ITV

Category: Cable TV

  • Convergence 2006: tech & trends galore

    Convergence 2006: tech & trends galore

    NEW DELHI: The 14th Convergence India 2006, which was inaugurated yesterday by the minister of state for telecommunications Shakeel Ahmed, saw over 60,000 visitors on day two, clamouring to have a peep at new technology on display.

    The event also hosted a high-powered round table conference comprising infotech secretaries from the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka (that has been the home to some of the biggest Indian infotech success stories).

    The round table meet focussed on bridging the digital divide and a host of other issues.

    The three-day event, boasting of 386 exhibitors, 1,500 delegates and 23 countries, is aimed at highlighting India’s information, communications and telecom (ICT) prowess.
    Designed around the theme of `ushering the ICT revolution’, Convergence 2006 has global and Indian corporates showcasing technology and equipment in the field of mobility, broadcasting, infotech and network security.

    The event is jointly organized by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Exhibitions India.

    According to Exhibitions India MD Prem Behl, “Alongside the display of latest technologies and innovations in telecom, India’s leading mobile service providers are showcasing innovations being brought into the market.”

    Director-general of COAI TV Ramachandran said that the organization is confident such an event will bring additional focus to the needs of the industry that are essential for the overall growth of the sector.

    “The B2C and B2B environment at the event will translate into extensive exhibitor coverage converging into genuine business opportunities,” he added.

    Known for facilitating business deals and throwing up new ideas for discussion during conferences that are held simultaneously, the event is also being used by companies to launch new products.

    For example, Chinese telecom major Huawei today launched eight new CDMA handsets and it is also showcasing its globally award-winning exhibit booth at the Convergence 2006.

    Some of the participating companies include 3M Electro & Communication India Pvt Ltd, A&P Technologies of Korea, Accelink China, Acceltree Software Pvt Ltd India, Ace Marketing China , AFL Telecommunications of the US, Canada’s Aheeva Technology Inc, Ai-Logix APAC of China, ALV Arion of Israel, Andrew Telecommunications India and Avitec of Sweden.

    Also, taking part in the event are Beijing Fibridge Co Ltd, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, BindView Corporation of the UK, Biometrics Direct of the US, China Broadcasting Journal, Consumer Electronics & TV Manufacturers’ Association (CETMA) India, department of IT, India, Enterprise Networks Asia of Hong Kong, Euromedia of the UK, Lucent Technologies Hindustan Pvt Ltd, Scientific-Atlanta (HK) Ltd, Shenzhen HXT Technology Co Ltd of China, Shin Satellite of Thailand and ZTE Corporation.

  • IT, Entertainment industries complement each other:Premji

    IT, Entertainment industries complement each other:Premji

    MUMBAI: A keynote address on the first day of Frames, the convention for the business of entertainment, was given by Wipro’s Azim Premji. He spoke about how technology benefits the entertainment industry and how they complement each other.

    Wipro chairman and managing director Azim Premji and United International Pictures CEO and chairman and UK Films Council export and import chairman Stewart Till gave the keynote address at the plenary session of FICCI Frames.

    “Entertainment and IT complement each other. There is convergence happening between entertainment, IT and communications industries. This is good as all three can be economic growth drivers. Entertainment has to reinvent itself. While entertainment has been about telling stories whether on film or television, the variety and quality of those stories as well as the delivery platforms will change,” said Premji.

    While Premji spoke on ‘The coming of the ICE age,’ Till spoke on how Indian films can enjoy more success around the world and how can Hollywood films increase their box office in India.

    “The overseas market for Indian films is around $150 million from the 20 million NRIs abroad. Producers should be encouraged to make cross over films to cater to address people from other ethnicities,” Till said.

    He listed out five points that producers should keep in mind to cater to a larger audience. They are as follows:

    Adopt the Chinese model, wherein films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon were made.
    Adopt the Korean and Japanese model to achieve excellence in a specific genre like horror.
    Add American and European actors in the film
    Improve production quality
    Build close relationships with American and European companies.

    “The time is right to raise your horizons to the faraway horizons,” he emphasized. Elaborating on how Hollywood films can increase their box office in India¸ he said “The Hollywood movie titles should be released aggressively and the focus should be on marketing as many Hollywood titles as possible. Apart from that, producers should take advantage of the current multiplex scenario.”

    He concluded, “In the next decade, Indian audiences will embrace more and more American and European films and Indian producers will realize the full potential of the worldwide market.”

    Premji said that LPS were replaced by CDs. Colour TV sets replaced the black and white ones. In the film world, DVDs have replaced VCRs. News channels, he noted, have altered how newspapers function. “Apple’s success with the iPod has shown the convergence of entertainment and IT.

    Technological changes have meant that the relationship between the content creators and consumers is changing. Consumers want better stories and a better reception. Digitisation in terms of bits and bytes allows them to get a better reception and also affords more choices. The influence of technology on animation and gaming is also being felt.

    “As IT and entertainment continue to complement each other, interactivity will become increasingly important. One is already seeing this in the mobile realm where viewers can participate in game shows.

    Mobility is becoming important. Studio employees need to communicate with each other while they are on the move. They need to talk on script plans etc.

    One problem for the entertainment industry lies in getting trained people. Premji says that they need to touch base with colleges at the final year. Said he, “They could offer courses with guranteed jobs for those who show promise. India has benefited from the animation field as it has a cost advantage vis-a-vis the US. This has helped India become an outsourcing hub.”

    Digitsation, he added, has helped the remastering of classics like Mughal E-Azham.

  • Viacom looking to co-produce films in India: Freston

    Viacom looking to co-produce films in India: Freston

    MUMBAI: The start of something new! That is what Viacom president and CEO Tom Freston is looking to achieve in India. The company is looking to co-produce films in India instead of merely exporting its films in to the country though its partner United International Pictures (UIP).

    Speaking this morning at the convention for the business of entertainment Frames Freston said, “It is no secret that Paramount has seen a struggle over the past few years. It is now going through a process of reinvention and while changes are not going to happen overnight we are excited about the future. We are expanding our global portfolio through acquisitions.Viacom was split into two entities last year. This has allowed us to be more focussed and not get distracted by areas like parks and distribution.”

    “The area of intellectual property is one that we are looking at. We want to co-produce films in India. We want our relationship to be a two way street. We strengthened our films business by acquiring Dreamworks. Steven Spielberg will make four to five films a year for us. Mission Impossible III will release in India in June.

    “Another area that we are looking at growing our business is in the home entertainment arena. Where there are many television sets there will also be a huge avenue for DVDs. We are also looking to take Indian and Asian culture to the US. We are doing this through a new New York based channel MTV Desi. This showcases Indian and Asian music and caters to the South Asian population in the US.”

    Freston pointed out that by operating MTV India, Viacom learnt a lot. “When we came in, we partnered with Star in the early 1990’s. Then we re-launched on our own and stumbled badly at first. The audience was simply not interested in Pearl Jam and Beastie Boys. We went back to the drawing board and came out with a channel that showcases Hindi pop. Our VJ’s speak in Hindi and English. This way we express local culture while at the same time exposing the audience to what is going on elsewhere.

    “This strategy was followed elsewhere. Hence, no MTV channel is like the other. In China, it reflects family values. In Indonesia, it is a call to religion. In Italy, it is stylish while in Brazil, it is sensuous. In India, it is colourful and street savvy. When I got a job in the early 1980’s as marketing director at MTV, I knew that it was the beginning of a trend of having a branded channel for specific audiences.”

    Not many readers may know that Freston came to India in the 1970’s and set up a clothes company. “It was a way for me to bring Indian culture to the world. India at the time was the one country outside the US that had a thriving local pop culture. The film stars were larger than life. Today, when I am in India I see my past and future.

    “India has had a huge influence on me personally and my perspective certainly changed those days. I hope that in five years time, Indians see Viacom as a good partner and a better friend. India has 700 million people below the age of 35. This is twice the population in America. This population is multi spiced and is used to accessing information from different platforms like the small screen – the mobile. It is the promised land for content creators and distributors.”

  • Create high impact content to unite audiences and then monetise: Nair

    Create high impact content to unite audiences and then monetise: Nair

    MUMBAI: “Distraction is a one night stand, attraction is a marriage,” said Star Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair.

    This rather strange turn of phrase was what Nair chose as part of his presentation at Ficc Frames ‘Attraction in the age of distraction.’ Nair stressed on the fact that creating compelling content for an audience constantly on the move and having multiple choices available was of utmost importance.

    “Content will continue to remain king. A new generation of media consumers has risen who want and demand content delivered to them when they want it, how they want and where they want it. Power is moving away from the old elite in our industry,” Nair said.

    “The number of television channels in the country has also grown tremendously in the last few years. Almost a 100 channels were launched in the last four years,” Nair said. He also threw light on the different delivery platforms namely IPTV, DTH, broadband, mobile SMS, multiplexes, gaming, internet that more and more consumers were accessing increasingly.

    Nair stressed on the fact that what was required was for broadcasters to create high impact content to unite audiences and then monetise the fragments over time, space and applications.

    Examples of these are: The Simpsons, which gained popularity with the television series and also diversified into various areas like merchandising, T-Shirts, which were a rage in the US. The Walt Disney Television International with various divisions like theme parks, merchandising, publishing, licensing, television, theatre, television production and distribution, was another example that Nair gave.

    Some formats that have worked well for the Star India network are Kaun Banega Crorepati, Nach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC). Star launched mobisodes around TGILC, went online with the KBC game on their website and garnered a huge response from the audiences around the shows.

    “The important thing is to use 360 degree communication in order to reach unified audiences in a fragmenting environment,” Nair said.

  • MTV multi-platform debut in Canada from 21 March

    MTV multi-platform debut in Canada from 21 March

    MUMBAI: It’s a historic day not just for Canadian audiences, but for Canada’s creative and production communities too. The MTV brand debuts today in Canada. The Toronto based CTV will replace the name of its talktv speciality channel with the MTV brand.

    The MTV launch represents the biggest multi-platform launch among all 49 worldwide MTV services comprising the MTV Networks International family, according to MTV Networks International president and MTV Networks vice chairman Bill Roedy.

    The MTV brand will debut in 360 degree fashion, across six different platforms. The ‘Six Arms of MTV’ will incorporate numerous distribution strategies including conventional and specialty channel platforms, mobile, Video On Demand (VOD) and in pioneering fashion, across a newly created premium broadband service, MTV Overdrive, the first of its kind in Canada.

    MTV is a newly branded Canadian analog specialty service and offers a winning schedule, infused with lifestyle, talk and documentary programming.

    In an official statement, the networks claims that the channel will immediately be available in 6 million Canadian households via all major cable and DTH services.

    Newly created MTVonCTV branded blocks of programming will be seen six nights a week across Canada on CTV’s conventional stations.

    MTV Overdrive is a new broadband channel that represents a
    first-of-its-kind in Canada. The free premium video service harnesses the latest in technology to deliver MTV content to anyone at broadband speeds. On demand are full-length MTV programs, daily MTV News, custom short-form programming, movie and game reviews and much more. In addition to providing MTV-branded content, Overdrive is MTV’s answer to music authenticity in Canada with exclusive MTV music events, artist interviews, live performances and thousands of music videos.

    On Mobile will have exclusively produced MTV mobisodes and made for mobile programming by individual carriers and also via cross-carrier mobile distribution, MTV Mobile showcases a range of MTV programs that include video, soundtrack ring-tones, wallpapers and more, all available for download via mobile phones and directly off the mtv.ca website.

    Video on Demand comes with an extensive line-up of MTV hit programs immediately available. In addition, MTV is now underway with plans for an additional distribution strategy to make MTV’s hit programs available to portable video devices.

    “A new chapter in Canadian media, employing multiple platforms and
    interactivity, begins. The future is now,” said Bell Globemedia president and CEO and CTV Inc CEO Ivan Fecan.

    “It’s a landmark day for Canada’s creative community and viewers from coast-to-coast. A culturally vibrant country like ours deserves its own MTV. Sharing Canada’s creative talent with the world through MTV’s worldwide network puts Canada on the world stage. It’s where we belong,” said CTV programming president Susanne
    Boyce.

    MTV, in the official statement revealed an extensive list of 23 advertising partners who have inked multi-platform sponsorship deals to be on-board for day one. They include Bell Mobility, Cadbury Adams, Clean & Clear and Neutrogena Deep Clean, Coca Cola, Colgate Palmolive Canada Inc., Columbia Brewery, Dairy Farmers of Canada Milk, General Motors of Canada, KFC Canada, Kraft Canada, Labatt Breweries of Canada, McDonalds Restaurants of Canada Limited, Mission: Impossible III, Molson Canadian, Motorola, Nike, Nokia Products Limited, Pepsico, Sony Entertainment – the Benchwarmers, Taco Bell, Telus and West 49.

    MTV’s multiplatform advertising opportunities will allow clients’ brands to reach millions of consumers via an array of on-air and digital assets,
    including the broadband service MTV Overdrive.

    “The incredible response from clients and the agency community is confirmation that we are on target with the brand, our content and the distribution strategy,” said MTV Canada sr VP and general manager Brad Schwartz. “We want to acknowledge all 23 partners who have joined the MTV business from day One. Our goal is to make MTV the preferred destination for advertisers, large and small, and we look forward to growing together with all of our partners.”

  • Ten Sports to telecast Players Championship

    Ten Sports to telecast Players Championship

    MUMBAI: Ten Sports will telecast live the Players Championship from 23 March.

    The tournament will be played at the TPC of Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The four-hour long live telecast of the Players Championship will air at 11:30 pm on each of the four days.

    The live telecast of the Championship follows Ten Sports’ recent signing of an exclusive deal with the US PGA Tour, which makes it the home for the world’s biggest golf tour in the sub-continent.

    With Ten Sports also having the exclusive rights for the European PGA Tour, the world’s second biggest tour after the US PGA, and the Indian PGA Tour, the channel has the most complete bouquet of golf for the growing number of fans in the sub-continent.

    All ten players in the top ten of World Rankings, including world number one Tiger Woods, number two Vijay Singh of Fiji and number three Retief Goosen of South Africa, will be in action in the four-round 72-hole tournament, the tickets of which were sold out last week.

    Atwal, who will be playing his first Players Championship, said, “I am eagerly looking forward to playing the Players Championship, which is often referred to as the ‘fifth major’ by most of us. And it is heartening to know that Ten Sports will be telecasting the tournament live back home. I hope to perform well and that many of my friends and fans of the game can see what the tournament is like.”

    Apart from the various tours, Ten Sports also has exclusive rights of the biennial Ryder Cup showdown between the USA and Europe, and also the PGA Championship, the fourth and final major of the year.

  • Microsoft to power Deutsche Telekom’s IPTV initiative

    Microsoft to power Deutsche Telekom’s IPTV initiative

    MUMBAI: Deutsche Telekom has reached agreement with Microsoft on an alliance to deliver Internet Protocol television (IPTV) services to consumers across Germany. The deal will enable Deutsche Telekom to deliver next-generation television, as well as complementary interactive services and a range of entertainment products over its VDSL broadband networks.

    Deutsche Telekom will use the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform to offer these services. Microsoft will support Deutsche Telekom with joint marketing, in addition to marketing by Deutsche Telekom, to help develop IPTV in Germany. The agreement reached with Deutsche Telekom is Microsoft’s largest IPTV contract in Europe to date and its second largest worldwide.

    The move marks the biggest European contract Microsoft TV has signed, and the second largest after one with AT&T in the United States, the software behemoth said.

    “Today’s announcement represents Microsoft’s largest IPTV agreement in Europe to date and is a very significant milestone in our long-standing relationship with Deutsche Telekom,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft.

    The platform will enable customers to receive regular TV programs as well as advanced television services including standard- and high-definition programs, interactive TV, digital video recording and video on demand. An onDemand Collections feature will allow viewers to access appealing content packages including selected feature films, TV series or documentaries at the touch of a button.

    IPTV services will be delivered through the new VDSL network, which is currently being extended by T-Com. This network is expected to permit bandwidth of up to 50 Mbit/s and is planned for launch starting mid-2006 in 10 major German cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich.

    “In recent months, the experts at T-Online have run the Microsoft TV platform through extensive tests, and we are convinced that we will be able to offer excellent-quality IPTV services that will expand as we need them to,” said Kai-Uwe Ricke, chairman of the Deutsche Telekom board. “IPTV delivered via VDSL will enable better, more service-oriented, more interactive and, above all, more customized television. With this advanced television service, Deutsche Telekom and Microsoft are writing another chapter in our longstanding cooperation, tapping new markets and together exploring exciting new growth opportunities.”

    The Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform will enable Deutsche Telekom to offer its customers a better television experience, including a wide range of special-interest channels and compelling pay-TV programs, both live and on demand. Integrated personal video recorder functionality will enable viewers to “time shift” programs at their convenience, pausing live shows or recording them to enjoy later, a statement released by the two partners claims.

  • Hong Kong Entertainment Expo gala kicks off

    Hong Kong Entertainment Expo gala kicks off

    HONG KONG: Entertainment Expo in its second year brought together key events in Hong Kong’s entertainment calendar for Digital entertainment, music, film as well as TV.
    The combined events together form an excellent forum to ensure business deals, recognition of excellence a place to showcase content via the screenings and last but not the least the entertainment.

    With an action packed opening act , and scintillating performances by Hong Kong artists TDC chairman Peter Woo, welcomed all the guests to the Entertainment Expo as well as the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Film Awards.

    The month long mega event , the only one of its kind in Asia brings together eight exciting events covering a mix of film, television, music and digital entertainment.

    The events include
    The Film awards,
    Hong Kong Filmart,
    Hong Kong Film Festival
    Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) Hong Kong Digital Excellence Awards (HKDEEA) The Digital Leadership Forum.(DELF) The IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award
    and the Hong Kong Independent short Film &Video Awards

    The Expo in its second year has found an overwhelming response connecting creative people from all over the world. With the opening of the growing China market and other emerging markets in Asia, opportunities and new avenues have opened up offering dreams to filmmakers , participants and viewers alike

    The gala a star studded event had over 1200 attendees which included super stars like Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-fai ,Jacky Cheung,Leo Ku, Jeff Cheung, Joey Young and Japanese actor Yosuke Eguchi .Also in attendance was internationally acclaimed director Wong Kar-Wai who has been appointed as one of the judges at the famed Cannes Film Festival.

  • Discovery Channel content to be preloaded in select Nokia handsets

    Discovery Channel content to be preloaded in select Nokia handsets

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications has formed a mobile content deal with Nokia which aims at delivering to consumers Discovery’s high quality, knowledge-based content preloaded onto Nokia s latest mobile devices and wireless personal devices.

    This tie-up is symbolic of Discovery’s aggressive efforts to create content for new distribution platforms across the globe, and Nokia’s drive to leverage its mobile technology to offer consumers great user experiences.

    The initial phase of the deal provides consumers ready access to a Discovery produced “Best of Discovery” montage clip on the Nokia N92 mobile device and Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. The clip includes inspiring and engaging video of nature scenes, landscapes, animals, and city-scenes. Also, Discovery’s content will be demonstrated on Nokia’s devices in many trade shows.

    Discovery Communications senior executive VP of strategy and development Donald A. Baer said,”Cooperating with Nokia, which is widely recognized as one of the most innovative companies in the world, allows Discovery to bring its high quality content to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want it.The worldwide appeal, utility and flexibility of Discovery’s content make it a great fit for on-the-go applications.”

    “Discovery Communications is an ideal partner in cooperation to show the world the very best of what both companies have to offer-engaging and knowledge-based information on sophisticated and innovative devices.This collaboration allows Nokia to continue its leadership in mobile communications as we find better and smarter ways to connect people to our partners’ information and entertainment services,” said Nokia senior VP of multimedia experiences Ilkka Raiskinen.

    Discovery has now deployed its content for mobile devices from 21 different wireless carriers in 11 countries. launched direct-to-consumer WAP portals in the United Kingdom and Asia as well as a broadband portal in the U.K. and rolled out video on demand with 20 carriers in 10 countries.

  • Filmart kicks off, new addition is Hong Kong Music Fair

    Filmart kicks off, new addition is Hong Kong Music Fair

    MUMBAI: The 10 edition of Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (Filmart) kicked off today (20 March). This edition also introduces the launch of The Hong Kong Music Fair, in collaboration with IFPI Hong Kong. Filmart is on till 23 March.

    The Hong Kong Music Fair will offer a dedicated pavilion for music industry professionals and players to explore business opportunities on new media applications, copyright trading, technology transfer and cross-media partnerships.

    Over 60 companies specialising in records production and distribution as well as artist management have taken part in this year’s premier Hong Kong Music Fair launch.
    Filmart offers a wide variety of products and services, spanning from film, animation, digital entertainment, audio-visual equipment, post production and music productions, at the four-day event.

    Over 400 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions presenting their most creative programmes have converged on Hong Kong Filmart, considered Asia’s world entertainment market. The exibihtion is recognised as the cross-media platform for industry players to network, exchange and trade in this part of Asia.

    Over 4,000 buyers have registered on-line to visit the show, informs an official statement. Exhibitor attendance this year includes the first time exhibitors from Turkey, the Bahamas and Iran.

    The Filmart exhibition will also inculde animation and digital entertainment pavilion to showcase their animation,online games and edutainment software as well as their digital post production facilities and services.

    The Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) will be held concurrently with Filmart for the third year.

    HAF, co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Hong Kong & New Territories Motion Picture Industry Association Ltd (MPIA), is aimed at serving as a match making platform for the film industry, helping commercially viable and promising film projects in Hong Kong and Asia locate financial and business support through joint ventures or co-productions.

    Over 160 film screenings and international premieres will be arranged for trade visitors.