Australian actor Lee Jones has been cast in the lead role of Kurt Sutter's new pilot The Bastard Executioner for FX. Sutter is best known as creator of the biker drama Sons of Anarchy. Jones joins an impressive cast including Stephen Moyer and Katey Sagal. Sutter will also have a small role in the series. The pilot, which was written by Sutter and will be directed by Paris Barclay, is to be filmed in Wales.

Netflix service for Aust

The long awaited local launch of the US-owned TV and film streaming service Netflix has been confirmed for March 24. Netflix will launch its Australian and New Zealand services on the same day. Among its key programs is the highly- anticipated third season of House of Cards and the box office hit Frozen. The service will be available on smart TVs, game consoles, Apply TV, Google Chromecast and Fetch TV.

Illicit downloaders

Still with the third season of House of Cards, and Australia has come in fourth on a list of countries where illicit downloading of the third season is rife. According to the piracy tracking company Excipio, the three biggest downloaders were China, the US and India, followed by Australia. Half the top ten countries - China, India, Australia, Poland and Greece -  don't have Netflix's service.

Bold and beautiful deal

The Ten Network has signed an historic "lifetime" deal to retain Australian rights to the US daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. The deal, between Ten and production company Bell-Phillip Television's distribution arm BBL Distribution, capitalises on the "special chemistry" the show has with Australia, executive producer Bradley P. Bell said. The series, which launched in 1987, is now more than 7000 episodes old.

Dig it

SBS and the TV streaming service Stan will share the Australian rights to the TV series Dig, from the creators of Heroes and Homeland. Dig is described as a "murder mystery" set in Jerusalem which hints at a bigger, ancient conspiracy. New episodes of Dig are now available to stream on Stan weekly, fast-tracked from the US. The series will launch on SBS One in May.

Awards for series

Two Australian series, Bondi Vet and Outback Adventures, have been honoured with Parents' Choice Awards in the US. Bondi Vet airs in the US network CBS as Dr Chris, Pet Vet, and Outback Adventures airs on the US network ABC as Outback Adventures with Tim Faulkner. The awards, created in 1978, are intended to honour programs which "entertain and teach with flair, stimulate imagination and inspire creativity."