Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

The Sci Fi Channel was the No. 1 basic-cable destination for viewers ages 25 to 54 in prime time with the premiere of its new original series, “Sanctuary,” on Oct. 3. With an audience of 2.7 million, it was the best debut for the network since “Eureka” in 2006. Multichannel News (10/7)

Citing declining ratings, FX pulled the plug on The Riches, reports Variety. The series ran over two seasons and experienced a -44% dip in ratings among A18-49 viewers during season two compared to the inaugural season. The Riches, featuring Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard in lead roles was produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions. (Cynopsis 10/8)

A new take on the British comedy Absolutely Fabulous is in development for FOX, cites Variety. FOX handed Sony Pictures Television a script order with penalties attached. The new version will copy the original series, created by Jennifer Saunders, keeping characters Edina and Patsy, two over-the-top 40-ish best friends who party hearty and try to act young, while Edina’s disapproving teenage daughter looks on. The new edition though will be set in Los Angeles versus the UK. (Cynopsis 10/8)

Look for coverage of the World Baseball Classic next year across a full range of ESPN platforms including ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile Properties. Live simulcasts of 23 games begin on March 5, 2009 in the U.S. (Cynopsis 10/8)

Ad-supported MOJO HD will soon be shuttered by its distributor, InDemand. Owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cox, InDemand confirmed it will only program MOJO HD through December 1, 2008, although some MSOs may chose to discontinue the channel much earlier, opting to use the channel space for other HD networks. (Cynopsis 10/8)

Tokyo Broadcasting System is suing ABC over the reality series Wipeout, claiming copyright infringement, per Variety. The Japanese broadcaster filed the lawsuit in the federal court in Los Angeles yesterday, alleging Wipeout took elements from three of its programs Takeshi’s Castle, Sasuke and Kuniochi. Takeshi’s Castle aired in the U.S. on TBS from 1986-89 and Sasuke has also been on TBS since 1998. (Cynopsis 10/8)

AccuWeather.com’s Weather On Demand service was picked up by AT&T’s U-verse IPTV platform in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Indianapolis and San Diego with plans to offer it to all U-verse customers in 2009. Customers can use the service to view current local weather conditions, get forecasts, view satellite imagery and access a range of data accessible by city, zip code or region. (Cynopsis 10/8)

Oceanic, a Time Warner Cable subsidiary, is the first major provider to offer services using ActiveVideo technology. ActiveVideo, whose products allow Web video playback on TVs, will power interactive cable features for Oceanic customers. Broadcasting & Cable (10/8)