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VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW
PROGRAMMING
The Muppets are heading to primetime! After plunking down $90 million
to buy the rights to Jim Henson's classic characters, Disney has
announced plans to air America's Next Muppet on ABC. The
show is a parody of reality TV competitions such as American
Idol and America's Next Top Model. [E! Online]
E!
Online
Looks like
there will definitely be life after Will & Grace for the
show's co-star, Megan Mullally. NBC Universal Domestic Television
Distribution announced this week that a syndicated talk show hosted
by Mullally has cleared in four major U.S. markets for a fall 2006
launch. [Reuters]
Reuters
BUSINESS
No longer the sole non-governmental news provider in Eastern Europe
(as it was during the cold war), the BBC World Service has announced
plans to leave the region and take a shot at the Middle East. The
new television venture -- the BBC Arabic Television Service -- will
broadcast 12 hours a day across the Middle East, beginning in 2007.
It will be free to anyone with a satellite or cable connection.
[The New York Times]
The
New York Times
Lions Gate
has snagged itself a deal. The Vancouver, Canada-based film and
TV company has purchased the U.K.'s Redbus Film Distribution for
$35 million in cash and stock. Redbus's library titles include Bend
it Like Beckham and The Mothman Prophecies. [The Globe
and Mail]
The
Globe and Mail
Latin American
entertainment giants Grupo Televisa and Cisneros Group are in talks
to acquire at least 20 percent of Spanish company Grupo Arbol, which
owns production company Globomedia. The Grupo Arbol stake is valued
at 40 million euro. [AFX]
AFX
ADVERTISING
Having appealed to TV viewers across all demos, Queer Eye
is returning to its base. As its ratings falter, Bravo is marketing
its fifth season of Queer Eye -- formerly known as Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy -- through the W Hotels' gay- and lesbian-targeted
Pride365 travel packages. [Advertising Age]
Advertising
Age
TECHNOLOGY
Many of its Viacom sister channels have already done it, and now
Comedy Central is getting into the broadband game. The network has
announced plans to launch MotherLode.com, a broadband site, which
will feature 80 original, short video items every week. [Advertising
Age]
Advertising
Age
EXECUTIVE
SHUFFLE
There's a new sheriff in town over at CBS News. Les Moonves announced
that Sean McManus, longtime president of CBS Sports, will succeed
Andrew Heyward as CBS News president, who left his post after controversy
involving a CBS report on President Bush. [The New York Times]
The
New York Times
CONTROVERSY
Embattled Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) president and CEO
Robert Rabinovitch is defending his company's actions over the past
few months. Testifying before the Standing Committee on Canadian
Heritage, Rabinovitch defended management's decision to lock out
its 5,500 unionized workers, saying it was the "last resort" in
a prolonged labor dispute. He admitted that CBC and Radio-Canada
-- its French service -- will need to be restructured. That will
mean increased use of freelance and contract workers as well as
permanent staff as CBC struggles with tight funding. [CTV News]
CTV
News
AWARDS SHOWS
It was a good day for Dr. Who at Britain's National Television
Awards. The revived sci-fi series, written by Manchester-based Russell
T. Davies, was voted most popular drama; and its stars were voted
most popular actor and actress. [Manchester Evening News]
Manchester
Evening News
FILM
Watch out -- King Kong is getting bigger! The Peter Jackson
remake of the 1933 classic, which is set to be released by Universal
in December, is twice as long as the original, coming in at three
hours. [E! Online]
E! Online
New Nicholas
Cage-starrer The Weatherman has presented a bit of a challenge
for its studio, Paramount. The film, which is partly comedic and
partly dramatic, has been portrayed as a comedy in its trailer,
but this may deter audiences from fully grasping its complexity.
[The Indianapolis Star]
The
Indianapolis Star
EN NOVIEMBRE
VIDEOAGE HABLA DE TELENOVELAS
Do you sell
telenovelas?
Do you want to sell telenovelas to East Asia?
Do you want to promote telenovelas at Jornadas?
Do you want to market telenovelas to the Middle East?
Do you want to reach Latin American broadcasters at Spain TV Expo?
If you answered
YES to any of the above questions, then VideoAge's November
issue is for you.
Bonus distribution:
Asia TV Forum -- Singapore
Jornadas ATVC -- Buenos Aires
Spain TV Expo -- Miami
World Congress of History Producers -- Rome
iEmmys -- New York
MEB '05 -- Beirut
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