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BROADCAST/CABLE

ABC will further play around with its primetime schedule by shuffling two of its series early next year, reports THR. ABC will try out Private Practice in the Thursday 10p slot following Grey’s Anatomy and frosh drama Life on Mars will move to the Wednesday 10p time period after Lost. (Cynopsis 11/12)

Last Sunday, Style Network scored its largest audience for an original series, with “Ruby,” which focuses on a 500-pound woman in Savannah, Ga., who is trying to lose weight. The premiere episode attracted 545,000, which is more than three times Style’s prime-time average. Variety (11/11)

Sundance Channel and co-sponsor Dell are collaborating on a new 13-part short form series “Discovered,” profiling established and up-and-coming musical artists. The series will blend performances and outtakes from Spectacle: Elvis Costello with …, a new hour-long show premiering Dec. 3 on Sundance hosted by Elvis and co-produced by Sir Elton John‘s Rocket Pictures. Discovered will air on Sundance Channel as in-break vignettes during Spectacle and will also streamed on the Dell Lounge with archival footage and photography of the artists. Subjects include Department of Eagles, Forro in the Dark and The Virgins. (Cynopsis 11/12)

The Virgins

It may be just a fantasy at this point, but HBO has ordered up a pilot for an episodic project called “Game of Thrones,” which will be based on the dragon-slaying, magic-conjuring “A Song of Fire & Ice” novels from George R.R. Martin. If “Game of Thrones” makes it onto the pay cable service’s schedule, it would be what producers are calling a “high fantasy” series, a genre that hasn’t seen a TV entrant since “Xena: Warrior Princess.” The Hollywood Reporter (11/11)

AMC confirmed its next series in development is a 60m legal drama called Rectify from Ray McKinnon who created and wrote the project and will also serve as executive producer. Walton Goggins (The Shield) has been tapped to star in the lead role as well as co-executive produce. (Cynopsis 11/12)

USA Network tapped Beverly Hills 90210 alum Tiffani Thiessen for its new pilot White Collar, joining leads Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay. Thiessen will play Elizabeth, a smart accountant who is the wife of FBI Agent Peter Stokes (DeKay). (Cynopsis 11/12)

In another grim financial report, the Television Bureau of Advertising yesterday revised its TV station revenue calculation for 2009, projecting the total spot sales being down between -7% and -11%. In early September, the TVB predicted total sales would be down by -2% to -5%. In breaking out the numbers, TVB forecasts local spot down between -4% and -8%; national spot down between -11.5% and -15.5%. (Cynopsis 11/12)

As the deadline for digital conversion closes in, the government says 62% of the U.S. households using television antennas have requested coupons for $40 toward the cost of converter boxes, according to Meredith Baker of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. She added, however, that of the 33.5 million coupons requested by consumers, only 13.5 million have been redeemed. TVWeek.com (11/10)

Nearly 30% of respondents to a recent survey by Frank N. Magid Associates — including those who subscribe to cable and satellite services — incorrectly believe that they will automatically begin receiving all programming in HD after Feb. 17. On the bright side, the survey also showed that 96% of respondents report awareness about the transition to digital-TV signals. Broadcast Engineering (11/11)

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