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Category: News Headline

  • Zee rejig to improve bottomline: Chandra

    Zee rejig to improve bottomline: Chandra

    NEW DELHI: Subhash Chandra, chairman of the approximately Rs. 13 billion Zee Telefilms, feels that after the restructuring announced Wednesday, the company’s bottomline would be “healthier”, though top line growth might be cropped as loss making businesses have been hived off into separate companies.

    Talking to CNBC TV18, Chandra also said that the news operations and the regional channels, which were hived off into Zee News Ltd, will be profitable with a turnover of Rs 3 billion.

    The cable TV distribution business of Siti Cable (again hived off into WWIL) will be a no-profit-no-loss venture that generates revenues of Rs 1 billion at the moment.

    “They (Zee News and cable business company WWIL), will be profitable. The quarter results of these entities will come out on 28 April, along with the consolidated results.

    “WWIL may not be profitable, but there will not be any losses. I think the revenue line for WWIL would be about Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) at the moment,” Chandra explained.

    Yesterday, Zee Telefilms, India’s largest vertically integrated media company, announced splitting of its broadcasting business into three entities — news operations and regional language operations (Zee News Ltd), broadcast and content creation, and Siti Cable, which will also include the initiatives on the CAS front (Wire and Wireless India Limited or WWIL).

    The direct consumer related business of ZTL and Dish TV, the country’s first private sector DTH service, have also been separated and subsumed into ASC Enterprise Ltd, which is the DTH licence holder.

    According to Chandra, foreign investors have evinced interest in the cable and DTH business of the group.

    “We are being approached a lot for cable and Dish TV (country’s first private direct-to-home service) businesses. However, not as many for the entertainment or the news content business. But we are open for those also,” he added.

    Pointing out that the Dish TV operation is likely to be listed on the stock exchanges within a few weeks’ time, Chandra said, “Recently, because of this restructuring process they (Dish TV) amended their business model as well, which should be a very aggressive business model. So we haven’t been able to do the valuation of these different assets sitting in different entities like Zee Telefilms and ASCEL yet.”

    Dish TV’s operations are managed by Entertainment Era Network Ltd, while Zee Telefilms has a content supply deal with it. Once the regulatory and other permissions come through, the DTH business will be consolidated under “Dish TV Ltd or something (on those lines),” Chandra said.
    Asked about the equity base of the two new proposed companies, Chandra said that while that of Zee Telefilms Limited will remain unchanged at Rs 410 million, that of Zee News Limited will be approximately Rs 250 million.

    The equity base of the cable business under WWIL will be about Rs 250 million, says the man who has built up a business empire ranging from real estate to media to packaging after starting out exporting rice to the erstwhile USSR in the 1970s under the Essel brand name.

    Dwelling on the valuation of the cable business being carried out under Siti Cable, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zee Tele, Chandra said, the value of Siti Cable ought to be in the region of $ 800- $ 900 million.

    Zee Telefilms, according to Chandra, bought back 50 per cent of Siti Cable from News Corporation in 1999-2000 at a valuation of Rs 15 billion.

    “Subsequently it (Siti Cable) was valued at Rs 2500 crore (Rs 25 billion). We are getting paid for about a million homes (now). So, if you take 1 million homes’ valuation at $ 500 per subscriber, that is $ 500 million plus if you take the rest of 5.8 million (subscribers) even at $ 50 valuation. So that makes this entity at about $ 800-900 million.on Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) equity basis, but the investment was of about Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) in this business,” Chandra explained.

    Asked about the prospects of Zee Sports, Chandra said as a corporate entity and business Zee Telefilms would be left with the sports channel after the restructuring is completed.

    Pointing out that Zee Sports is “still at a developmental stage,” Chandra said, “I will not call that a loss making entity. There are investments in it. Other than that, all the businesses are profitable in ZTL. The new start-ups of regional channels in Telugu, Kannada, etc are all a part of Zee News Ltd now.”

    The Zee Telefilms scrip closed on the Bombay Stock Exchange at Rs 242.50 after opening the day at Rs 239.55.

  • Tom Online and Titan Sports join forces on FIFA World Cup coverage

    Tom Online and Titan Sports join forces on FIFA World Cup coverage

    MUMBAI: China’s wireless internet company Tom Online Inc. has entered into an exclusive cooperation with sports newspaper Titan Sports Weekly, to provide joint coverage on this year’s FIFA World Cup. It also includes a range of other long-term initiatives, including the launch of a new sports channel, http://titan.tom.com , on its portal http://www.tom.com.

    In line with Tom Online’s strategy to form unique alliances with key media organisations to broaden its reach to Chinese consumers and share revenue with partners, the strategic cooperation with Titan Sports includes the integration of sports content, wireless Internet technologies and marketing resources to deliver a more compelling sports experience to Chinese consumers.

    Tom Online CEO and executive director Wang Lei Lei said, “I believe that this cooperation between Titan Sports and Tom Online’s forms an integral part of our long-term strategy to provide unparalleled sports content and applications to Chinese consumers, which can be delivered through both mobile devices and the PC, helping to differentiate our services from our competitors and fulfill the growing needs of sports fans in China.”

    Titan Sports president Qu Youyuan said, “I’m very excited about this closer relationship between the two companies. Titan Sports and Tom Online have a successful history of working together on major events such as the Athens Olympic Games and UEFA soccer matches. As an official media organisation in China for this year’s soccer World Cup, Titan Sports is committed to providing soccer fans with the most in-depth, extensive and up-to-date reports on the field, particularly through its online coverage with Tom Online on titan.tom.com.”

    Titan Sports is China’s largest sports newspaper with a weekly circulation of over four million. As a part of the exclusive cooperation arrangement, Titan Sports will provide first hand stories, pictures and audio-visual material to Tom Online for online and wireless Internet users.

    In addition to the alliance with Titan Sports, Tom Online is also an exclusive wireless Internet services partner with CCTV5, which holds exclusive rights to broadcast World Cup matches in China.

  • NDTV and Genpact tie-up for outsourcing media and entertainment services

    NDTV and Genpact tie-up for outsourcing media and entertainment services

    MUMBAI: Outsourcing is no longer restricted to IT, as it now enters global marketing. The Prannoy Roy promoted NDTV Ltd has entered this arena of outsourcing by forging an alliance with Genpact (formerly GE Capital International Services) to offer media outsourcing services to enterprises worldwide.

    With the emergence of digital technologies looking at revolutionising the media and entertainment market, the alliance between the NDTV and Genpact will focus on providing cost effective, high quality media services to global and regional media and entertainment companies in areas like editing, digitisation and closed captioning, according to a posting on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) site.

    According to a press release posted on ndtvprofit.com, the joint venture aims to deliver value and business impact to global media and entertainment customers. The venture will combine NDTV’s brand image, domain knowledge and world-class media skill sets with Genpact’s offshore experience, global delivery capabilities, sales and marketing infrastructure, and reputation for operational excellence.

    “We are very excited about this new venture and believe that there are significant untapped opportunities around the world. We hope to break new frontiers and push India’s media envelope even further,” said Roy.

    “Our partner, Genpact and their outstanding experience and reputation in global business processes, combined with NDTV’s commitment to quality and cutting-edge technology, should deliver significant value for media and entertainment players around the world,” Roy added.

    Genpact president Pramod Bhasin said, “This is a landmark deal, the first of its kind to offer outsourcing solutions for the media industry. Through our partnership with NDTV, our customers will gain access to customized solutions and be able to further benefit from our global expertise and cost-effective service delivery.

    He added, “With 20 years of experience, NDTV’s domain knowledge will provide this venture a solid foundation to pursue opportunities in the growing media space.”

    The entire Global Media & Entertainment Industry was estimated at $1,340 billion at the end of 2005 and is expected to grow to $1,777 billion by end of 2009. In addition, there are a number of drivers that are changing the dynamics for the industry, such as the increasing prevalence of HDTV, digital content and on-demand programming.

    The changing dynamics have created a need for media companies to ensure that their content is digitized and available for customers to access and use. There is also pressure on media companies globally to cut costs and outsourcing is one of the established means to achieve this.

    The venture between NDTV and Genpact will be the first to offer tailored outsourcing solutions to the media industry, allowing companies to respond to these changes quicker, faster and cheaper than would otherwise be possible.

    General Electric Co. (GE) had spun off its outsourcing subsidiary, Genpact, two years ago. With a direct sales network spanning Europe, North America and Asia and headquartered in Gurgoan, Genpact has operations centers across India as well as in China, Hungary, Romania, the United States and Mexico.

    Genpact provides a wide range of outsourcing services including sales and marketing analytics, customer services, supply chain and aftermarket services, financial services core operations, financial services collections, finance and accounting, information technology services and enterprise application services and program management solutions.

  • Discovery US gets 12 Parents Choice Awards

    Discovery US gets 12 Parents Choice Awards

    MUMBAI: Discovery US received 12 awards at the 2006 Parents’ Choice Awards a few days ago.

    Discovery Kids received eight awards and Animal Planet garnered four awards. The Parents’ Choice Awards for children’s television recommend programming that helps children learn and grow.

    Discovery Kids’ Peep And The Big Wide World was honoured with a Parents’ Choice Gold Award for the second year in a row. Paz took home a Parents’ Choice Silver Award and Toddworld garnered a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.

    Animal Planet’s Buggin’ With Ruud garnered a Parents’ Choice Silver Award. A Panda Is Born received a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.

    Established in 1978, the Parents’ Choice Foundation is the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys. The Parents’ Choice Awards Committees, composed of moms, dads, teachers, performing artists, librarians and kids themselves, search out and recommend products that help kids grow—imaginatively, physically,morally and mentally.

  • Mobile video in the US to become a $501 mn business by 2010

    Mobile video in the US to become a $501 mn business by 2010

    MUMBAI: New research indicates that the mobile is on its way to becoming the third screen in the US.

    A new study from JupiterResearch notes that 41 per cent of mobile phone users are interested in some form of video service on their handsets. The study US Wireless Forecast, 2005 to 2010 says the growing demand for video will generate $501 million in revenues by 2010, up from $62 million in 2005.

    At present, only two per cent of mobile phone users in the US subscribe to some form of mobile content. However, 17 per cent say that they are interested in watching live television on their cell phones while 11 per cent indicated interest in short video clips.

    The study notes that this consumer interest bodes well for the mobile industry as vendors use different business models to try and tap into this consumer demand. The challenge is not interest but rather finding the correct mix of premium content and price points that is lacking in today’s offerings.

    Longer term adoption will depend more on business models and content offerings than on the technology or devices. Americans are understandably not interested in paying large fees for mediocre content.

  • UK’s ICE 365 partners Airtel to launch ‘Spot the ball’ contest

    UK’s ICE 365 partners Airtel to launch ‘Spot the ball’ contest

    MUMBAI: ICE 365, the UK-based mobile interactive community service provider, today in association with Airtel announced the launch of an exciting new cricket contest ‘Spot the Ball’. The contest will provide Airtel cricket enthusiastic subscribers, a perfect opportunity to test their skill and mettle as they try to ‘Spot the Cricket Ball’ located in the grid displayed on the mobile screen.

    Spot the Ball, is a multi-platform (spot the ball) game, accessible through the Web, Mobile, SMS and IVR systems, in which a picture of cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar playing on a cricket pitch is displayed on the mobile screen of the user. The cricket ball is removed from the picture and subscribers through their skill and judgment need to spot the correct position of the ball, states an official release.

    A contest, accessible to Airtel subscribers across 23 circles, Spot the Ball is a first of its kind cricket game, wherein the mega prize winner will take home a brand new Mercedes worth Rs 30,00,000, the release adds.

    Commenting on the launch of Spot the Ball, ICE 365 Ltd. group president Paul Shoker said, “Mobile gaming is a rising star in India’s fast-growing wireless business. In fact, Indian telecom analysts have pegged mobile gaming as the next big revenue earner after short messaging. The Indian mobile-game business currently makes up about 5 per cent of the global wireless market. Market researchers expect the Indian mobile gaming market will generate annual revenue of about $336 million by 2009.”

    Shoker further said, “ICE 365 on its first advent to the booming India telecom market has partnered with leading service provider, AirTel, to bring to the cricket enthusiasts of the country, a first-of-its-kind cricket contest – ‘Spot the Ball’. Through such partnerships we hope to bring to the table much more exciting, interactive value added services, which cater to the communication and entertainment needs of Indian mobile subscribers.”

    How to play ‘Spot the Ball’

    One of the ways in which the game can be played is through WAP i.e. Mobile Internet Service on Airtel Live. The user to go to Airtel Live WAP portal from their phone, or SMS FUN to 646 from their GPRS enabled phone. Sending the SMS results in a URL pushed to them, which they must open with their GPRS enabled phone.

    The user is shown a short introduction to the competition & presented with a choice of four menu options: How to play, Start Game, Terms and Exit. After clicking “Start Game” the user is shown an image, with the ball removed from the picture, and he/she is required to guess where the ball is on the picture.

    The user enters the grid no. (e.g. C3) where he/she thinks the ball would be, and clicks on “Submit”. At this point the user can select “Submit” to submit entry or “Replay” to reposition the ball. The user selects “Submit” and the grid reference of the position they choose is submitted.

    If they are correct they are informed of their successful entry. If their entry was incorrect the user is informed how far away from the correct position their entry is. The user is charged a nominal fee of Rs.30/- for each entry they make by clicking “Submit”.Once a user has successfully made a successful entry from an image they do not have the opportunity to play that image again.

    Airtel director marketing & communications Hemant Sachdev said, “We are delighted to bring this service to our subscribers. Today, gaming downloads form a significant part of our subscribers’ mobile experience. In a nation of cricket lovers, nothing connects with the populace like cricket. The game, ‘Spot the Ball’, is involving and highly engaging and will further endorse our effort to bring the best in gaming content to our subscribers”.

  • Nickelodeon is No 1 cable network in the US for 11th year

    Nickelodeon is No 1 cable network in the US for 11th year

    MUMBAI: Extending its run at the number-one top spot into its eleventh year in the US, Nickelodeon led basic cable as the top-rated network within the total programming day for the just-completed first quarter of 2006 among total viewers and across all kids’ demos, according to Nielsen Media Research.

    In addition, the network grew double digits in its multiple media offerings, including Nick.com and Nickjr.com from year-to-year, and excelled on its broadband, online gaming and video- on-demand platforms.

    Among the network’s primary demo of kids 2-11, the network posted a 4.0/1.3 million K2-11, up +5 per cent over last quarter and +90 per cent ahead of Cartoon Network (2.1/657,000 K2-11) and +48 per cent ahead of Disney Channel (2.7/857,000 K2- 11).

    With preschoolers, the network also ranked first, averaging a 4.8/597,000 K2-5, up +9 per cent over last quarter, ahead of Cartoon Network by +140 per cent (2.0/244,000 K2-5) and +66 per cent versus Disney Channel (2.9/350,000 K2-5). And with tweens 9-14, Nickelodeon remained flat for the year, earning a 2.5/514,000 T9-14, and beating its competition by double digits.

    Contributing to the Nickelodeon’s quarter-to-quarter growth, were several large events and series’ launches. The Wonder Pets, the newest series on the Nick Jr. block, has averaged a 7.8 rating with kids 2-5, and is now performing well along with top preschool programs Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!

    In addition, the first-ever Drake and Josh made-for-TV movie event earned big numbers, delivering more tweens than ABC’s Rose Bowl (2.1 million tween 9-14 viewers, +34 per cent higher in delivery than the Rose Bowl), and 5.4 million total viewers (P2+). SpongeBob SquarePants continues to be a top performer, drawing an average of more than 8.6 million total viewers (P2+) for the “Lost In Time” telecast, the highest-rated SpongeBob program with kids 2-11 ever.

    As Nickelodeon continues to build its leadership in new and emerging media platforms, it has increased usership on multiple media platforms in the kids’ space, particularly with its broadband platforms, TurboNick and Nick Jr. Video, and its online sites, Nick.com and Nickjr.com.

    TurboNick, Nickelodeon’s broadband video service on Nick.com, has had more than 30 million content streams, an increase of +29 per cent from fourth quarter 2005. It is heading towards the 100th million stream since its July 2005 launch.

    Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.’s broadband video service on Nickjr.com, garnered more than 28 million content streams in first quarter 2006.

    For the quarter, Nick.com has had more than 32 million unique visitors, which is up +26 per cent increase versus fourth quarter and +44 per cent versus first quarter 2005, making 2006 the best year so far for Nick.com.

    Nick.com has also had more than 228 million game plays on the site this quarter. This is partially attributed to the “New Game of the Week,” where Nick.com launches a brand new game on the site every Friday. SpongeBob SquarePants Dunces and Dragons alone racked up more than 15 million game plays since first quarter.

    Nickjr.com has had more than 14 million unique users this quarter, a +14 per cent increase from fourth quarter 2005, and +41 per cent increase from first quarter 2005, also a best-ever quarter for Nickjr.com.

    The network also continues to maintain its leadership position in Video-on-Demand. Nick programming was held the top position for the month in terms of all kid offerings on Comcast (roughly 8.9 per cent of all Comcast set top boxes viewed Nick programming). Nickelodeon garnered 5.7 million Nick VOD views in February 2006, double the number of views versus last year’s like time period.

  • Distraction Formats is bringing comedies to MIPTV

    Distraction Formats is bringing comedies to MIPTV

    MUMBAI: Two new scripted comedies from international format distributor Distraction Formats will make their debut at the television marketplace MipTV next month.

    MIPTV takes place in Cannes, France from 2-6 April.

    Aimed at the 15 to 35 age group, The Invincibles and Radio Sex are thoroughly modern vehicles that get maximum laugh mileage out age-old and ever-popular topics. At the same time, Distraction is exploiting the strength of its flagship comedy Love Bugs and the burgeoning popularity of new technologies with the development of interactive elements.

    The Invincibles provides a look at the lives of four buddies facing imminent maturity. As their 30th birthdays approach, they ask the questions all young men must ask: Have we partied enough? Have we had our fair share of women, of thrills – of fun? There’s only one way to be sure, which provides the basis for the wild times that make up this outrageous 60-minute comedy.

    Distraction’s second new scripted format comes in 100 quick 5-minute episodes, each one a burst of insight into sex, love, relationships and the baggage that accompanies them. Radio Sex focusses on a late-night radio show whose mission it is to create a communication channel between men and women. In a case of life imitating art, secrets are exchanged, plots are hatched, and the sexes “communicate” in the broadcast studio, the production office and the radio station bathroom.

    Distraction CEO, Michel Rodrigue says, “We are very pleased to bring these shows to MipTV. Both are very clever and extremely funny, which makes them a natural fit within our formats catalogue.”

    Working with Interactive Rights Management (IRM), Distraction has already developed a range of interactive services from fixed line telephony brand extensions to MMS comic strips and mobile video downloads for Love Bugs in Russia. Interactive elements have also been introduced into the format in Italy, and services will soon launch in Ukraine and the Middle-East.

    IRM’s Valérie Bozzetto says, “The strong format brands that Distraction represents provide excellent launch pads for interactive services. We enjoy working with Distraction’s clients to implement these and to help them fully realize interactive potential.”

    Another Distraction property, Sins of Love, has recently sold in France, and development of interactive applications around the format is under way. Sins of Love was launched at Mipcom last October.

  • FM radio ops form panel on music rights, infra issues

    FM radio ops form panel on music rights, infra issues

    NEW DELHI: The FM radio operators of Indian today formed a nine-member committee to look in to various issues related to infrastructure, music royalty and interacting with various organizations like the Broadcast Engineering Society India Ltd and pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which is slated to rent out some of its transmissions towers.

    According to a statement from the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), the panel’s mandate is to try negotiating better deals with infrastructure providers and organization that deal in music copyright issues.

    The music royalty issue is a contentious matter with AROI alleging that the Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) and another music rights organization have made irrational demands for music rights overlooking the fact that a uniform rights fee could not be applied on small and big radio operators alike.

    PPL is the copyright society in respect of sound recordings and is registered with the government. It is mainly engaged in administering the broadcasting / telecasting and public performance rights on behalf of over 139 music companies that are its members.

    The AROI panel includes BAG Infotainment’s Radio Masti CEO Rajiv Mishra, Radio Mirchi CEO Prashant Panday, Radio Today chief Anil Mehra, Radio City CEO Apoorva Purohit, Syntech Informatics CEO Ashok Narayan, ABP radio CEO Sanjay Prasad and Mathrubhumi Radio chief executive George Sebastian.

    Two positions have been kept vacant for representatives from the Anil
    Ambani-controlled Adlabs Radio and Sun TV.

  • Dish TV MD Sunil Gupta on way out

    Dish TV MD Sunil Gupta on way out

    MUMBAI: Zee’s DTH service Dish TV, which will soon be demerged as part of a major overhaul to streamline Subhash Chandra’s broadcasting business, is also seeing changes in its top management.

    Sunil Gupta, who joined Dish last November as managing director from Coke India where he was VP external affairs, South Asia, is leaving what is currently India’s only private DTH operator.
    Chandra confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that Gupta, whose initial responsibilities when he came aboard included increasing Dish TV’s subscriber base and penetration of the service across the country, would soon be leaving the company.

    Gupta was working along with Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna in leading New Era Entertainment Network Limited (NEENL), which manages the affairs of Dish TV. Zee Telefilms holds 20 per cent stake in the company.

    Gupta has earlier worked with The Times of India as well as had a stint at Jain TV as COO.
    Dish TV is close to 1 million subscribers and is signing up around 3,000 customers a day. The average revenue per user (ARPU) is reportedly running at Rs 200 per month with services subsidised through the provision of a free annual subscription after a one-time charge of Rs 4,000.