ITV

Category: Cable TV

  • Global broadband consumption of sports content expected to increase by 25 per cent

    Global broadband consumption of sports content expected to increase by 25 per cent

    MUMBAI: A New Media Sportscasting Summit delegation survey done reveals that global broadband consumption of sports content will increase by 25 per cent over the next three years.

    The New Media Sportscasting Summit held in Dublin, a few days ago, saw experts from the sports industry gathered together to discuss the trends and opportunities for the delivery of sport over broadband and 3G.

    Participants included LiverpoolFC.TV, Setanta Sports in the US, Aura Sports, Google Video, The Rugby Football League and Vodafone. The best way to minimise subscriber churn from broadband sports subscription services is to incentivise customers towards annual rather than monthly subscription.

    Setanta Sports CEO Simon Green emphasised that the new phenomenon of ‘Placeshifting’ means that the desire to have sports content anytime, any place is driving new media sportscasting.

    Reduction in time delay to ‘as live’ will increase opportunities to incorporate in-running betting with online sports content; live pictures can sit alongside prices for events and web content dictated by the broadcast.

    At the same time the creation of more web-specific content will create opportunities to sponsor on-demand broadcasts linked to major racing events. The fourth screen – the mobile phone – is vital in the communications mix for new media sports content. An understanding of mobile personalisation, content recommendations and search capabilities in a wireless environment are key to enabling the success of mobile portal content propositions in the sports industry.

    Having a well presented preview function with sample content and offering occasional free video samples to get customer more used to watching video online is essential for successful subscriber recruitment. Investing heavily in customer services and technical support is also key to keeping online subscribers.

    There is also a need to understand the time-starved individual who lives in an ‘information overload’ society. The sports industry must react strongly to this. The sports industry is in the entertainment business and must compete for the customer’s attention in a very busy market dominated by MTV, iPods, PSPs, television soaps, the cinema, pubs and PCs.

    It was pointed out that the ‘Placeshifting’ phenomenon is growing. This means having content anytime, any place. In the US, this is reflected in the Slingbox which enables users to watch their TV programming from wherever they are by turning virtually any Internet-connected PC into a personal TV.

    In the US, it is selling three times as fast as Tivo did.This phenonmenon is reflecting the needs and demands of time starved, busy individuals who want sports information anytime, anywhere. One potential problem for broadcasters in this scenario is that national territorial rights deals could get eroded.

    Streaming services are now succeeding because the delay on the television picture is cut down to seven seconds. More users now understand the relationship between PC Spec, Connection Speed and picture quality and broadband penetration is growing rapidly. Further improvements are taking place in terms of the quality of the stream, reductions in the delay as well as enhancements to the free and archive video services.

    There is also a huge potential in the online gambling space and the opportunities to integrate broadband video with a ‘Bet & Watch’ facility.

    Vodafone media head Kieran Mahon sees sport as the most compelling content to distribute over mobile. He described the importance of the fourth screen – the mobile screen. He outlined that recent developments in mobile data delivery means that mobile sports content can be consumed easily, adding, “Personalisation of mobile content has improved usability by learning about users’ mobile content preferences, dynamically building the user a personalised menu and reducing the time and clicks to services.”

    For a sports fan using their mobile to access sports content, this means the link to their favourite sports content will be top of the menu on their mobile phone. Kieran also emphasised that an understanding of personalisation, automatic content recommendation and mobile search in a wireless environment is key to enabling the success of mobile portal content propositions.

    Online sports ad agency, Aura Sports MD Paul Wright offered insight into the best ways to develop an advertising revenue stream from digital sports properties. He stated that sponsorship and advertising was equally important and beneficial online as on TV and that the interactivity that can be achieved through online advertising is extremely valuable.

  • Stephen Reverand moves from Discovery US to Nat Geo

    Stephen Reverand moves from Discovery US to Nat Geo

    MUMBAI: With the aim of further expanding its documentary production team, National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) in the US has announced that Stephen Reverand has joined as senior VP.

    Reverand will be responsible for overseeing both the specials unit as well as the national history unit. He reports to NGT&F executive VP Michael Rosenfeld.

    Rosenfeld says, “Stephen has an impressive track record as a filmmaker and a television executive. He has the creative flair and the management skills to help us build this crucial area of our business.”

    Prior to joining National Geographic, Reverand worked for rival Discovery, most recently as VP of production, where his work in events and specials earned him a 2005 George Foster Peabody Award for editorial direction of Black Sky: The Race for Space. More recently, he oversaw the two-hour special The Flight that Fought Back and was involved with natural history projects such as the BBC’s Supernature and Blue Planet.

    He joined Discovery in 2000 as an executive producer and was later named managing editor, contextual documentaries. During his six years with the network, he oversaw several of Discovery’s most highly-rated projects, including Supervolcano and the highly-acclaimed Behind the Terror: Understanding the Enemy.

  • SifyMax is webcasting Lakme Fashion Week

    SifyMax is webcasting Lakme Fashion Week

    MUMBAI: Indian broadband content site SifyMax is doing live webcasting of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) 2006. The event is taking place in Mumbai till 1 April.

    SifyMax is the official Internet partner for the event for the Fall/Winter week, and in September/October for the Spring/Summer week. SifyMax is hosting the Official LFW 2006 site. It is webcasting the event live and hosting exclusive content from the event. SifyMax will also be accessible from several points at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), in downtown Mumbai, the venue for LFW 2006.

    Sify senior VP- interactive services Surya Mantha says, “We are proud to be associated with Lakme Fashion Week, and delighted to make the event available live for a global audience by webcasting it on SifyMax. SifyMax defines the best there is in India centric broadband content across movies, music, reality shows, radio stations, lifestyle, sports, news, education and games.

    “Our association with LFW 2006 reiterates our leadership in this space, and makes the event available to Internet users wherever they may be. The on demand availability of the show will also ensure they can catch the event whenever they want”.

  • Kids’ channels line up hot fanfare as summer beckons

    Kids’ channels line up hot fanfare as summer beckons

    MUMBAI: Summer is just around the corner and no doubt kids’ channels have a lot of programming goodies up their sleeves. Movies, live action, animation, contests and much more… it’s all there on Cartoon Network, Pogo, Hungama TV, Disney Channel, Toon Disney and Nick.

    What’s more… comedy seems to be the flavour for the holidays with Pogo, Hungama TV and Nick introducing special comedy shows for the summer.

    Pogo started its summer special programming with Pogo Funny Side-Up, featuring new episodes of Takeshi’s Castle, voiced by some of the winners of the Great Indian Laughter Challenge show.

    Pogo will also launch another new original, live-action production on Pogo following our two summer launches last year, M.A.D. and Bam! Bam! Bam!… Gir Pade Hum.

    On the other hand, Cartoon Network will see the launch of more Indian animation shows and a network premiere of a Beyblade full length movie – Beyblade, The Movie: Fierce Battle in Cartoon Network Theatre.

    Other highlights include, Beylade Marathon – 3…2…1 Hojaye Shuru, which will air every Sunday from 4 – 8 pm. Apart from that, Raja Hindustani – a special one hour block of Indian animation – began on the channel from 16 April and airs every Sunday at 11 am.

    Also new episodes of Tom & Jerry Tales will be aired on Sundays at 10 am. The new series in the Toonami block include Pokemon: Advanced, Beyblade G Revolution and a new show called One Piece. Yet another new show in the Half Ticket Express block called Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs will also be aired in summer.

    Turner International India Pvt. Ltd managing director Anshuman Misra said, “Summer is an important time for Cartoon Network and Pogo. We have some of the best programming mix lined up for Indian kids during these holiday months. New original productions, new family shows and blockbuster movies will mark their debut during the April – July period.”

    Homegrown kids channel Hungama TV too has a robust summer lineup in store for kids. The channel has acquired a couple of Japanese animation shows.

    In March, the channel already launched Dragon and FiFi & the Flower Tots in the pre-school band. The preschool band has now been renamed Toon Toon Toon.

    The other two bands that the channel will introduce are the Toon Blast band and a two and a half hour comedy band called Ha Ha Ha Hungama.

    The Toon Blast band will air new seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonix X. In addition Hungama TV will launch the anime version of one of the most successful Japanese merchandise Amdriver, which has a futuristic storyline of a fight of good v/s evil. Yu-Gi-Oh! will air at 5 pm, Amdriver at 5.30 pm and Sonic X at 6 pm from Monday to Friday.

    The Ha Ha Ha Hungama band will tickle the funny bone with a new show Kochikame at 2.30 pm from Monday to Friday. “This show is the longest running hilarious slapstick comedy in Japan about an inefficient cop who is good in his heart but otherwise is good for nothing,” informs Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta.

    Another show called Peep and the Big Wide World will also be launched in this band and will air at 3 pm from Monday to Friday. This is a series featuring three birds – a chicken called Peep, a robin called Chirp and a duck called Quack. The story revolves around close friends and their fun and exploration in their neighborhood. Apart from unique humor it also imbibes a positive attitude and inquiry skills that promise to provide inspirational programming for kids.

    “We have always managed to get the best of content for our audience. The shows that are due to launch in April have truly delightful visual appeal offering kids a 360-degree entertainment parameter that will definitely make their vacation a roll-a- costar ride at home,” says Mehta.

    And that’s not all… Hungama TV is also planning a large scale ground event to coincide with a big show launch. But the channel is keeping it tightly under wraps for now at least!

    Coming to Disney Channel, one thing to look out for here is the Oscar-winning ‘fishy’ movie Finding Nemo. The channel will premier the movie in Hindi on 25 June. The film follows the comedic and eventful journeys of two fish – Marlin and his son Nemo. Disney Channel will go the whole hog to promote Finding Nemo including a watch-and-win contest around movie trivia, which will be aired during breaks. Viewers can send in their entries through SMS and IVRS to win cool Nemo merchandise.

    Apart from that, the channel will also air the first Indian animation movie – Hanuman, to which it recently acquired the telecast rights for three years from Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd. Hanuman will launch in May on Disney Channel as an eight episode series and will be aired at 9 am on weekends.

    What’s more, the channel will build a 360 degree multi media campaign around all new episodes of That’s So Raven!. On 15 April, Hatim – the saga of a strong and courageous Prince of Yemen will launch on Disney Channel at 6 pm on weekdays.

    Apart from that, the preschool content destination, Playhouse Disney is being further strengthened with the launch of Mickey Mouse Club House. The show will launch on 6 May at 8.30 am on weekends.

    The Walt Disney Television International (India) director programming and production Nachiket Pantvaidya says, “This summer we have an exciting line-up of content for kids. We believe in showcasing a mix of the best local kid’s content and the best international content from the Disney stable. Hits like Hanuman, Finding Nemo and That’s So Raven will draw older kids to Disney Channel.”

    Live action, preschool programming and comedy will rule the roost on Nick. The first in line is a live action comedy show called Drake & Josh. The show revolves around a pair of diametrically opposite step-brothers and will premiere as part of an April Fool’s Day stunt on 1 April.

    Another new show Avatar will be launched in May. This new animated show is about a 12 year old boy who is master of all four elements and must stop the ruthless Fire Nation from conquering the world.

    Nick has also acquired a couple of preschool shows called Peppa Pig and Dougie in Disguise, which will also launch in May. While Peppa Pig revolves around a family of pigs, the Spanish acquisition Dougie in Disguise is about an ordinary kid who plays with sticker albums that come to life through his imagination. Apart from these, Nick has also lined up another new preschool show in June.

    “Summer vacations will be huge on Nick with an enormous programming bonanza rolling out. Starting 1 April, we’re premiering a show called Drake & Josh, which is a live action comedy and also showing a Nick Dhoom double bill on weekends featuring a whole hour of top shows,” says Nick India vice president and general manager Hema Govindan.

    Speaking on the preschool shows Govindan adds, “Preschool is doing very well and becoming a focus for us so we’re expanding our Nick Jr. preschool block. We’re also doing Monday Marathons of hit shows like Kenan & Kel and SpongeBob SquarePants, which means eight hours at a stretch of these shows.”

  • Zee rejig to improve bottomline: Chandra

    Zee rejig to improve bottomline: Chandra

    NEW DELHI: Subhash Chandra, chairman of the approximately Rs. 13 billion Zee Telefilms, feels that after the restructuring announced Wednesday, the company’s bottomline would be “healthier”, though top line growth might be cropped as loss making businesses have been hived off into separate companies.

    Talking to CNBC TV18, Chandra also said that the news operations and the regional channels, which were hived off into Zee News Ltd, will be profitable with a turnover of Rs 3 billion.

    The cable TV distribution business of Siti Cable (again hived off into WWIL) will be a no-profit-no-loss venture that generates revenues of Rs 1 billion at the moment.

    “They (Zee News and cable business company WWIL), will be profitable. The quarter results of these entities will come out on 28 April, along with the consolidated results.

    “WWIL may not be profitable, but there will not be any losses. I think the revenue line for WWIL would be about Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) at the moment,” Chandra explained.

    Yesterday, Zee Telefilms, India’s largest vertically integrated media company, announced splitting of its broadcasting business into three entities — news operations and regional language operations (Zee News Ltd), broadcast and content creation, and Siti Cable, which will also include the initiatives on the CAS front (Wire and Wireless India Limited or WWIL).

    The direct consumer related business of ZTL and Dish TV, the country’s first private sector DTH service, have also been separated and subsumed into ASC Enterprise Ltd, which is the DTH licence holder.

    According to Chandra, foreign investors have evinced interest in the cable and DTH business of the group.

    “We are being approached a lot for cable and Dish TV (country’s first private direct-to-home service) businesses. However, not as many for the entertainment or the news content business. But we are open for those also,” he added.

    Pointing out that the Dish TV operation is likely to be listed on the stock exchanges within a few weeks’ time, Chandra said, “Recently, because of this restructuring process they (Dish TV) amended their business model as well, which should be a very aggressive business model. So we haven’t been able to do the valuation of these different assets sitting in different entities like Zee Telefilms and ASCEL yet.”

    Dish TV’s operations are managed by Entertainment Era Network Ltd, while Zee Telefilms has a content supply deal with it. Once the regulatory and other permissions come through, the DTH business will be consolidated under “Dish TV Ltd or something (on those lines),” Chandra said.
    Asked about the equity base of the two new proposed companies, Chandra said that while that of Zee Telefilms Limited will remain unchanged at Rs 410 million, that of Zee News Limited will be approximately Rs 250 million.

    The equity base of the cable business under WWIL will be about Rs 250 million, says the man who has built up a business empire ranging from real estate to media to packaging after starting out exporting rice to the erstwhile USSR in the 1970s under the Essel brand name.

    Dwelling on the valuation of the cable business being carried out under Siti Cable, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zee Tele, Chandra said, the value of Siti Cable ought to be in the region of $ 800- $ 900 million.

    Zee Telefilms, according to Chandra, bought back 50 per cent of Siti Cable from News Corporation in 1999-2000 at a valuation of Rs 15 billion.

    “Subsequently it (Siti Cable) was valued at Rs 2500 crore (Rs 25 billion). We are getting paid for about a million homes (now). So, if you take 1 million homes’ valuation at $ 500 per subscriber, that is $ 500 million plus if you take the rest of 5.8 million (subscribers) even at $ 50 valuation. So that makes this entity at about $ 800-900 million.on Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) equity basis, but the investment was of about Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) in this business,” Chandra explained.

    Asked about the prospects of Zee Sports, Chandra said as a corporate entity and business Zee Telefilms would be left with the sports channel after the restructuring is completed.

    Pointing out that Zee Sports is “still at a developmental stage,” Chandra said, “I will not call that a loss making entity. There are investments in it. Other than that, all the businesses are profitable in ZTL. The new start-ups of regional channels in Telugu, Kannada, etc are all a part of Zee News Ltd now.”

    The Zee Telefilms scrip closed on the Bombay Stock Exchange at Rs 242.50 after opening the day at Rs 239.55.

  • NDTV and Genpact tie-up for outsourcing media and entertainment services

    NDTV and Genpact tie-up for outsourcing media and entertainment services

    MUMBAI: Outsourcing is no longer restricted to IT, as it now enters global marketing. The Prannoy Roy promoted NDTV Ltd has entered this arena of outsourcing by forging an alliance with Genpact (formerly GE Capital International Services) to offer media outsourcing services to enterprises worldwide.

    With the emergence of digital technologies looking at revolutionising the media and entertainment market, the alliance between the NDTV and Genpact will focus on providing cost effective, high quality media services to global and regional media and entertainment companies in areas like editing, digitisation and closed captioning, according to a posting on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) site.

    According to a press release posted on ndtvprofit.com, the joint venture aims to deliver value and business impact to global media and entertainment customers. The venture will combine NDTV’s brand image, domain knowledge and world-class media skill sets with Genpact’s offshore experience, global delivery capabilities, sales and marketing infrastructure, and reputation for operational excellence.

    “We are very excited about this new venture and believe that there are significant untapped opportunities around the world. We hope to break new frontiers and push India’s media envelope even further,” said Roy.

    “Our partner, Genpact and their outstanding experience and reputation in global business processes, combined with NDTV’s commitment to quality and cutting-edge technology, should deliver significant value for media and entertainment players around the world,” Roy added.

    Genpact president Pramod Bhasin said, “This is a landmark deal, the first of its kind to offer outsourcing solutions for the media industry. Through our partnership with NDTV, our customers will gain access to customized solutions and be able to further benefit from our global expertise and cost-effective service delivery.

    He added, “With 20 years of experience, NDTV’s domain knowledge will provide this venture a solid foundation to pursue opportunities in the growing media space.”

    The entire Global Media & Entertainment Industry was estimated at $1,340 billion at the end of 2005 and is expected to grow to $1,777 billion by end of 2009. In addition, there are a number of drivers that are changing the dynamics for the industry, such as the increasing prevalence of HDTV, digital content and on-demand programming.

    The changing dynamics have created a need for media companies to ensure that their content is digitized and available for customers to access and use. There is also pressure on media companies globally to cut costs and outsourcing is one of the established means to achieve this.

    The venture between NDTV and Genpact will be the first to offer tailored outsourcing solutions to the media industry, allowing companies to respond to these changes quicker, faster and cheaper than would otherwise be possible.

    General Electric Co. (GE) had spun off its outsourcing subsidiary, Genpact, two years ago. With a direct sales network spanning Europe, North America and Asia and headquartered in Gurgoan, Genpact has operations centers across India as well as in China, Hungary, Romania, the United States and Mexico.

    Genpact provides a wide range of outsourcing services including sales and marketing analytics, customer services, supply chain and aftermarket services, financial services core operations, financial services collections, finance and accounting, information technology services and enterprise application services and program management solutions.

  • Discovery US gets 12 Parents Choice Awards

    Discovery US gets 12 Parents Choice Awards

    MUMBAI: Discovery US received 12 awards at the 2006 Parents’ Choice Awards a few days ago.

    Discovery Kids received eight awards and Animal Planet garnered four awards. The Parents’ Choice Awards for children’s television recommend programming that helps children learn and grow.

    Discovery Kids’ Peep And The Big Wide World was honoured with a Parents’ Choice Gold Award for the second year in a row. Paz took home a Parents’ Choice Silver Award and Toddworld garnered a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.

    Animal Planet’s Buggin’ With Ruud garnered a Parents’ Choice Silver Award. A Panda Is Born received a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.

    Established in 1978, the Parents’ Choice Foundation is the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys. The Parents’ Choice Awards Committees, composed of moms, dads, teachers, performing artists, librarians and kids themselves, search out and recommend products that help kids grow—imaginatively, physically,morally and mentally.

  • Mobile video in the US to become a $501 mn business by 2010

    Mobile video in the US to become a $501 mn business by 2010

    MUMBAI: New research indicates that the mobile is on its way to becoming the third screen in the US.

    A new study from JupiterResearch notes that 41 per cent of mobile phone users are interested in some form of video service on their handsets. The study US Wireless Forecast, 2005 to 2010 says the growing demand for video will generate $501 million in revenues by 2010, up from $62 million in 2005.

    At present, only two per cent of mobile phone users in the US subscribe to some form of mobile content. However, 17 per cent say that they are interested in watching live television on their cell phones while 11 per cent indicated interest in short video clips.

    The study notes that this consumer interest bodes well for the mobile industry as vendors use different business models to try and tap into this consumer demand. The challenge is not interest but rather finding the correct mix of premium content and price points that is lacking in today’s offerings.

    Longer term adoption will depend more on business models and content offerings than on the technology or devices. Americans are understandably not interested in paying large fees for mediocre content.

  • Nickelodeon is No 1 cable network in the US for 11th year

    Nickelodeon is No 1 cable network in the US for 11th year

    MUMBAI: Extending its run at the number-one top spot into its eleventh year in the US, Nickelodeon led basic cable as the top-rated network within the total programming day for the just-completed first quarter of 2006 among total viewers and across all kids’ demos, according to Nielsen Media Research.

    In addition, the network grew double digits in its multiple media offerings, including Nick.com and Nickjr.com from year-to-year, and excelled on its broadband, online gaming and video- on-demand platforms.

    Among the network’s primary demo of kids 2-11, the network posted a 4.0/1.3 million K2-11, up +5 per cent over last quarter and +90 per cent ahead of Cartoon Network (2.1/657,000 K2-11) and +48 per cent ahead of Disney Channel (2.7/857,000 K2- 11).

    With preschoolers, the network also ranked first, averaging a 4.8/597,000 K2-5, up +9 per cent over last quarter, ahead of Cartoon Network by +140 per cent (2.0/244,000 K2-5) and +66 per cent versus Disney Channel (2.9/350,000 K2-5). And with tweens 9-14, Nickelodeon remained flat for the year, earning a 2.5/514,000 T9-14, and beating its competition by double digits.

    Contributing to the Nickelodeon’s quarter-to-quarter growth, were several large events and series’ launches. The Wonder Pets, the newest series on the Nick Jr. block, has averaged a 7.8 rating with kids 2-5, and is now performing well along with top preschool programs Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!

    In addition, the first-ever Drake and Josh made-for-TV movie event earned big numbers, delivering more tweens than ABC’s Rose Bowl (2.1 million tween 9-14 viewers, +34 per cent higher in delivery than the Rose Bowl), and 5.4 million total viewers (P2+). SpongeBob SquarePants continues to be a top performer, drawing an average of more than 8.6 million total viewers (P2+) for the “Lost In Time” telecast, the highest-rated SpongeBob program with kids 2-11 ever.

    As Nickelodeon continues to build its leadership in new and emerging media platforms, it has increased usership on multiple media platforms in the kids’ space, particularly with its broadband platforms, TurboNick and Nick Jr. Video, and its online sites, Nick.com and Nickjr.com.

    TurboNick, Nickelodeon’s broadband video service on Nick.com, has had more than 30 million content streams, an increase of +29 per cent from fourth quarter 2005. It is heading towards the 100th million stream since its July 2005 launch.

    Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.’s broadband video service on Nickjr.com, garnered more than 28 million content streams in first quarter 2006.

    For the quarter, Nick.com has had more than 32 million unique visitors, which is up +26 per cent increase versus fourth quarter and +44 per cent versus first quarter 2005, making 2006 the best year so far for Nick.com.

    Nick.com has also had more than 228 million game plays on the site this quarter. This is partially attributed to the “New Game of the Week,” where Nick.com launches a brand new game on the site every Friday. SpongeBob SquarePants Dunces and Dragons alone racked up more than 15 million game plays since first quarter.

    Nickjr.com has had more than 14 million unique users this quarter, a +14 per cent increase from fourth quarter 2005, and +41 per cent increase from first quarter 2005, also a best-ever quarter for Nickjr.com.

    The network also continues to maintain its leadership position in Video-on-Demand. Nick programming was held the top position for the month in terms of all kid offerings on Comcast (roughly 8.9 per cent of all Comcast set top boxes viewed Nick programming). Nickelodeon garnered 5.7 million Nick VOD views in February 2006, double the number of views versus last year’s like time period.

  • Distraction Formats is bringing comedies to MIPTV

    Distraction Formats is bringing comedies to MIPTV

    MUMBAI: Two new scripted comedies from international format distributor Distraction Formats will make their debut at the television marketplace MipTV next month.

    MIPTV takes place in Cannes, France from 2-6 April.

    Aimed at the 15 to 35 age group, The Invincibles and Radio Sex are thoroughly modern vehicles that get maximum laugh mileage out age-old and ever-popular topics. At the same time, Distraction is exploiting the strength of its flagship comedy Love Bugs and the burgeoning popularity of new technologies with the development of interactive elements.

    The Invincibles provides a look at the lives of four buddies facing imminent maturity. As their 30th birthdays approach, they ask the questions all young men must ask: Have we partied enough? Have we had our fair share of women, of thrills – of fun? There’s only one way to be sure, which provides the basis for the wild times that make up this outrageous 60-minute comedy.

    Distraction’s second new scripted format comes in 100 quick 5-minute episodes, each one a burst of insight into sex, love, relationships and the baggage that accompanies them. Radio Sex focusses on a late-night radio show whose mission it is to create a communication channel between men and women. In a case of life imitating art, secrets are exchanged, plots are hatched, and the sexes “communicate” in the broadcast studio, the production office and the radio station bathroom.

    Distraction CEO, Michel Rodrigue says, “We are very pleased to bring these shows to MipTV. Both are very clever and extremely funny, which makes them a natural fit within our formats catalogue.”

    Working with Interactive Rights Management (IRM), Distraction has already developed a range of interactive services from fixed line telephony brand extensions to MMS comic strips and mobile video downloads for Love Bugs in Russia. Interactive elements have also been introduced into the format in Italy, and services will soon launch in Ukraine and the Middle-East.

    IRM’s Valérie Bozzetto says, “The strong format brands that Distraction represents provide excellent launch pads for interactive services. We enjoy working with Distraction’s clients to implement these and to help them fully realize interactive potential.”

    Another Distraction property, Sins of Love, has recently sold in France, and development of interactive applications around the format is under way. Sins of Love was launched at Mipcom last October.