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Category: News Headline

  • US Motion Picture Association files suits against retail pirates in China

    US Motion Picture Association files suits against retail pirates in China

    MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association (MPA) in the US has announced that its member companies had filed civil suits against the operators of two pirate retail outlets in Beijing, China.

    They are seeking damages of RMB 60,000 per infringed title, as well as legal costs and a pledge to cease and desist from all illegal sales of pirated movies.

    The actions against the companies operating the Feng He Ri Li and Yu Hao Qing retail outlets, both located in Beijing’s central business district, are being heard by the Beijing 1st Intermediate People’s Court and Beijing 2nd Intermediate People’s Court respectively.

    Both Feng He Ri Li and Yu Hao Qing have in the past been raided by the Beijing Copyright Bureau and Beijing and Chaoyang District Police. In May Chaoyang District Police seized 13,000 pirated DVDs from Feng He Ri Li. The MPA and its member companies maintain active litigation programmes in many countries aimed at defending member companies’ copyrights against unauthorised and illegal infringement. During 2002 and 2003 MPA initiated 10 civil cases against manufacturing and retail sales operations in China. Those cases were all settled or judged in favor of the member company plaintiffs.

    MPA senior VP and regional director Mike Ellis, says, “These actions demonstrate that copyright holders can and will vigorously defend their property, and that there is a price to pay for copyright infringement.

    “In China, the MPA is active in the support of government enforcement and education efforts. However, unquestionably one of the foundations of China’s piracy problems – and the piracy rate for motion pictures in China is estimated at 93 per cent – is the lack of market access accorded to foreign films.

    “The maintenance of the theatrical exhibition quota, combined with the frequent imposition of blackouts on the theatrical release of foreign films, and the restrictions on home video distributors compared with pirate retailers, give movie pirates a tremendous market advantage. Market access, i.e. a more open market, is a prerequisite for reducing piracy, and piracy affects foreign and domestic movie producers alike.”

    In China, and many countries around the world, the MPA works closely with governments to support enforcement and education efforts, and conducts its own education and enforcement initiatives in many markets.

  • Karunanidhi kicks off colour TV scheme in Tamil Nadu

    Karunanidhi kicks off colour TV scheme in Tamil Nadu

    MUMBAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi has unveiled the free Colour TV Scheme for the poor. Fulfilling his party’s poll promise, the DMK president distributed 25,245 colour TV sets worth about Rs 90 million were given to the residents of Samathuvapuram (a colony of all communities and creeds) at Thundalkazhani village in Padappai in Kanchipuram district.

    The CM has been quoted in media reports as saying that, Rs 7.5 billion had already been allocated in the state budget for distributing 25 lakh colour TV sets. He said the scheme would be implemented in phases as it was not possible to distribute all the 2.5 million sets in a single day.

    Karunanidhi’s cabinet colleagues would begin the distribution of the colour TVs in other districts, barring Madurai where the code of conduct had come into force for the 11 October 11 Assembly byelections, on 16 September.

    Finance minister K Anbazhagan is scheduled to launch the scheme in Madurai, while local administration minister M K Stalin would distribute the TV sets at Enathur Samathuvapuram, also in Kancheepuram District. Electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy would hand over the TVs to those living in slum clearance board tenements in Pursawalkam and Kotturpuram in the city.

  • Nat Geo builds an online Wall against Terror

    Nat Geo builds an online Wall against Terror

    MUMBAI: In an effort to get Indian viewers more involved with its programming on terrorism the National Geographic Channel (NGC) has creating a unique microsite to increase interactivity with the viewers, encourage them to come forward with their views and get in depth information on the series Nat Geo Investigates: Terrorism. The series is airing till 22 September 2006 at 10 pm.

    The micro-site is called Wall against Terror. It includes a special forum called ‘India’s Voice’. This is a blog where viewers can share their ideas and thoughts about the issue of terrorism.

    The microsite also includes sections like ‘What’s Your Slogan?’, ‘Do Your Bit’ and ‘Send A Postcard’. ‘What’s Your Slogan’ invite’s viewers to post their slogan against terror, while ‘Do Your Bit’ looks at giving tips to citizens on how to deal with terrorism in day-to-day life. Through ‘Send A Postcard’, one can inform his or her friends about the series and the campaign against terrorism.

    Besides the above, the Nat Geo Investigates micro-site provides in depth information on the series and interesting factoids on some of the deadliest terror attacks in recent times.

    NGC India VP -marketing, Rajesh Sheshadri, said, “With a strong message like ‘India, Fight Back’, we are promoting this series not only on-air but also through radio, internet and various innovative on-ground activities. This series is a landmark event not only for us, but all our viewers and partners as it touches a topic which is pertinent to all. With only few days into the activity, we are getting tremendous response to the series and to our blog India’s Voice. It shows that people are now ready to be involved in the fight against terrorism, by being more alert and aware”.

    The micro-site, ‘Wall Against Terror’ can be accessed through the National Geographic Channel’s website www.nationalgeographic.co.in or directly www.designmechanics.in/natgeo/

  • Motorola, Nokia to cooperate on mobile TV interoperability

    Motorola, Nokia to cooperate on mobile TV interoperability

    MUMBAI: In an effort to encourage greater adoption of broadcast mobile TV services and accelerate service deployment, Motorola and Nokia today announced that they will work to achieve interoperability among their DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast – Handheld) enabled mobile devices and network services.

    The handset manufacturers will work together to support solutions based on open DVB-IPDC standards available for operator partners interested in deploying multi-vendor mobile TV services and trials in 2006 and onward.

    For the uninitiated DVB-H technology enables the TV service to be broadcast to one’s mobile device. The parties state that DVB-H provides a superior end-user experience in the mobile environment with excellent picture and reduced battery consumption. Up to 50 TV channels can be delivered with low cost, over one network. With extensive pilots of broadcast mobile TV currently taking place across the globe, involving leading broadcasters, mobile operators, broadcast network operators and handset manufacturers, the market for commercial broadcast services is expected to grow throughout this year.

    According to market research firm Informa, the mobile TV market is poised to grow exponentially – by 2010, there are anticipated to be over 50 million DVB-H enabled mobile devices sold globally. The deployment of mobile TV services will offer new business opportunities for companies across the value chain – including content and broadcast companies, mobile service providers, infrastructure and handset manufacturers and technology providers — and the availability of interoperable DVB-H enabled devices and services is a key factor in further opening up the market.

    Among the many digital technologies available to deliver mobile TV services, Motorola and Nokia both view DVB-H as an effective technology for deploying broadcast mobile TV. DVB-H technology offers high service level quality, low battery consumption and offers the end-user the ability to simultaneously receive broadcasts while using other mobile services such as telephony and internet access on their device.

    Motorola director of broadcast technologies Rob Bero says, “Operators around the world are evaluating broadcast mobile TV as a compelling new service to offer their subscribers – and interoperability will play a key role in bringing these services to market faster.

    “As a vocal leader in open standards, including DVB-H, we’re pleased to be working with Nokia to deliver interoperable handset and network solutions that will help enable operators to offer the ultimate mobile TV experience for consumers.”

    Nokia director, multimedia experiences Harri Männistö says, “Commercial mobile TV services are on the verge of launching in several markets across the world. In order for mobile TV to be a true success, we need interoperable mobile devices and systems which deliver the best experience for consumers and enable enjoyable, live broadcast TV when and where it suits them, redefining prime times and television program content. Nokia is happy to see that open DVB-H technology has and will have widespread support across the industry players, including Motorola and Nokia, in bringing mobile TV to market”.

    In parallel to supporting mobile operators launching mobile TV services based on existing technologies in their networks, Motorola and Nokia are both active in ongoing standardization and technology development to optimize the broadcast mobile TV experience. The companies will work on interoperability efforts using the open DVB-IPDC standard while continuing to participate in industry-wide interoperability efforts within the related standardization bodies.

  • Where goest the broadcast bill?

    Where goest the broadcast bill?

    The fate of the broadcast bill hangs on a razor’s edge, despite Braodcast Minister Arun Jaitley’s pledge to table it in the surrent budget session of parliament.

    Lobbying for the Broadcast bill is expected to reach fever pitch after March during the Budget session recess. The broadcasters lobby group, The Indian Broadcast Foundation has set up three committees for the purpose. Discovery India’s Kiran Karnik, News Television India’s Peter Mukherjee and Urmila Gupta, and Sony Entertainment Television’s Kunal Dasgupta are looking at convergence and spectrum allocation issues. ESPN’s Manu Sawney and Turner International’s Anshuman Misra are reviewing technology convergence, especially the last mile infrastructure.

    Content provider UTV’s Ronnie Screwvala and Khursheeda Mody, Nimbus Communications Harish Thawani and MTV India’s Alex Kuruvilla are looking at Internet regulatory issues. Three government committees are also reviewing critical areas in the bill.

    Jaitley expects to reach a consensus during the recess before tabling the bill in parliament. Some analysts believe that foreign equity in cross media holding and DTH may not form a part of the bill, plagued by opposing political viewpoints. Others indicate that the bill may be tabled, but will go into a sub committee for further review.

  • Soccer World Cup generates 135 million euro profit

    Soccer World Cup generates 135 million euro profit

    MUMBAI: Looks like the German soccer and tax authorities have netted a serious windfall from this year’s soccer World Cup.

    This summer’s World Cup turned out a real financial success for the German organizers.

    German football federation president Theo Zwanziger has been quoted in media reports saying that the event made a 135 million euro profit before tax.

    After tax, an amount of 56.6 million euros will be shared between the German Football Federation (DFB) and German Football League (DFL) while football’s governing body Fifa earned 40.8 million euros.

    Reports add that the accounts still need to be checked by Fifa auditors KPMG. The final figures will not be known until all work has been finalised but they could easily exceed the previously mentioned amount.

    Germany managed a strong attendance during the event which took place from 9 June 2006 to 9 July 2006.

  • Eros International in 2-year output deal with K Sera Sera

    Eros International in 2-year output deal with K Sera Sera

    MUMBAI: London-headquartered media and entertainment group Eros International that owns and distributes Bollywood content globally has announced a long-term output deal with the Mumbai-based production house K Sera Sera to co-produce and exclusively handle global distribution of its forthcoming films.

    Indiantelevision.com was the first to report that K Sera Sera and Eros were in negotiations for an output deal.

    “We have signed an MoU for a broadbased two-year output deal. We are working out the details,” says K Sera Sera managing director Parag Sanghvi. The deal is “for assignment of some of its rights for some of its forthcoming film projects.” Definitive agreement for assignment of the rights shall be entered between the parties at a later date.

    The deal gives Eros access to K Sera Sera’s entire output over a long term period, which is guaranteed to be at least 10 films. Projects in the pipeline include Nanhe starring Bobby Deol, Dombivili Fast directed by Abbas Mastan, and three Salman Khan films, including Partner directed by David Dhawan, informs an official release.

    With this deal, Eros expects to increase its presence in India through co-productions and the acquisition of distribution rights to include music publishing and more significantly, Indian cinema distribution, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the revenues of the Indian film industry.

    Says Eros chairman & CEO Kishore Lulla, “This deal demonstrates our content consolidation strategy as outlined at the time of our flotation. We are confident that collaborating with a successful production house like K Sera Sera will help accelerate our growth from co-productions and ensure a steady flow of content through our pipeline.”

    Adds Sanghvi, “We are delighted to be associated with Eros who have been pioneers in the Bollywood distribution and entertainment space for over three decades. This output deal allows us to focus on our core competency of film production.”

    Eros’s latest Bollywood venture has been Omkara, a Bollywood adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. As per the official release, the movie grossed box office revenues of $6.7 million in its first week of worldwide release in August 2006.

  • Calls for firmer IP laws featured in IPO seminar

    Calls for firmer IP laws featured in IPO seminar

    MUMBAI:In a bid to broaden the effectiveness of government when dealing with intellectual property rights (IPR) cases involving the Philippines cable and satellite TV industry, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa), with support from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTA), recently staged a high level legal training seminar in Makati City.

    The seminar, specifically designed to support IPO and NTC officers, brought together pay-TV industry experts, including cable operators, content creators and program distributors, along with IPR experts from law firm Quisumbing Torres, states an official release.

    Participants from both the government and the private sector highlighted the importance of building strong IPR protection to spur industry growth and boost its contribution to national progress.

    “This is the first of a series of seminars that IP Philippines will undertake in partnership with the NTC and the pay-TV industry through Casbaa and the PCTA. The objective is to advance our common goal of curbing IP violations,” said IP Philippines deputy director General Pacifico Avenido.

    The training session came on the heels of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the IPO and the NTC, which transfers the investigation and resolution of pay-TV industry IP cases to the IPO.

    “As soon as the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the MoA are approved, the cases pending at the NTC will be transferred to the IPO”, said Avenido.

    “Thus, there’s an urgent need for our Bureau of Legal Affairs hearing lawyers to be trained comprehensively on pay-TV industry IP issues and the technical processes in broadcasting relevant to understanding the issues.”

    Meanwhile, John Medeiros, the Casbaa VP for Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, expressed industry appreciation for the government’s efforts to address the worsening problem of pay-TV piracy.

    “We thank the IPO and the NTC for co-sponsoring this seminar, a truly positive step that demonstrates the value of cooperation between the government and the pay-TV industry,” said Mr Medeiros.

    PCTA president Allan Dungao echoed Casbaa’s call for the government of the Philippines to fortify the industry’s anti-piracy cause.

    “Industry estimates place pay-TV signal theft losses at billions of pesos. With the support of the NTC, the IPO, the different legislative bodies and local government units, laws and ordinances have been passed rendering signal theft a crime punishable with imprisonment. More intervention through further government legislation is required, particularly in addressing program piracy in the Philippines,” said Mr Dungao.

    Star TV Philippines VP, Liza Latinazo, with Tim Bautista, the COO of pay-TV channel distributor Cable Boss, joined Mr. Dungao on a panel of industry speakers during the training.

    As a follow-up, the IPO, NTC, Casbaa and the PCTA are planning a follow-up IP law seminar open to industry and public sector groups in October as part of the IPO’s IP Protect educational lecture series, adds the release.

  • Starcom renews Asia Diversified focus, Ravi Kiran to head

    MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group Asia Pacific has created a new role of CEO – Diversified Services for the Asian region as it renews focus on specialist communication sevices. Stepping into this new postion is current SMG South Asia CEO Ravi Kiran.
     
    In his new capacity, Kiran will be responsible for setting up and driving new and specialist marketing and communication services across all fourteen markets in the region. Initially, he will be based in Mumbai but relocation may be on the cards.

    Speaking about his new role which will come into effect from 1 January 2007, Kiran says, “In addition to our eight specialist units, I will be primarily responsible for setting up similar services relevant to the given market. These markets would span across the Indian sub-continent to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea.”
     

    Kiran will, however, continue to serve the South Asian management responsibilities for the network as its chief executive, while the rest of the management structure in India remains unchanged.

    Says Starcom MediaVest Group CEO – Asia Pacific D. Sriram, “As consumer control over message and media increases and their attention gets increasingly difficult to attract, we are expanding our skills and competencies to be able to offer true holistic planning and activation solutions to our clients. SMG India is a shining example for us in the rapid development of specialist services and is well on its way to representing the model for the 21st century, with most of our clients using our services outside classical media planning and buying. The intention is for us to replicate this success in the rest of the region, and Ravi’s elevation to a regional leadership of diversified services is intended to drive that success.”

     
     

    Adds Kiran, “We know that communication challenges of tomorrow will be fundamentally different from those of today and at Starcom MediaVest Group, we are ready for it. I have had a terrific time working with the Starcom team in India in making our thinking holistic and creating specialist disciplines. I hope to be able to take some of my experiences here to other markets in Asia. I am sure each market will be different and unique and the new role is going to be fun.”

    Under Ravi Kiran’s stewardship, Starcom MediaVest Group India has, in a short time, created a whole host of new areas including online and wireless marketing, entertainment and embedded marketing, sports and cause enabled marketing, out-of-home and ambient marketing, small town and rural marketing, media supported amplification, and navigational signage and retail branding.