Sunday, December 22, 2024

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L.A. Screenings: New from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution

May 16, 2014

LOS ANGELES: The Batman prequel Gotham, picked up for Mondays on FOX, is one the shows that international buyers can screen from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD). WBITD is also showcasing Selfie, a social media-themed comedy set for Tuesday nights on ABC, and The Flash, scheduled for Tuesdays on …

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U.S. Pay-TV Subs Base Sees Q1 Gain

May 16, 2014

EL SEGUNDO: IHS Technology reports a surge in pay-TV subscribers in the first quarter, with a gain of 202,670, as compared with a 214,580 decline in the year-ago period. Cable subscriptions, however, were down by 132,330, but IHS noted that this is the lowest number of losses since Q1 2011. …

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Participant Joins Media, Entertainment, Sports Investment Fund

May 16, 2014

LOS ANGELES: Participant Media has become a partner, alongside investment firm TPG and Evolution Media Capital (EMC), in Evolution Media, a venture set up to invest up to $350 million in global media, sports and entertainment entities. Evolution Media Capital (EMC) is a boutique investment bank formed in partnership with …

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NBCU & WWE Renew Partnership

May 16, 2014

NEW YORK/STAMFORD: NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and WWE have signed a new multiyear partnership that keeps Monday Night Raw on USA Network and Friday Night Smackdown on Syfy. Monday Night Raw on USA is the most-watched, regularly scheduled, year-round program on cable. It airs as a live three-hour block every Monday …

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AT&T to Buy DIRECTV in $49 Billion Deal

May 19, 2014

DALLAS/EL SEGUNDO: AT&T is acquiring the satellite broadcaster DIRECTV for $48.5 billion, marking the latest in a series of megadeals that are transforming the media and telecommunications landscape. AT&T will gain DIRECTV's 20 million U.S. subscribers and an additional 18 million in Latin America. For DIRECTV, the deal will allow …

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Sonar Names New CEO

May 19, 2014

NEW YORK: Gene Stein has become the new CEO of Sonar Entertainment, succeeding Stewart Till. Stein was previously the president of television at BermanBraun. He is currently executive producing the series Dig for USA Network, created by Tim Kring (Heroes) and Gideon Raff (Homeland). Till had been a member of …

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The WIT Analysis: NBC

May 19, 2014

NEW YORK: Constantine, from Warner Bros. Television, generated the most interest in social media among all the new NBC shows presented at the Upfronts last week, according to analysis by The WIT. The show, which Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will be screening for buyers in Los Angeles, is based …

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Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings to Include Demographics

May 20, 2014

NEW YORK: Nielsen has now incorporated demographic data for its Twitter TV ratings, providing info on the age and gender of the people who tweet and see tweets about television. Initial analysis of Twitter TV demographics across 273 broadcast and cable program episodes has revealed three key findings. First, there …

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Mindshare Options The Rise of Superman

May 20, 2014

NEW YORK: Mindshare Entertainment has optioned the New York Times best-selling book The Rise of Superman from its author Steven Kotler to develop the story into a multimedia series that spans TV, a documentary film and digital experience. The Rise of Superman draws on more than 15 years of research …

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The WIT Insight: FOX

May 20, 2014

NEW YORK: Gotham, one of several superhero-themed shows due to premiere in the 2014-15 season, led social-media buzz for FOX following the announcement of the broadcaster’s fall schedule, according to analysis from media research company The WIT. The Warner Bros. Television production is being billed as an origin story of …