Australian actor Remy Hii may not yet be a household name in his native land, but the 26-year-old former Neighbours and Better Man star is about to land on Hollywood's biggest platform, the online TV giant Netflix. Hii will star in a new television adaptation of the story of explorer Marco Polo, described already by US media as one of the most expensive television dramas ever produced. The project will be filmed in Italy, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. It will launch in the US in 2014.

Comedy a real winner

Australia's national broadcaster has won an International Emmy award for its experimental comedy series #7DaysLater. The series, on ABC2, allowed its audience to shape each episode using social media. The results were broadcast a week later. It was described by the ABC as a ''digital crowd-sourced comedy series''. The concept was created by Daley Pearson and Nick Boshier from the production company Ludo Studio.

BAFTA nomination for Aussie drama

The critically acclaimed Australian drama Top of the Lake has been nominated for a prestigious BAFTA television award. The nomination puts the Jane Campion drama, which starred Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham and Holly Hunter, up against the hit British crime drama Broadchurch, the working-class period drama The Village and the comedy-drama My Mad Fat Diary. The BAFTA winners will be announced on May 18.

Host role for de Gelder

Former Australian Navy diver and shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder will front a new television series for Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studios. The studio is Microsoft's play into the on-demand TV market, and intended to compete with established players such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. De Gelder will front a series titled Fearless, which ''aims to inspire people to improve their lives'', Microsoft said.

The ABC of bingeing

The ABC and BBC have announced Jonah From Tonga, the new series from comic Chris Lilley will be released online in its entirety to allow fans to ''binge view''. Believed to be the first time a major Australian production has been released in this way, with all six episodes available on ABC iview from 6pm May 2 to 6pm May 4. The series will get its normal screening on ABC1 from Wednesday May 7 at 9pm. It will be broadcast on the BBC in the UK and HBO in America later this year.

Behind the scenes in Bali

A new reality series about Australian holidaymakers on the resort island of Bali will take audiences into Indonesia's infamous Kerobokan Prison, the jail which housed Schapelle Corby and still houses the Bali Nine. The series, What Really Happens In Bali, is being produced for the Seven Network by Eyeworks. The first episode features one of the Bali Nine, Sukumaran, who is on death row for a trafficking charge. Eyeworks credits' include Kings Cross ER, Kalgoorlie Cops, Test The Nation, Territory Cops and Being Lara Bingle. Seven has not yet announced a date for the series to screen.

ABC sells thriller

The upcoming ABC drama The Code has been sold to the US market in a deal clinched ahead of the MipTV program sales market in Cannes, France. The Code is a six-part political thriller from Playmaker Media. It stars Lucy Lawless, Adam Garcia, David Wenham and Aden Young and will air on the ABC later this year.

TV tweets

Let's see ... what to tweet about, what to tweet about? I got nothing. What's new with you?
Stephen Colbert (TV host, tease) @StephenAtHome

If anyone invites you to wedding in Westeros, politely decline.
Warren Cohen (producer, Game Of Thrones wedding planner) @wjcohen

Fantastic cast acting their socks off in Jack Irish on ABC TV.
Mark Colvin (ABC radio host, mystery fan) @Colvinius

TV binge-watching is messing with my head. Watching the Mad Men season premiere, and I keep expecting zombies to attack.
Dan Graziano (ESPN reporter, overloaded) @DanGrazianoESPN