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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Scarlet put into administration 2 Feb 2010
UK production group Motive Television has appointed an administrator for its Manchester-based indie Scarlet Television, and is in exclusive talks with a possible buyer for Brown Eyed Boy.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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CBS Reality picks up paranormal from Passion 2 Feb 2010
UK cabsat network CBS Reality has acquired three paranormal series from Passion Distribution.
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Nat Geo brushes up on Greek history 2 Feb 2010
Greek broadcaster Skai is teaming up with National Geographic Television to develop a six-hour documentary series that will seek to re-examine the role of Greece in world history.
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Cineflix gets Frantic for new factual 2 Feb 2010
NEWS BRIEF: London-based sales house Cineflix International has signed up to take 64 hours of Canadian indie Frantic Films' factual programming to the global market.
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Weird Creatures travel the globe 2 Feb 2010
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has inked agreements with a host of international broadcasters for Icon Films' factual series Weird Creatures, selling it into Finland, Greece and Australia.
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Lifestyle choices for CCI 2 Feb 2010
Canadian distributor CCI Entertainment (Harry & His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs) has beefed up its catalogue by over 200 hours, after a deal with lifestyle and reality TV production company Fusion Television.
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Beyond gets the Cream 2 Feb 2010
Australia's Beyond Distribution has underscored its relationship with Cream Productions of Toronto by picking up one of its factual cable series for the international market.
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Spike looks at midgets, scrappers 2 Feb 2010
US cable network Spike TV has commissioned two new series for this summer: one blue-collar docusoap about scrap metal workers in Brooklyn; the other looking at wrestling midgets.
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OWN acquires for new doc strand 1 Feb 2010
Oprah Winfrey's soon-to-launch US cable network OWN has acquired a feature-length film about a difficult family reunion as the first title for its planned Documentary Film Club strand.
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Ten Alps builds Asian operations 1 Feb 2010
UK factual media group Ten Alps is expanding its presence in Asia, acquiring a range of online and publishing assets and launching a joint-venture in a bid to expand its multiplatform model in Singapore.
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Landmark's Child adopted worldwide 1 Feb 2010
Landmark Films' shock doc My Child Won't Speak, which airs tomorrow on BBC1 in the UK, has been acquired in Australia, Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Scandinavia and Asia.
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Sundance win for Restrepo 1 Feb 2010
War film Restrepo, which follows US troops in Afghanistan's remote Korengal Valley, has won the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival over the weekend.
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C4 sets up in Notting Hill 1 Feb 2010
UK terrestrial Channel 4 has commissioned Notting Hill (working title), a real-life, quick turn-around documentary series following residents of the titular West London neighbourhood.
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C4, Studio Lambert sued over Jackson doc 29 Jan 2010
A former bodyguard to Michael Jackson is suing UK broadcaster Channel 4 and production company Studio Lambert for libel, claiming they fabricated parts of a documentary about the star's family.
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Food launched into Orbit 29 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Scripps-owned Food Network is to launch in the Middle East on the Orbit Showtime Network on February 1, with a 24/7 feed broadcast in English and subtitled in Arabic.
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Discovery Turbo speeds into India 29 Jan 2010
Factual broadcaster Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific has launched its Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo channels in India.
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Tricon trumpets factual forays 28 Jan 2010
Toronto-based producer and distributor Tricon Films & Television has licensed a range of documentaries into France, Israel, Russia and South Africa.
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WE TV, Sundance dip into Beyond catalogue 28 Jan 2010
Australian outfit Beyond Distribution has licensed a range of factual and drama programming to Rainbow Media for its networks WE TV and Sundance Channel.
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C4 to investigate Haitian tragedy 28 Jan 2010
UK terrestrial Channel 4 has ordered Haiti's Killer Quake: Why It Happened, a quick-turnaround documentary examining the cause of the devastating tremors that rocked the Caribbean this month.
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History begins again 27 Jan 2010
As the third annual History Makers conference kicks off today at New York's Grand Hyatt hotel, Adam Benzine talks to executive producer Bill Nemtin about what to expect from this year's event.
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Zaslav places Discovery's bet on 3D 26 Jan 2010
NATPE NEWS: Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav has admitted that the company's plan to launch a 3D television network with Sony and Imax is a gamble, but the signs are that it will succeed.
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Doc spin-off to ape KidsCo's Boo 27 Jan 2010
Joint-venture children's channel KidsCo has teamed up with Kuala Lumpur's Astro Productions on a shortform documentary spin-off of its animated series Boo And Me.
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BBC4 explores multi-platform map project 27 Jan 2010
UK digital network BBC4 has commissioned a series focusing on maps, their historical significance and the future of cartography.
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Outright follows Authentic's Journeys 26 Jan 2010
Shed-owned Outright Distribution has picked up high-definition series Mysterious Journeys from US factual television producer Authentic Entertainment.
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NGC, BBC document skydive attempt 25 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: The BBC and National Geographic Channel (NGC) are to coproduce Space Dive, a documentary about extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner's attempt to skydive from 125,000 feet.
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TVF to Do It in China 25 Jan 2010
UK-based distributor TVF International has sold Wag TV's science series How Do They Do It? into China and Australia.
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Octomom's tentacles reach out 25 Jan 2010
New Jersey-based distributor Alfred Haber Distribution has sold reality show special Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage into France, Norway, Latin America and Israel.
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Beating about the Bush 22 Jan 2010
Meghan O'Hara, the producer of huge-grossing documentaries such as Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko, is working on a new film about George W Bush. She tells Adam Benzine about the project.
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CNN, Vice mag launch web series 20 Jan 2010
US news network CNN is expanding into entertainment programming, partnering with counter-culture magazine Vice and a record label to launch two web series this month.
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YouTube makes PPV debut 21 Jan 2010
YouTube is making its first move into paid-for video, by offering movies from the 2009 and 2010 Sundance film festivals for a pay-per-view fee.
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Nat Geo to launch Galactic series 22 Jan 2010
US cablenet National Geographic Channel is lining up a four-part series following aeronautical entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson as he launches his commercial 'spaceline' Virgin Galactic.
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Battsek confirmed in Nat Geo Films job 22 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Daniel Battsek has been confirmed as Adam Leipzig's successor at National Geographic Films, and will start as president of the production company on March 15.
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CBC exec gets a Proper job 22 Jan 2010
Toronto-based production company Proper TV has appointed a former Canadian network executive to fill the new role of creative director.
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Zeppotron moves into fact ent 21 Jan 2010
Endemol UK has moved Tiger Aspect head of popular factual Gary Chippington over to its Zeppotron subsidiary to steer the latter's drive into factual entertainment.
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KnightTV greenlights first VoD series 21 Jan 2010
Canuck entertainment company Knightscove Media's video-on-demand service has commissioned its first original series from recently acquired prodco Ellis Entertainment.
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Style returns to the Fab Lane 20 Jan 2010
Cablecaster Comcast Entertainment Group has ordered a third season of docusoap Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane from New York production company Left/Right, as well as okaying a new season of Ruby.
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The Hoff gets his own docusoap 20 Jan 2010
FremantleMedia has been greenlit to produce a 10-part docusoap following actor, singer and single father David Hasselhoff and his two teenage daughters.
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Solid marches into Germany, UK 20 Jan 2010
California-based distributor Solid Entertainment has closed multiple sales for The Great Escape: China's Long March, selling the documentary into Denmark, Germany, Australia and the UK.
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Discovery hires M&A chief 20 Jan 2010
Discovery Networks International has appointed a former UBS and Lehman Brothers advisor to be its VP of strategy, mergers and acquisitions, based in London.
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PTV preps Haiti doc 18 Jan 2010
Toronto-based PTV Productions has teamed up with the Red Cross to film a documentary series about the rescue and recovery efforts in earthquake-hit Haiti.
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BuzzTaxi sells Ice to Americans 18 Jan 2010
Toronto-based distributor BuzzTaxi Communications has signed a raft of deals across North and South America, for factual titles including environmental documentary Thin Ice.
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Shine dishes out more Rehab 18 Jan 2010
US entertainment cable net TruTV's Las Vegas pool party doc Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel has been sold into six territories.
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Dragonfly lands Autopsy deal 18 Jan 2010
UK indie Dragonfly Film and Televison Productions has inked a deal with a London-based distributor for its seven-part Channel 4 documentary Autopsy.
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Global TV deal for Afghanistan war film 15 Jan 2010
Restrepo, the feature-length documentary about troops in Afghanistan's remote Korengal Valley, considered one of the most dangerous postings in the US military, has found its television home.
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German, French doc deals for Rive Gauche 15 Jan 2010
Los Angeles-based distributor Rive Gauche Television has confirmed several new documentary sales to broadcasters in France, Germany, Scandinavia and Asia, including Discovery.
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Banijay finalises Zig Zag buy-out 15 Jan 2010
French production group Banijay Entertainment has completed its acquisition of UK indie Zig Zag Productions, C21 can reveal.
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TCA Winter Tour round-up 15 Jan 2010
With hundreds of journalists descending on LA for the bi-annual Television Critics Association press tour, Adam Benzine highlights the cream of the factual crop from this year's selections.
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Passion takes Hockney, Winehouse docs 15 Jan 2010
Passion Distribution has picked up two new UK documentaries, one about the artist David Hockney and another following Amy Winehouse's father as he deals with the singer's difficulties.
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Planet Green goes 24/7 15 Jan 2010
Discovery's US cablenet Planet Green is growing from an eight-hour-a-day operation to a 24-hour one from March 29.
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HBO revisits the Big Easy 15 Jan 2010
US pay-TV network HBO has unveiled details of a follow-up to Spike Lee's 2006 doc When The Levees Broke, and has set a launch date for Wire creator David Simon's New Orleans-set drama Treme.
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Discovery banks on Grylls 14 Jan 2010
News from Discovery Channel's presentation at the TCA tour in Pasadena today includes a new Bear Grylls survival series and the return of geology series Atlas, but this time in 3D.
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More stray dogs arrive at Animal Planet 14 Jan 2010
Never mind sharks, make way for the mutt. Animal Planet has commissioned a new series about stray dogs, while renewing another of its series about similarly vagrant canines.
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Private Chefs on parade 14 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Target Entertainment has been commissioned by a US cable channel to make docusoap Private Chefs of Beverly Hills for an April launch.
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Science explores Ground Zero 14 Jan 2010
The rebuilding of Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center in New York City, is the subject of a new documentary series from Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg.
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Pollock exits AETN 14 Jan 2010
Simon Pollock, AETN International's VP and MD for EMEA, has left the company after nine years.
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Animal Planet makes splash with dolphin doc 14 Jan 2010
US cablenet Animal Planet has acquired the rights to air Oscar long-listed dolphin documentary The Cove, to air it this summer.
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Oliver lands US food series with a twist 12 Jan 2010
Jamie Oliver is taking his unique brand of campaigning cockney cookery into the States, with a commission based on his UK series Jamie's Ministry of Food and Jamie's School Dinners.
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NHNZ names production head 13 Jan 2010
New Zealand-based factual specialist NHNZ has made a number of promotions, including upping exec producer Andrew Waterworth to the new role of head of production.
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Endemol France names docs director 13 Jan 2010
Endemol France has promoted senior exec Isabelle Roche to director of documentaries and reality docs, with a place on the executive board.
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DRG takes on The Real A&E 11 Jan 2010
Broadcasters in Denmark and Sweden have acquired The Real A&E – a primetime factual entertainment series about the emergency services, not to be confused with the US cablenet.
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Indigo scores soccer doc rights 11 Jan 2010
UK distributor Indigo Film & Television has picked up international rights to a standalone documentary about how racial politics shaped the South African soccer team.
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I Shouldn't Be Alive survives 11 Jan 2010
Animal Planet US has commissioned Endemol-owned Darlow Smithson Productions for a third run of survival drama documentary series I Shouldn't Be Alive.
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Bravo to grow unscripted hours by 20% 10 Jan 2010
NBC Universal-owned US cable channel Bravo has confirmed five new reality series and a slew of renewals as part of a plan to lift unscripted programming on its schedule by 20%.
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Euro deals, NATPE pick-up for Shankly 9 Jan 2010
Swedish commercial network TV4 has acquired fishing reality series The Catch from Shankly International Distribution, one of several new programme sales deals for the US firm.
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Mentorn sells Katie Piper doc into US 8 Jan 2010
UK indie Mentorn Media has sold its documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face, which won big ratings for Channel 4 last October, to a US terrestrial network.
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HBO picks up Entel's Sins 8 Jan 2010
US pay-TV network HBO has acquired the rights to Nicolas Entel's Sins of My Father, a feature doc about the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
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Discovery launches HD Showcase 7 Jan 2010
NEWS BRIEF: Discovery Networks EMEA is from next week replacing its Discovery HD channel brand with new service Discovery HD Showcase.
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PBS unveils Black History programming 7 Jan 2010
US pubcaster PBS has lifted the lid on an array of new programming set to air this month and throughout February, to tie-in with Black History Month celebrations.
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Passion's Autopsy performs overseas 7 Jan 2010
UK-based factual distributor Passion has secured a raft of sales for its Atlas Media-produced series Autopsy: Most Shocking Stories, into Belgium, Finland, Australia and France.
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Nat Geo Films president steps down 6 Jan 2010
National Geographic Films president Adam Leipzig is stepping down after six years in the role to return to his production roots.
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BBC Trust puts science under microscope 6 Jan 2010
The BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, is to review the accuracy and impartiality of the public broadcaster's science coverage.
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Frantic Films decides The Eyes have it 6 Jan 2010
Winnipeg-based distributor Frantic Films has acquired international rights to factual entertainment programmes from Vancouver's The Eyes Television Production.
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Shine reveals Secrets of Aspen 4 Jan 2010
Shine International has struck a deal with US producer High Noon Entertainment to distribute a new VH1 docusoap about single women living in a ski resort.
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RDF sells 'Tiger mistress' interview 22 Dec 2009
UK distributor RDF Rights has acquired an NBC interview with Jamie Junger, one of golf star Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses, and sold it to four European networks.
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United Docs makes Euro sales 22 Dec 2009
German distributor United Docs has made a number of European sales, including licensing a six-hour package of eco-programming to TF1's thematic French-language networks.
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Discovery veteran to replace Ford 21 Dec 2009
Clark Bunting is to take over as acting president and general manager of Discovery Communications' networks Discovery Channel and Science Channel, replacing the departing John Ford.
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BBC, ABC follow dino footprints 21 Dec 2009
The BBC and Australia's ABC are teaming up for a documentary that uses CGI technology to study fossilised dinosaur footprints and reveal details about their behaviour.
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More Machines for Nat Geo UK 21 Dec 2009
NEWS BRIEF: National Geographic Channel UK has greenlit a second run of Britain's Greatest Machines With Chris Barrie.
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Nat Geo man tapped for Nova 18 Dec 2009
Nova, the 37-year-old science strand produced for US public broadcaster PBS by WGBH Boston, has named a National Geographic Channel exec as its new exec producer.
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BuzzTaxi hails new sales 17 Dec 2009
Broadcasters in Australia, Germany, Finland and Poland have acquired a range of factual titles from Canadian distributor BuzzTaxi Communications.
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ID explores lives of Prison Wives 17 Dec 2009
US crime network Investigation Discovery has lined up a documentary series called Prison Wives to debut on Valentine's Day next year.
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