—BBC on French iTunes: BBC Worldwide’s distribution arsenal continues apace – from today, BBC shows like Doctor Who and Extras can be bought for as little as €1.99 per episode from the French iTunes store. The majority of content will be available in French and English. Just as it was the first UK broadcaster to sell TV on iTunes in the UK, it is also the first to do so in France. Release.

—Sky rugby: BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) has extended its grip on live sports rights in the UK with the signing of a new five-year deal with the Rugby Football Union, showing England internationals and club rugby from 2010. The deal doesn’t cover Six Nations or World Cup matches – those rights are auctioned separately. The rights cover online and games will be shown on the SkyPlayer VOD service. Via BrandRepublic.com.

—Perform sells Metacafe ads: Entertainment video site Metacafe has signed a deal with the sales division of video rights distributor Perform to sell adverts to its UK audience of around 1.7 million per month. Perform Sales adds Metacafe to a portfolio that already includes gossip site Holy Moly. Dominic Dunne joins Perform Sales from entertainment portal All Dig Down to handle the Metacafe account. Release.

—MSN-Endemol launch Kirill series: MSN, Big Brother producer Endemol and online film-maker Pure Grass Films have joined forces to create the interactive online sci-fi series Kirill. Each episode is three minutes and will be broadcast using Microsoft’s Silverlight technology during the five week series featuring two episodes a week. Viewers are encouraged to use all manner of Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) online tools to explore the story, such as instant messenger. Via NMA.co.uk