ITV

Category: People

  • IL&FS acquires 26% in E-City Entertainment for Rs 1 billion

    IL&FS acquires 26% in E-City Entertainment for Rs 1 billion

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra-promoted E-City Entertainment has diluted 26 per cent stake to Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) for Rs 1 billion.

    The funds will be used for real estate development in two new projects which will require a total investment of Rs 2 billion. “IL&FS has acquired 26 per cent stake in E-City for Rs 1 billion. We will be investing Rs 2 billion in two projects, for which we are also raising a debt of Rs 1 billion,” E-City Ventures CEO Atul Goel tells Indiantelevision.com.

    E-City hived off its multiplex business into a company called Fun Multiplex Pvt Ltd last year, Goel said. The real estate business is being handled by E-City Entertainment and is setting up malls. “We decided to hive off the multiplex and real estate businesses into separate companies. We felt that the investors in real estate would not necessarily want to take exposure to the multiplex business,” Goel said.

    E-City hived off its multiplex business into a company called Fun Multiplex Pvt Ltd last year, Goel said. The real estate business is being handled by E-City Entertainment and is setting up malls. “We decided to hive off the multiplex and real estate businesses into separate companies. We felt that the investors in real estate would not necessarily want to take exposure to the multiplex business,” Goel said.

    The company has already invested Rs 2.17 billion in developing five projects. E-City Entertainment has put in Rs 600 million for the Andheri property (130,000 sq ft) in Mumbai, Rs 750 million in Lucknow (400,000 sq ft), Rs 550 million in Ahmedabad (160,000 sq ft) and Rs 270 million in Chandigarh (90,000 sq ft). “Three of our properties are already operational while the one at Lucknow will stand up by July. In Coimbatore we have acquired 350,000 sq ft and it should be operational by the end of next year. We are yet to identify another property but it could preferably be in the southern region,” Goel said.

  • MTV Video Music Awards returns to New York in August

    MTV Video Music Awards returns to New York in August

    MUMBAI: The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) will return to New York City. The 23rd annual awards show will air live in the US from Radio City Music Hall on 31 August. The return of the VMAs marks the 13th time that the star studded music awards show will be held in New York and the 10th time at the Radio City Music Hall.

    The show’s host, performers, nominees, and presenters for the show will be announced soon.

    The 2006 VMAs will be a multi-screen experience for fans that will live and breathe on every single MTV platform — MTV, MTV2, mtvU, mtvUber, MTV.com, MTV Overdrive, wireless, and more! More details on the VMAs’ multi-screen elements will be announced shortly.

    MTV US president Christine Norman says, “We will take the VMAs show to unprecedented levels with fans interacting with music and stars through every single screen of MTV.

    “The 2006 VMAs will take advantage of the new ways the MTV audience is connecting with entertainment — broadband, wireless, online — these additional platforms will make this year’s show even more interactive and engaging, beaming the insanity directly to fans.

    “New York is our hometown and we are really looking to showcase the music, culture, and people from every borough of this amazing city on TV, online, broadband, and wireless to fans around the globe.”

    New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg says, “We are proud that MTV has made New York its home for the past 25 years, and once again has selected the Big Apple as host for the 23rd Annual MTV Video Music Awards. An event of this magnitude and cultural importance will generate tremendous media exposure and with the thousands of visitors expected will yield a positive economic impact projected in excess of $25 million.”

    New York City Big Events president, Maureen J. Reidy says, “We welcome the MTV Video Music Awards back to world’s most powerful and commanding stage. With New York City’s passion and enthusiasm and our planned celebrations, this year is sure to be the best ever.”

    Utilising the business model created by NYC Big Events, a series of events and promotions is being planned for the months and weeks leading up to the live telecast. Extending far beyond the walls of Radio City Music Hall, all New Yorkers and visitors alike will have the opportunity to participate in special MTV performances, exhibits, educational and sporting activities.

  • E-City Digital to invest Rs 1 billion, have 500 theatres by FY 2008

    E-City Digital to invest Rs 1 billion, have 500 theatres by FY 2008

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra-promoted E-City Digital Cinemas Pvt Ltd plans to invest Rs 1 billion in digitising 500 cinema theatres by 2007-’08.

    The company will start delivering movies to the theatres via satellite by next month. Currently, the hard disk is physically distributed to the 22 theatres in Gujarat which it has taken on hire basis. “We will be using the uplinking facility of Essel Shyam at Noida near Delhi. We are investing Rs 1 billion and plan to have 500 digital theatres by FY 2008 in Mumbai, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh territories,” says E-City Ventures CEO Atul Goel. Zee channels are also uplinked from Essel Shyam teleport at Noida.

    Each theatre will have to invest Rs 2 million on the digital technology. E-City will make the investments and will pay fixed weekly theatre hire charges to the exhibitors. The contracts will be for a minimum period of five years. The company will also do deals with film distributors.

    E-City is using Real Image’s encryption technology so that piracy is safeguarded. The movie is first converted into digital master using the telecine machine, after which it can be taken on to D5 tape or captured directly on the encoding server. After encryption and compression, the movie is uplinked to the satellite via transmission server and downloaded at the playout local server which is installed at the theatre. A digital projector is used for screening of the film.

    E-City Digital Cinemas will target A-class towns where the current net collections are over Rs 100,000 per week. Part of the Essel Group of Industries, the company has current earnings of Rs 14 million from the 22 theatres it has recently started digitising. “As we aim to ramp up theatre acquisitions, we expect our revenues to touch Rs 2.5 billion by March-end 2009,” says Goel.

    Digital cinema reduces industry costs by eliminating expensive prints that constitute 15-20 per cent of a film’s cost. It also attacks piracy as every show can have watermark indicating theatre, time and date, making it a customised copyright property. Exhibitors will also get first run movies and a simultaneous nationwide release is possible without distributing prints.

  • Funky Formats to showcase five new shows at MIPTV

    Funky Formats to showcase five new shows at MIPTV

    MUMBAI: Funky Formats will showcase five new entertainment formats at the television event MIPTV in Cannes, France. The event runs from 2 to 6 April.

    This will be headlined by the show Telenovela Star, which will air on Caracol in Colombia later this year. The format sees a telenovela running in parallel with a daily reality show. Funky is sharing rights with Caracol Television.

    Be My Boss is a reality series that encourages young people to pursue their dream jobs, with candidates tracking down and pitching to their ideal CEO. On the game show end, ATM is being billed by the company as the first quiz to have an ATM machine dispensing cash right in the studio.

    Banks and credit card providers have already signed up to sponsor in some territories. Meanwhile, The Trade Show is a location-based game where contestants are provided with everyday items which they must trade up with local citizens to form a ‘value chain’.

    Rounding out the slate is Alien Nation, a reality sitcom where families allow cameras into their homes. The twist is that all the action is being watched by aliens. First, the aliens find the humans weird, but over time they develop human traits and emotions.

  • VC fund to support ‘Business Baazigar’ winner

    VC fund to support ‘Business Baazigar’ winner

    MUMBAI: A venture capital (VC) fund with a corpus of Rs 200 million will support the compelling business ideas from contestants of a reality show on Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV.

    Business Baazigar, which will decide the fate of budding entrepreneurs through 24 episodes, will finance the business project of the winner of the show through the VC fund. The extent of funding will be decided by the jury comprising Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra, Passionfunds CEO Mahesh Murthy and Prof. Anil Gupta of Indian Institute of Management.

    “Subhash Chandra has tied up a VC fund, the size of which is Rs 200 million. It is floated by a consortium, but we can’t disclose the promoters. The fund will support the winner of Business Baazigar, the amount of which will be decided by the jury,” said 25 FPS managing director Alankar Jain, the producer of the show.

    Will the winner have the power to negotiate with the VCs on the amount of equity it wants to dilute and at what value? “Yes. This will also be shown on the final episode of Business Baazigar,” said Jain.

    Can the contestants negotiate with other VCS who will have access to the business ideas as the episodes progress? “There is a lock-in period during which period they can’t start approach other VCS,” Jain said.

    The VC fund may also extend seed funding to other contestants apart from the winner. “Based on the viability of the project, the fund may decided to finance some innovative ideas and support it at the seed level,” said Jain.

    Business Baazigar will have 50 finalists which will be further scaled down to 20 contestants. They will be put through grueling tasks that will test their business acumen and team spirit.

    Audiences will be allowed to SMS their preferences in the final episode so that they can predict the winner. “But there is no voting system and the winner will be decided by the jury,” said Jain.

    Business Baazigar debuts on 31 March, airing one-hour episodes on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm.

  • CNBC TV18’s ‘Industry Vector series spells the relevance of technology in media business

    CNBC TV18’s ‘Industry Vector series spells the relevance of technology in media business

    MUMBAI: Technology is making all the difference to the way the people the world over access news. CNBC-TV18 will showcase the Industry Vector series 2006 today at 10:30 PM The channel hosted the Industry Vector series, where ‘The Relevance of Technology in the Media Business’ had been the focal point.

    The repeat of the show will air on 26 March at 2:30 PM Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd chairman Amit Khanna, CERG Founder and economist Omkar Goswami along with CNBC’s Senthil Chengalvarayan debated on the issue, while exploring the current media scenario in India.

    As technology is making all the difference, the source is no longer just one single window. The average Indian not only has the world at his fingertips, he also has it within a few seconds.

    The convergence of two key trends – the growing demand for rich media and the exploding availability of affordable bandwidth, have combined to propel the media industry to growth levels unheard of even a few years ago. The new digital transmission system, is just one example of how technology is radically altering the way the media industry thinks and operates, informs an official release.

    Have Indian media organizations truly been able to capitalize on these new technologies, to give them the competitive edge? Have they been able to utilize technology to explore new options and orient them to the changing nature of competition? In fact, how exactly does one keep pace with the rapidly changing technology, and still at the same time maintain the organisation’s profitability? What impact will the changing nature of the media market have on the major and minor players?

    The Industry Vector series is an eight episode series on CNBC-TV18, which started from the second week of March 2006 running right up to April 2006. The eight hot sectors this series will focus on are: Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Media, Pharma, Logistics, Banking & Financial Services Industry, Education and ITES.

  • Go for the young, but be alive to the downside

    Go for the young, but be alive to the downside

    MUMBAI: “Made in India – Made for a Young India”. A celebration of youth and the paradise of riches lying there for the pickings by those who could succesfully tap into this demographic.

    This could be termed as the gist of what constituted one of Friday’s high powered sessions at Frames 2006 in Mumbai that was chaired by Zee Telefilms CEO Pradeep Guha.

    According to Ashutosh Srivastava, CEO, GroupM, South Asia, “With half the population under 24 years of age, combined with increasing levels of disposable income and rapid penetration of new technology, attitudes and behaviour are undergoing a radical change – and this will have far reaching impact of the kind of entertainment, and also the way it is consumed by this young India.”

    “This is the most media savvy and exposed generation. It is also a lot more very self expressive ‘me’ generation, seeking its own identity, and has an opinion of everything. And, driven by the widespread penetration of mobiles and the internet, it is also the most socially networked generation,” Srivastava said.

    The downside of all this was thrown in (almost inadvertantly one thought) by KSA Technopark managing director Arvind Singhal who said for this generation, there was an intense aspirational sentiment at play as well as strong ambitions to “make it”. And to achieve this success, if the law was twisted towards this end so be it. The end justifies the means. Singhal used the character (small time con artists) of the lead protagonists in a recent hit film Bunty and Bali as an example. That Singhal didn’t seem to see this as a dangerous trend seemed a tad worrisome though.

    Even more bizarre was Singhal’s contention that in aspirational terms, India’s youth did not see themselves as being Asian but looked westward (specifially the US and the UK one would assume). This stands out in even starker relief stacked up against the common world view that points to Asia as being where the action is, India and China in particular and the rest of Asia in general. Where he fished this piece of data from might be worth a separate study.

    After the rather depressing dose of Singhal’s “world view” on India’s youth, it was refreshing to here from Rakeysh Mehra, director of the recent blockbuster hit Rang De Basanti, who introduced a cautionary note into the discussion. That there should also be awareness that in the midst of the hype and hoopla around the celebration of a young India, efforts to build a strong (ethical) foundation for a not so young india of the future was also needed was the point he tried to bring forth.

    Said Mehra, “It is important to harness the emotions of the young in the right direction and in a poetic way.” He added, “For the young India, it is essential to create a new idiom rather than copying one (from the West).”

    That new idiom was what Star India executive VP marketing and communication Ajay Vidyasagar focussed his presentation around. Vidyasagar believes that the creators of content, in order to connect with the young Indian, have to speak the language of the youth.

    The core message from all the panelists: It’s a whole new generation out there, with new mindsets, habits and working styles. As Srivastava pointed out, “This has huge implications for the industry. We will be forced to rethink current business models. Today, the consumers pay very little and and get exposed to all kinds of messages and content. In the future, they will pay and trade personal information to access the messages and the content they want, through different multimedia devices, at a time and place of their choice.”

    So what of the “40+ fossils”? What’s to become of them? This question was raised by some in the audience though the response from the panel was half-hearted to say the least. But then, this was a session that had all to do with the promise of youth. For the “fossils”, maybe another forum would be in order.

  • Warner Bros. TV Group ups Karen Miller as SVP

    Warner Bros. TV Group ups Karen Miller as SVP

    MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Television Group has promoted Karen Miller to the position of senior vice president for its Worldwide Television Creative Services. It was announced today by the company’s executive vice president Lisa Gregorian. Miller will be reporting to Gregorian.

    In her new position, Miller will manage the day-to-day operations of the Creative Services department, overseeing the conceptualization and design of all print, digital and on-air advertising and promotional materials for the Studio’s worldwide television marketing, sales and publicity initiatives, states an official release.

    She will work closely with the Studio’s internal marketing executives, providing creative counsel on the promotional campaigns for programming produced by Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions and Warner Bros. Animation.

    Also, Miller and her department will guide the creative efforts of the Studio’s television distribution entities–Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution–enhancing their marketing efforts for television series and the pay, cable and broadcast windows of theatrical titles.

    Said Gregorian, “Karen has proven herself to be an invaluable executive who is able to combine her creative vision with business acumen. She is the perfect person to direct the efforts of the creative services department as it continues to meet the challenge of focusing consumer attention in an ever-competitive global television marketplace.”

    A 10-year veteran of the Studio, Miller most recently served as Warner Bros. Television Creative Services vice president, having been promoted to that position in 2005. Previously, she had been an art director in the Warner Bros. Television Creative Services department for five years. She joined the Studio in 1996 as a graphic designer for Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. Prior to joining the Studio, Miller spent more than a decade with Conde Nast Publishing as associate art director for Architectural Digest magazine.

    In her distinguished career, Miller has been honoured with 18 PROMAX-BDA Awards, most recently receiving the 2005 BDA Design Award in the Magazine category for her efforts on behalf of The O.C. Insider.

  • US network Lifetime to undertake women’s research project

    US network Lifetime to undertake women’s research project

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Lifetime Networks has announced that it will conduct the Lifetime Women’s Pulse Polls.

    It says that it will be the largest women’s multi-platform research project ever undertaken by a television network, weaving in a multi-pronged package providing wide-ranging applications and implications for viewers, advertisers, affiliates and other business partners.

    Throughout the year, the Lifetime Women’s Pulse Polls will explore a wide range of areas examining women’s lives, from consumer behaviour and spending habits, their desire for and usage of new technologies, their positions on key public policy issues, and on the lighter side, their impressions of the latest pop culture icons.

    The first project will be Generation Why? which compares three generations — Generation Y (age 18-29), Generation X (age 30-44) and Baby Boomers (age 45-59) — on attitudes regarding sex, men, marriage and career, culminating in an on-air special with MSNBC journalist Willow Bay.

    Lifetime Entertainment Services president, CEO Betty Cohen, said, “Lifetime has always been the expert on information about women and for women. To further serve advertisers, distributors, consumers, our own programming and, above all, America’s women, the Lifetime Women’s Pulse Polls will use an array of research methodologies to explore and give voice to the unique and diverse perspectives of women today, and project where they’ll be in five or ten years.”

    Conducted by well-known pollsters and authors Kellyanne Conway and Celinda Lake, the initial poll, “Generation Why? unearthed some provocative findings on the three generations.

    — Never a better time to be a woman, but … : While all three generations agreed it’s never been a better time to be a woman, the majority believe women still face discrimination and men have more advantages in society. Though Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers, all agree that the remedy to these problems is not a female boss — the majority prefer a male boss.

    — “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes … “: Gen Y women advocate marriage and children at a younger age than previous generations.

    — Myths about technology: Women will buy more high-tech gadgets than men this year, but no matter their age, women still think men are much more tech savvy. Technology is the native tongue for Gens Y & X and an acquired taste for Baby Boomers. Gen X is more likely to prefer email, while boomers and Gen Y prefer face-to-face, and Gen Y is more likely to blog than the other two groups.

    — Opting out: Contrary to popular misconceptions about highly-educated, highly-capable women declaring they’d give it all up to raise their children or pursue a passion, Gen Y women were least likely to say they’d leave their careers behind if they didn’t need a paycheck.

    Central to Generation Why? and on the heels of the survey, will be a six-month, ‘listening tour’ of women leaders and young women on college and graduate school campuses, in the workforce and in their communities, conducted by Bay with Lifetime, comparing their views with their mothers, grandmothers — and even young men — on a wide range of contentious contemporary issues.

  • Nick announces first-ever Japanese development deals

    Nick announces first-ever Japanese development deals

    MUMBAI: US kids channel Nickelodeon has announced its first-ever Japanese development projects for original content.

    The new projects include a development and acquisitions deal with the Domo Production Committee, affiliates of Japan’s largest broadcaster NHK, as well as a development deal with Polygon Pictures, a Japanese 3-D animation house.

    Nickelodeon and NHK’s affiliate, Domo Production Committee, will co-develop and produce, a 26 episode, two-minute short series. This will be based on NHK’s popular Domo-kun character.

    The deal also includes an advance acquisition of the series by Nicktoons in the US, marking the first time a Japanese produced series will air on a Nickelodeon Network in the US. The series premiere on Nicktoons Network US will be announced at a later date. Meanwhile Nickelodeon and Polygon Pictures have agreed to co-develop a new animated series based on the Japanese graphic novel, Akihabara@Deep.

    Nick Intl senior VP Steve Grieder says, “We a’re excited to be announcing these critical developments and will continue to work with local producers, both as creative and syndication partners, to establish Nickelodeon as a global platform for Japanese animation.

    “We have a long-term commitment to invest in new creative content from Japan like Domo-kun and Akihabara, two stunningly original projects, and we look forward to helping expand the influence Japan has in the kids’ entertainment arena even further around the world.”

    NHK senior corporate officer Tetsuo Kamemura says, “Domo-kun has been NHK’s very popular mascot since 1998 when he was born and now Domo-kun will be a new television series. The Domo-kun Production Committee is extremely proud and happy to be the first Japanese animation to air on Nicktoons Network in the US and we look forward to bringing Domo-kun, together with Nickelodeon, to the rest of the world”.

    Nicktoons GM Keith Dawkins says, “Domo Kun is a cultural phenomenon in Japan. The animation is exquisite. We’re excited to partner with NHK to bring this property to a whole new audience in the states”.

    Domo-kun features Domo, a strange creature born from an egg who lives in an underground cave with Usajii, a wise old rabbit, who loves to watch TV and drink tea. Domo is short, fuzzy and brown with black eyes and a large mouth with very pointy teeth. Domo also loves to watch television and listen to grunge music and Rock and Roll. He is gentle and strong and when he is nervous or in a bad mood, he breaks wind. Domo’s favourite food is seasoned beef with potatoes and he has a strong dislike for apples (an unexplained mystery in his DNA). Domo-kun has been an icon for Japanese kids, tweens and families for nearly a decade since his first appearance as NHK’s BS2 mascot.

    Akihabara@Deep from Polygon Pictures is an edgy, colorful and fast-paced cyber-detective comedy/action/drama based in Akihabara, the Electric Town of Tokyo. Polygon’s Polygon Family is currently featured on Flux, MTV Networks’ mobile download service.