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What the future holds for Syfy 9 Feb 2010 
THE C21 INTERVIEWS: Dave Howe, president of US cable channel Syfy, tells C21TV this year will mean new platforms, new genres and a move towards international coproductions. Click through to view.
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UK lifts product placement ban 9 Feb 2010
The UK government has finally decided to allow paid-for product placement on British television.
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French minister defends telecoms tax 9 Feb 2010
France's minister of culture and communications has rejected criticism from the European Commission over its 'telecoms tax,' aimed at making up for the banning of advertising on public television.
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US Boss gets Scandi sales, huge ratings 9 Feb 2010
 Broadcasters across Scandinavia have acquired the US version of UK indie Studio Lambert's Undercover Boss, following its stellar premiere on CBS thanks to the Super Bowl.
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Liberty CEO: We have $3bn to spend 9 Feb 2010
International cable group Liberty Global is on the hunt for more European companies to acquire, and has a US$3bn war chest to invest, CEO Mike Fries has announced.
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TVNorge sends Monster to uncover roots 9 Feb 2010
Norwegian network TVNorge has commissioned Monster Entertainment to create a series in which Americans of Norwegian descent rediscover their Nordic roots.
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Five's Woolfe hits back at AFP claims 9 Feb 2010
Five controller Richard Woolfe has rejected suggestions that the UK terrestrial has been over-reliant on advertising-funded programming.
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BBC relives The Good Life 9 Feb 2010
UK pubcaster BBC2 aims to pay homage to classic 1970s sitcom The Good Life with a series featuring two celebrities attempting to live as self-sufficiently as possible.
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MEG moves NZ format to Canada 9 Feb 2010
Scandinavian distributor Media Entertainment Group's new formats arm has picked up its first format and struck a Canadian deal for the New Zealand property.
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Sky sells 10.4% of ITV at $550m loss 9 Feb 2010
Satellite platform BSkyB has sold a 10.4% stake in troubled UK broadcaster ITV for just £196m (US$306.5m), having paid some £546.1m (US$853.8m) for it four years ago.
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BBC2 looks for more Geniuses 9 Feb 2010
UK terrestrial network BBC2 has greenlit a second season of its in-house comedy series fronted by comedian Dave Gorman.
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Zodiak names new digital entertainment chief 9 Feb 2010
 Zodiak Entertainment has appointed the president of its biggest in-house digital arm as its new chief digital officer, to work across its unscripted programme brands and entertainment formats.
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BBC looks into Christian persecution 9 Feb 2010
 BBC religion head Aaqil Ahmed has made his first major commissions since joining the broadcaster from Channel 4 last year, ordering a slate of Christian-themed documentaries to air this Easter.
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Eisner toon gets Oz debut 9 Feb 2010
 Australian cable network Fox8 has acquired Glenn Martin, DDS, the first cartoon to come out of former Disney chief Michael Eisner's Tornante Animation.
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Mediaset confirmed as Breasts buyer 9 Feb 2010
Mediaset has been confirmed as the Italian broadcaster adapting Colombian telenovela Without Breasts There is No Paradise, after C21 broke news of the format deal last month.
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Growing appetite for Stilton 9 Feb 2010
Animated children's series Geronimo Stilton has been picked in territories including French-speaking Canada and the Middle East, taking the number of countries airing it to more than 50.
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E1 has Faith in hip-hop doc 9 Feb 2010
North American production house E1 Television and subsidiary E1 Music have teamed up with hip-hop artiste Faith Evans to develop a reality series chronicling her return to the music scene.
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Sesame gets more social 9 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organisation behind Sesame Street, has created a new post in order to step up its social media presence.
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Motive raises digital funds 9 Feb 2010
UK production group Motive Television has raised £400,000 (US$624,000) to develop its digital terrestrial technology business, as it continues to offload its production companies.
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Incendo, Zone3 form production alliance 9 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Canuck distributor Incendo has struck a deal with the Quebec-based indie behind The Wedding March, in a bid to grow their share of the English Canadian production market.
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Monster snatches Al Jazeera sitcom 9 Feb 2010
Ireland's Monster Distributes has taken international rights to Baaas, a family sitcom from Al Jazeera Children's Channel, Welsh broadcaster S4C and prodco Cynhyrchiadau Ceidiog Creations.
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BSkyB agrees to sell ITV stake 8 Feb 2010
After numerous failed appeals, UK satcaster BSkyB has finally accepted the government's decision that it must sell off its 17.9% stake in terrestrial broadcaster ITV.
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Bravo gears up for 2010 8 Feb 2010
THE C21 INTERVIEWS: Andy Cohen, senior VP of production and development at US cable channel Bravo, tells C21TV his programming strategy for 2010 and beyond. Click through to view.
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Zaslav eyes female market 8 Feb 2010
Factual television giant Discovery Communications is mulling the international launch of a new female-skewing pay-TV channel, its president and CEO David Zaslav has told C21.
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Wong exits Lifetime 8 Feb 2010
US cablenet Lifetime's CEO Andrea Wong is leaving, with History channel president and general manager Nancy Dubuc tipped to take over.
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BBC2 re-examines Children Act 8 Feb 2010
BBC2 has commissioned a documentary series looking at the impact of landmark UK legislation the 1989 Children Act, and how divorce in the modern age affects children.
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Gagnon drops Anchor for Image 8 Feb 2010
Troubled California-based producer-distributor Image Entertainment has grown its recently installed executive team by hiring a former Anchor Bay Entertainment executive.
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Galleon picks more Dragonfruit 8 Feb 2010
UK entertainment rights company Galleon Holdings is strengthen its presence in the US, paying US$1m for a 19% stake in Dragonfruit Studios.
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Teletoon, Sardine hook up for animation 8 Feb 2010
Canuck children's network Teletoon and Montreal-based animation house Sardine Productions have joined forces to develop a series about a boy who becomes a cartoon character.
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CCTV content heads for Lat Am 8 Feb 2010
China International Television Corporation has signed a representation deal to bring programming from state-run China Central Television to Latin American broadcasters and platforms.
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MTG buys into Russian pay-TV, launches SVoD 8 Feb 2010
Modern Times Group of Sweden has acquired a 50% stake in one of Russia's newest pay-TV platforms, and has also launched a subscription video-on-demand service across the Nordic region.
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Babar charges into Europe 8 Feb 2010
The new 3D toon Babar & The Adventures of Badou (52x11') has been acquired by broadcasters across Europe and South Africa, Canadian distributor Nelvana Enterprises has confirmed.
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BBC, Arqiva to sell DTT slots 8 Feb 2010
UK media regulator Ofcom has given its consent for the BBC and platform infrastructure company Arqiva to jointly sell multiplex capacity, enabling two new additional national TV channels to be broadcast over DTT.
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ITV1 demands Ransom from Projector 8 Feb 2010
UK terrestrial channel ITV1 has commissioned a three-part drama thriller from actor Trevor Eve's production company Projector Pictures and TalkbackThames.
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Travel Channel hits New Zealand 8 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Travel Channel International has linked up with Kiwi platform Sky Television to launch the network in New Zealand.
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Aussie volume deal for RDF 8 Feb 2010
At least 300 hours of UK lifestyle programming is heading down under each year after UK distributor RDF Rights sealed a multi-year volume deal with an Australian pay-TV channel.
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BGoodMedia aboard All3's Cash Cab 8 Feb 2010
Prodco BGoodMedia, formed by the former head of FremantleMedia Belgium, has acquired rights to UK superindie All3Media's international formats catalogue for Flemish-speaking Belgium.
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Sky1 collars RSPCA doc series 8 Feb 2010
UK satcaster Sky1 has commissioned the tentatively titled Pet Police, an ob doc series following the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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Hotel Inspector finds home on Home 8 Feb 2010
Home, the UKTV-owned diginet focusing on homes and gardens, has acquired cable rights to the first three seasons of factual entertainment hospitality show The Hotel Inspector.
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Judge rejects C4, Studio Lambert injunction 5 Feb 2010
UK broadcaster Channel 4 has failed in its attempt to get an injunction to ban coverage of a libel battle in which it and indie Studio Lambert are accused of faking parts of a documentary about singer Michael Jackson's family.
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Top execs trot off to horse channel 5 Feb 2010
UK equestrian channel Horse & Country TV has appointed a former BBC governor and an IMG executive as non-exec directors, while a former ITV exec has joined as head of programming.
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BBC4 charts history of the house 5 Feb 2010
BBC4 has commissioned a four-part documentary series telling the story of British domestic life from the Middle Ages to the present day.
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Grindon quits Sony 5 Feb 2010
Michael Grindon, head of international TV for Sony Pictures Television, has told staff he will be leaving the company after 24 years in March, giving no indication of where he is heading.
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Dailymotion's Ripert in new US role 5 Feb 2010
French video portal Dailymotion has promoted senior manager for content and partnerships David Ripert to a new position the US.
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Passion hires former 3DD manager 5 Feb 2010
Passion Distribution has hired the former sales manager for Asia and Eastern Europe from 3DD Group to be sales manager for Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and German-speaking Europe.
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France Télévisions renews Warner kids pact 5 Feb 2010
France Télévisions' children's division has renewed its exclusive Warner Bros animation agreement for another four years and made a number of new acquisitions.
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TLC welcomes The Hennon Family 5 Feb 2010
US cable network TLC has ordered a reality series based on a special about a dwarf couple awaiting the birth of their first child that aired on Discovery Health last year.
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Classic onboard My Life Me 5 Feb 2010
Classic Media has acquired international distribution rights, including licensing and merchandising, to new tween toon My Life Me, the Canada-France coproduction aimed at eight- to 12-year-olds.
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Kratt brothers, 9 Story go wild with PBS 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: US public broadcaster PBS Kids Go is to air an animated wildlife show for children produced by the zoologist Kratt brothers and Canuck production-distribution house 9 Story Entertainment.
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More Big Love for HBO 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: US premium network HBO has renewed polygamy drama Big Love, currently in its fourth season, for a 10-episode fifth season, amid steady ratings gains.
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NHK merges international divisions 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Japanese public broadcaster NHK is merging its international business arm, Media International Corporation, with its main programme-making subsidiary, NHK Enterprises.
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CityTV ties the knot with Marriage Ref 5 Feb 2010
Canada's CityTV has picked up Jerry Seinfeld-produced reality series The Marriage Ref, which it will simulcast on Thursdays at 22.00 from March 4.
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IMG takes on new sales chief 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: IMG Media, the global sports firm that distributes coverage of events including the ATP Masters Series, NFL and Wimbledon, has appointed a new head of sales worldwide.
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United Kingdom deal for Little Kingdom 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Award-winning children's animated series Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, from Peppa Pig producer Astley Baker Davies, has found its UK terrestrial home.
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Spike sets date for Players 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Spike TV in the US is to take its next step into the comedy space with the launch of Players, starring Upright Citizens Brigade veterans Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, on March 2.
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Hulu scoops ABC News coverage 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: US video streaming service Hulu has begun carrying programming from American news network ABC News.
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Merlin heads to US cable 5 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: FremantleMedia Enterprises has secure a US cable deal for both seasons of fantasy drama Merlin, totaling 26 episodes and marking the US television premiere of season two.
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France Télévisions in talks over ad sales house 4 Feb 2010
France Télévisions has entered into exclusive talks with Stéphane Courbit's holding company Lov and advertising agency Publicis over the sale of 70% of the pubcaster's ad sales house.
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ITV Studios arranges Flemish Weddings 4 Feb 2010
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has landed two major deals in Belgium, picking up a commission for its fact-ent format Four Weddings and a 52-episode recommission for its Come Dine With Me format.
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Media Link's Kassan talks digital ad-spend 4 Feb 2010
THE C21 INTERVIEWS: Michael Kassan, founder and chairman/CEO of US media and marketing agency Media Link, tells C21TV how marketing messages will pay for content in the future. Click through to view.
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Turner onboard Mondo's new teen toon 4 Feb 2010
Italian animation firm Mondo TV Group (Angel's Friends) has a new teen toon underway that has been greenlit for production by Cartoon Network and will make its international debut at MipTV.
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First sale for Venevision's new telenovela 4 Feb 2010
A Panamanian network has picked up Salvador de Mujeres, the new telenovela being produced by Venevision of Venezuela and Colombian indie Televideo. Tween show Somos Tu y Yo is also being adapted in Asia.
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Boeing, Heinz profiled in new German doc series 4 Feb 2010
European entrepreneurs who dominated America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are the subjects of a new series that unites German broadcaster NDR and Franco-German cultural network Arte.
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Zodiak's Guillotine falls in Spain 4 Feb 2010
A Spanish broadcaster has picked up Italian gameshow format The Guillotine for local production, after a deal with London-based distributor Zodiak Entertainment Distribution.
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Endemol poaches Disney exec 4 Feb 2010
Big Brother producer Endemol is looking to expand its operations in North America by luring over an executive from Disney-ABC-ESPN Television to be its new exec VP of acquisitions for the region.
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Asia-Pac factual deals for Breakthrough 4 Feb 2010
Canadian distributor Breakthrough Entertainment has closed a batch of deals for its factual programming with Asian and Australasian broadcasters, with the combined volume of sales totalling over 125 hours.
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We TV grows in Asia 4 Feb 2010
US cablecaster Rainbow Media has further expanded its Asian presence, launching the female-skewing We TV network on a Hong Kong pay-TV platform in standard- and high-definition.
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DHX puts kids classics on the iPhone 4 Feb 2010
Canada's DHX Interactive has launched its latest apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch, this time bringing to life animated versions of classic children's stories from Hans Christian Andersen for US$1.99 a pop.
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TV Globo inks US triple-play deal 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Brazilian channel TV Globo Internacional has inked its 10th carriage deal in the US market, this time reaching the three million subscribers to one of the largest triple-play platforms in the territory.
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Toon Factory climbs Foothill in US, Oz 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: California-based kids distributor Foothill Entertainment has inked an exclusive US and Australia distribution deal for French production studio Toon Factory's new slate.
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Hasbro poaches Sony toon VP 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Staffing up continues at Hasbro Studios, which has named the Sony Pictures Television VP behind shows including The Spectacular Spiderman and Sit Down Shut Up as its new VP of production.
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New kids hire for Henson 4 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: The Jim Henson Company has hired a new exec director of children's entertainment, appointing the PBS Kids Sprout exec with whom it worked on The Pajanimals and Musical Mornings with Coo.
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Avatar boosts News Corp numbers 3 Feb 2010
The success of 3D movie Avatar has helped Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation post better-than-expected second-quarter results, albeit with mixed results for the group's TV and cable divisions.
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Heroes star's drama heads pilot surge 3 Feb 2010
US networks have placed a spate of pilot orders, including a medical drama coproduced by Heroes actor Hayden Panettiere and a biopic about an anti-gay-rights campaigner.
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BBC adds to web comedy 3 Feb 2010
UK public broadcaster the BBC has commissioned another eight episodes of comedy web series Brian Pern, to air online later this year.
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iTunes offers final Lost in France, Germany 3 Feb 2010
Disney EMEA has linked up with Apple's iTunes Store to sell subtitled episodes of the final season of Lost to viewers in France and Germany shortly after their first US transmission.
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Indigo takes rights to Pakistan doc 3 Feb 2010
UK-based distributor Indigo Film & Television has acquired international television rights to a documentary film that sets out to challenge the view that Pakistan is the world's most dangerous country.
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Beazley beats it from the Beeb 3 Feb 2010
Jon Beazley, the BBC Entertainment production controller behind Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance, is leaving the UK public broadcaster next month.
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ITV duo create web service 3 Feb 2010
Jeff Henry and Rob Ovens, formerly execs at UK broadcaster ITV, have resurfaced as founders of a new web service called TellyLinks.com.
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Oprah doc to head OWN schedule 3 Feb 2010
Oprah Winfrey's upcoming US network OWN has ordered a behind-the-scenes documentary about the final season of the chat star's show to head its debut schedule.
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CIN spotlights more con men 3 Feb 2010
AETN-owned UK cable channel Crime & Investigation Network has commissioned a third season of Con Men Case Files, a documentary series looking at fraudsters.
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Shed half way to 2010 revenue target 3 Feb 2010
Shed Media says it has already had more than half of its expected annual TV production revenue target commissioned, but remains tight-lipped about its proposed MBO.
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CTV hails Peak performance 3 Feb 2010
Reality series Peak Season, about life in the Vancouver ski resort of Whistler, will be broadcast in the US later this month and globally this spring.
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Fresh stokes up toon's L&M 3 Feb 2010
Toronto-based family entertainment producer Fresh TV has signed Joy Tashjian Marketing Group as exclusive licensing agent for its teen-targeted animated surfer series Stoked.
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Nelvana carves out Beyblade deal 3 Feb 2010
Children's network Nickelodeon UK has secured television broadcast rights to 51 episodes of Nelvana Enterprises' animated series Beyblade: Metal Fusion.
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Nat Geo ventures into Belgium 3 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: National Geographic Channels International has continued its European roll-out by agreeing a carriage deal with Belgian IPTV platform Belgacom for three of its channels.
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Eurosport kicks off Virgin HD roll-out 3 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: UK cable provider Virgin Media is to air sports network Eurosport HD, the first of what it said will be a number of high-definition channel pick-ups over coming months.
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