ITV

Category: News Headline

  • AL Jazeera International ropes in ABC Richard Gizbert to present ‘Listening Post’

    AL Jazeera International ropes in ABC Richard Gizbert to present ‘Listening Post’

    MUMBAI: The soon to launch 24- hour English news and current affairs channel Al Jazeera International has designed a news show Listening Post. The show will be presented by the former ABC news journalist, Richard Gizbert.

    A weekly insight Listening Post will bring news from around the world into how the news is handled by the world’s media and assess how news reporting changes depending on where it is coming from. It will monitor and examine all forms of media, all over the world. From the biggest network to the most obscure web bloggers Listening Post will report critically on what they cover – and what they don’t. It will examine the big stories and explain how and why coverage of them differs in different parts of the world, informs an official release.

    Listening Post is a fully commissioned jointly owned programme with Moonbeam Films Ltd. As a commissioning house, Al Jazeera International’s programmes will include material gathered from freelancers and independent companies all across the globe through a unique commissioning site: www.ajicommissioning.net

    Gizbert joins Al Jazeera International’s line-up of on-screen talent from ABC News where he worked since 1993. Starting as a correspondent in their London bureau, he has reported abroad on many of the major international stories such as the conflicts in Iraq and the continuing unrest in the Middle East.

    Al Jazeera International programme director Paul Gibbs said, “Listening Post is Al Jazeera International’s eyes and ears on the world’s electronic media. It’s a fantastic addition to our line-up of extensive programmes.”

    Graduated from Algonquin College in Ontario, Gizbert, previously worked as a correspondent-producer for CJOH-TV in Ottawa, where he produced in-depth features for Sunday Edition, the national current affairs programme. Prior to that, Gizbert was CJOH’s parliamentary correspondent for five years, responsible for national political coverage. For his reporting of a bus hostage situation on Parliament Hill, he received the National Award for Breaking News Coverage.

    From 1983 to 1985, he was a correspondent and political editor for CFTO-TV in Toronto, covering federal politics and co-anchoring special events coverage.

  • DIC looks to acquire & co-produce at MipTV

    DIC looks to acquire & co-produce at MipTV

    CANNES: DIC Entertainment is at MipTV with an aim to acquire and/or co-produce programming for its new Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party on CBS, in addition to sealing deals on its library of kids’ properties.

    DIC has a five-year deal to broadcast 30 series on the three-hour CBS kids’ block. It is looking for both animated and live-action properties that can air on the block and can be extended across new media and merchandising platforms.

    DIC Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward said, “MIP and MIPCOM have always served as key markets to initiate major media deals for our business, and we are thrilled to once again utilize them to launch a significant strategy for the Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party programming block. We always welcome the opportunity to work with leading international broadcasters to create quality programs, and we look forward to meeting with producers and distributors to find stellar series to air on the block.”

  • E! signs Asian licensing deals

    E! signs Asian licensing deals

    CANNES: The world’s largest producer and distributor of entertainment news and lifestyle-related programming, E! Networks has secured a range of Asian licensing deals in the first quarter of this year, selling 600 hours of entertainment and lifestyle programming to broadcasters across the region.In India, Zoom Channel took a range of E! titles, including Girls of The Playboy Mansion, Gastineau Girls, and Gone Bad.

    AXN (India) has meanwhile, also licensed E! and Style programming.

    South Korea’s On Style opted for E! News Weekend, 101 Entertainment Countdown Series, Dr. 90210 and Style Star, while CJ Media took Isaac, 50 Most Specials, Gastineau Girls, Girls of The Playboy Mansion, The E! True Hollywood Story, and Gone Bad for O’live Channel.

    CJ Media has also picked up select titles for ZTM and Home CGV. Japan’s Reality TV licensed Gastineau Girls and 101 Most Shocking Moments, while Superchannel acquired Live from the Red Carpet specials, including the 2006 Emmy Awards.

    Shanghai Media Group (China), UBC Inside (Thailand), Lifestyle and Studio 23 (Philippines), Channel 9 (Thailand), Sun Media and Story On Channel (South Korea) have also licensed E! and Style programming.

    E! Networks managing director for Asia Christine Fellowes noted, “The Asian television market is booming and we look forward to unveiling our new slate of entertainment and lifestyle-themed programming at MipTV 2006. E! Networks’ programming continues to have strong international appeal, particularly in the Asia Pacific market, and we’re delighted to deliver our latest offerings including Sexiest, 10 Ways and Instant Beauty Pageant to our partners in Asia.”

  • Fox Reality acquires shows from outside the US

    Fox Reality acquires shows from outside the US

    CANNES: Fox Reality channel has announced a slate of new acquisitions at MipTV, taking on programs from the BBC, Endemol, Sony Pictures Television International and Eyeworks Distribution.

    Fox Reality CEO and GM David Lyle said, “We like to be innovative and introduce some classics and some of the most irreverent and entertaining reality shows from outside the U.S. to domestic audiences for whom these shows are new experiences.”

    From the BBC, the channel has secured five seasons of Castaway, seasons one and two of Driving School and three episodes of The Bronx Crime & Justice. Driving School follows a number of would-be drivers as they prepare to take their driving tests. In Castaway, a number of Britons are stranded on the remote Scottish Island of Taransay in the Hebrides. The Bronx Crime & Justice offers a look into the New York legal system.

    Through Endemol, Fox Reality has secured the rights to the controversial dating show There’s Something About Miriam, and with SPTI, it has taken the broadcast rights to the British (three seasons) and Australian (one season) of Dragon’s Den.
    And from Eyeworks, the channel acquired the ten-episode adventure reality Going Straight.

  • BVITV ties up with European & Asian broadcasters

    BVITV ties up with European & Asian broadcasters

    CANNES: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has announced a range of deals with broadcasters in Europe and Asia snapping up the company’s slate of kids’ shows, dramas and formats, on the first day of MipTV.

    The format for Extreme Makeover has been licensed to ICTV in Ukraine. ICTV also took the British version of Extreme Makeover, the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy as well as slate of features, among them Dick Tracy, The Waterboy and Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

    Also in Ukraine, New Channel has licensed the first three series of the hit comedy According to Jim plus the features Three Men and a Baby, Arachnophobia and Born Yesterday. In a separate deal, New Channel has also licensed Jetix Europe programming like W.I.T.C.H.

    Ukraine broadcaster STB also picked up a series of titles, among them The Color of Money, The Three Musketeers, Turner and Hooch and the reality series Miracle Workers.

    TV Nova in the Czech Republic has taken a raft of features, series, kids’ programming and TV movies. The network is set to launch Lost, which has been licensed to more than 210 markets, features like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Seabiscuit; and library features including Pretty Woman and Sister Act. On the kids front, TV Nova will launch a new Disney-branded kids’ block, Disney Club, running weekly for two hours, and has licensed a selection of Jetix Europe shows.

    In Thailand, BBTV has renewed its multiyear agreement with BVITV-AP for live-action series, current features and Disney animation, and has signed a new package deal for animated features from Disney’s Classic Treasures, which will air for the first time on Thai terrestrial television.

    Under the multi-year agreement, kids in Thailand will continue to have access to top Disney shows on the Disney Club block that runs every Saturday morning from 6:50 am. to 8:30 am. Also, terrestrial audiences will have access to a slate of international box office hits including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Seabiscuit.

  • Zone Vision’s Club channel launches in Korea

    Zone Vision’s Club channel launches in Korea

    MUMBAI: Club Channel, owned and operated by Zone Vision Networks Ltd, launched in Korea on 3 April.

    The Club Channel will air 24-hours a day, seven days a week, initially to one million cable subscribers. Series such as the popular Globe Trekker, Saturday Kitchen, Fashion File and the ‘Uncovered’ series, will be among the titles included in the 60 per cent of acquired content for the channel.

    The remaining 40 per cent of content for the channel will be produced locally. One of the MSO’s which Club Channel will launch on is CJ, one of Korea’s leading producers and distributors of entertainment products and services in Korea.

    Zone Vision general manager Asia Pacific Alan Hodges said, “Asia continues to be a key growth area for Zone Vision, and we are delighted that our next channel launch will be in Korea. Club Channel has such an eclectic mix of programming, we are sure that its shows will appeal to the broad spectrum of viewers in Korea.”

    Club Channel Korea managing director of programming and strategy Ki-Myung Kim added, “Club Channel Korea has unlimited potential to fascinate young generations who love clubbing, party, and leading new cultural trends. This channel will build up club maniacs and grow with them to be the best lifestyle channel specializing in Clubbing & Party. Based on this unlimited potential of channel style, we are expecting the number of subscribers to increase considerably over the next 12 months.”

  • AOL launches mobile browsing service

    AOL launches mobile browsing service

    MUMBAI:AOL announced the debut of new mobile information and location services, including a new addition to the industry-leading suite of mobile AOL Search services. The new offering is a mobile browsing service that automatically adapts web pages for mobile screens. The easy-to-use mobile browsing service can be used by wireless subscribers with web-enabled phones.

    According to a new survey AOL conducted with the Associated Press and Pew Research Center, 52 percent of adults keep their cell phone turned on all day, everyday, and 40 percent of those aged 18-29 are likely to drop their landline once and for all. The report reveals that more than 30 percent of adults want to search and browse the web from their cell phone, while 47 percent say that mobile maps and driving directions are a “must have” on the next phone they buy.

    AOL’s wireless group senior vice president of Products Eric Engstrom said,”We are committed to providing people with easy access to the web’s full range of information, location and communications services wherever they may go. We are pleased to be working with the nation’s leading carriers to provide their subscribers with our complete suite of popular and consumer-friendly offerings. Together, we are making it easy for people to stay connected to friends, family members and colleagues.”

    AOL’s new mobile browsing service has been seamlessly integrated into the existing suite of mobile AOL Search services — including web search, shopping search and local search — to make it easy for consumers to navigate the web and find anything they need from their mobile device, according to an official release. Mobile AOL Search Services, including the new advanced browsing services, are available via mobile browser at http://www.aol.com .

    The new browsing service also marks the successful expansion of AOL’s alliance with InfoGin Ltd., a pioneer of web to mobile content adaptation solutions. AOL uses InfoGin’s transcoding and content analysis technologies to extend the ease of desktop search and navigation to wireless devices, bringing a wealth of web resources to mobile users’ finger tips.

    Also, AOL is bringing its mobile portal services to Sprint subscribers nationwide. AOL’s mobile web portal is a wireless version of the new AOL.com portal (http://www.aol.com). It is a one-stop-shop that gives mobile users easy access to the newly enhanced mobile AOL Search, AIM, AOL Mail and AOL Pictures services as well as AOL’s news, entertainment, sports and weather content.

    Sprint subscribers now have full access to America’s most popular instant messaging community via downloadable mobile AIM applications or through the wireless web. Features include presence awareness via the mobile Buddy List feature, IM Forwarding and two-way desktop-to-mobile (IM2SMS) messaging services.To learn more about mobile AOL services available to Sprint subscribers, please go to http://www.aolmobile.com/sprint

    In a related announcement, AOL debuted MapQuest’s new web-enabled service making it easier for consumers to access MapQuest.com. Coming soon, MapQuest Navigator will enable consumers to access Global Positioning Service (GPS), turn-by-turn, voice-guided directions on their mobile phones.

    Consumers with web-enabled mobile phones can access MapQuest.com by going to http://wap.mapquest.com .MapQuest expects the MapQuest Navigator service to be available through major U.S. cell phone providers later this year. For more information, see http://www.mapquest.com/mobile.

    Other services coming soon from AOL include a new mobile pictures upload feature will allow AOL Pictures users (AOL members and AIM users alike) to automatically post photos taken with their mobile device to their AOL Pictures account, regardless of their wireless carrier. The feature will be enabled through the AOL Pictures website ( http://www.aol.com/pictures).

    AOL will also introduce mobile blogging capabilities that will enable consumers to automatically post pictures from their mobile device to their AOL Journal or AIM Blog.

  • Paul Aiello appointed Star Group president

    Paul Aiello appointed Star Group president

    MUMBAI: Star Group has announced the appointment of Paul Aiello as its president. Aiello will report to Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie.

    In this newly created role, Aiello will be responsible for developing strategic and business directions for the company while overseeing corporate functions including business development, strategy and implementation, Star ventures, government affairs and corporate communications, according to an official release.

    Commenting on Aiello’s appointment, Guthrie said, “As Star continues to expand its operations and look towards diversified growth opportunities in Asia, the need for an experienced and gifted executive with Paul’s background became apparent. Together with Steve Askew who oversees our operations across the region, we now have in place a highly formidable team to lead the company into its next phase of robust development.”

    Aiello, 41, joins Star from Morgan Stanley where he worked for more than nine years. He joined the company as VP in 1997 and subsequently advanced his career to executive director, mergers and acquisitions of Asia Pacific; COO of Asia Pacific investment banking and finally, MD and head of telecom, media and technology group, Asia Pacific in 2000.

    He holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

  • ‘Rendezvous’ with Imran Khan on Star World

    ‘Rendezvous’ with Imran Khan on Star World

    The charismatic Pathan finally opens up on his life, love and dreams
    A very special three part Rendezvous with Imran Khan, kicks off this Sunday Catch the living legend of Pakistan, Imran Khan, on ‘A Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’
    Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm on Star World

    Mumbai, April 4, 2006: Legends do not come any bigger than this. Arguably Pakistan’s greatest ever cricketer, today he is a charismatic politician fighting against injustice and autocracy. While his personal life has seen quite a bit of upheaval in the recent past, he has characteristically maintained a dignified silence till now.
    In a special three part Rendezvous, the legendary Imran Khan opens up like never before, and provides the answers to all the speculation. The first part of this exclusive Rendezvous kicks off this Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm only on Star World.

    In this first episode, the focus is on Imran, the cricketer and Imran, the son. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation…

    Excerpts from the interview:
    Simi: Cricketers entertain, but you always want to do serious things. Does it affect the way people look at you?
    Imran: Actually it depends on your credibility. Fame helps you with name recognition. But ultimately it is the credibility, which counts.

    Simi: You were ambitious, even as a young boy… is it true?
    Imran: Oh yeah, I was always a dreamer. Age of nine onwards, I had no doubts that I would play for Pakistan. It was just the question of when. I thought I’d be the youngest cricketer ever. And then when I started playing at the age of 18, I had this ambition of taking 10 wickets in a match!

    Simi: You discovered new talents, didn’t you?
    Imran: Well, I discovered because I had these scouts who used to tell me which player is doing well. That’s how Inzamam-ul-Haq was discovered. I knew he was a great talent when I saw him play for just 5 minutes.

     

    Simi: What has changed in cricket since your innings?
    Imran: The positive change is the quality of fielding, which has gone way up. The negative side is the quality of fast bowling has gone down a bit. We need more wicket-taking bowlers. Someone like Shoaib Akhtar concentrates more on the bowling speed rather than the wicket taking part.

    Simi: In whom do you see the potential today? Here I am talking about the Indian cricketers.
    Imran: Irfan Pathan. He very much reminds me of young Wasim Akram. You can have all the talent but if you do not have the character to translate that talent into performance then it’s wasted. Irfan has it. He is a lion hearted cricketer.

    Simi: You dated some of the most glamorous woman of those times… movie stars, models, Emma Sergeant, the painter. They were obviously attracted to you. But were you attracted by them because of their glamour?
    Imran: What attracts other people, you will never know. There can be some glamorous people who are unattractive. Because they become quite self-centered, self-obsessed, actually boring. It’s actually the personality, which is the key.

    Always written about and never heard, here is your chance to find out how Imran Khan sees himself. Rendezvous with Simi Garewal on Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm.

    About Star
    STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 50 television services in nine languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world’s largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com

    For further information please contact:
    In Mumbai
    Zeenat Khan Shiraz Bhavnani / Aditi Chada
    Asst Vice President, Publicity Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
    STAR (India) Ltd. Tel: 91-22-5656 8787
    Tel No. 91-22-56305555 Fax: 91-22-5656 8788
    Email:sbhavnani@vccpl.com / achada@vccpl.com

     

  • Britannia Treat’s sales up 40% with Toon Disney’s Jetix Power Your Rangers contest

    MUMBAI: This contest has sure delivered for the channel as well as the sponsor. The Jetix Power Your Rangers contest on Toon Disney, which was presented in association with Britannia received responses from 523,000 from kids across India. What’s more… the contest saw Britannia Treat’s sales increase by 49 per cent.

    The campaign scored a number of firsts receiving exposure unlike anything ever seen in the kids’ space in India through Britannia’s 800,000 retail network, on-pack presence on more than 32 million Britannia Treat packs, on-pack presence on more than 10 million Peppy packs, Power Rangers Premia with every pack of Britannia Treat and Peppy, School Contact Program in 500 schools across six cities establishing contact with 500,000 kids and mobile van activity in Maharashtra.

    Also, for the first time ever, Power Your Rangers, a TV show was recreated as a mobile game for cell phone users – a hitherto untapped target group. The mobile game on R-World was available to 16 million Reliance India Mobile subscribers, and posted the highest number of downloads in the recent past. Britannia also reached out to over 150,000 kids in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore through mobile van and school activities.

    Walt Disney Television International (India) director marketing and communications Tushar Shah said, “In true Disney tradition, Jetix Power Your Rangers campaign boasted of an innovative contest format with a multi-platform push unlike anything ever seen before. We extended the show experience seamlessly and innovatively across media, creating multiple touch points allowing kids to get close to their favourite superheroes while ensuring unprecedented and tangible sponsor benefits.”

    Britannia Industries Ltd general manager and head marketing and innovation Richa Arora said, “The bottom line on the promotion is that it increased sales by 49 per cent. What’s equally important is that the promotion worked well as a package — from very innovative premia to the actual contest to the on ground activation.”

    The winners of the contest are Pawan Kumar from Kolkata, Sahil Ghosh from Bangalore, Andrew D’Souza from Mumbai, Sam Krishnakant from Andhra Pradesh and Prince Dahiya from New Delhi, who have won a trip to New Zealand with their families.

    Also, 55 other kids have won Play Station II Consoles and Power Rangers game. Besides this, “Quick Gun” prizes for the fastest correct entries– the Power Your Ranger Bravery medals have been won by 10,000 kids across the country.