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AUSTIN/HONG KONG: El Rey Network has signed a long-term programming deal with Celestial Pictures to gain access to 255 iconic martial arts titles from the Shaw Brothers library. A new five-year deal between the two kicks off on October 1, extending their current program licensing agreement. Through the pact, El …

HOLLYWOOD: Javier Avitia is taking on a new role as the executive VP of legal and business affairs at CBS Studios International (CBSSI), which he has a 15-year history with. Avitia has worked for CBSSI and its predecessor divisions, CBS Paramount International Television and Paramount International Television, for more than …

DALLAS: Netflix has agreed to pay AT&T for a direct connection to its network, a move that is meant to ensure the smooth delivery of streaming video. Netflix engaged in a similar deal with Comcast in February and another with Verizon in April. The so-called "interconnection agreement," which was struck …

LOS ANGELES: IM Global has established a TV production and distribution operation, IM Global Television, which is led by former Syfy president Mark Stern. Stern joins as president and partner in the new venture. He was most recently the president of original content at Syfy, also serving as co-head of …

NEW YORK: TV Land has ordered ten episodes of The Gaffigan Show, a single-camera sitcom from Peter Tolan and Jim Gaffigan. Gaffigan also stars in the comedy, which is inspired by his real life. The series explores one man's struggle to find balance between fatherhood, stand-up comedy and an insatiable …

ENGLEWOOD: Second-quarter net income at Starz rose to $69 million on revenues of $410.1 million, with the premium channel operator reporting a gain of 100,000 subs since Q1. “Our business performed well in the second quarter as we executed on our long-term strategy to build the Starz brand and create …

LOS ANGELES: Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) and Max Handelman (Pitch Perfect) are executive producing a new original comedy series, Resident Advisors, for Paramount Digital Entertainment. Banks and Handelman will be producing through their Brownstone Pictures banner. Ira Ungerleider (Friends) has come aboard to spearhead the project as both executive producer …

LOS ANGELES: Collective Digital Studio (CDS) has added seven YouTube content creators to its multichannel network, adding nearly 18 million subscribers to the platform. The new lineup includes the comedian known as Superwoman (Lilly Singh), firearms and explosives expert FPS Russia, Camp Takota star Mamrie Hart, beauty expert Lauren Curtis, …

NEW YORK: An increasing number of U.S. TV-watchers are also engaging with social media and other second-screen experiences, according to Nielsen, which reports that this behavior increases awareness of television programs. According to a new Nielsen study, a quarter of TV viewers reported that they were more aware of TV …

LOS ANGELES: NBC is bringing back its Thursday night comedy Welcome to Sweden, created by Greg Poehler, for a ten-episode second season. The series has averaged a 3 share in adults 18 to 49 and 2.9 million viewers overall in live plus same day averages so far. Welcome to Sweden …