NBCU Acquires Carnival

NBC Universal acquired British production company Carnival Film & Television which produces Hotel Babylon for the British Broadcasting Corp. and Midnight Man, Harley Street and the upcoming Whitechapel for ITV. Under the terms of the deal, NBCU will acquire 100% of the company's shares, which are split between Southern Star (75%) and Carnival CEO Gareth Neame (25%). Once the acquisition is complete, Carnival will be merged into NBCU's international-TV-production division. The deal is part of NBCU's strategy to more than double its non-U.S. revenue by 2010, and it follows the acquisitions of Sparrowhawk Holdings and a 26% stake in India's NDTV.