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FX Pays $100 Million for 15 NBCU Films

Cable network FX will pay more than $100 million for the rights to air 15 NBC Universal films, including George Clooney’s “Leatherheads,” Judd Apatow’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and Tina Fey’s “Baby Mama,” Daily Variety reports. The move is part of…

Disney’s Cyrus Headlines Nick Awards

Nickelodeon booked rival Disney Channel’s Miley Cyrus to headline its Kids’ Choice Awards this Saturday, Daily Variety reports. Disney shows are well represented among the nominees, with Ms. Cyrus’ “Hannah Montana” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” tapped…

USA Drama Premiere Sponsored by P&G

USA Network’s June premier of drama series “In Plain Sight” will be sponsored by Procter & Gamble, Television Week reports. The debut, which will have few commercial interruptions, will be 76 minutes, compared to the show’s regular length of an…

Comcast in Sharing Mood With BitTorrent

Cable-television company Comcast is in talks with peer-to-peer service BitTorrent on facilitating file sharing over Comcast’s broadband network, the Wall Street Journal reports. The cooperation takes place after some advocacy groups had accused Comcast of being anti-competitive by slowing traffic…

Verizon Wants Cable to Unplug

Verizon yesterday requested the Federal Communications Commission require cable companies to automatically disconnect customers who are switching to a different video provider, instead of requiring customers to make a separate disconnection request, Multichannel News reports. By requiring the additional call,…

G4 Orders Ortiz ‘Beatdown’ Pilot

G4 ordered a pilot episode of “Anytown Beatdown,” a reality series created by ex-Ultimate Fighting champion Tito Ortiz, the Hollywood Reporter says. Mr. Ortiz, eliminated by Donald Trump on “The Celebrity Apprentice” this month, will train contestants who will try…

Sundance Sells ‘Green’ for iTunes

Sundance Channel is making episodes of environmentally oriented series “The Green” available on Apple’s iTunes service, Multichannel News reports. Customers will be able to download the episodes the day after they debut on Sundance for $1.99 each, Multichannel News says….

P&G to Sponsor Debut of USA’s ‘Plain Sight’

Procter & Gamble will sponsor the premiere of USA Network’s new series “In Plain Sight.” The first episode of the show, airing June 8, will be 76 minutes long, with limited commercial interruptions. The other episodes in the series, which…

HBO Doubles Up on Laughs

HBO plans to launch a pair of comedies on Friday nights starting in June. “The Life and Times of Tim” is an animated series about an average guy whose instincts take him down the wrong path. “Summer Heights High,” from…

Writers Strike Sped Viewer Shift From Broadcast to Cable

The Writers Guild of America strike helped to accelerate the shift of viewers from broadcast to cable, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Turner Broadcasting. Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer at Turner, said that before the strike began…