGELES: Mission Pictures International has lined up exclusive screenings for a number of its inspirational dramas at this year’s American Film Market (AFM). One of the films being featured is October Baby, which stars John Schneider and Rachel Hendrix. The film has grossed more than $5 million at the …

NEW YORK: A digital edition of World Screen’s AFM 2012 issue is now available, as well as Screening Rooms for a number of distributors heading to the market. Hot Topics: Indie Vision—International demand for indie feature films and TV movies is strong, buoyed by the growth of digital channels; Content Trendsetters—a look …

OYSTER BAY: ABI Research has unveiled through its new Technology Barometer study that 20 percent of online consumers consider Internet video as a replacement for pay TV, which poses a significant risk to traditional TV operators of as much as $16.8 billion in the U.S., according to the firm. The U.S. …

LOS ANGELES: A partnership between CBS Television Distribution and Yahoo! sees the syndicated entertainment news magazine The Insider being renamed omg! Insider, along with further efforts to create a new kind of multiplatform offering. The name change takes effect in January 2013. omg! Insider will combine the broadcasting power of …