MUMBAI: US broadcaster Fox has renewed ?Bones? for its upcoming ninth season, it was announced by Fox chairman of entertainment Kevin Reilly.

?Bones? is a darkly amusing procedural centered on a highly skilled forensic anthropologist and an FBI agent. These unlikely partners take on homicide cases involving human remains that most forensic specialists can?t handle. The series stars Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, TJ Thyne, Michaela Conlin, Tamara Taylor and John Francis Daley.

Reilly said, "After more than 150 episodes, ?Bones? continues to be one of television?s most dynamic and consistent dramas. We at Fox, along with millions of zealous fans, look forward to seeing where the incredible creative team takes the series next season."

?Bones? returns with all-new episodes, beginning with a special two-hour Premiere on 14 January. In the episode, ?The Diamond in the Rough/The Archeologist in the Cocoon?, the Jeffersonian team investigates the death of a professional ballroom dancer who was murdered three days before her audition on a popular dancing competition show.

In order to solve the case, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) go undercover as dance competitors to see if they can find potential suspects. Then, the team investigates the murder of a well-known archeologist with a questionable reputation, who came upon a career-defining discovery right before his death.

MUMBAI: Marking its official entry into developing long-form event series, US broadcaster Fox has announced that it has inked development deals for two large-scale drama projects: ?Wayward Pines?, from filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan ?The Sixth Sense?, and FX Productions; and ?Blood Brothers?, from Bruce C. McKenna, Gary Randall, Timothy Scott Bogart, Boardwalk Entertainment Group and Fox Television Studios.

Fox will order its first event series pilot(s) later this year with plans to debut its first long-form event series in 2014.

Fox chairman of entertainment Kevin Reilly said, "With top-notch auspices and feature-quality production plans, ?Wayward Pines? and ?Blood Brothers? represent exactly the kind of high-impact, 10- to 12-part events we set out to develop when we entered the limited series business. These two series are the first of many big ideas, big names and big talent that you can anticipate will be on our air in the next 12-24 months."

Based on the best-selling novel, ?Pines? by Blake Crouch ?Wayward Pines? is a thriller that the broadcaster says is evocative of ?Twin Peaks?. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, on a mission to find two Missing federal agents. But instead of answers, Ethan?s investigation only turns up more questions. What?s wrong with Wayward Pines? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the life he knew, from the husband and father he was, until he must face the terrifying reality that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

?Blood Brothers? is the true story of the West Point Class of 1861. As the US tore itself apart over the issue of slavery, the West Point Brotherhood broke apart. Best friends, bonded in the intense crucible of the Academy, found themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that quickly became the bloodiest in U.S. history. For four violent years, these former comrades fought directly against each other, even as many of them rose from lowly second lieutenants to field generals. Throughout the conflict, however, they never lost their love and esteem for each other, which often resulted in many acts of kindness that stretched across enemy lines. Some died; others were broken by the conflict. But every one of the Brothers was utterly changed by a war that not only redefined America, but which still resonates today.

MUMBAI: Music-based reality show ?American Idol? will be the television inductee into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

The show will be honored at the 2013 NAB Show Television Luncheon, on 8 April 2013 in Las Vegas.

Nab president, CEO Gordon Smith said, "For over a decade, ?American Idol? has shaped the reality competition television genre, brought families together by entertaining viewers of all ages and made a huge cultural impact. Nab is proud to recognise this innovative television programme".

The show was created by Simon Fuller. It returns for a 12th season next month on Fox. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the show will feature a new judging panel that includes returning judge Randy Jackson, a Grammy Award-winning producer, as well as three new judges: best-selling female recording artist Mariah Carey; quadruple-platinum singer, songwriter, rapper and fashion icon Nicki Minaj; and Keith Urban, a four-time Grammy Award winner who has sold more than 15 million albums.

Since its inception, the series has featured judges, including music executive Simon Cowell, pop singer and choreographer Paula Abdul, Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler and artists Jennifer Lopez.

MUMBAI: Close on the heels of buying a 49 per cent stake in New York Yankees cable channel, News Corp-owned Fox Sports is believed to be close to signing a 25-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth $6-7 billion to retain the television rights till 2038.

The baseball team could see its broadcast rights contract jump from $40 million that Fox pays it annually to an average $280 million a year, which would make it one of the richest broadcast contract in sports history.

Fox Sports holds the broadcast rights for Dodgers games till 2013 season.

The offer is three times what Dodgers got from its new owners to come out of bankruptcy. The MB team was bought by a consortium led by legendary Laker Magic Johnson?s bidding group for the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium for $2.15 billion, making it one of the costliest purchases ever paid for a North American sports franchise.

"The Dodgers and Fox have been long-time partners and we?re in discussions now to extend that relationship well into the future," Fox said in a statement. "We?re working hard to reach an agreement that achieves the goals of Dodgers ownership and also makes sense for our business. The discussions are private and ongoing so, out of respect for the process, we?re not going to comment further."

The broadcast rights fee has jumped due to intense competition for local sports programming in Southern California which saw Fox Sports vying with Time Warner Cable (TWC) for the right.

Earlier, Fox had acquired a 49 per cent stake in Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (Yes), the cable network channel owned by baseball team New York Yankees and its partners. The Yes Network also announced a media rights agreement that will keep Yankees baseball on the Yes Network through 2042.

The News Corp-owned Fox Sports is planning to launch a national cable sports channel to rival ESPN. With Yankees rights already in its pocket, a deal with Dodgers would give Fox the perfect launch pad for the new channel.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports has launched its first ever round the clock football television channel Fox Football Channel in Malaysia, featuring more than 500 league matches from a comprehensive mix of top football leagues around the globe.

Fox Football Channel makes its debut in Malaysia through Telekom Malaysia‘s first IPTV service HyppTV Channel 173, which is available exclusively on UniFi, giving football fans a comprehensive mix of live matches, highlights and magazine shows and football news updates around the games.

ESPN Star Sports MD Peter Hutton said, "We‘re very happy to be part of the first ever sports pack on HyppTV and are delighted to launch our first Fox branded sports channel in Asia. Round the clock football content from the top international leagues is a great way to begin and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with HyppTV."

The channel will feature live Spanish La Liga BBVA matches, weekly coverage of top games from Argentina‘s Primera Divisi?n, the Eredivisie Dutch League and the Russian Premier Liga, as well as matches featuring Manchester City and Chelsea.

In addition, the channel will also feature weekly highlight shows, as well as in-depth and comprehensive coverage from official club channels Manchester City TV and Chelsea TV. Fans can also stay up-to-date with ‘Fox Football Updates‘ aired during the day with the latest football news and highlights from all over the world.