Small MPU – Page 125
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News
Multithematiques Italia clinches Universal deal
Multithematiques Italia SpA, the Italian arm of pan-European theme channel group Multithematiques SA, has clinched exclusive pay-TV rights to a collection of features and TV series from Universal Studios International.The agreement which will furnish the group's channels including CineCinemas 1, CineCinemas 2, CineClassics and Canal Jimmy includes Universal library titles ...
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French government tries to sell SFP group again
The French government has pressed ahead once again with the privatisation of Societe Francaise de Production (SFP), the massive studios and facilities group that has been a cash-swallowing albatross around its neck. The plan is due to be formalised in the next few days, presented to works committees and completed ...
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Hong Kong's Pay-TV market in turmoil
They cannot both be right. On the one hand, Television Broadcasts (TVB) says it's now ready to pull out of Hong Kong's pay-TV market, joining two other companies that have already abandoned the highly competitive Chinese harbour colony, Rupert Murdoch's STAR TV and also the Hong Kong Network (NETV). On ...
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Tykwer and Petzold dominate German Lolas
Christian Petzold's The State I Am In (Die Innere Sicherheit) and Tom Tykwer's The Princess And The Warrior (Der Krieger Und Die Kaiserin) came away with four nominations each for this year's German Film Awards. Who will end up winning the statuettes - to be known as Lola following a ...
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Imax goes down the tube
Imax Corp, the giant screen and entertainment technology company. has struck a $15m deal that will see its digital projection technology used in advertising billboards within the UK's London Underground railway network. The joint venture with Swedish outdoor media company DHJ Media is good news for the large-screen format purveyor ...
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Alta Vista joins No News From God
Growing Mexican heavyweight Alta Vista Films has boarded No News From God (Sin Noticias De Dios), a Spanish-language comedy starring Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril. The film is handled internationally by TF1 International.Through distribution partner Nu Vision, Alta Vista may take rights to all Latin America, following the model of ...
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Canada's Corus eyes EM.TV's Henson
Toronto-based Corus Entertainment has expressed an interest in buying the Jim Henson Co. from German owner EM.TV. The television and radio broadcaster, which made international headlines last year when it paid $300m for Canadian animation studio Nelvana Ltd., says it is pursuing several acquisitions in order to boost its presence ...
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Ott exits Senator Entertainment
Christoph Ott, Senator Entertainment's board member responsible for marketing and sales, is to leave the company "at his own request and by mutual agreement to prepare the founding of his own company". His responsibilities will now be assumed by Senator CEO Hanno Huth, while the area of world sales has ...
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Carson promoted at Warner Bros. Pictures
Nancy Carson has been promoted to senior vice president, international distribution, at Warner Bros Pictures, reporting to Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, president of international distribution. In her new position as Kwan-Rubinek's second in command, she will assume an expanded responsibility for all matters pertaining to international rights, release dates and theatrical distribution ...
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Pflug promoted at Artisan Entertainment
Paul Pflug has been promoted to executive vice president, national publicity and corporate communications, for Artisan Entertainment. He will continue to oversee the national publicity campaigns for Artisan's theatrical releases as well as the company's external and internal corporate communications activities. He will also take on an expanded role in ...
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TV-Loonland expands into Russia
German animation specialist TV-Loonland has entered into an extensive partnership with Moscow-based Nox Music, one of Russia's fastest growing music and record labels, with a seven-year license deal for 963 half-hour episodes from TV-Loonland's catalogue, including Pettson and Findus, Cramp Twins, Letters From Felix and Little Ghosts.The agreement covers CIS/Russia, ...
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Berlusconi expected to sell Mediaset shares
With Italy's national elections looming on May 13, fresh rumours are circulating that opposition candidate Silvio Berlusconi could be about to sell his shares in private broadcaster Mediaset to Australian mogul Rupert Murdoch. Such a move would serve to quell the increasingly vociferous complaints which Berlusconi has been facing from ...
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Kinowelt demonstrates faith in cinema market
German mini-major Kinowelt has exercised an option to acquire the remaining 49.9% shares in the Theile Hoyts Kinopolis group, comprising ten multiplex cinemas. "The positive development in the first months of the current year in the exhibition market confirms our decision to become more involved in the running of cinemas", ...
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Italy's Davids celebrate local success
Gabriele Muccino's local hit The Last Kiss (L'Ultimo Bacio) picked up five awards at the David di Donatello awards, Italy's equivalent to the Oscars, including the prestigious Best Director prize. The film, with local box office receipts in excess of $8.5m, is one of a handful of Italian pictures credited ...
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Italian pay-TV merger expected next week
After months of on-off talks, negotiations concerning a merger of Itlay's two pay-TV operators appear now to be in the home straight. Such a merger would be expected to have a deflationary effect on the cost of film rights in the Italian television market.French sources close to Vivendi Universal, which ...
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EU awards $2.3m to Swedish regional funds
The EU funds aimed at supporting social and economic projects joining different regions of Europe has awarded $2.3m (SKK23m) to the regional film funds in Northern Sweden, Norrbotten and Vasterbotten. Filmpool Nord has recieved $1.4m (SKK 14.6m) to the development of Norrbotten as a centre for film production in the ...
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Lord Of The Rings site registers 350m hits
New Line Cinema's award-winning website for The Lord Of The Rings has generated more than 350 million hits worldwide since re-launching on January 12, 2001. Data tabulated by ABC Interactive confirmed that more than 275,463,832 hits were registered on the site in January and February of this year. Since the ...
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Spanish producers create Grupo PI
Spain's small handful of sales outfits will soon face a new competitor on the international scene: Grupo PI, a powerful new rights broker and channel packager being launched by four of Spain's top producers.Combining film and television content, Grupo PI launches with one of the world's biggest catalogues of Spanish-language ...
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Alatan leaves Cecchi Gori for Medusa
Italy's leading distributor, Medusa, has dealt another serious blow to struggling competitor and former number one Cecchi Gori.The Cecchi Gori Group's veteran acquisitions executive Faruk Alatan has ended his 16-year relationship with the group to join Medusa and its sister company, rights trading arm Mediatrade, as international film acquisitions consultant. ...
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Alliance Atlantis signs Bedford Falls Co
Canada's Alliance Atlantis has made what is arguably its first foray into the heart of Hollywood, signing an exclusive four year development deal with Bedford Falls Co, the LA-based production company run by Ed Zwick and Marhsall Herskovitz. Under the arrangement, which kicked off on April 1, Alliance Atlantis will ...