BETA SAYS OPS WANT NAT GEO, BIO, LIFETIME MOVIE

In the continuing horse race for carriage among emerging digital networks, National Geographic Channel, Biography Channel and Lifetime Movie Network ? at least according to the latest Beta Research study ? are the three small services operators want most on their systems by the end of 2002. Among mid-size services (defined as those with 15 to 49 million subs), Speedvision and Turner Classic Movies topped the list. Perhaps the best news for diginets is Beta's finding that 83% of operators said they have a digital tier, up from 66% in 2000.

BIN LADEN ON HOT SEAT

In a special edition of Court TV's The System to air Dec. 6, prominent American lawyers, such as Harvard's Alan Dershowitz, will examine how Osama bin Laden might be tried in a court of law. The network's Catherine Crier will host, and former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. will show how a prosecutor might handle the case.

DENNEHY IN KNIGHT'S ARMOR

Assuring himself a lifetime's supply of red sweaters, Brian Dennehy has agreed to take on the role of former Indiana (and current Texas Tech) University basketball coach Bob Knight in ESPN's A Season on the Brink. The docu-drama, which follows Knight's 1985-'86 Hoosier team, will be the sports network's first shot at original scripted programming. The film will begin production Nov. 26 in Canada and will also shoot, to a lesser extent, in Bloomington, Ind., home of Indiana University; it debuts March 10 on ESPN.

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