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Category: News Headline

  • GV Films in talks to sell webcasting division for Rs 1 billion

    GV Films in talks to sell webcasting division for Rs 1 billion

    MUMBAI: Chennai-based GV Films Ltd. is in negotiations to sell its webcasting division including rights to 6000 movies for Rs 1 billion.

    The company had signed an MoU with I-Net Singapore, a leading infocomm technology solutions provider, to web stream movies. I-Net Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of MediaCorp which has a complete range of media businesses spanning TV, radio, movie productions, newspapers, magazines, electronic media and other broadcasting services, would have provided the backend mechanism and acted as a hub for GV Films to stream movie content from its portals, gvtamilfilms.com and telugupictures.com.

    “We are in talks to sell our webcasting unit for over Rs 1 billion since this calls for specialist attention. We want to concentrate on physical assets like setting up multiplexes,” says a senior executive of GV Films.

    The company is planning to have 45 multiplexes in the southern states of India which would also have shopping malls. “We have already acquired two theatres and 10 more are in the process. We will be branding and refurbishing them. We aim to invest $10 million per theatre,” says the executive.

    The company plans to raise $300 million in overseas markets either through issue of foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) or global depository receipts (GDRs). GV Films also expects to receive Rs 1 billion through its sale of the web-casting division. The company had paid Rs 900 million to acquire internet rights to 4000 Hindi films and 2000 movies in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages.

    GV Films’ plans to acquire an international TV channel, but negotiations have been deferred. “We intend to have a film channel that will cater to the Indian diaspora overseas. It will air Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies. We are not looking at a footprint in India,” says the executive.

  • FM radio: PMO forwards grievances to I&B

    FM radio: PMO forwards grievances to I&B

    NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has forwarded the grievances of private FM radio operators in India to the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry for “appropriate action.”

    Pointing out that it is a “positive step,” the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) convenor and CEO of BAG Films radio division Rajiv Misra said, “We have received a communication from the PMO, which has not struck down our demands.”

    Misra added that the PMO has forwarded the demands of the nascent FM radio industry to the nodal ministry for suitable and appropriate action on the matter.

    The demands of AROI included permission for news and current affairs programming on private FM radio stations and rationalization of music royalty fee, which has been termed by the radio industry as “too high” and “arbitrary.”

    A FM radio operator termed the development as a “step forward”, adding that the I&B ministry is likely to be more receptive to the idea of news on private radio stations once it has heard from the PMO.

    The government and the Union Cabinet have been divided over the issue of news on private radio stations with one section saying that if this is allowed, it could compromise national security as monitoring of all FM radio stations all the time could be a Herculean task.

    However, a government panel under the chairmanship of Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra had recommended giving the green signal to news on private FM radio stations as it would bring about variety in programming and is a standard global norm.

    Meanwhile, AROI is continuing to negotiate with music industry bodies to rationalize music royalty fee.

    The I&B ministry, however, has washed its hands off the music fee issue, saying the matter relates to IPR, which is in the domain of the human resources development (HRD) ministry.

    The HRD ministry, these days pre-occupied with reservation-for-backward-classes-in-educational-institutions issue, hasn’t reacted too warmly to AROI’s presentation on high music royalty.
     

  • MTV Movie Awards to honour Jim Carrey, Spike Lee

    MTV Movie Awards to honour Jim Carrey, Spike Lee

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster MTV has announced that it will honour actor Jim Carrey and director Spike Lee at the MTV Movie Awards which will air in the US on 8 June.

    Carrey will receive the MTV Generation Award for his career and acting roles that have captured and entertained MTV audiences for years.

    Tom Cruise was the first to receive the honour at last year’s Movie Awards ceremony. In addition, MTV will honour Spike Lee with the Silver Bucket of Excellence Award for his film Do The Right Thing

    The show will be hosted by Jessica Alba. Presenters at the awards will include Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Eva Mendes, Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson and Matt Dillon.

  • BBC to air Fifa World Cup matches on broadband in the UK

    BBC to air Fifa World Cup matches on broadband in the UK

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has signed a deal with Infront Sports & Media, the company responsible for the worldwide marketing and sales of the broadcast rights to the 2006 World Cup.

    This will allow internet users in the UK to watch all the games online.

    All of the BBC’s TV games will be live and free-to-air with online viewers able to access the games at bbc.co.uk/worldcup and bbc.co.uk/sport – viewing of these matches will be restricted to those that live in the UK.

    All of the BBC’s group games as well as all the subsequent games that the BBC has in the knockout stages will be available on these sites.

    The BBC will also have the exclusive rights to England’s second round and quarter-final games should they reach that stage.

    Furthermore, the BBC has non-exclusive rights to short highlights from every 2006 World Cup game. There will be four-minute clips from all of the 64 matches available on-demand whenever users want to view them.

    For the BBC’s matches, viewers will be able to stream the same coverage and commentary as on TV as will appear on terrestrial television.

    Also, in addition to watching the games, online users will be able to hear and read about the latest action – BBC Radio Five Live will have an audio stream from 2006 World Cup game and there will also be live minute-by-minute reports on every match written by BBC journalists.

    BBC director of sport Roger Mosey said, “Our audiences now expect to get BBC Sport on television, on radio and online – and the World Cup on broadband is our biggest commitment yet to bringing people major events where and when they want them.

    “You can watch the World Cup from the BBC at home on TV – or listen in the car on your radio – and now also see full live coverage on your PC. We know that a lot of online viewing is done in the office, so we suspect this will allow people both to do their job and to keep up with the very latest action from Germany.”

    BBC director of sports rights Dominic Coles says, “The BBC has great traditions in sport but we also want to be the most modern provider of content, and our move into broadband reflects this.”

    The BBC has successfully broadcast football over the internet before, but this is by far its biggest-ever single commitment.

    In 2005 the BBC showed the final of the Fifa Club World Championship Toyota Cup Japan between Liverpool and Sao Paulo online to UK internet users.

    Similarly the BBC also broadcast online all the interactive streams from Athens 2004 Olympics.

    This latest deal follows this week’s announcement that the BBC will provide UK broadband users with access to five courts of live tennis action during the 2006 Wimbledon Championships.

    The service will replicate coverage from the BBC’s live terrestrial coverage plus the remaining digital interactive feeds. The BBC already has the broadband rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

  • IMG acquires production firm Tiger Aspect

    IMG acquires production firm Tiger Aspect

    MUMBAI: IMG Media has announced that it will acquire the London based production firm Tiger Aspect Productions.

    The acquisition includes Tiger Aspect’s subsidiaries Tigress (adventure and wildlife producer), TTP (Washington DC-based US production company) and Tiger Aspect Pictures.

    IMG Media, a division of sports, entertainment and media firm IMG, will finance the acquisition entirely with capital from parent company IMG. The Tiger Aspect acquisition is part of IMG’s strategic growth plans.

    It will also enable IMG Media to become for the first time, a multi-genre market leader. IMG Media says that its subsidiaries TWI, the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming, and high-end factual specialists Darlow Smithson Productions (Touching the Void, I Shouldn’t Be Alive, Seconds From Disaster, The Falling Man), put it at the forefront of global high-end factual production.

    For Tiger Aspect, the agreement enhances its position as one of the top global multi-genre production companies, giving it access to new opportunities via a greater global presence, intellectual property within the group and new technologies.

    Tiger Aspect brings with it key strengths across a wide range of programming including animation and children’s, comedy, drama, entertainment, and a broad range of factual output. It also produces wildlife programmes (through Tigress) and has a movie unit which has produced hits ranging from Billy Elliot to Kevin and Perry Go Large.

    Key to the acquisition is Tiger Aspect’s reputation as a creative independent producer with a proven track record of producing hits across all genres, both within the UK and overseas. The company has a growing annual output of more than 220 hours and an annual turnover of more than 50 million pounds. In addition to its London HQ and Bristol office, it has an established production base on the east coast of America.

    Tiger Aspect’s programme portfolio includes comedies like The Catherine Tate Show, The Vicar of Dibley, Mr Bean. Currently in production are new series of BBC shows Charlie and Lola and detective drama Murphy’s Law. Tiger Aspect has also done factual series like The Monastery.

    IMG chairman and CEO Ted Forstmann said, “IMG today is in an exceptionally strong financial position. As a result of unprecedented internal growth, we are now able to make investments in any of the areas in which we do business. We already have a major presence in worldwide distribution, rights management, and New Media. The Tiger Aspect acquisition will immediately help us grow content production and distribution. We welcome Tiger Aspect and its people into the IMG global family.”

    IMG Media executive VP and COO Alastair Waddington said, “Tiger Aspect’s acquisition realises IMG Media’s long-held ambition to become a multi-genre producer, and we look forward to Tiger Aspect’s continued success and growth, while maintaining its distinctive identity as a producer of top quality programming.”

    Tiger Aspect founder and chairman Peter Bennett-Jones said, “This is a red letter day in the distinguished history of Tiger Aspect. We are immensely proud of our output and this deal will enhance our ability to make many more memorable programmes for broadcast in the UK and around the world through IMG’s extensive international structure. It will also open up new media opportunities and introduce new markets and creative relationships.”

  • Michael Ware is CNN’s Baghdad based correspondent

    Michael Ware is CNN’s Baghdad based correspondent

    MUMBAI: CNN has announced that Michael Ware, the Time magazine Baghdad bureau chief who gained renown for in-depth coverage of the insurgency in Iraq , is joining the broadcaster as a correspondent based in Baghdad.

    A frequent guest to CNN over the last five years, Ware becomes a full-time international correspondent providing news reports and analysis across all CNN networks.

    CNN senior VP international newsgathering operations Tony Maddox says, “Michael is one of the most accomplished correspondents working in Iraq . His exclusive stories and unique insights into the workings of the insurgency will increase the scope and depth of our reporting. He joins a fantastic CNN team of committed journalists in Baghdad, and we are very excited to have him as a full-time member of the CNN family.”

     

  • Channel7 re-launches with new on-air look

    Channel7 re-launches with new on-air look

    MUMBAI: Starting 5 June, Hindi news channel Channel7 will relaunch donning a new on-air look.

    Florida-based VDO has developed the new look for the channel where the management control was recently taken over by the Television Eighteen Group from Jagran TV.

    The new logo, look and packaging are designed to contemporize the network, informs an official release from Channel7.

    The entire on-air environment, which includes the channel identity, show openers and on-air graphic packages, has been created keeping in consideration the changing preferences of the viewers, the channel claimed.

    The channel’s director marketing Dilip Venkatraman said in a statement, “The idea behind the new logo is to give it a contemporary look. The new logo is also aimed at communicating the core brand values of the channel and its
    philosophy.”

    According to VDO senior producer Dianne Streyer, “The idea behind changing the on-air look of the channel was to make it more modern and connect with the viewers. The Indian market is cluttered with plethora of news channels and it was important to give it a distinctive look to create a unique identity for Channel 7.”

    VDO was also instrumental in developing the on-air look for CNN-IBN. The company designs brand packaging solutions for networks, broadcast groups, stations and cable channels. Its client portfolio boasts of well known
    broadcasters such as NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox.

  • Warner Bros inks deal with CinemaNow for download of TV content

    Warner Bros inks deal with CinemaNow for download of TV content

    MUMBAI: For the first time, television content from the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has been made available on a download-to-own basis in the US.

    The company has entered into a licensing agreement with CinemaNow Inc. Under this agreement, CinemaNow will be able to sell Warner Bros. TV’s products electronically. Customers can legally purchase and download content from Warner Bros. through the website, www.cinemanow.com.

    “We’re very excited to add Warner Bros.’ content to our electronic-sell-through offering and to be the first to make Warner Bros. Television’s product available on the open Internet for purchase,” said CinemaNow president Bruce Eisen.

    CinemaNow recently struck a licensing deal with Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

    The Warner Bros. TV series already available from 1 June include Babylon 5 and Dukes of Hazzard, with additional titles to be added soon. In addition, movies such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Matrix and 2001: A Space Odyssey are also available through this facility , informs an official release.

    Also, as soon as DVD releases hit retail stores, they will simultaneously be available on the site. These include, Firewall and 16 Blocks to be out on 6 and 13 June respectively. All content will be copy protected by Microsoft’s Windows Digital Rights Management software, adds the release.

    “This is an important step for our US distribution efforts,” said Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group SVP Digital Distribution Jim Wuthrich. “This is one more way for consumers to enjoy Warner Bros. high quality digital entertainment.”

    Besides Warner Bros., and Buena Vista, CinemaNow has agreements in place with content providers including 20th Century Fox Corp., ABC News, The Walt Disney Co., HDNet, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., Miramax Films, NBC Universal, Sony Entertainment Corp. and Sundance Channel.

  • DoCoMo & Hutchison partner for i-mode deal

    DoCoMo & Hutchison partner for i-mode deal

    MUMBAI: Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong, have jointly announced a partnership to bring i-mode services to Hong Kong and Macau by the end of the year, thus, extending Hutchison Telecom’s outreach in Asia.

    The parties also agreed to launch an IC card technology service, often referred to as the wallet-phone in Japan, on i-mode enabled handsets.

    According to a release, DoCoMo will provide the technology and marketing expertise to the partnership, enabling Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong to offer i-mode services. Hutchison phone customers would be able to download credit onto their cell phones, swipe and use it whenever required. However, the financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

    First introduced in 1999 by NTT DoCoMo, i-mode allows mobile phone users to access the Internet and provide for facilities such as emailing, web surfing, paying bills and shopping.

    Stating that the service will be available within a few months, Hutchison Telecom CEO Dennis Lui, added, “We are delighted by this partnership. In addition to providing cutting-edge services for our customers, it consolidates our position as Hong Kong’s most forward-looking mobile operator, as we continue to lead innovative developments in the mobile industry and seek to shape the communications market into the future.”

    NTT DoCoMo senior VP and MD of Multimedia Services, Takeshi Natsuno commented, “We are confident that this strategic partnership will bring multiple synergies for both companies as well as other member operators. We are also proud to announce our common strategy in bringing our wallet-phone experience from Japan to the region. This new partnership will certainly drive further expansion of i-mode in the global arena.”

    “With its proven business model and unique service platform, i-mode creates an open gateway for content providers. They will be able to immediately tap into the vast potential of one of the largest mobile customer bases in Hong Kong supported by one of the most advanced mobile networks in the world. We will work with content providers to spearhead the next generation of mobile Internet development in Hong Kong,” added Lui.

    In addition to DoCoMo in Japan, the signing of this agreement, will have licensed 16 i-mode operators in 24 countries around the world. Also, SMART Communications, Inc. is currently preparing to launch the service in the Philippines, adds the release.

  • MTV launches celebrity romance reality show ‘Ishq Deewane’

    MTV launches celebrity romance reality show ‘Ishq Deewane’

    MUMBAI: MTV is premiering a celebrity romance reality show MTV Ishq Deewane on 3 June at 7:30 pm. 

    Through its 12 episodes, MTV Ishq Deewane will unravel the real world of the couples and introduce audiences to the little things that bind them together, states an official release.

    The half-hour format consists of three segments – meeting the couple, setting up the task and the big suprise in the end. 

    The channel will showcase the celebrity couples like Shweta & Manav Gohil, Rajeshwari & Varun Badola, Manasi & Rohit Roy and Delnaz & Rajiv Paul amongst others in the show, adds the official release.

    MTV Networks India VP and GM creative and content Ashish Patil says, “With shows like Loveline, Love ke liye and more, MTV’s always been a love guru. We now take it to level 2 with true life love stories and some really wicked surprises delivered MTV style by your favorite celebrities only on Ishq Deewane!”

    On the marketing front of MTV Ishq Deewane, the channel plans an aggressive push on-ground. Within the first two weeks, MTV plans to engage its audiences on-ground innovatively through road shows in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

    It has also tied-up with Baskin Robbins and launched a special double-scooped Ishq Deewane Sundae. Anyone who orders this sundae, gets another one of the same, free. 

    On the home entertainment front, the channel has tied-up with Excel Videos, to put out MTV Ishq Deewane Superstars Ka Super Pyaar DVD Collection Offer