Odeon is understood to have secured a longer and more substantial guarantee from Disney to protect the theatrical window, as well as a fresh agreement on commercial terms.
The group is understood to have secured the contract for less than £10m in a blind auction.
Its chairman Don McCarthy, is understood to have secured exclusive talks with the French department store rival, which will expire by the end of January.
Vice is understood to have secured a slot high on Sky's electronic programming guide, but neither party would reveal the exact positioning of the new channel.
The club are hugely ambitious and are understood to have secured the Spain forward David Villa from Atlético Madrid for around £5m.
However, they are still understood to have secured more money than they get under their current Channel 4 contract, understood to be worth around £1m a year, in a new deal with the broadcaster.
Van Gaal is understood to have secured an agreement with Tottenham for the Dutchman to replace Tim Sherwood at the end of the season but he is now considering his options following interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.
The shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham, and the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, are understood to have secured more than 100 nominations between them, while the shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt, is yet to declare because he is well short.
The BBC commissioning editor for documentaries, whose recent programmes include BBC2's Inside Claridges and Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die, is understood to have secured the job after the final round of interviews last week, with an announcement due within days.
Thomas is understood to have secured the job in the face of competition from candidates including former Channel 4 News editor Jim Gray, BBC current affairs commissioning editor Clive Edwards and head of radio current affairs Nicola Meyrick.
