ITV

Category: News Headline

  • Lightworks looks to get married at Mipcom

    Lightworks looks to get married at Mipcom

    MUMBAI: Lightworks Programme Distribution (LPD) has announced that filmmaker Michael Apted’s Being Married will headline its slate of programmes to be presented at next month’s television trade event Mipcom.

    The event takes place in Cannes, France from 9-11 October 2006.

    Being Married is a reality TV alternative which takes a look at the courtship, marriage, and progression of nine couples. Combining interviews with footage of the couples on dates, interaction with their families, the actual wedding ceremonies, and the challenges they experience five years after the wedding, the film provides a fascinating perspective on the cultural phenomenon of marriage in the 21st Century.

    Being Married is inspired by Michael Apted’s 7/UP, which began in 1964 and is considered to be the greatest longitudinal documentary effort of all time, according to a panel of 400 UK filmmakers assembled by Channel 4. Currently the president of the Director’s Guild of America, Apted’s career spans documentaries and features.

    LPD executive VP and MD John Cuddihy says, “Michael Apted’s accomplishments, including his past and present films, are of the highest quality and we are delighted to be associated with him.

    “The documentary leverages the endless and timeless fascination with what makes lasting relationships work and reflects the most significant ways in which marriage and relationships are being challenged and re-defined. Lightworks Program Distribution’s library consists of bold, entertaining programmes which convey the challenges of today’s world. I am confident that Being Married will captivate viewers world-wide and will be a worthy addition to our award- winning library.”

    In the first installment of Being Married nine soon-to-be-married couples discuss their relationships, their decision to get married, their backgrounds, their views on sex, divorce and their expectations and dreams for the future. The second installment revisits each of the 9 couples to find out how their lives have changed and how their relationships
    progressed in the first five years of married life.

    Despite their cultural, geographical, and socio-economical differences, each of the couples-regardless of age or sexual orientation, face similar challenges within a marriage: the stresses of jobs, living situations, and in some cases, children.

    Lightworks Enterprises, president and CEO David Dreilinger says, “We could not be more pleased to work with Michael Apted on this project, produced in the style that he pioneered. This is a further indication of the growth of our organisation and the caliber of award-winning talent that is involved in our programmes..”

    Being Married will premiere in prime time on Hallmark next year.

  • Zee Muzic turns ‘Zee Lata’ on 28 September

    Zee Muzic turns ‘Zee Lata’ on 28 September

    MUMBAI: In an innovative way of paying tribute to melody queen Lata Mangeshkar as she turns another year younger on 28 September, Zee Muzic will dedicate the entire day to the nightingale of India.

    Viewers will experience Lata in all her myriad moods right from spiritual to cabaret, from solo to duets, ghazals to discos. The channel will take the viewer through a drive from black & white to colour days, from Madhubala, Nargis & Helen to Madhuri & Kareena Kapoor, dancing to Lata’s popular songs, informs an official release.

    Retro Parade will feature Lataji’s songs from the ’50s till the ’80s and Ek Ke Baad Ek will play her songs from 90s till the recent ones. Cinemascope anchor Roshni Chopra will talk about the legend and swing our moods with some fantastic songs. Bollywood Tonight will have a special segment on Lata Mangeshkar & Midnite Manual will light the dance floor with her peppy and fast paced numbers, the release adds.

  • Star News launches new health show ‘Apna Khayal Rakhiyega’

    Star News launches new health show ‘Apna Khayal Rakhiyega’

    MUMBAI: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Perhaps! But STAR News will now certainly help you keep the doctor at bay. The Channel announced the launch of a new health-based weekend news programme – Apna Khayal Rakhiyega – in keeping with its accent on addressing issues that relate to the here-and-now for the people in India. The programme, starting on 30 September, will air every Saturday at 3.30 pm.

    Given that health and fitness is increasingly becoming an overwhelming concern and might even be an obsession with a growing section of the Indian populace, Star News addresses a holistic view on health with a unique programming mix updating viewers with the latest in the world of medicine and health-breakthroughs, controversies, tips, food and fitness trends, so that the viewer can take better care of oneself.

    With a flexible magazine format and refreshing outdoor anchoring from scenic locations, the programme will have different segments that will feature breakthroughs in the world of medicine, guidelines to leading a healthy life, tips and trends in fitness, advice on food and diet programmes and much more. The programme will also have a segment, featuring interviews of renowned medical/health experts and celebrities from various walks of life who will provide their opinions and share their secrets on fitness. Dr. R K Bharadwaj, a renowned ENT specialist, will be the channel’s in-house expert for this programme.

    Apna Khayal Rakhiyega marks the channel’s attempt to expand the scope of its lateral programming to ‘touch’ every member of the household and in the true sense reach out as the ‘People’s Channel’. It will not just purport to be another health and fitness show, but will view health from a holistic viewpoint and also provide thought provoking content to make people sit up and question pre-existing notions on health. This will charge viewers to better look after themselves.

  • UEFA Champions League to be telecast live on Ten Sports on 26 & 27 September

    UEFA Champions League to be telecast live on Ten Sports on 26 & 27 September

    MUMBAI: Ten Sports will broadcast the top matches of the UEFA Champions League live on Tuesday 26 September and Wednesday 27 September.

    Ten Sports coverage begins with Benfica hosting Manchester United. Both sides have lifted this coveted trophy in the past with United winning its first crown when the two teams met during the 1968 finals. The two sides were also grouped together last season with Benfica having the upper hand, seeing United eliminated at the group stage.

    The second match on 26 September will see last year’s losing finalists Arsenal host 2004 winners Porto.

    Ten Sports analyst John Burridge expects it to be another close match on Tuesday night, “On paper United have the stronger side but Benfica have proved time and again what a tough, well organized side they are. Add to that the intimidating atmosphere at the Stadium of Light, United are in for a very tough evening. The youngsters, Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo will need to be on top of their game but I think Paul Scholes in the middle may well be the difference between the two sides.”

    On 27 September the channel will showcase the live match between Liverpool and Galatasaray. The second match will see Chelsea travel to Levski Sofia looking for their second straight win.

    The line up for the matches include:

    26 September
    23:30 IST UEFA Champions League: Benefica v Man United
    02:15 IST UEFA Champions League: Arsenal v Porto

    27 September
    23:30 IST UEFA Champions League: Liverpool v Galatasaray
    02:15 IST UEFA Champions League: Levski Sofia v Chelsea

  • Star Plus invokes superheroes in fight for 8 pm slot

    Star Plus invokes superheroes in fight for 8 pm slot

    MUMBAI: In a strategic U-Turn, Star Plus has replaced its 8 pm tale of re-birth and love Pyaar Ke Do Naam – Ek Raadha Ek Shyaam with a futuristic science fiction drama Antariksh.

    The game plan has the channel eyeing kids and housewives to fight the Zee TV soap airing in the same slot, Banoo Main Teri Dulhann.

    “Our focus group discussions reveal that the majority of housewives turn to TV in a serious manner only post 8:30 pm. We have also found that kids are generally glued to television till 8:30 pm. So, with Antariksh, we are targeting both these audience groups. We hope that, the upcoming Diwali holiday season will help the show to attain a strong opening,” states Star India EVP Deepak Segal.

    Antariksh is launching on 2 October. Star Plus’ last attempt on the kids genre was with the weekend prime time show Haatim, produced by Sagar Arts. Haatim ran on the channel for 50 episodes. An official release assures that “Antariksh is not just kid’s programming, since it is inspired by the Ramayana.”

    Antariksh, is an adventurous action-fiction of various events that will shape the destiny of the indomitable and courageous Prince Amar, as he fights the ultimate evil, Rankaal, in his quest to save humanity. It is the fight between good versus evil (Amar versus Rankaal). The story is a war of the titans which is fought with hi tech gadgets and amazing weapons, the release further informs.

    The series is produced by Ashim Samanta and Jyotin Goel from Wild Fire Entertainment. The special effects and animation part of Antariksh is handled by Jyoti Sagar from Sagar Arts Productions and Prasad Ajgaonkar from Interactive Realities Ltd.

  • BCCI, Nimbus look to give domestic cricket a facelift

    BCCI, Nimbus look to give domestic cricket a facelift

    MUMBAI: For many years domestic cricket in India suffered from neglect by the administration (read Board of Control for Cricket in India – BCCI). However, the Indian cricket board, along with its television partner Nimbus, are looking to turn things around. The plan calls for rebranding of domestic cricket events as well as telecast of domestic cricket not just in India, but also abroad.

    The season kicks off from 1 October and runs till April 2007. The matches will air on Neo Sports, which is being positioned as the Home of Indian Cricket on TV. Neo Sports launches on 1 October 2006.

    BCCI VP and marketing subcommittee chairman Lalit Nodi says, “It has been a dream for us to make sure that domestic cricket is given as much importance as international cricket. We have given brand names to domestic events.

    “So the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy will now be known as Challenger Series for the NKP Salve Trophy, the Ranji Trophy – Elite Division is now titled the Super League for the Ranji Trophy, The Ranji Trophy Plate Division is now known as the Plate League, and the Deodhar Trophy is now known as the All Star Series for the Deodhar Trophy.

    “The Inter State One Day Knockout is now known as the Premier Cup. This initiative is the first of a series of exciting plans that we have in store. While we are looking to get players of the Indian national side to play, the aim is to have many stars emerge from domestic cricket. Why should there be only 11 cricket stars? We can easily have 300. We will monitor innovations as we go along. We are also looking at the mobile to promote domestic cricket. Mobile is a viral medium courtesy features like SMS and this is an area that we are looking to tap into. This will provide a value add for fans who want to follow their team.”

    Nimbus Chairman Harish Thawani says, “This has been a three month process of us working with the BCCI so that our goals were aligned. When we telecast the Challenger Trophy last year on a recently launched network (Zee Sports) it managed TRPs of 1.93. This shows that television does bring in an audience for domestic cricket.

    “What we are doing though is not just a branding exercise. We worked with the BCCI on the scheduling. A lot of time went into working on the logistics. The aim is that domestic cricket should not overlap with the days on which the Indian national side is playing. The one day matches will be day/night fixtures. Over 80 per cent of ODI matches will be day/night encounters.

    “We have also managed to persuade licensees globally to air domestic cricket. So domestic cricket will be seen in the UK on Sky Sports, in Australia on Fox Sports, in Malaysia on Astro and in Africa on Super Sport. On the net it will be webcast on www.willow.tv. We are also expecting to announce a deal in the US.”

    Thawani, however, adds that it will take one season to see what impact the push being given to domestic cricket has had.

    BCCI member IS Bindra was frank enough to admit that it was the BCCI’s fault that domestic cricket has languished to the extent that hardly any people come out to watch matches. “There was a time when a Deodhar Trophy match would have 70,000 people in attendance. One of the failings of the BCCI in the past has been the lack of attention given to domestic cricket. We are looking to correct this. Television coverage by Nimbus will attract people to the arena. It will give viewers the feeling that something of importance is happening. Last year when the Challenger Trophy was telecast we had a 70 per cent attendance on the ground. For the final it was 100 per cent full. In Australia often the finals of the domestic season have a better attendance than some international one day matches.

    “In England the tickets for the final matches of the domestic season are booked a year in advance. I don’t see why we cannot approach that level with proper marketing of our product. Aggressive marketing helps and a good example is the BCCI rankings for domestic cricket which will be launched next month. We have managed to raise 10-15 times more than what the ICC has managed for their rankings. We are on the brink of a revolution as far as domestic cricket is concerned.”

    Thawani adds that Nimbus is looking to sell daily news packages of domestic cricket to news channels.

    One important issue is that of advertising. It is no secret that viewers are unhappy about the sheer volume of ads in a match. Often one sees five balls in an over instead of six as the channel has gone for an ad break at the fall of a wicket. Thawani says that an automated playout system is being put in place so that not a ball is lost. There will be no manual override.

    Modi says that this issue is being taken seriously by the BCCI. It has in fact mandated that it cannot happen. “If ads are put in when a wicket falls instead of a channel showing replays of the wicket taken and a ball is lost then it is a breach of contract,” Modi asserted.

  • Piyush Pandey elected to Ogilvy Worldwide Board

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather has announced that Piyush Pandey, has been nominated on the Ogilvy Worldwide Board. Piyush is currently Ogilvy & Mather India chairman and national creative director.
    Speaking on the occasion, Ogilvy India & South Asia co-executive chairman and chief operating officer S.N. Rane said, “This is a great honour for Piyush and Ogilvy India. It is well deserved and well overdue.”

    Addressing Ogilvy’s Worldwide heads of offices and senior management Shelly Lazarus said, “Piyush’s creative leadership is well respected both in India and abroad. His work has won numerous prestigious national and international awards, besides being the first Asian ever to serve as the President of the Cannes Jury. We have been fortunate to have Piyush’s talent on the Worldwide Creative Council for the past several years. We are now even more fortunate to have him on the Worldwide Board.

    Piyush brings another creative voice to the board. Piyush adds to the tremendous wealth of wisdom and experience we have in our board colleagues and I will welcome his contribution going forward.”

  • BBC World again voted the leading TV Channel for travellers

    BBC World again voted the leading TV Channel for travellers

    MUMBAI: BBC World has been named as the Leading TV Channel for Travellers at the 13th Annual World Travel Awards for the second year in a row.

    A total of 110,000 travel agents around the world were invited to nominate their favourite TV channel, as part of an awards ceremony that was established “to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the enormous achievements to be found in all sectors of the global travel industry.”

    BBC World, the BBC’s international news and information channel, received the most votes and was presented the award at a gala ceremony in Turks and Caicos on Wednesday night. The channel also won the same award last year at the Annual World Travel Awards 2005 in London.

    BBC World’s Director of Airtime Sales, Jonathan Howlett said: “This award acknowledges BBC World’s unique appeal to the international traveller and it is a great honour to have received it two years in a row. Through our comprehensive news and business bulletins, and our weekly, award-winning travel news programme, Fasttrack, we keep global travellers fully briefed on the issues that affect them. Travel and tourism is such an integral part of the global economy and this award reinforces BBC World’s commitment to the industry.”

    BBC World’s commitment to travel and tourism has also been recognised in other awards and surveys.

    Fasttrack was voted best television feature of the year in 2005 by the British Guild of Travel Writers. In May 2005, an International Air Travellers Survey [IATS] found that BBC World was the favourite news channel and most trusted international news channel among travellers, who considered it to have greater in-depth analysis than its competitors.

    BBC World reaches nearly half a million frequent flyers per day around the world and has more than 30 tourism board clients across the globe from the Pacific to the Middle East. The channel is also seen in 1.3 million hotel rooms, 36 airlines and 46 cruise liners around the world.

  • Tivo to provide ad research services in the US

    MUMBAI: Tivo, which innovates in the arena of advertising solutions and television services for digtal video recorders (DVR) in the US and and Information Resources (IRI), have launched the IRI TiVo Consumer Insights Suite.

    It is comprised of two new services, providing advertisers and brand marketers with the ability to fully understand the impact digital video recorder (DVR) technology has on consumer viewing patterns and subsequent product sales, as well as the ability to quantify the effectiveness of specific advertising campaigns and brand recognition programmes in Tivo DVR households.

    The two parties are expanding their existing relationship. Utilising second-by-second analysis and tracking it to actual consumer purchasing decisions, the expanded relationship provides first-of- its-kind viewer and consumer insights from a new national DVR research panel combined with new media and message testing capabilities to fully understand and better leverage the evolving impact of DVRs.

    Tivo CEO Tom Rogers says, “Tivo continues to take innovative steps to help advertisers analyse and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns by combining unrivalled, second- by-second viewer data with verified consumer purchase decisions.”

    The IRI Tivo Consumer Pulse solution provides advertisers with new TV viewer and consumers sales insights on the effect of DVR time-shifting behaviour on sales through an opt-in panel of viewing participants throughout the US. The new solution identifies sales impact for individual products and brands, delivers new insights on
    consumers being impacted, and provides new information on the viewing behaviours that actually drive the impact.

    Using an opt-in panel of Tivo homes, generic DVR homes and non-DVR homes, IRI measures brand purchases to deliver a new understanding of brand performance in DVR households and the impact of DVRs on product launches, brand extensions, and established brands. Tivo then measures second-by-second commercial viewership in the homes with Tivo service, making it possible for brand purchase results to be traced and compared to the actual viewership of commercials.

    Through the IRI behavior scan DVR solution, brand marketers, advertisers, advertising agencies, media networks and cable operators will be able to test specific advertising creative while simultaneously tracking the purchasing behaviour of Tivo households and compare that with generic DVR and non-DVR households within the same market.

    Advertisers will benefit from the highly-controlled, split-test environment, enabling them to execute different advertising plans based on what is most actionable and relevant to their target audience. Advertisers and media buyers will also be able to experiment with media, mix, and creative strategies to prepare for a world of DVR ubiquity before it becomes a reality.

    IRI president and CEO Scott W. Klein says, “DVR penetration continues to grow throughout the US and advertisers need to be equipped with the most informative insights and solutions available to maximise effectiveness and ROI of marketing communications.”

    IRI president of Business and Consumer Insights Sunil Garga says, “In this innovative media landscape, advertisers must be equally innovative in understanding consumers’ media habits to effectively reach their target market. Using the unique combination of IRI Tivo Consumer Pulse information and behavior scan testing capabilities with second-by-second Tivo data, advertisers are now empowered with capabilities to fully leverage DVR technology and connect with their desired consumers in the correct way.”

    Tivo and IRI first partnered in 2004 when IRI supplied Tivo DVRs to a subset of its behavior scan household panelists, providing a consortium of select major CPG companies critical data on the impact of their advertising programmes.

    All of the panelists who choose to participate in the program have expressly agreed to “opt-in” to allow Tivo to track their exact viewing behaviour in order to form the basis for comparison.

  • The Indian Brand Summit discusses new ways to reach the consumer

    MUMBAI: The India Brand Summit 2006 culminated with a final session on ‘New Ways to Reach the Consumer’. Chairing the session was Reliance Retail chief executive consumer durables Rajeev Karwal along with Lintas’ Lynn De Souza, TAM Media Research LV Krishnan, Leo Burnett’s Arvind Sharma, Maxis CEO Asia Pacific CVL Srinivas and Jet Airways DGM brands Alok Saraogi on the panel for the evening.
    Lynn De Souza begun by stating that new media primarily consisted of digital (internet and IPTV), out of home, on the move media and the consumer himself, which she felt is by far the most powerful. However, she was of the opinion that that in India traditional media still has great potential to grow and predicted that it will continue to be important for at least the next 10 years, mainly by recreating itself through interaction with the consumer.

    Srinivas on the other hand brought certain key concepts to the discussion. He talked of ‘Media Meshing’ which is the simultaneous consumption of media, as he believes media consumption is changing rapidly and it is time for media owners to ride the tide in this direction. He also spoke of ‘Social Media’ where people are primarily the creators, influencers and observers, something that has been fueled by a concept like blogging. “If you combine the two, you get a multi dimensional black box that will force advertising agencies think more differently. This will give us an impetus to move away from big bang advertising to ‘micropersuation’. The world is changing and change is at our doorstep.”

    Sharma addressed the gathering with some eye catching visuals and highlighted the fact that ‘consumer disseminated content’ is what is leading the way. Communication between consumers via the internet and mobile phones has the capacity to spread like wildfire and thus helps to drive the brand. These could include jokes, cartoons, a 30 second spot however, a classic example was that of Gmail, which has absolutely no advertisements but is something that through invites has grown in leaps and bounds merely by consumers acting as agents to pass it on.

    Saraogi on the other hand explained how the ‘human quotient’ of media or rather the human needs that new media poses to serve. He added, “Today, while technology reduces boundaries people also desire to be able to communicate thus we need to leverage the power of technology and make it relevant to each consumer.”

    TAM’s LV Krishnan spoke specifically from a television perspective and eluded the point that TV has evolved from getting eyeballs to consumer engagement. Studies from his organisation supported suggested, for different categories different mechanisms are used to get more effective engagement. Like for example for house wives it is sound that forces her to rush out of the kitchen and catch the climax while for youth and kids both visuals and sound helped get kids involved in each program.

    Taking a shot at the media researchers Lynn added that media research was still not adequately developed and that with the emergence of these newer mediums like the internet and DTH and the interactivity that they incorporate can provide sufficient measurability thus, there would soon be no need for media research.

    All these industry experts all tread different paths in the various ways to deliver content, yet they all aim at the same goal of ultimately reaching the consumer!