ITV

Category: Cable TV

  • Nick to launch new show – ‘Gili Gili Gappa’ on Holi

    Nick to launch new show – ‘Gili Gili Gappa’ on Holi

    MUMBAI: Nick is readying for Holi with a special slime show of its own. Gili Gili Gappa, which is the Indian version of Slimetime Live, will premiere on 15 March at 4.30 pm and will air every Friday. The fast-paced show embodies Nick’s characteristic features – noise, mess and slime.

    The first international version of Nick’s Guinness World Record breaking gameshow, Gili Gili Gappa is hosted by Nischint (aka Nishu) and Aaliyah. The duo tries to keep order while contributing to the chaos, Nick style.

    In Gili Gili Gappa, two teams go head to head in each of the six unique games like Mooh Phat, Aas Paas Bandar Gili Gili Andar and SpongeBum Gili Chaddi. The finale round called Holi Hai has the two winners up against each other for the big challenge, vying for Nick’s ultimate honour – a chance to sit under the “Gili Gili Ganga” machine for a complete sliming.

    But they’re not the only ones who get to participate and get a taste of Gili Gili. The eliminated contestants also get into the act equipped with water balloons, Gili Gili shooters and popcorn as they try to influence the outcome.

    Gili Gili Gappa functions as links between the four shows on the two-hour NickToons block Trollz, Chalk Zone, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron and SpongeBob SquarePants. Nick general manager Hema Govindan said, “It’s the final touch to our ace NickToons block.”

  • Sahara One programming head Kumud Chowdhary quits

    Sahara One programming head Kumud Chowdhary quits

    MUMBAI: Sahara One Television programming head (fiction) Kumud Chowdhary has put in her papers. Chowdhary joined Sahara One in January 2004 from Star, where she was commissioning editor.

    Confirming the development to Indiantelevision.com, Sahara One Television COO Purnendu Bose said, “Yes, Kumud has put in her papers today. She has done a terrific job here for the last two years and is moving on to pursue her personal aspirations. We wish her all the best.”

    Chowdhary said that she was moving to pursue other things. When queried as to what her next destination was, she remained noncommittal, saying it was too soon to talk about it and “nothing was final as yet.”

    In her tenure at Sahara One Television as programming head, Chowdhary was instrumental in bringing on board shows like Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan, Kituu Sabb Jantii Hai, Kohinoor and Saath Rahega Always. “These shows have brought a lot of credibility to the channel and has brought Sahara One in synch with the other players in the industry,” Chowdhary said.

    Chowdhary had joined Sahara One when post the restructuring of Sahara’s media and entertainment business under a joint venture management company with Percept, Sahara Media and Entertainment vice president programming Triptii Sharma put in her papers in late 2003. Chowdhary was brought in to step into Sharma’s shoes.

  • Sonys animation film to be simultaneously released in Imax 3D

    Sonys animation film to be simultaneously released in Imax 3D

    MUMBAI: Imax Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced that Sony Pictures Animation’s first computer generated project Open Season, will be released in Imax 3D simultaneously with the films premiere in conventional theatres on 29 September 2006.

    The film will be digitally converted into Imax 3D and re-mastered into the image and sound quality of the Imax experience through Imax digital re-mastering technology. Sony will be the exclusive distributor of the film to Imax theatres worldwide.

    Open Season stars the vocal talents of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Debra Messing and Gary Sinise. Imax’s 2006 film slate now includes six new digitally re-mastered
    Hollywood films scheduled to be released day-and-date to Imax theatres, and one original Imax 3D film, Deep Sea 3D, which opened last weekend. Open Season brings the total number of new Imax 3D releases for the year to four.

    The deal marks the second Imax release for Sony following Spider-Man 2: The Imax Experience a couple of years ago.

    In Open Season Boog voiced by Lawrence, a grizzly bear with no survival skills, has his perfect world in the tranquil town of Timberline turned upside-down when he meets Elliot voiced by Kutcher, a scrawny, fast-talking wild mule deer.

  • Amazon talking to Hollywood studios for online film downloads

    Amazon talking to Hollywood studios for online film downloads

    MUMBAI: Online retail giant Amazon.com is considering the launch of a service that would allow visitors to download movies and television shows.

    Media reports indicate that the move is aimed at offering an alternative to Apple’s iTunes. Amazon is believed to be in talks with Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros for the store.

    The market for video downloads has gained momentum due to broadband penetration growing. Apple has been strengthening its iTunes offerings. The company just launched a new subscription service that lets consumers purchase TV shows through a monthly subscription.

    AOL, meanwhile, also has been active in expanding its media offerings, creating a service through which users can download videos and other entertainment content. The company is also busy developing its own online TV properties. All of this comes as a challenge to the traditional retail outlets.

    Reports further indicate that Amazon.com’s store is expected to allow users to buy, burn and keep DVD’s and differ from Apple’s current policy on its American store by only allowing visitors to download for viewing on the computer or iPod video.

  • American televisions coverage of health leaves something to be desired: Study

    American televisions coverage of health leaves something to be desired: Study

    MUMBAI: Local television newscasts, where most Americans get their news, are packed with medical stories and health information.

    But the first-ever study of that coverage finds many problems with it, and sees room for improvement by both TV stations and the health experts whose work fills the news.

    In the March issue of the American Journal of Managed Care, researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Madison report results from an in-depth analysis of health coverage on local TV newscasts from across America.

    In all, health and medical stories comprised 11 per cent of the news portion of late-evening newscasts in the one-month period studied, with 1,799 such stories carried on 2,795 broadcasts captured from the representative sample of 122 stations in the US’ top 50 media markets.

    The average story was 33 seconds long, and most did not give specifics about the source of the information presented. Items about specific diseases tended not to contain recommendations for viewers, or information about how common the disease was, which could help put the news into perspective with other health issues.

    But most disturbing, the study’s authors say, were the egregious errors contained in a small minority of studies — errors that could have led to serious consequences. For instance, a story that aired on several stations reported on lemon juice’s effect on sperm and speculated about, or presented as factual, the use of lemon juice as an effective contraceptive, and its potential effect on preventing sexual transmission of HIV, the virus that causes Aids.

    Despite the fact that the study was done in a research lab, nearly all the stories failed to mention that it had not involved humans. One of the stations misinterpreted the study altogether and stated that lemon juice may be a substitute for ‘costly’ HIV medications.

    The survey notes that errors such as these can actually harm the public. The key here is the focus on local news. Local TV news is the single greatest source of information for the majority of Americans — whether it be politics or health, the survey notes.

  • HTMT to buy out Pacific Horizon’s 1.23 per cent stake in Hutch

    HTMT to buy out Pacific Horizon’s 1.23 per cent stake in Hutch

    MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT Ltd has announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Pacific Horizon Ltd, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, Japan for buying an effective 1.23 per cent stake in Hutchison Essar Ltd (Hutch).

    The agreement is for purchase of Sumitomo’s 100 per cent stake in Pacific Horizon, which currently holds 24.12 per cent of IndusInd Telecom Network Ltd (ITNL). In Hutch, ITNL currently holds a 5.11 per cent stake. This translates to Pacific Horizon holding an effective stake of 1.23 per cent in Hutch.

    HTMT, according to the agreement, is purchasing 50 per cent of Pacific Horizon up front while the remaining stake will be bought at a later date.

    With this acquisition, HTMT, together with its wholly owned subsidiary InNetwork Entertainment Ltd, will hold 91.54 per cent of ITNL. This corresponds to a 4.68 per cent effective stake in Hutch, the company told BSE.

  • Star India split into two separate units under Nair, Mukerjea

    Star India split into two separate units under Nair, Mukerjea

    MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: In what is a major organisational revamp within Star India, the functions and management of the group have been split between CEO Peter Mukerjea and COO Sameer Nair.

    Nair has been given the role of CEO Star Entertainment India while Mukerjea is now the CEO of Star Group India.
    Essentially, what has happened is that Star India has been split up into an operational entity and a corporate entity.

    Mukerjea will lead Star Group in India as its CEO, responsible for all corporate functions such as legal, finance, government affairs, corporate communications as well as managing Stars investments including Tata Sky, Hathway, Balaji and MCCS.

    He will also spearhead the development of new business opportunities in India. Mukerjea will continue to report to Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie.

    Star Entertainment India, which is now fully under Nair’s charge, will oversee day-to-day programming, marketing, advertising sales and distribution functions.

    Nair has also been given the remit of expanding Star’s media presence from its existing TV channels Star Plus, Star Movies, Star Gold, Star News, Star One, Channel [V], Star Utsav and Star Vijay, into new media including wireless and broadband internet platforms.

    Nair will be reporting directly to Star Group COO Steve Askew.
    The changes are part of a reorganisation emanating from Star’s headquarters in Hong Kong with Askew being given additional charge as president of Star Entertainment. Askew has been Star COO since December 2003.

    Askews appointment is effective immediately. In his expanded role, he will oversee Stars operating divisions across the region, with his portfolio expanding from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and the Middle East to India.
    Commenting on the announcement, Guthrie said, The reorganization reflects the scale to which our operations have grown in India. The new structure will enable us to optimize our resources in expanding our leadership position in the television landscape while aggressively creating new opportunities in Indias thriving marketplace.

    According to Guthrie, Sameer was the key driving force to our ratings turnaround in India in 2001. Since then, Sameers intuitive knowledge of television entertainment has helped Star India deliver record results in ratings and revenues.

    “His promotion is a testament to the contribution he has made to build Star into the number one network in India. The new reporting structure aligns our creative forces and operational teams across the region, enabling us to continue developing compelling and successful content across different delivery platforms for years to come.

    Guthrie continued, Peter has done an exceptional job in leading our highly talented local team to grow our businesses exponentially in India. Under the spin-off, we will be able to exert a greater impact on our existing investments in India, particularly with the imminent launch of the Tata Sky DTH service.

    “Peters unique insights, extensive experience and strong business acumen will be invaluable as Star actively pursues new business opportunities to serve consumers throughout India.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com late in the evening, Nair expressed happiness at the confidence the top management of Star had shown in him.

    Quizzed on his agenda after the promotion, Nair said, “The basic aim of the company remains unchanged and that is to continue making entertaining content and find ways to monetise them more effectively across all delivery platforms.”

    Though Nair was not forthcoming on the company’s plans relating to Internet and wireless (medium), he did admit that these are two areas that will get some focussed attention.

  • Family movies, blockbusters rule in a slightly disappointing year for Hollywood

    Family movies, blockbusters rule in a slightly disappointing year for Hollywood

    MUMBAI: The revenues that Hollywood films made last year fell by six per cent in 2005 but remained healthy, reporting nearly $9 billion in revenue.

    Last year, 1.4 billion theater tickets were sold in the U.S. and the worldwide box office recorded intake of $23 billion, which was a 7.9 per cent decline over the previous year. At the
    same time, consumer information from the Nielsen analysis revealed that a majority of moviegoers were satisfied with their recent experiences at the movies and felt the movies were a good investment of their time and money.

    The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) data showed that blockbuster films had a banner year. Eight films including Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire made over $200 million compared to just five in 2004. The total number of films released in the US increased by 5.6 per cent from 2004. New releases by the major motion picture studios grossed an average of $37 million in 2005, an increase of seven per cent over the past five years.

    Consistent with past years, family movies dominated the box office. PG-13 films comprised the majority of top grossers for the industry, with PG and PG-13 films accounting for 85 per cent of last years top films. The average cost to make and market a film in 2005 remained under $100 million and dipped slightly to $96.2 million. Marketing costs were up by 5.2 per cent and production costs went down four per cent from the previous year. MPAA member companies spent more on network television and Internet advertising and less on newspapers and local television.

    A survey in the US which was conducted by Nielsen Entertainment/NRG in August of 2005 indicated that 81 per cent of moviegoers who saw at least one movie in 2005 believed that the experience was a good investment of their time and money, versus 15 per cent who preferred to watch the movie on DVD and four per cent who said they should have not seen the movie at all.

    When it came to technology, those moviegoers who owned or subscribed to four or more home technologies (e.g. DVR service, large television, DVD player, VOD) were actually more avid moviegoers, seeing an average of two more movies per year than the moviegoer who owned or subscribed to fewer than four.

    Four in ten of these moviegoers plan to buy the last movie they saw on DVD, with more than half of them making this decision immediately after seeing the movie in a theater. 65 per cent of people surveyed say they prefer theaters as the ultimate movie watching experience. In
    addition, movies continue to be the most common form of paid entertainment options outside the the home, such as sports and theme parks, based on available attendance data.

  • Bloomberg Television increases distribution in Asia by 47 per cent

    Bloomberg Television increases distribution in Asia by 47 per cent

    MUMBAI: Financial news service Bloomberg has announced that distribution of Bloomberg Television Asia Pacific service has expanded by 47 per cent in the region during the past year. It recently launched in South Korea.

    The company says that the growing availability of the channel throughout Asia reflects the region’s surging demand for high-quality, real-time business news. Through alliances with premier global media companies, Bloomberg Television says that it is broadening distribution, reaching a wider audience and solidifying Bloomberg’s position as the leading provider of global news and data.

    In Seoul, the channel is now available on the major cable TV systems operated by CJ Cablenet and Areum Broadcasting, and on Korea Telecom’s Mobile PDA video service known as KT Netspot Swing, which is available to 120,000 of its mobile users. Bloomberg’s James Ross says, “Bloomberg Television is the best vehicle for delivering global business TV news to Korean financial professionals. We are working closely with many of the major cable, satellite, and mobile companies to help this market benefit from new technological developments and the gradual change in broadcast regulation in Korea.”

    Within the last 12 months, the channel has expanded its reach with additional cable, satellite and mobile systems in Thailand (UBC), Hong Kong (now Broadband TV / Smartone-Vodafone), Vietnam (VCTV), Australia, (Optus TV), Cambodia (PPCTV), Indonesia (Astro), Singapore (Singtel), Malaysia (Celcom) and South Korea (CJ Cablenet, Areum Broadcasting, Korea Telecom).

  • Nick celebrates 10th anniversary of ‘Blue Clues’

    Nick celebrates 10th anniversary of ‘Blue Clues’

    MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Nick Jr. invites preschoolers, parents and educators alike to join in commemorating the 10th anniversary of the show Blue’s Clues.

    Nick Jr. will kick off a celebration of the show that it says changed the way preschoolers watch TV, by introducing the audience to a new character — Blue’s brother — on the hour-long primetime movie Meet Blue’s Baby Brother on 10 September 2006.

    Blues Clues explores advanced subject matter such as sign language, geography, physics, emotions and anatomy.The earlier mentioned special blends the two worlds of Joe and the classic animated world of Blue’s Clues with the puppets on Blue’s Room. Meet Blue’s Baby Brother will feature a special game of ‘Gold Clues’ as preschoolers help search for Blue’s baby brother and share another milestone with their favourite blue puppy.

    Nick Jr. also announced that it has commenced production on a new, 10-episode season of Blue’s Room, the half-hour Blue’s Clues spin-off series. Blue’s Room, which originally premiered as five, half-hour specials on Nick Jr. takes preschoolers into a live-action playroom featuring Joe and Blue as a puppet who has the ability to talk directly to the viewers at home.

    Nickelodeon Preschool Television executive creative director Brown Johnson says, “We are proud to be celebrating ten years of Nick Jr.’s classic hit which has become a huge part of preschoolers and their parents’ lives. Blue’s Clues is a groundbreaking series that continues to entertain and captivate viewers with its landmark interactivity, while also serving as an important educational tool for young audiences.”

    In Meet Blue’s Baby Brother, preschoolers at home will join Blue, Joe and their friends in a special game of ‘Gold Clues’ to meet the newest member of Blue’s family — his baby brother Sprinkles! It all begins during a family celebration with Joe and the gang, when Blue announces she has a baby brother who will be joining the celebration.

    Blue cannot wait to meet him, but first she and Joe must embark on an interactive quest in PuppyVille to discover which puppy is her brother. In a classic Blue’s Clues style, Joe and Blue search for three gold clues that will lead them to Sprinkles.