Television Programming

The Disney Channel is headed for Russian television. A unit of Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. has formed a joint venture with Media-One Holdings Ltd. to start a Russian version of the family channel on 30 stations throughout the country. Anchored by familiar Disney Channel shows for kids and families such as "Hannah Montana" and "Wizards of Waverly Place," dubbed in Russian, the venture also plans to create original Russian programming.

Yahoo Inc. is working with Akimbo Systems Inc. to deliver the videos it offers on the Web directly to televisions. Closely held Akimbo, based in San Mateo, Calif., offers more than 14,000 movies and TV shows via the Internet to subscribers with set-top boxes on their TVs, the companies said. Akimbo subscribers, who pay $9.99 a month for the service, will be able to view Web-based videos from the Yahoo Video service at no additional cost.

To commemorate Muhammad Ali's 65th birthday, which is Wednesday, ESPN Classic will devote 52 hours of programming to the boxer beginning today and concluding next Saturday. "No one represents what ESPN Classic is all about more than Muhammad Ali," said John Papa, the network's vice president in charge of programming. "We opened up our vaults to do this." The Ali celebration, which kicks off today at 5 p.m.

On the final day of television's midseason press tour, journalists finally got a chance to pepper Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori with questions about two of pop culture's most urgent matters -- O.J. and "A.I." Dressed in jeans and a dark sport coat, the calm and casual Liguori handled the press as deftly as any NFL running back -- he deflected the attempted tackles. When he was asked about his judgment in the botched O.J.

Despite efforts to quell complaints that they air too much death, blood and mayhem, broadcasters are facing a renewed battle over regulating televised violence. With a fresh Congress sworn in and a major federal report expected soon on TV gore, pressure is likely to mount to more aggressively stem graphic and gratuitous scenes in shows. One proposal would give regulators powers similar to those they have now to punish indecency and coarse language over the airwaves.

Red Sox Nation has spoken. A pending deal by Major League Baseball to put its Extra Innings pay package exclusively on DirecTV may have to be put on hold now, buffeted by an uprising involving baseball's most ardent fans, spearheaded by those who live and die with the Boston Red Sox. MLB expected to announce the deal as early as next week, but that was less certain after Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) on Thursday asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the matter.

A record $24-million fine looming against Univision Communications Inc. for airing children's soap operas to comply with a federal educational programming requirement may open a new front in the battle between regulators and broadcasters over what is televised on the public airwaves. Advocates for more child-friendly programs praised the fine, hoping it would send a strong message about the importance of a law they said many broadcasters half-heartedly tried to obey.

NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly on Thursday signed a new three-year contract with NBC Universal, giving him more time to pull the peacock network out of the ratings basement. Reilly assumed his job in May 2004 just as NBC's prime-time schedule, which had dominated ratings for more than a decade, was about to collapse. That fall, when the network opened the TV season without the blockbusters "Friends" and "Frasier," it plunged from first to fourth place in prime-time.

Thursday nights, not Monday nights, were supposed to showcase the battle of the network stars this season. Although the fireworks between titans "Grey's Anatomy" of ABC and "CSI" of CBS have been colorful, another unexpected contest broke out in January when Fox's "24" returned to Mondays at 9 p.m. to face off against CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and NBC's "Heroes."

Just a few weeks ago, Scott Rosenberg was a successful writer who wondered whether one of his pet projects, a TV series called "October Road," would ever see the light of day. Six episodes had been ordered by ABC and produced, but Rosenberg ("Con Air," "High Fidelity") had no indication that they would ever get on the air. Now, Rosenberg is beside himself. Almost without warning, "October Road" has landed a spot on the network, premiering this week.