ITV

Category: Hindi

  • Jeff Blake extends contract with Sony Pictures till 2012

    MUMBAI: Jeff Blake has signed yet another new contract with Sony Pictures. This is ahead of the expiry of Blake‘s current contract with the company that terminates 2008-end.


    As per the new long-term contract, Blake will continue to serve as chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group through 2012.


    Apart from overseeing the studio‘s worldwide marketing and distribution division, Blake will also continue to serve as vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.


    Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) chairman and CEO Michael Lynton said, “Jeff Blake has been and will continue to be one of Sony Pictures‘ most valued senior executives and strategists. Jeff has built an unparalleled global marketing and distribution network, which is recognized as the best in the business.”


    Adding to this SPE co-chairman Amy Pascal stated, “Under Jeff‘s leadership since 2002, Sony Pictures has released 52 films, which is by far the best record in town. We are also the only studio to have generated more than $8 billion in domestic marketshare during that time. That is a true testament to his marketing and distribution savvy and I believe those numbers demonstrate that he is unrivaled among his peers.”


    Blake has served as vice chairman of SPE since October 2002.

  • Thomson, CinemaNow to offer optimised digital movie solution

    MUMBAI: Technicolour, the services division of Thomson, has partnered with CinemaNow, which works in digital entertainment technology, to offer online retailers a better way to deliver the digital content that consumers are demanding.


    Under the new partnership, Technicolor and CinemaNow plan to provide a seamless, fully-integrated platform for the electronic delivery of movies, TV shows, music and software to consumers via a broadband Internet connection.


    This platform will include content encoding and encryption, digital rights management (DRM), hosting and storage, promotions and ad management, streaming or download delivery, order fulfillment, reporting and forensics.


    The end-to-end delivery channel will utilise Technicolor’s infrastructure and CinemaNow’s storefront and media manager application to facilitate new developments in electronic content distribution.


    Emerging digital delivery services such as e-copy and second session, which are supplementary digital versions of physical DVDs purchased at retail stores, and online downloads will work across CinemaNow’s entire ecosystem of compatible consumer electronic devices including PCs, portable media players (PMP), digital television sets (DTV), set top boxes (STB), and network attached storage (NAS) devices from manufacturers such as Archos, Dish Network, HP, and Samsung.


    Thomson stated, “this is the next stage in the evolution of the broadband digital supply chain. As the distribution of content transitions from physical to digital, a new streamlined infrastructure is required. The partnership between CinemaNow and Technicolor brings together and unifies two major pieces of a traditionally fragmented solution.”


    Under the terms of the partnership, CinemaNow and Technicolor will also collaborate on special projects including adding HD movies to CinemaNow’s library of more than 10,000 titles available via embedded stores and consumer electronic devices.


    The partnership will also enable CinemaNow to expand internationally, leveraging Technicolor’s digital supply chain services including preparing and hosting movies with subtitles and foreign language audio tracks.

  • MPAA files lawsuit against Pullmylink.com

    MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has filed a lawsuit in the federal court in Los Angeles against Pullmylink.com.


    The MPAA says that the site facilitates copyright infringement on the Internet. Sites like Pullmylink contribute to and profit from massive copyright infringement by identifying, posting, organizing, and indexing links to infringing content found on the Internet that consumers can then view on-demand when
    visiting these sites, the MPAA states.


    MPAA executive VP and director of worldwide anti-piracy operations John Malcolm says, “Pullmylink.com and sites like it are a one-stop shop for copyright infringement. We have filed several other similar suits and will continue to do so in order to hold operators accountable for their illegal activities. Profiting from the theft of other people’s creative works is illegal and we have every intention of shutting this, and sites like it, down for good”.


    Pullmylink and similar illegal sites rely on advertisers to maintain their operations and profit handsomely from a seemingly endless stream of third-party advertising pitches, according to the MPAA. With servers located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Pullmylink averages over 12,000 unique daily visitors who view over 39,000 pages of content per day.


    This is the seventh lawsuit filed on behalf of the Hollywood movie studios against websites like Pullmylink. Previous lawsuits were filed against: peekvid.com, youtvpc.com,
    showstash.com, cinematube.net, ssupload.com, and videohybrid.com.


    The worldwide motion picture industry, including foreign and domestic producers, distributors, theaters, video stores and pay-per-view operators lost $18.2 billion in 2005 as a
    result of piracy – over $7 billion of which is attributed to Internet piracy and more than $11 billion attributed to hard goods piracy including bootlegging and illegal copying.

  • Paramount to release Shyamalan’s Last Airbender in 2010

    MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures, in partnership with Nickelodeon Movies, will be releasing M. Night Shyamalan‘s film The Last Airbender in 2010.

    Paramount Film Group president John Lesher said, “We‘re delighted to be partnering with Nickelodeon to bring M. Night Shyamalan‘s vision of The Last Airbender to the big screen and to audiences of all ages.”


    Based on the Nickelodeon animated TV series, the film is set in a world where human civilisation is divided into four nations: water, earth, air and fire.


    Shyamalan said, “I was drawn to the series because of its influences-one being Hayao Miyazaki. I‘ve always been a huge fan of Miyazaki‘s work. In The Last Airbender I see an opportunity to make a live-action version of a Miyazaki film.”


    Apart from directing, he will also produce the epic action-adventure based on the script that has been penned by him.


    Paramount Pictures vice chairman Rob Moore stated, “Shyamalan‘s exciting vision for a film with the potential of The Last Airbender is another perfect fit for the fourth of July holiday weekend that we have used to launch such blockbusters as War of the Worlds and Transformers.”


    Shyamalan‘s new film The Happening will be released later this year.

  • Adlabs Cinemas debuts in Chattisgarh

    MUMBAI: Adlabs Cinemas, part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has opened its first cinema in Chattisgarh at Durg.

    The cinema under the name of Tarun Adlabs has a total capacity of 597 seats with an aggregate of platinum, gold and silver class seats.


    Adlabs Cinemas COO Tarun Dhingra commented on the launch, “With Tarun Adlabs, we are entering Chattisgarh, a very important market for us. This year has already witnessed much of our strategic expansion with new properties in Kolkata, Noida, Agra among others. We believe that cinema viewing is not just about the movie anymore. We want to give our viewers a fine infrastructure which will make the movie experience more pleasurable, and all at a reasonable value. With Tarun Adlabs‘ convenient location and modern comforts, we aim to revolutionize the movie watching experience in Durg.”

    Adlabs Cinemas presently has 156 screens spread over 58 properties nationwide.

  • Cinemax launches multiplex in Ahmedabad

    MUMBAI: Cinemax India has launched a four-screen multiplex at Dev Arc Mall in Ahmedabad.

    The multiplex will have a seating capacity of 1037 seats. This includes one screen red lounge with 115 recliner seats.


    The multiplex chain will be open to the audiences with movies like KRAZZY4, U Me aur Hum and The Water horse, Cinemax said in a statement.


    With this new addition, Cinemax will have in total 19 theatre properties, 56 screens and 15041 seats operational.

  • Festival to screen BR Chopra films in Delhi

    MUMBAI: Delhi is ready to host a three-day-long film festival showcasing movies made by filmmaker BR Chopra in Delhi starting from 18 April.

    The festival is a tribute to Chopra, whose 94th birthday falls on 22 April.


    Film and Television Producers Guild of India, the organisers of this event, will screen nine of his masterpieces at the festival as part of its initiative “Guild Greats”.


    Co-organised by Assocham, the festival will open with Chopra‘s Insaaf Ka Tarazu followed by his other films like Hamraaz, Waqt, Ittefaq, Baghban, Gumraah, Nikaah, Naya Daur and Chhoti Si Baat.

  • Pyramid Saimira gets nod to invest upto Rs 3 billion

    MUMBAI: Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd (PSTL) plans to invest upto Rs 3 billion in the equity share capital of its allied group companies and in Dimples Cine Advertising. Pyramid Saimira Group had late last year announced it was acquiring 51 per cent stake in Dimples Cine Advertising.

    PSTL can invest upto Rs 750 million in Pyramid Saimira Production International Ltd, Saimira Realty, Saimira Premier Theatres and Dimples Cine Advertising. The investment will be funded through internal accruals and debt funds raised through private/public offering of securities.


    The members of PSTL at its Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) have authorised the board to invest upto Rs 3 billion, the company today said.

  • Amitabh Bachchan announces IIFA nominations for 2008

    MUMBAI: IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan has announced the nominations for the Idea IIFA Awards 2008. He also announced the opening of voting lines for the IIFA awards to audiences of Indian cinema across the world.

    The Idea IIFA awards 2008 would be held in Bangkok on 8 June.


    This year, Guru, Chak De India, Jab We Met, Om shanti Om, Life In A Metro and Partner will be fighting for best picture category. For best performance (male) Abhishek Bachchan (Guru), Akshay Kumar (Bhool Bhulaiyaa), Salman Khan (Partner), Shah Rukh Khan (Chak De India) and Shahid Kapoor (Jab We Met) are the nominees. Aishwarya Rai (Guru), Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om), Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met), Tabu (Cheeni Kum) and Vidya Balan (Bhool Bhulaiyaa) will fight it out for the best actress award.


    The announcement of the nominations was done as a result of the industry voting for the IIFA awards in March. Results of the industry voting were audited by PriceWatehouse Coopers, the auditing firm for the IIFAs and Oscars.


    Now fans of Indian cinema can cast their votes till the end of May on the official website for IIFA awards.


    Bachchan said, “Nothing celebrates the grandeur of Indian cinema as extravagantly as the IIFAs. It is indeed a great pleasure to announce the nominations for IDEA IIFA Awards 2008 and to open the voting for the coveted awards on IIFA Buzz.com.”


    Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Pradeep Shrivastava said, “IIFA Awards offers us the best platform to demonstrate the true essence of mobile and entertainment convergence. Our customers will have access to specially created merchandise, contests, video and MMS downloads and several other value added services.”

  • Compact Disc to raise $38.8 mn from foreign banks for 2 films

    MUMBAI: Compact Disc India Ltd (CDI) will raise $38.75 million from foreign banks to fund two of its International movie projects.

    The two movies are Soccer, a $20.15 million 90-minute 3D animation movie starring soccer player Ronaldo, and Eternal Love, a $15.70 million animated movie based on a love story revolving around Taj Mahal.


    CDI also expects to raise another $30 million from foreign banks to fund a live action World War II based International movie Playing with the Enemy.


    Compact Disc has already received ‘In Principle’ approval from the banks and funding will be released within 15-20 days time, the company said.


    Funding has been sanctioned at a very competitive pricing of LIBOR plus 75 bps, the official statement added.


    The funding amount will be sufficient to cover two big International animation film projects, under production by the Company’s foreign arm – Media One Ventures Ltd., UK.


    “The Board has approved the terms and conditions for raising $38.75 million. The money will be released in 15-20 days. We expect $30 million funding from another bank in a week for our live action movie ‘Playing with the Enemy’,” said Compact Disc India Limited chairman Suresh Kumar.


    The bank will also lend another Rs 250 million for CDI’s upcoming animation studio at Thiruvananthapuram Special Economic Zone.