ITV

Category: BBC

  • BBC signs partnership with Twitter Amplify

    BBC signs partnership with Twitter Amplify

    MUMBAI: BBC Global News has announced a new partnership with Twitter Amplify, the social broadcast network service’s innovative video promotion tool.

    This is the first Twitter Amplify partnership with a global news broadcaster. Commenting on the same, BBC global news director of digital & technology James Montgomery said, “This new collaboration harnesses our global reach and newsgathering capabilities to bring our advertising partners clever and impressive products. Building on the efforts of BBC America’s partnership with Twitter, we’re thrilled to bring our ad partners with us at the cutting edge of news.”

    BBC Global News will provide the global Twitter community timely in-tweet video clips that complement its global newsgathering operation. This partnership offers BBC Global News and its future brand partners an integrated cross-platform tool to reach new audiences on Twitter. BBC Global News operates BBC World Service radio, BBC World News television, and bbc.com/news outside the UK.

    “What makes this partnership exciting is the amazing content Twitter users will get from BBC Global News, no matter where they are in the world,” said Twitter Amplify senior director Glenn Brown. “We look forward to working with BBC Global News to bring these programmes to market.”

     

    BBC.com has already begun production of a new in-Tweet broadcast, #BBCTrending, a new series of innovative short form video broadcasts that will be presented by Anne-Marie Tomchak (@AMTomchak) and will launch later this fall. The broadcast will give users the inside story behind the latest trending phenomena on social media that day. #BBCTrending is distributed to the 4.8 million followers of the BBC international news Twitter handle, @BBCWorld, and will be enhanced by Twitter Amplify.

    #BBC Trending will incorporate three key elements:

    1. The BBC’s international social media reach and 24-hour video production operation
    2. The BBC’s global newsgathering and monitoring operations, which provide both round the clock news reporting and monitoring of global TV, radio, press, internet and news agency sources, and
    3. Twitter Amplify’s innovative real-time video promotion tool.

    “Being a part of this new project is thrilling,” said Tomchak. As the face of #BBCTrending, Tomchak will be working with production units across the BBC to identify and build compelling conversations on what’s trending around the world. “On Trending, we’re tapping the most powerful internal insight tools and the massive BBC international newsgathering and language operations to decipher why and how trends are happening on social media around the world.”

    In April, BBC America signed a similar deal with Twitter Amplify to offer the first in-Tweet branded video synced to hit series, including Top Gear.

  • BBC Worldwide announces its Mipcom factual slate

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has announced its first pre-sales of Brazil with Michael Palin to a raft of broadcasters, ahead of next month‘s television trade event Mipcom 2012 in Cannes, France.

    The travel documentary has been licensed to ABC (Australia), RTL Pay (Germany), VRT (Belgium), Czech TV, Media Entertainment‘s pan-Eastern European feed, the VPRO (Holland), Yle (Finland), RÚV (Iceland), NRK (Norway) and RTV (Slovenia).

    Also on BBC Worldwide‘s factual slate for Mipcom is Nigellissima, to be launched by Nigella Lawson in Cannes. During her first ever visit to Mipcom, Nigella will unveil her take on Italian cooking, inspired by a period spent living in Florence.

    BBC Worldwide‘s Director of Factual Mark Reynolds said, “Michael is a distinguished broadcaster with fans all over the world, so we expect these sales to be the first of many. Similarly, Nigella‘s programmes have a proven global appeal, and it‘s a real thrill to have her joining us at MIPCOM. These two top-quality titles are great examples of the range in our factual slate.”

    Other BBC Worldwide titles new for Mipcom cover science, natural history, lifestyle and factual entertainment. New documentary ‘Space Dive‘ follows elite base-jumper Felix Baumgartner as he attempts freefalling from 125,000 feet – the biggest leap ever taken. In ‘Wonders Of Life‘, Professor Brian Cox explains how a few fundamental laws gave birth to all life in the universe, and another landmark science series, Generation Earth, uses state-of-the-art visuals to showcase the extraordinary engineering feats that have transformed the Earth.

    The latest title from the BBC‘s acclaimed Natural History Unit is ‘Wild Arabia‘, examining Arabia‘s landscapes and colourful creatures, and the remarkable people who have made the Arabian Peninsula their home. Buyers can also check out factual entertainment offering ‘Chef Race‘ from Jamie Oliver‘s Fresh One Productions, in which 16 chefs, eight Brits and eight Americans journey across the US, tackling culinary challenges along the way.

  • BBC announces religious programming this Easter

    MUMBAI: BBC has announced that this Easter BBC Religion and Ethics reflects on the life and legacy of Jesus through major documentaries, sacred music, readings and live worship.

    BBC One will broadcast The Royal Maundy Service on 21 April live from Westminster Abbey, presented by Huw Edwards. The service coincides with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II‘s 85th birthday, the first time this has happened during her reign.

    The service will see some of Her Majesty‘s subjects receive the gift of Maundy money as recognition of the work they have done in their communities. Music during the service will include Praise To The Holiest In The Heights, Give Almes Of Thy Goods and Handel‘s Zadok The Priest.

    For Holy Week, BBC One presents a special documentary does Does Christianity Have A Future? Ann Widdecombe looks at the changing face of Christianity in the UK and asks if there is still a role for an established church.

    Also during Holy Week, BBC One will broadcast The Story Of Jesus, a two-part series that explores the life and teaching of Jesus, using the very latest archaeological, historical and theological research with dramatic reconstructions of key moments in the Gospels.

    The Story Of Jesus is a co-production for BBC One between CTVC and Big Book Media.

    On BBC Radio 3, Joan Bakewell explores the beliefs of artists, thinkers, religious leaders and other public figures in a returning series of Belief, broadcast Monday to Friday during Holy Week. Guests for the week are: comedian Omid Djalili, philosopher Raymond Tallis, novelist Salley Vickers, composer Tarik O‘ Rega, and American theologian Stanley Hauerwas.

    To mark Good Friday, BBC One presents What Is The Point In Forgiveness? Historian Bettany Hughes explores the notion of forgiveness throughout history. Bettany undertakes a journey through more than 2,000 years to find out whether and how forgiveness has benefited humankind.

    Just after 3 pm, as Christians mark the hour of Christ‘s suffering in words of prayer, readings and music, BBC Radio 4 presents Good Friday Liturgy. Professor Tina Beattie, Director of the Digby Stuart Research Centre for Catholic Studies at Roehampton University, visits Jerusalem and what may have been the actual places of trial, suffering and resurrection in the story of Christ‘s Passion.

    On BBC Radio 2, Aled Jones presents At The Foot Of The Cross. St Albans Cathedral is the glorious setting for meditation in words and music for Good Friday. Music, poetry and readings from the Bible read by Hugh Bonneville and Emma Fielding tell the story of the crucifixion with, at its centre, a complete performance of Fauré‘s Requiem.

    On the Saturday of Holy Week (Easter Eve), Radio 4 provides an early start to the day with spiritual comment and prayer on Prayer For The Day with the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres.

    And in The Lamentations Of Jeremiah, on Radio 3, Catherine Bott looks at the poems in the Book Of Jeremiah and considers what inspired so many composers to set these dark texts to music. Music features includes pieces by Brumel, Heinichen, Durante, Byrd, Tallis, White, Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria and Zelenka.

    Choruses and hymns will also reflect the emotions and power of the gospel later on Easter Eve, with the welcome return on BBC Two of Easter From King‘s which tells, in words and music, the story of the last days of the earthly life of Jesus and his resurrection. Music sung by the world-famous Chapel choir, directed by Stephen Cleobury, includes Lotti‘s Crucifixus, pieces from Handel‘s Messiah and Mozart‘s Ave Verum Corpus.

    On Easter Morning, worship on the BBC begins in the Sunrise Service on Radio 4. The Dean of Liverpool Cathedral Metropolitan Cathedral Canon Anthony O‘Brien presents a service for the beginning of Easter Day. Joyful Easter carols include: Ye Sons And Daughters, Walking In A Garden, I Know That My Redeemer Lives and Thine Be The Glory.

    Sunday Worship, Easter Day, also on Radio 4, will come live from St George‘s Chapel Windsor Castle. The joy of Easter is celebrated in a communion service from the Book Of Common Prayer, live from St George‘s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Hymns include Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, This Joyful Eastertide, and Thine Be The glory. The Preacher and celebrant: The Revd Dr Hueston Finlay.

    BBC One will show live Easter Day Eucharist from Salisbury Cathedral. The service will be introduced by the Dean of Salisbury, the Very Rev. June Osborne, who will also preach and the President is the Rt Rev. Dr Christopher Herbert. The programme opens with the lighting of the Paschal Candle, symbolising the Light of Christ, which will be lit from a bonfire outside the Cathedral just before dawn on Easter morning.

    BBC One will also transmit Pope Benedict XVI‘s traditional Easter message and blessing Urbi Et Orbi, “to the city and the world”.

    Songs Of Praise on BBC One celebrates Easter Day with traditional hymns from Wesley Memorial Church in Oxford, plus songs from tenor Wynne Evans and mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall. Actors Bill Paterson and Tamsin Greig read the Easter Story from the King James Bible.

  • BBC Knowledge loads up factual content

    MUMBAI: Over 200 new hours of factual titles have been acquired for global audiences of BBC Knowledge, following the conclusion of significant new deals by BBC Worldwide Channels.

    The programming slate is drawn from leading distributors – All3Media International, Endemol, and Zodiak Rights – and includes titles such as Genius, Secret Millionaire US, Joanna Lumley: Jewel In the Nile, Ross Kemp In The Middle East, Kevin McCloud’s Grand Tour and Derren Brown Investigates.

    These will air next year.

    BBC Worldwide Channels VP acquisitions Bun Scrase-Dickins said, “We are committed to working with UK and international suppliers to source the best quality programmes for our international audiences. These represent only a fraction of the great content available in the market and we’re delighted to bring them to audiences through our localised channels.”

    From Zodiak Rights comes content like Genius, featuring some of the world’s leading scientists including Stephen Hawking and David Attenborough. Historical series Lost Kingdoms of Africa and documentary-dramas The Queen and 1929: The Great Crash have also been acquired.

    Endemol‘s content includes epic journey series Joanna Lumley: Jewel In the Nile, The Stephen Tompkinson Australian Balloon Adventure and The Stephen Tompkinson Great African Balloon Adventure.

    Also acquired from Endemol are historical investigations Convoy, Turin Shroud: The New Evidence and WWI: Finding The Lost Battalions. From All3Media International, Derren Brown Investigates has been acquired, as well as historical investigations – Britain’s African Emperor, Alexandria: The Greatest City and Pompeii: Cellar of Skeletons.

    Lost Kingdoms of Africa reveals the story of Africa’s ancient civilizations. Presented by historian and art expert, Dr Gus Casely-Hayford, this series uncovers the forgotten history of pre-colonial Africa. Comparing modern Africa with the historic kingdoms, each film is a rich visual journey as Gus crosses the dramatic landscapes to discover the legacy of Africa’s past glory.

    Joanna Lumley: Jewel In The Nile follows the actress and campaigner as she embarks on the trip of a lifetime; to follow the River Nile, the longest river in the world, from sea to source.

    On a 4000 mile journey, passing through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda, Joanna revisits the romantic history of the Nile and talks with the people working and living on the river.

    In Derren Brown Investigates the renowned psychological illusionist hits the road to investigate extraordinary paranormal claims from around the world. In the UK, he meets psychic medium Joe Power, who claims he can communicate with the dead, before travelling to America to find out if things really do go bump in the night, on a surprising investigation into the world of leading ghost hunter Lou Gentile.

    Finally, Brown explores one of the most ambitious claims, travelling to Holland to meet Russian Vyacheslav Bronnikov.