Got Talent goes local in Georgia     2 Jul 2009
FormatsLab archive Georgian broadcaster Rustavi 2 is continuing its local production drive with two formats from FremantleMedia Enterprises, as the distributor tots up its Eastern European sales following Discop.
Canal+, M6 in double partnership     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
French pay-TV channel Canal+ and RTL Group network M6 have set up a joint venture to market advertising aimed at higher-profile demos, and also jointly acquired French TV rights to Europa League soccer.
Salmon reveals BBC's Northern aspirations     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
 SHOWCOMOTION: BBC North director Peter Salmon has said the opening of Media City in Manchester will improve the public's relationship with the pubcaster and boost growth among the region's indies.
Wedding show leads Living schedule     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
Virgin Media digital channel Living kicked off its summer schedule with a live wedding at London's Somerset House as a teaser for its upcoming factual entertainment show, Four Weddings.
France's Banijay buys into Germany     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
French production house Banijay Entertainment has expanded eastwards into Germany, taking a 50% stake in the Cologne-based production company behind Beat Your Host and LadyKracher.
MTVNI claims Chinese format first     2 Jul 2009
FormatsLab archive A local production of Nickelodeon's kids gameshow Guts is to air across China this summer, and MTV Networks International is claiming it is the first time an imported kids format will air in that country.
Salmon: Top-slicing won't help kids content     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
 SHOWCOMOTION: The director of BBC North has slammed the idea of "mugging" the UK public broadcaster for a slice of the licence fee to prop up kids content on other channels.
Cameras roll on WWII telemovie     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
Production starts this weekend on Spies and Lies, a new telemovie being made by South Pacific Pictures for TVNZ that stars Antony Starr and British actor John Sessions.
End Of The Line for More4, Google     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
 Controversial overfishing documentary The End Of The Line is to air on UK digital network More4, and its producers are in talks with Google to host the film on the search engine's homepage.
Discovery names new Nordic head     2 Jul 2009
 Discovery Networks EMEA has created a new position supervising its Nordic channel heads and filled it with an internal promotion.
Lonely Planet, Nat Geo partner again     2 Jul 2009
 Lonely Planet Television, the producing arm of the travel guide company majority-owned by BBC Worldwide, is set to coproduce a second series with National Geographic Channels International.
Channel profile - Dave - UKTV     2 Jul 2009     Premium content
 UK DIGITAL CHANNELS: No longer the new boy in UKTV's family of channels, Dave's new challenge is to maintain the momentum generated by its successful rebrand. Martin Buxton reports.
Ingenious director defects to Edge     2 Jul 2009
Edge Group has poached director Sanjay Wadhwani from rival venture capital firm Ingenious Media in a bid to ramp up its investment in TV and other media businesses.
Sci Fi UK returns to Dollhouse     2 Jul 2009
NBC Universal Global Networks has acquired the first-run UK pay-TV rights to season two of Joss Whedon's drama Dollhouse, to air on cablenet Sci Fi, along with a 13th, DVD-only episode from season one.
Shine reshuffles, poaches DRG exec     2 Jul 2009
FormatsLab archive UK superindie Shine Group has reshuffled some of its top-level execs, creating a new group-wide information hub and poaching Digital Rights Group's chief creative officer, Ben Hall.
Out of Joost     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
FutureMedia Following the announcement this week that Joost is retrenching to the US, dropping its consumer focus and swapping CEO, Jonathan Webdale reflects on where the 'world's first global TV platform' went wrong.
History Channel UK changes name     2 Jul 2009
 History Channel UK, a joint venture between US cablecaster AETN Television Networks and UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB, is changing its name to AETN UK, effective immediately.
Rive Gauche grabs Repo rights     2 Jul 2009
FormatsLab archive US distributor Rive Gauche Television has picked up exclusive worldwide rights to 78 episodes of Operation Repo, the reality series airing stateside on TruTV.
ABC lines up comic contest     2 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: ABC in the US has given a cast-contingent order to a new stand-up comedy reality competition from two of the producers of NBC's similarly themed Last Comic Standing.
Australian beauties, geeks sought     2 Jul 2009
FormatsLab archive NEWS BRIEF: Australian terrestrial Seven Network has picked up 20th Century Fox's unscripted format Beauty and the Geek and is in preproduction on a local version.
CBBC to Change the World     2 Jul 2009
 SHOWCOMOTION: UK kids network CBBC has commissioned two new live-action series, a comedy and a Dragons' Den-style factual format, BBC North's director Peter Salmon announced in Sheffield.
Mackin swaps BBCWW for UKTV     2 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Digital broadcaster UKTV has poached the acting director of emerging markets, EMEA, at BBC Worldwide Sales and Distribution to be its new director of programme acquisitions.
Second UK deal for Fluffy Gardens     2 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: The UK's CiTV and GMTV have acquired the first season and upcoming second season of Irish preschool animated series Fluffy Gardens to air within the Fluffy Club morning block.
American Teenager travels to Australia     2 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Australian cable network Fox8, part of the Foxtel channel group, has acquired ABC Family's original series The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Central shifts strategy     2 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
EASTERN EUROPEAN HITMAKERS: For 12 years, producer and distributor Central Partnership has prized itself on producing quality TV drama for Russia's top stations. But as the recession hits home, the company is moving into creating cheaper content. Adam Benzine reports.
TF1 Vision spies Toei toons     2 Jul 2009
 NEWS BRIEF: Toei Animation Europe, the Paris-based division of the Japanese animation house, is set to launch two video-on-demand series in France, on TF1 Vision's pay-per-view IPTV service.
Reshuffle as France 2 execs quit     1 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
France 2 programming director Eric Stemmelen and head of drama Jean Bigot have resigned, prompting a top-level reshuffle at public broadcaster France Télévisions.
Endemol Sport teams up with Man City     1 Jul 2009
Endemol Sport, the production giant's new sports division, has formed a worldwide cross-media partnership with the richest soccer club in the world.
XYZ hires Five's Barnes for LifeStyle     1 Jul 2009
Australia's XYZnetworks has hired Hannah Barnes, former digital channels topper for UK broadcaster Five, as director of programming and acquisitions for LifeStyle Channels.
RDF Rights reveals Secret sales     1 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
FormatsLab archive UK distributor RDF Rights has sold format rights to one of its top unscripted series, The Secret Millionaire, to broadcasters and producers in Europe, North America and Australasia.
Joost restructure to run deep     1 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
FutureMedia Joost will be left with just 25 staff, down from over 200 at its height, following the restructuring announced yesterday, with only two people remaining in Europe, C21 understands.
Paramount 'in home ent merger talks'     1 Jul 2009
Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures is said to be in talks with rival studios including Fox and Sony Pictures about a possible merger for its home entertainment division.
Carrere manages small profit     1 Jul 2009
Troubled French production group Carrere made an unexpected if limited profit in 2008.
Globo production holy exotic     1 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
Brazilian powerhouse TV Globo is setting and shooting its next major primetime telenovela, Viver a Vida, in Israel, Jordan and France.
ITV ships drama down under     1 Jul 2009
Australian public broadcaster ABC has bought more than 40 hours of drama from the Antipodean office of UK distributor ITV Global Entertainment.
Maverick prepping C4 pilot     1 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
UK indie Maverick TV (10 Years Younger) is at work on a food-focused pilot for terrestrial Channel 4 called Michelin Mums.
SoapNet Banks on BBC format     1 Jul 2009
FormatsLab archive Disney-ABC women's cable channel SoapNet has licensed unscripted format Bank of Mum and Dad from BBC Worldwide and ordered new original reality series Holidate.
Canwest sells stations to Channel Zero     1 Jul 2009
Canadian media giant Canwest Global Communications has sold two of its local TV stations to private broadcaster Channel Zero, as it fights to reduce its extensive debt.
History HD makes German debut     1 Jul 2009
 A&E Television Networks and The History Channel Germany are teaming up to launch a bouquet of channels on the Sky platform in Germany and Austria, including History HD for the first time.
Brit TV 'staring into the abyss'     1 Jul 2009
The CEO of UK terrestrial Five has warned that unless UK broadcasters buddy up to face the future together they're not so much looking at a perfect storm as "staring into the abyss."
Audio Network sets up international arm     1 Jul 2009     Subscriber content
Television music supplier and producer Audio Network has launched an international business division to oversee its offices outside the UK.
Lukom exits MySpace UK     1 Jul 2009
FutureMedia Anthony Lukom, MySpace's UK and Ireland MD, is leaving the social networking giant as part of the company's previously announced downsizing.
FX reveals fall schedule     1 Jul 2009
US cable network FX has unveiled details of its fall schedule, which sees the return of Sons of Anarchy and the penultimate season of Nip/Tuck.
Jucaud: Discop gave vital reality check     1 Jul 2009
EASTERN EUROPEAN HITMAKERS: Discop's general manager Patrick Jucaud tells C21TV what visitors to this month's Budapest market have learned and discusses the next Discop Africa, set for September. Click through to watch the show.
Nine asks Oxygen for Dance     1 Jul 2009
Australian terrestrial Channel Nine has picked up Oxygen's reality weight-loss show Dance Your Ass Off, days after the series' debut broke viewing records for the US cablenet.