Food mag cooks up PBS travel series 18 Aug 2009
US magazine Gourmet is teaming up with Boston public broadcast station WGBH for a new PBS food travel series hosted by its editor, Ruth Reichl.
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BBC Lifestyle plans Boys Weekend 18 Aug 2009
Australian distributor Short Attention has sold culinary lifestyle series Boys Weekend to BBC Worldwide Channels, which will air the show across Scandinavia, Africa and the Middle East.
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Beatlemania hits BBC2, BBC4 17 Aug 2009
A documentary featuring unreleased Beatles conversations and rare studio footage will form the centrepiece of a joint BBC2 and BBC4 season of programming focusing on the band.
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Benzine takes over C21 Factual 17 Aug 2009
Adam Benzine has been promoted to editor of C21 Factual, with responsibility for developing daily, weekly and magazine content around the factual programming genre.
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Fox leaps on Octomom distributor 17 Aug 2009
US network Fox is wasting no time trying to dominate the 'Octomom' documentary niche, appointing an exclusive international distributor for its film about Nadya Suleman days before its debut.
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DSP lands fast doc on pirate attack 14 Aug 2009
UK factual producer Darlow Smithson Productions has won a commission from a US cable network to make a quick-turnaround doc about the crew of a container ship that fought off Somali pirates in April.
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Doc/Fest, JTD launch online venture 14 Aug 2009
The Sheffield International Documentary Festival is partnering with online documentary website Joining The Docs to make films from this year's festival available online, on a pay-per-view basis.
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Animal Planet fetches new series 14 Aug 2009
Discovery-owned cable network Animal Planet has commissioned a new dog-training series from US factual indie Powderhouse Productions.
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Thorp named MD of Nat Geo UK 13 Aug 2009
Jason Thorp, MD of Fox International Channels UK, has been appointed head of National Geographic Channel UK, taking over from current topper George Jeffrey, C21 can reveal.
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BBC4 doc reveals war hero children 13 Aug 2009
UK pubcaster BBC4 is marking the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War with a single documentary about three schoolchildren who fought the Nazis.
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Flemish launch for Discovery Channel 13 Aug 2009
Discovery Networks EMEA will launch Discovery Channel in the Flemish analogue market in October.
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Fremantle discovers India MD 12 Aug 2009
FremantleMedia has hired Discovery Asia's former Singapore-based VP to be its MD for India, with a brief to create a new local production company.
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C4 bags Beeny for renovation series 12 Aug 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 has commissioned indie Red House to produce a six-part home makeover show fronted by Property Ladder's Sarah Beeny, C21 has learned.
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TVO slates science docs 12 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Ontario pubcaster TVO will launch a science documentary strand on Tuesdays this fall, calling it "a brain-busting exploration of science in all its micro and macro forms."
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Brazilian producers get doc copro training 12 Aug 2009
Industry body Brazilian TV Producers is launching a training programme to help the country's producers to successfully pitch documentary coproductions to international broadcasters.
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Euro nets look down under for skin doc 12 Aug 2009
Franco-German network Arte is teaming up with European and Australian broadcasters on a number of new documentary coproductions, including one looking into how humans evolved differing skin colours.
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HBO follows Afghan Star 11 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: HBO has acquired US television rights to double Sundance winner Afghan Star. The documentary, following contestants through a reality TV series, will air on the US channel in 2010.
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Discovery identifies next ID launch 11 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Discovery Networks EMEA is continuing the roll-out of its 24-hour crime and forensics channel Investigation Discovery in the Baltics by launching it in Estonia.
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Euro nets venture into Rift Valley doc 11 Aug 2009
Several European broadcasters are jointly exploring Africa's Rift Valley, in a 3x50' documentary series entitled The Great Rift that will be launched on the global market at Mipcom this autumn.
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Octomom on Fox's Radar 11 Aug 2009
US network Fox has commissioned its own fast-turnaround documentary about 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman, weeks after Eyeworks UK placed its own doc about her with Channel 4.
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NHNZ shakes up China copro 10 Aug 2009
New Zealand-based factual production company NHNZ is expanding its activities in China, teaming up with a local outfit for a documentary about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
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Discovery's Quest for success 7 Aug 2009
Discovery Communications has been in the headlines for a variety of reasons this week, not least for its sterling second-quarter performance. Adam Benzine reports.
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C4 to go back inside nature's giants 7 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: UK broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a second series of animal autopsy series Inside Nature's Giants.
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Scandi double for Southern Star 7 Aug 2009
One of Scandinavia's biggest broadcast groups has acquired Australian documentary series RPA and police drama Water Rats from Endemol-owned Southern Star International.
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C4 orders 9/11 doc from Darlow Smithson 6 Aug 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 has commissioned IMG Media-owned Darlow Smithson Productions to make a 90-minute documentary to mark the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
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CCI secures lifestyle shows 6 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Canada's CCI Entertainment has linked up with General Purpose Pictures to distribute a trio of the indie's lifestyle titles.
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C4 axes Noon, More4 news bulletins 6 Aug 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 is scrapping its News at Noon and More4 news bulletins, in a bid to preserve its primetime news coverage amid the economic downturn.
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New Zealand nets BBCWW nature trio 6 Aug 2009
International distributor BBC Worldwide has licensed a suite of cross-genre programmes to networks in New Zealand.
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Beyond ropes in sport doc 6 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Sydney-based Beyond Distribution has acquired international sales rights to UK-produced single documentary Jump!, which it will launch at Mipcom.
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BBC3 gets Tough with fact-ent show 5 Aug 2009
BBC3 has greenlit a new adventure series that sees five young boys cope with jobs that would "loosen the sphincter" of 99% of young Brits in seconds.
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September start for Discovery's Quest 5 Aug 2009
Discovery Networks UK has set a date of September 30 to launch its free-to-air factual channel Quest on the UK's Freeview platform.
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Discovery profits soar 5 Aug 2009
US cable group Discovery Communications saw its second quarter profits quadruple on the back of increased US ratings, a growing global subscriber base and the sale of half its kids division.
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HBO follows immigrants into US 4 Aug 2009
HBO Documentary Films is launching a documentary film that follows several Latin American children travelling through Mexico on the tops of freight trains in a bid to reach the US.
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C4 to launch Supernanny spin-off 4 Aug 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 is spinning off its factual entertainment show Supernanny, with a new hour-long parenting format airing in Q4 fronted by the show's presenter Jo Frost.
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Discovery poaches BSkyB exec 4 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Discovery Networks EMEA has tapped satcaster BSkyB's business development director to take on the newly-created role of chief operating officer, based in London.
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Planet Green plans fall premieres 3 Aug 2009
US cable network Planet Green has unveiled its fall line-up, featuring a mixture of new series, specials, acquisitions and online shows.
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Discovery brings back Raging Planet 3 Aug 2009
US cable network Discovery Channel has commissioned UK indie Pioneer Productions to make a second season of extreme weather series Raging Planet.
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Foxtel orders killer doc 3 Aug 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Australian subscription TV provider Foxtel has secured world premiere rights to a documentary about one of Sydney's most notorious underworld figures.
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WE TV goes back to Asylum 3 Aug 2009
US producer Asylum Entertainment, which last year forged a development deal with UK distributor RDF Rights, has received a second commission from cable network WE TV.
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BBC3 goes back Undercover 31 Jul 2009
BBC3 has commissioned a UK indie to produce Undercover Princesses, a spin-off from its earlier series Undercover Princes.
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Hall buys Parthenon assets 30 Jul 2009
Parthenon Entertainment Group CEO Carl Hall has acquired the assets of the company to run it as a new venture, after its owner private investment firm Arkaga entered administration.
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Globo sends Brazil docs to US 30 Jul 2009
Brazilian producer-distributor Globo has sold its natural history documentary series Globo Doc to a US cable network.
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Sky nurtures OTF's sextuplets 30 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Dutch factual distributor Off the Fence has sold a follow-up series to US cablenet WE TV's one-off doc OMG! Sextuplets to a pay-TV network in the UK.
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UKTV, Five split travelogue costs 30 Jul 2009
Pay-TV operator UKTV has agreed to share the costs on the second season of terrestrial Five's Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure.
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Deadliest Warrior conquers UK 30 Jul 2009
Distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises has sold Spike TV's imaginary battles series Deadliest Warrior to a UK pay-TV network.
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BBC3 seeks season ideas 29 Jul 2009
UK diginet BBC3 is on the hunt for pre-watershed factual programmes and is looking for new ideas for seasons, its controller Danny Cohen has told C21.
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AETN goes Dutch 29 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: AETN has expanded carriage of the Dutch language version of its UK History channels in the Benelux.
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Discovery buddies with Baidu 28 Jul 2009
US factual broadcaster Discovery Communications is stepping up its presence in China through a partnership with Baidu, the nation's largest search engine.
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U2 programmes hit BBCWW slate 28 Jul 2009
BBC Worldwide Music is making two programmes on Irish rock band U2 available for international distribution.
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Eyeworks places Octomom doc 27 Jul 2009
Eyeworks UK will begin production on its documentary about 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman on September 1, having secured a broadcaster for the project reported by C21 back in April.
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AETN makes most of Taiwan digital 27 Jul 2009
The AETN channel group is set to launch its Asian joint venture, AETN All Asia Networks, in Taiwan following deals with four Taiwanese multiplatform operators.
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Southern Star gets hands dirty 27 Jul 2009
Australian cable network The Lifestyle Channel has commissioned a gardening series from Endemol-owned Aussie prodco Southern Star.
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Anstiss takes BBC3 role 27 Jul 2009
Samantha Anstiss, executive producer for BBC current affairs, has joined diginet BBC3 as documentary commissioning executive producer.
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Joiningthedocs bags controversial doc 24 Jul 2009
Online factual portal Joiningthedocs.tv has secured worldwide rights to the controversial documentary that the Chinese government has sought to ban.
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African-American golfers doc tees off 24 Jul 2009
Golf Channel, the Comcast-owned network co-founded by Arnold Palmer, is to air a new documentary about the history of African-Americans who struggled to make their name in the sport.
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All3 inks Million Dollar deals in UK, Oz 23 Jul 2009
Distributor All3Media International has pre-sold Kiwi prodco Great Southern Television's factual series Million Dollar Catch (10x30') into a raft of territories, including the UK and Australia.
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Foxtel secures Fritzl doc 22 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Australian cable channel Crime & Investigation network has bagged a documentary on Josef Fritzl, the man accused of imprisoning his daughter in his cellar for 24 years.
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RTÉ, AETN UK line up assassination doc 22 Jul 2009
RTÉ Ireland and AETN UK have commissioned Ten Alps-owned Below The Radar to produce an hour-long doc exploring the murder of Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, Lord Mountbatten.
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BBC lines up recession-busting shows 22 Jul 2009
UK public broadcaster the BBC has commissioned two titles to tackle the recession, with a welfare-themed one-off for BBC1, and a money-saving primetime show for BBC3.
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Passion gets steamy with Germans 22 Jul 2009
UK indie Passion Distribution has secured a trio of sales in Germany, selling titles to Kabel Eins, RTL2 and ZDF Enterprises.
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Zig Zag collars Snakeman for Five 21 Jul 2009
UK indie Zig Zag Productions has won an order from Five for a doc about a man who injects himself with snake venom, and a series order from ITV4 for a Vinnie Jones-helmed US cop show.
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CBC shutters The Lens 21 Jul 2009
Canadian cable network CBC Newsworld has cancelled its long-running documentary strand The Lens, to the dismay of many in the factual community.
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Inspiring awards lined up for Doc/Fest 21 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Sheffield Doc/Fest is introducing two new awards for the 2009 festival, which takes place in November.
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TLC tackles obesity with RDF 20 Jul 2009
US cablenet TLC has ordered a documentary series from RDF USA about obesity in America.
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3DD picks up Jazz Baroness 20 Jul 2009
UK distributor 3DD Entertainment has been appointed international sales agent for BBC Storyville documentary The Jazz Baroness, which has been sold into the US.
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Food Matters to France, Israel 20 Jul 2009
London-based factual distributor and film sales agency Aspect Film has closed deals with broadcasters in France and Israel for a feature about the food and drug industry.
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ITV doc promises unseen Jacko footage 17 Jul 2009
UK terrestrial ITV1 is lining up a documentary on Michael Jackson, which promises previously unseen home video footage of the singer from his friend Uri Geller's private archive.
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AETN director issues VoD warning 17 Jul 2009
AETN UK's channel director Richard Melman has issued a stark warning about the need to better monetise video-on-demand, citing it as the biggest challenge facing cable channels over the next five years.
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Sundance wins $5m documentary grant 17 Jul 2009
The Sundance Institute has been handed a US$5m grant for its Documentary Film Program, to spend on films that help raise awareness of human rights issues, from the Open Society Institute.
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Regulator consults on NGO-funded PSB 16 Jul 2009
UK media regulator Ofcom is consulting high-level factual figures about introducing UK legislation that would allow non-government organisations to fund public service programming.
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Nat Geo, PBS, C4 for WWII copro 16 Jul 2009
National Geographic Channels International, UK terrestrial Channel 4 and US network PBS have commissioned Icon Films to produce Second World War documentary The Airmen & The Headhunters.
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Science Channel looks ahead 16 Jul 2009
Discovery Communications-owned US cable network Science Channel has teamed up with Popular Science magazine to take a look at human life over the next 25 years.
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BBC2 farms out Lion trio 16 Jul 2009
UK pubcaster BBC2 has commissioned three farm-based shows from London-based indie Lion Television, including a daytime series and a primetime follow-up to Victorian Farm, C21 can reveal.
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3DD acquires rock poster doc 15 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: UK distributor 3DD has acquired international TV rights to Died Young Stayed Pretty, a documentary from Iranian-born Canadian filmmaker Eileen Yaghoobian.
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UK commissioners outline factual desires 15 Jul 2009
Factual entertainment commissioners from Sky, Five, Channel 4 and the BBC have outlined what they are looking for to fill their schedules, with with all four keen on talent-led docs.
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AETN, Foxtel renew rep deal 15 Jul 2009
New York-based A&E Television Networks and Sydney-based Foxtel have renewed and extended their Australia and New Zealand brand representation partnership.
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C4 combats news with Daredevils 15 Jul 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 is looking to take on its rivals' news offerings at 22.00 with a factual entertainment strand, and has commissioned two indies to produce four hour-long launch episodes.
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Spurlock to helm Simpsons special 15 Jul 2009
Oscar-nominated factual filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is to produce and direct a documentary on long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons for the show's 20th anniversary.
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TLC picks up RDF docs 15 Jul 2009
UK distributor RDF Rights has sold a trio of documentaries to US cable network TLC.
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C4 seeks primetime factual 14 Jul 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 is hunting for factual programming to fill a primetime weekday slot, according to the broadcaster's head of programming, Julian Bellamy.
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Bellamy warns against 'samey' factual 14 Jul 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4's head of programming Julian Bellamy has warned that factual programming risks becoming a "creatively conservative culture."
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Alfred Haber hopes to make Impact 14 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Alfred Haber Distribution has secured international rights to caught-on-camera series Moments of Impact.
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NHK, Mediacorp continue doc fund 14 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Singapore media firm MediaCorp have extended their initiative to provide funds to independent Asian documentary makers.
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TVF signs off Iberian sales 14 Jul 2009
London-based factual distributor TVF International has finalised programming sales to broadcasters across the Iberian peninsula and made a number of slate acquisitions.
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October closes worldwide sales 13 Jul 2009
UK prodco October Films and distributor RDF Rights, part of RDF Media Group, have secured worldwide sales for three of the indie's shows.
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C4 checks in for Kevin's Grand Tour 13 Jul 2009
UK terrestrial Channel 4 has commissioned Kevin's Grand Tour, a travel-architecture series fronted by Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud.
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ShineReveille tracks down The Wanted 13 Jul 2009
ShineReveille International, the sales and distribution arm of Shine Group, has acquired NBC's forthcoming series The Wanted for worldwide distribution.
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BBC2 lines up more Drugs 10 Jul 2009
UK terrestrial BBC2 has commissioned Silver River Productions to produce a second 6x30' series of botanical documentary series Grow Your Own Drugs, as well as a Christmas special.
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AETN breaks new UK crime shows 9 Jul 2009
AETN has commissioned a slew of locally produced new series and specials for its UK Crime & Investigation channel.
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BBC1 sets off Around The World 9 Jul 2009
UK pubcaster BBC1 is leading its fall season line-up with a celebrity re-enactment of Jules Verne's Around The World In 80 Days.
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Kemp signs up with Sky for two years 9 Jul 2009
UK satcaster Sky1 has agreed a two-year exclusivity deal with Ross Kemp, which will see the actor/presenter producing and presenting 12 hour-long factual programmes from now until July 2011.
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Jamie mixes in More4's Dale 9 Jul 2009
NEWS BRIEF: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's UK indie Fresh One Productions has hired former More4 commissioner Peter Dale to serve as its non-executive director.
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ITV's Allen to top RDF TV 9 Jul 2009
RDF Media Group has hired Jim Allen, ITV Studios' former director of factual and entertainment, to be MD of RDF Television.
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Nat Geo, Abu Dhabi Media launch JV channel 9 Jul 2009
National Geographic Channels International and Abu Dhabi Media Company have joined forces to launch a free-to-air, Arabic-language factual entertainment net.
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Co-op, Glover back crowd-funding initiative 8 Jul 2009
Lethal Weapon star Danny Glover and UK retail chain The Co-operative Group have thrown their support behind a new fund that will use 'crowd-funding' to finance documentaries.
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HBO Doc Films lines up specials 7 Jul 2009
HBO Documentary Films is to launch a nine-week series of original specials on Monday nights from July 13, beginning with a doc about Democratic senator Ted Kennedy.
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Discovery brings ID to Asia 7 Jul 2009
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific is rolling out its crime-focused brand Investigation Discovery as a programming block on Discovery Channel in Asia.
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ZDF crosses border with Skyworks 6 Jul 2009
Germany's ZDF Enterprises has hired UK aerial production specialist Skyworks to shoot exclusive high-definition footage of the border that once separated East and West Germany.
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Pop Twist takes Jackson Story global 6 Jul 2009
LA-based Pop Twist Entertainment has sold The Michael Jackson Story into Europe, Asia and India, with many broadcasters set to air the doc to tie-in with the star's memorial service tomorrow.
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Tigress chief quits for BBC 6 Jul 2009
Tigress Productions MD Andrew Jackson is leaving to join the BBC, as the UK natural history prodco comes under the control of fellow IMG Media firm Darlow Smithson Productions.
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