* Nicktoons Network and Nickelodeon channels in eight territories including the U.K., Latin America and Scandinavia have picked up Ricky Sprocket – Showbiz Boy (26 x 30), a copro by Studio B Productions and Snowden Fine Productions, handled by Bejuba! Entertainment.

* YTV has ordered 26 half-hours of the CG action comedy Urban Vermin from Decode Entertainment. The toon house and its partners at Aardman Animation are also making another run (26 x 11) of Planet Sketch for Teletoon and the U.K.’s CITV.

* TSN has lured curling away from CBC, signing a six-year multi-platform deal to air the matches of the Canadian Curling Association, starting in 2008. CAA will remain on the Ceeb until then, but relations between the two have been strained since allegations of botched broadcasts in 2005.

TSN and its French sibling RDS have also re-upped to air the IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championships, for 2008 through 2011.

* CHUM’s MuchMusic Video Awards (1 x 120) and its red carpet pre-show (1 x 90) are set to air in Hungary, the U.S. and Australia following sales to 4-The Story, XYZ Networks and IN Demand, respectively. The recent run of sales and renewals also saw 27 hours of Much family programming – Born to Be (13 x 30), Heat Meter (13 x 30), Uncovered (15 x 30), etc. – go to Russian music channel MUZ-TV.