<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<language>en-US</language> 
<channel>
<title>TBI - Television Business International -  Rss Feed </title>
<description>A list of articles from the TBI vision website</description>
<link>http://www.tbivision.com/</link>
<lastBuildDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:12:18 -0700</lastBuildDate> 
<item>
<title>Sky locks in HBO content with UK output deal - 29/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1644</link>
<pubDate>29/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[UK pay TV operator BSkyB has inked an output deal with HBO that gives it exclusive rights to all of the US company's content including upcoming series Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones and Luck.
andnbsp;
Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire will be the first HBO series on Sky under the terms of the programming deal and will go out soon after its US airing in September.
andnbsp;
The deal also gives Sky rights to all of HBO's library, which includes The Sopranos, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm and numerous other series.
andnbsp;
The UK firm will also have first look at HBO-UK copros.
andnbsp;
"Like HBO, we believe that innovative, high-quality content is worth paying for," said Sophie Turner Laing, Sky's managing director, entertainment, news and broadcast operations. "HBO has demonstrated year after year the opportunity for pay television to push creative boundaries and create must see TV."
andnbsp;
Separately, Sky announced a slate of UK-originated comedy series for its flagship Sky 1 channel.
andnbsp;
Four series have been greenlit: Stella, a Tidy Productions-produced family saga about a 40-something mum written and starring Ruth Jones (Gavin and Stacey); Mount Pleasant, a Tiger Aspect-produced series about the not-so-perfect life of a thirty-something Mancunian couple; This is Jinsy, from Welded Tandem, about bizarre residents of a fictional island; and Little Crackers, a series of autobiographical comic shorts from different production companies featuring well-known comedians including Dawn French, Stephen Fry and Bill Bailey.
andnbsp;
Sky is keen to reposition Sky 1 as a predominantly scripted channel and has commissioned several high-profile drama series since embarking on the initiative in 2008. The abovementioned series follow the arrival at Sky of Lucy Lumsden as head of comedy. Sky said Lumsden has over twenty comedy series in development.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sky and DirecTV flesh out 3D programming plans - 29/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1645</link>
<pubDate>29/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Two of the world's largest pay TV operators, BSkyB in the UK and DirecTV in the US, have given programming details for their 3D TV services as their plans for 3D take shape.
andnbsp;
Sky has announced a launch date and programming line-up for its service and DirecTV another content partnership for its n3D channel.
andnbsp;
In the UK, BSkyB will launch Sky 3D on October 1. Programming will include a Bollywood-meets-ballet dance spectacular and a slew of movies and sports events.
andnbsp;
Sky has movie output deals with most of the majors and said it has reached agreements with Disney, Fox, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount and DreamWorks to transmit 3D films. Two of the first 3D movies on the channel will be Bolt and Monsters vs. Aliens and in the run up to Christmas, other titles will include Alice in Wonderland, Coraline and Harry Potter andamp; the Half Blood Prince.
andnbsp;
Sporting events include live coverage of the Ryder Cup and Premier League football, which fans can already watch in 3D in pubs.
andnbsp;
Sky recently outlined what is was looking for from producers for its 3D channel at an event at Bafta in London, but thus far its main announcement outside of sport and movies has been feature doc Flying Monsters 3D, which will be fronted by David Attenborough and produced by Atlantic Productions. A spokesman said there will be more entertainment content, but that will be announced later in the year.
andnbsp;
DirecTV, meanwhile, has inked a deal with AETN, which will broadcast the fifth season of History channel series Universe on the pay TV operator's n3D channel. The series, The Universe's 7 Wonders of the Solar System explores the planets and stars of the solar system.
andnbsp;
The show, which is History's first 3D production, will also air in 2D on DirecTV's The 101 Network.
andnbsp;
DirecTV has just launched a trio of 3D channels. Its 3D linear channel, n3D is a joint venture with Panasonic and launched at the start of the month. The pay TV operator also has a 3D movie channel and carries the ESPN 3D service.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Pact taking 25 indies to MIPCOM - 29/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1646</link>
<pubDate>29/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Pact will host a 25-strong contingent of indie producers at this year's MIPCOM. The line-up includes TV presenter Graham Norton's production company So Television and six other MIPCOM first-timers.
andnbsp;
UK producers' association Pact has now been running the Pavilion for six years. Combined, 21 indies on the Pavilion at MIP TV earlier this year generated andpound;10 million in sales as a result of being at the market. andnbsp;
andnbsp;
UK government body UK Trade and Investment is helping Pact fund the UK Indies Pavilion and it is being run with post-production industry group the UK Screen Association.
andnbsp;
Pact will organise networking sessions with international commissioners, business breakfasts and a digital screening system to allow buyers to browse the indies' content.
andnbsp;
Projects being shopped to international partners include two drama shows from Island Pictures, the indie run by Dominic Minghella and Sarah Beardsall, legal crime drama McKenzie Friend and ITV drama The Scapegoat, based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel.
andnbsp;
OPTL Worldwide will have a 3D travel show, Two Tales of a City, in which a coin-flip determines which of the show's two presenters will have US$100 and which will haveandnbsp; US$1,000 to explore the same city over a weekend.
andnbsp;
Other highlights include Geena Davis comedy drama Accidents Happen from MIPCOM newbies Bankside Films and SO Television's popular kids comedy series Sorry I've Got No Head.
andnbsp;
"The UK produces some of the world's favourite content, and the UK Indies Pavilion has a strong record of helping UK producers take that content to the world," said Pact CEO John McVay.
andnbsp;
UKTI Chief Executive Sir Andrew Cahn said: "The success of programmes and TV formats such as Planet Earth, Kitchen Nightmares, X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Saturday Night Takeaway, help to hammer home why we have the largest Creative Industries portfolio in Europe."
andnbsp;
The full list of indies on that will have a spot on Pact's UK Indies Pavilion is: Testimony Films, SO TV, Mercury Media, Two Four, Artists Studio, Accorder Music, TV6, Monterosa, Island Pictures, Headline, Calon, Media Art, Bankside Pictures, Rondo, Cube Interactive, OTPL, Visual Factory, Oil Productions, Studio Liddell, Dinamo, Green Bay, The Works, Westend Films, Studio Distract and Magiclight Pictures.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>McPherson leaves ABC, replaced by Paul Lee - 28/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1642</link>
<pubDate>28/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Steve McPherson has resigned as president of ABC Entertainment Group and has been replaced by ABC Family boss Paul Lee. The move will be heralded by the international TV community as Lee, a Brit and former BBC exec, has commissioned a raft of international coproductions and acquired a number of international series for the youth skewing US cable network. McPherson has had mixed results as boss of both the ABC network and its production studio; Lost and Desperate Housewives have been huge successes both in the US and internationally, but he has failed to replace them and has struggled with recent series including recent cancellations FlashForward, Happy Town and Hank. He said he will expand his liquor business before launching a media company. "While I will continue with my ongoing wine business, I'll also reveal plans for my involvement in a new media company," he says. "I want to thank the wonderful team of individuals who have worked with me throughout my time here and wish them nothing but the best."Lee, who was previously chief executive of BBC America, joined ABC Family in 2004 and has found success with series including Greek, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, British reality series Brat Camp and Canadian comedy Sophie.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Lee Bartlett joins Discovery  - 28/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1643</link>
<pubDate>28/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Former ITV Studios boss Lee Bartlett has surfaced at factual broadcaster Discovery Communications following his departure from the UK producer and distributor earlier this month. He will become executive VP, global production management, business and legal affairs and will be responsible for programme acquisitions and local productions for all of the international broadcaster's global channels. Bartlett will report to chief operating officer Peter Liguori, who he worked with when the pair were at Fox Broadcasting Company. He was previously managing director of ITV Studios, where he oversaw the international production and distribution businesses at the UK commercial broadcaster. "Having known and worked with Lee for many years, I can attest firsthand to his expertise and skill in managing and negotiating high-level production and content acquisition deals," said Liguori. He will join Discovery in September and will be based in Los Angeles.andnbsp;]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>OWN recruits A-listers for feature docs - 27/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1640</link>
<pubDate>27/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network has joined forces with several high-profile Hollywood actors who will produce feature docs for a monthly strand on the upcoming US cable network. The monthly documentary film club will feature one-off projects from Julia Roberts, Forest Whitaker, Goldie Hawn, Gabriel Byrne and Mariel Hemmingway.
andnbsp;
Each of the projects will be 1x2hrs and will air in the same slot as previously announced acquisitions Life 2.0, Family Affair and Sons of Perdition.
andnbsp;
From Julia Roberts' Red Om Films and Creative Vision Productions there will be Extraordinary Moms, about real-life inspirational mothers.
andnbsp;
Forest Whitaker will narrate and exec produce One Last Shot, which will be produced by Lightworks Pictures and KMPI. It tells the story of a hospice program inside a Louisiana maximum security prison in which the average prisoner is serving over a 90-year sentence. The program in question attempts to rehabilitate prisoners by getting them to care for fellow inmates who are dying.
andnbsp;
Goldie Hawn is making a film about positive psychology and people's search for a happy life, Searching for Happiness, which will be made in association with Creature Films.
andnbsp;
Gabriel Byrne's film, Tent City, will explore homelessness in Nashville, and a particular community of homeless people living under a downtown bridge.
andnbsp;
Seven Suicides, from Ernest Hemingway's granddaughter Mariel, will look at the legacy of suicide and depression in her famous literary family and her attempts to reconnect with her sister, Muffet.
andnbsp;
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network launches January 11, 2011. It will take the place of Discovery Health.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Warner Bros. and CBS cut post-Screenings deals - 27/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1641</link>
<pubDate>27/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Warner Bros. and CBS have both sold high-profile series to international broadcasters as deals start to take shape after this year's LA Screenings.
andnbsp;
In the UK, the Living TV Group has picked up two Warner Bros. International Television Distribution shows, Nikita and Chase. andnbsp;Nikita, which is produced by Warner Bros. TV and Wonderland, will air on US network The CW this autumn. Living will air the show, about a trained assassin gone rogue, soon after the US transmission.
andnbsp;
Chase meanwhile will be renamed for UK viewers and air on Living next year. The Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Bonanza Productions-produced series about a Texas-born female deputy will air on NBC in the US.
andnbsp;
Warner Bros. has long-term programming deals with numerous international broadcasters, but the agreement with Living marks the first international deals announced for Nikita and Chase since the Screenings in May. The Living TV Group is the channel operator previously known as VMtv, before being acquired by UK pay TV operator BSkyB in a andpound;160 million deal last month.
andnbsp;
Meanwhile, CBS Studios International has sold its police series Hawaii Five-O and Blue Bloods to Liv in Latin America. The general entertainment channel, which was rebranded from People + Arts earlier this year, will air the shows weeks after their debut in the US, where both shows will air on the CBS network.
andnbsp;
Other confirmed international broadcasters for Hawaii Five-O include Bravo in the UK, Network Ten in Australia and Global in Canada. Australia's Ten will also air Tom Selleck-fronted Blue Bloods, which has also been picked up by CTV in Canada.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Int'l revenues help UK indies weather commissioning downturn - 26/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1638</link>
<pubDate>26/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Increased international revenues have helped UK independent producers weather declining commissioning budgets, according to a new survey by trade body Pact.The Pact Financial Census and Survey 2010, in association with research house Oliver andamp; Ohlbaum, shows primary commissions from UK broadcasters declined by over andpound;100 million in the last twelve months, but this was offset by increasing international production and distribution revenues. UK indies made andpound;439 million from international business last year compared to andpound;342 million the year before. However, the independent production sector saw its overall revenues remain flat over the course of the year at andpound;2.2 billion. Producers also believe that the international marketplace was going to continue to become more important for them in the future with some 60% of producers thinking the importance of international commissions will rise. Some 54% also believe that format licensing will become more important in the year ahead and 75% think the contribution of ancillary rights will be more vital.andnbsp;]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Ten launches line up of US series  - 26/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1639</link>
<pubDate>26/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[Australian commercial broadcaster Ten Network has unveiled its pick of forthcoming US series that it will broadcast and is betting big on comedy.The network shares the 20th Century Fox Television Distribution output programming deal with pay TV broadcaster Foxtel and has the first two picks of the shows that it saw at May's LA Screenings. Ten will air Mixed Signals, the Kris Marshall-fronted sitcom based on an Israeli format and written by Wedding Crashers' Bob Fisher, and Raising Hope, the comedy starring Martha Plimpton and produced by My Name Is Earl's Greg Garcia. It hopes to replicate the success of last year's comedies Modern Family and Glee. Meanwhile, News Corp-backed pay broadcaster Foxtel has acquired Shawn Ryan's midseason cop drama Ride-Along, oil drama Lonestar, summer police procedural The Gates and cable drama The Glades. Ten's deal with CBS Studios International will also see it air dramas Blue Bloods, The Defenders and Hawaii Five-O. Ten's rivals Seven and Nine have yet to announce their line ups of US programming; Seven has an output deal with Disney Media Networks and NBC Universal International Television Distribution, while Nine has a deal with Warner Bros International Television Distribution and Sony Pictures Television.andnbsp;]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title>RTL sells Five to Desmond for £103 millon - 23/07/10</title>

<link>http://tbivision.com//article.php?category=&amp; article=1636</link>
<pubDate>23/07/10</pubDate> 

<description><![CDATA[RTL has this afternoon confirmed that it has agreed a deal for Richard Desmond's Northern andamp; Shell company to acquire UK broadcaster Five for andpound;103.5 million (US$159.4 million).
andnbsp;
RTL announced the deal this afternoon and said the deal is closed with immediate effect. Desmond's company will own 100% of the UK broadcaster.
andnbsp;
"With a significant recovery of the UK TV advertising market and Five performing well in the first half of 2010, we saw a window of opportunity to realise a transaction based on a fair evaluation of Five," said RTL CEO Gerhard Zeiler in a statement. "The disposal is in line with RTL Group's strategy of being number one or two in each of our markets. I would like to thank the whole team at Five and CEO andamp; Chair Dawn Airey for their passion and professionalism, especially in the difficult past 20 months which saw a comprehensive restructuring of the company."
andnbsp;
Reports earlier today suggested a deal was imminent.
andnbsp;
Desmond's publishing empire includes the Daily and Sunday Express newspapers and OK! magazine. His plans for the channel, should he close the deal, have not been made public, but there is a widespread expectation that it would become a televisual equivalent of his celebrity and style magazines.
andnbsp;
It would have to broadcast a certain amount of news and current affairs programming under the terms of its broadcasting license, which runs to 2014.
andnbsp;
andnbsp;]]></description>
</item>


</channel>

</rss>

