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NEW YORK: Twitter and Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) have unveiled the first results from their Social TV Lab initiative, which finds that the microblogging service is impacting the way consumers watch TV programming and advertising. Among the significant findings is that using Twitter along with a TV advertising campaign increases …

NEW YORK: Zoomin.TV, which is Europe's largest multichannel network (MCN), is entering the U.S. market as of today. Zoomin.TV has more than 8,000 existing channels, and some 500 joining each month. In addition to its presence on YouTube, the outfit has a production and distribution business. It curates 40 content …

LOS ANGELES: Zendaya (Shake It Up!, Dancing with the Stars) has been cast to portray the late R&B superstar Aaliyah in a new Lifetime original movie. Zendaya will record four of Aaliyah's songs for the TV movie as well. The film, Aaliyah: Princess of R&B (working title), is based on …

STOCKHOLM: Bollyvod, a VOD service from Voddler that features the latest movies and shows from leading Bollywood studios, is starting its U.S. rollout as of today. Voddler secured more than 100,000 hours of programming for the service, including content from Zee Entertainment, Reliance, Eros International, UTV Motion Pictures and Sony …

BEVERLY HILLS: Starz has inked a two-year pact with executive producer David Knoller, who will serve as EP for Blackbirds and the recently renewed Power while also continuing to develop original programming for the premium U.S. cable channel. Knoller also produced and/or directed more than 50 episodes of the drama …

ATLANTA: Raycom Media in the U.S. is set to carry the female-skewed Escape channel and the male-targeted Grit network, thanks to a new distribution agreement secured with Katz Broadcasting. This marks the second distribution agreement for the recently announced channels. Univision Television Group has already committed to carrying the two …

LOS ANGELES: Showtime has given a pilot production order to the comedy Roadies, which is written and directed by Cameron Crowe and executive produced by Winnie Holzman and J.J. Abrams. The comedy follows the day-to-day life of a successful rock tour, seen through the eyes of music's background players: the …

SANTA MONICA: Miramax has hired Daniel Pipski for the newly created role of VP of television, working to drive series development and production as well as third-party TV projects. Pipski reports to Zanne Devine, the executive VP of production and development at Miramax. Pipski is responsible for generating original series …

BERLIN/LOS ANGELES: ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s multichannel network (MCN) Studio71 is introducing the YouTube project The Mansion in the U.S. market. Set in Los Angeles, The Mansion targets both American branded-entertainment sponsors and popular YouTube talent seeking to increase their reach in the online video market. The concept is to bring together …

NEW YORK: As of this month, Discovery Communications is consolidating its worldwide licensing and merchandising businesses into one comprehensive global division called Discovery Consumer Products. Discovery Consumer Products will offer the opportunity for shared ideas, content and product, while also providing licensees and retailers with a one-stop international footprint. The …