ITV

Category: News Headline

  • Amazon talking to Hollywood studios for online film downloads

    Amazon talking to Hollywood studios for online film downloads

    MUMBAI: Online retail giant Amazon.com is considering the launch of a service that would allow visitors to download movies and television shows.

    Media reports indicate that the move is aimed at offering an alternative to Apple’s iTunes. Amazon is believed to be in talks with Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros for the store.

    The market for video downloads has gained momentum due to broadband penetration growing. Apple has been strengthening its iTunes offerings. The company just launched a new subscription service that lets consumers purchase TV shows through a monthly subscription.

    AOL, meanwhile, also has been active in expanding its media offerings, creating a service through which users can download videos and other entertainment content. The company is also busy developing its own online TV properties. All of this comes as a challenge to the traditional retail outlets.

    Reports further indicate that Amazon.com’s store is expected to allow users to buy, burn and keep DVD’s and differ from Apple’s current policy on its American store by only allowing visitors to download for viewing on the computer or iPod video.

  • India England series holds on to ratings

    India England series holds on to ratings

    MUMBAI: Holding on to the cricket loving audience. That is what the first test match in the India England series has managed to do. Tam figures indicate that the ratings achieved were similar to what had been done when India played Sri Lanka last year and only slightly less than what was achieved when India toured pakistan..

    Tam data c&s 4+ shows that for the first test match DD had a rating of 1.6 while Sahara One managed a rating of 0.9. This is similar to the ratings that the India Sri Lanka test series got last year.

    DD had a rating of 1.6 while Zee Sports had a rating of 0.8. Of course one must consider the fact that Sahara One has better connectivity than Zee Sports. Where Sahara One fared better was in the Hindi Speaking Markets. It managed a rating of 1.3 compared to the 0.9 that Zee Sports managed during the India Sri Lanka test matches.

    The good news is that the test ratings for the India England series was only slightly less than what Ten Sports managed for the India Pakistan tests which was 2.9 c&s4+. The India England series delivered 86 per cent of the audience for the India Pakistan series c&s4+.

    Test cricket rates better among men. For males c&s ABC 15+ DD managed a rating of 2.2 while Sahara One managed a rating of 1.2. The India Sri Lanka test series managed a rating of 2.3 on DD and 1.2 on Zee Sports. Ten Sports got a rating for 4.3 for the India Pakistan test matches.

  • American televisions coverage of health leaves something to be desired: Study

    American televisions coverage of health leaves something to be desired: Study

    MUMBAI: Local television newscasts, where most Americans get their news, are packed with medical stories and health information.

    But the first-ever study of that coverage finds many problems with it, and sees room for improvement by both TV stations and the health experts whose work fills the news.

    In the March issue of the American Journal of Managed Care, researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Madison report results from an in-depth analysis of health coverage on local TV newscasts from across America.

    In all, health and medical stories comprised 11 per cent of the news portion of late-evening newscasts in the one-month period studied, with 1,799 such stories carried on 2,795 broadcasts captured from the representative sample of 122 stations in the US’ top 50 media markets.

    The average story was 33 seconds long, and most did not give specifics about the source of the information presented. Items about specific diseases tended not to contain recommendations for viewers, or information about how common the disease was, which could help put the news into perspective with other health issues.

    But most disturbing, the study’s authors say, were the egregious errors contained in a small minority of studies — errors that could have led to serious consequences. For instance, a story that aired on several stations reported on lemon juice’s effect on sperm and speculated about, or presented as factual, the use of lemon juice as an effective contraceptive, and its potential effect on preventing sexual transmission of HIV, the virus that causes Aids.

    Despite the fact that the study was done in a research lab, nearly all the stories failed to mention that it had not involved humans. One of the stations misinterpreted the study altogether and stated that lemon juice may be a substitute for ‘costly’ HIV medications.

    The survey notes that errors such as these can actually harm the public. The key here is the focus on local news. Local TV news is the single greatest source of information for the majority of Americans — whether it be politics or health, the survey notes.

  • IPL’s Bangalore Royal Challengers unveils logo

    IPL’s Bangalore Royal Challengers unveils logo

    BANGALORE: Vijay Mallaya’s UB group which won the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise for Bangalore unveiled its team logo late last night. The team has been named Royal Challengers (RC).

    As has been reported earlier, the team has Charu Sharma as the CEO and Rahul Dravid as the team captain. Martin Crowe, whose role is to focus on the strategic aspects, is the Chief Cricket Officer. Venkatesh Prasad is the team coach and Evans Speachley of South Africa is the physiotherapist with Muthu Kumar of Bangalore as assistant.

    The RC team has tied up with Reebok for the sporting uniforms and Louis Phillippe for formals. Monoviraj Khosla has designed the special uniforms for the cheer leaders.

    During the second round of the IPL player auction, RC netted Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and India under-19 captain Virat Kohli. New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq and India U-19 wicket-keeper batsman Shreevats Goswami were the others who came to Bangalore.

    The team has a blend of batsmen, bowlers and all rounders. The batsmen are: Rahul Dravid; Shivnarine Chanderpaul; Misbah-ul-Haq; Ross Taylor, Wasim Jaffer; Virat Kohli; Jadessh Arunkumar; Bharat Chipli. The bowlers are: Dale Steyn (reportedly the fastest bowler in world cricket at present); Zaheer Khan; Nathan Bracken; Balachandra Akhil; Anil Kumble; Sunil Joshi; Abdur Razzak; KP Appanna; Praveen Kumar. The all rounders are: Jacques Kallis; Cameron White; Vinay Kumar. The wicketkeepers are Mark Boucher; Shreevats Goswami; Devraj Patil.

    An official statement indicates that the UB group is in talks with several partners in the online space to tap young fans, create virtual clubs, explore mobile space and leverage new media potential for marketing the team. Sale of merchandise and on ground activations will be used to reach out to the Royal Challengers fan flowing.

  • Panamsat reports four per cent revenue growth

    Panamsat reports four per cent revenue growth

    MUMBAI: Global satellite service provider Panamsat has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended 31 December, 2005

    For the year, total consolidated revenues of $861. million increased by 4.1 per cent from 2004 while video services revenues grew by 7.3 per cent over 2004. This year was significant as the company was acquired by Intelsat for $3.2 billion.

    The company paid down $676 million of long-term debt and paid out $300.3 million of dividends to shareholders as a result of strong financial results and a successful IPO. The company also achieved a year end 2005 cash balance of $126.3 million compared to $39 million at year end 2004.

    Total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2005 were $229.2 million, compared to revenues of $207.7 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of 10.4 per cent.

    Panamsat CEO Joe Wright said, “Panamsat finished the year in an extremely strong position as we completed one of the most successful years in the company’s history. Our management team has now met or exceeded guidance for four years in a row while also continuing to increase our revenues and profitability. The utilisation on our satellite

    fleet increased to 73 per cent compared to an industry average of less than 60 per cent, while our fleet reliability remained at an industry high of 99.9 per cent.

    “Equally as important as our strong financial results, we made real progress in the three major strategic areas that we identified early last year for future growth: 1) High Definition video in North America and expansion of Direct-to-Home (DTH) video services in international markets. 2) satellite-based connectivity in rural America and remote regions of the world and 3) servicing the U.S. Government. We capped off the year with an agreement to merge with Intelsat.
    “In the first strategic area of video expansion, we expanded our industry leading HD

    neighborhood in the U.S. on Galaxy 13 by signing a multiple year, multiple transponder contract with HDNet as well as by adding new channels to the platform including the Outdoor Channel. In addition, to meet strong demand for Ku-band capacity in North America, we signed an agreement with JSat to co-develop the Ku-band Horizons-2 satellite for the US market, which will support expanded HDTV, digital video, and IP-based content distribution

    networks to broadband Internet and satellite news gathering (SNG) services.

    “We also launched Vis-a-TV, an ethnic programming service for the U.S. marketplace. Vis-a-TV represents a milestone for the industry as it is the first time an operator will partner with its customers to bring the world’s programming to the U.S. Internationally, we developed the PanGlobal TV DTH

    platform in Australia, which currently offers 25 different channels of ethnic programming content and will be duplicated in additional international markets, including New Zealand, this year.

    “In our second strategic area, providing satellite-based connectivity to developing markets, several of our initiatives have already developed into real growth opportunities. In South Africa, we joined the Liberty Foundation and are providing over 1,000 schools with general curriculum and other teaching aids from Johannesburg. We are also using our satellites to provide health education to citizens across the country via a network of government healthcare clinics. In Mexico, we have joined with our partner Grupo Pegaso to expand satellite-based broadband services to government, enterprises and consumers.

    “Our G2 Satellite Solutions unit, formed several years ago, also made significant progress during the year. This Panamsat subsidiary now accounts for nearly $90 million in annual revenues and is recognised as one of the

    premier full-service total solutions providers to the U.S. Government. In 2005, the G2 team created a managed network solution specifically for the US government and its various agencies.

    “The network uses high-powered Ku-band beams around the globe to deliver voice, data, video and Internet connectivity. At the end of 2005, this service was installed in over 300
    locations and is projected to be the fastest growing part of the business. And, equally important, we were able to clearly demonstrate the value of our satellites in the case of emergencies such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. We were ready then and will be in the future to provide communications services in the event of an emergency, either natural or man-made,” adds Wright.

  • HTMT to buy out Pacific Horizon’s 1.23 per cent stake in Hutch

    HTMT to buy out Pacific Horizon’s 1.23 per cent stake in Hutch

    MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT Ltd has announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Pacific Horizon Ltd, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, Japan for buying an effective 1.23 per cent stake in Hutchison Essar Ltd (Hutch).

    The agreement is for purchase of Sumitomo’s 100 per cent stake in Pacific Horizon, which currently holds 24.12 per cent of IndusInd Telecom Network Ltd (ITNL). In Hutch, ITNL currently holds a 5.11 per cent stake. This translates to Pacific Horizon holding an effective stake of 1.23 per cent in Hutch.

    HTMT, according to the agreement, is purchasing 50 per cent of Pacific Horizon up front while the remaining stake will be bought at a later date.

    With this acquisition, HTMT, together with its wholly owned subsidiary InNetwork Entertainment Ltd, will hold 91.54 per cent of ITNL. This corresponds to a 4.68 per cent effective stake in Hutch, the company told BSE.

  • Star India split into two separate units under Nair, Mukerjea

    Star India split into two separate units under Nair, Mukerjea

    MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: In what is a major organisational revamp within Star India, the functions and management of the group have been split between CEO Peter Mukerjea and COO Sameer Nair.

    Nair has been given the role of CEO Star Entertainment India while Mukerjea is now the CEO of Star Group India.
    Essentially, what has happened is that Star India has been split up into an operational entity and a corporate entity.

    Mukerjea will lead Star Group in India as its CEO, responsible for all corporate functions such as legal, finance, government affairs, corporate communications as well as managing Stars investments including Tata Sky, Hathway, Balaji and MCCS.

    He will also spearhead the development of new business opportunities in India. Mukerjea will continue to report to Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie.

    Star Entertainment India, which is now fully under Nair’s charge, will oversee day-to-day programming, marketing, advertising sales and distribution functions.

    Nair has also been given the remit of expanding Star’s media presence from its existing TV channels Star Plus, Star Movies, Star Gold, Star News, Star One, Channel [V], Star Utsav and Star Vijay, into new media including wireless and broadband internet platforms.

    Nair will be reporting directly to Star Group COO Steve Askew.
    The changes are part of a reorganisation emanating from Star’s headquarters in Hong Kong with Askew being given additional charge as president of Star Entertainment. Askew has been Star COO since December 2003.

    Askews appointment is effective immediately. In his expanded role, he will oversee Stars operating divisions across the region, with his portfolio expanding from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and the Middle East to India.
    Commenting on the announcement, Guthrie said, The reorganization reflects the scale to which our operations have grown in India. The new structure will enable us to optimize our resources in expanding our leadership position in the television landscape while aggressively creating new opportunities in Indias thriving marketplace.

    According to Guthrie, Sameer was the key driving force to our ratings turnaround in India in 2001. Since then, Sameers intuitive knowledge of television entertainment has helped Star India deliver record results in ratings and revenues.

    “His promotion is a testament to the contribution he has made to build Star into the number one network in India. The new reporting structure aligns our creative forces and operational teams across the region, enabling us to continue developing compelling and successful content across different delivery platforms for years to come.

    Guthrie continued, Peter has done an exceptional job in leading our highly talented local team to grow our businesses exponentially in India. Under the spin-off, we will be able to exert a greater impact on our existing investments in India, particularly with the imminent launch of the Tata Sky DTH service.

    “Peters unique insights, extensive experience and strong business acumen will be invaluable as Star actively pursues new business opportunities to serve consumers throughout India.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com late in the evening, Nair expressed happiness at the confidence the top management of Star had shown in him.

    Quizzed on his agenda after the promotion, Nair said, “The basic aim of the company remains unchanged and that is to continue making entertaining content and find ways to monetise them more effectively across all delivery platforms.”

    Though Nair was not forthcoming on the company’s plans relating to Internet and wireless (medium), he did admit that these are two areas that will get some focussed attention.

  • Family movies, blockbusters rule in a slightly disappointing year for Hollywood

    Family movies, blockbusters rule in a slightly disappointing year for Hollywood

    MUMBAI: The revenues that Hollywood films made last year fell by six per cent in 2005 but remained healthy, reporting nearly $9 billion in revenue.

    Last year, 1.4 billion theater tickets were sold in the U.S. and the worldwide box office recorded intake of $23 billion, which was a 7.9 per cent decline over the previous year. At the
    same time, consumer information from the Nielsen analysis revealed that a majority of moviegoers were satisfied with their recent experiences at the movies and felt the movies were a good investment of their time and money.

    The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) data showed that blockbuster films had a banner year. Eight films including Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire made over $200 million compared to just five in 2004. The total number of films released in the US increased by 5.6 per cent from 2004. New releases by the major motion picture studios grossed an average of $37 million in 2005, an increase of seven per cent over the past five years.

    Consistent with past years, family movies dominated the box office. PG-13 films comprised the majority of top grossers for the industry, with PG and PG-13 films accounting for 85 per cent of last years top films. The average cost to make and market a film in 2005 remained under $100 million and dipped slightly to $96.2 million. Marketing costs were up by 5.2 per cent and production costs went down four per cent from the previous year. MPAA member companies spent more on network television and Internet advertising and less on newspapers and local television.

    A survey in the US which was conducted by Nielsen Entertainment/NRG in August of 2005 indicated that 81 per cent of moviegoers who saw at least one movie in 2005 believed that the experience was a good investment of their time and money, versus 15 per cent who preferred to watch the movie on DVD and four per cent who said they should have not seen the movie at all.

    When it came to technology, those moviegoers who owned or subscribed to four or more home technologies (e.g. DVR service, large television, DVD player, VOD) were actually more avid moviegoers, seeing an average of two more movies per year than the moviegoer who owned or subscribed to fewer than four.

    Four in ten of these moviegoers plan to buy the last movie they saw on DVD, with more than half of them making this decision immediately after seeing the movie in a theater. 65 per cent of people surveyed say they prefer theaters as the ultimate movie watching experience. In
    addition, movies continue to be the most common form of paid entertainment options outside the the home, such as sports and theme parks, based on available attendance data.

  • Bloomberg Television increases distribution in Asia by 47 per cent

    Bloomberg Television increases distribution in Asia by 47 per cent

    MUMBAI: Financial news service Bloomberg has announced that distribution of Bloomberg Television Asia Pacific service has expanded by 47 per cent in the region during the past year. It recently launched in South Korea.

    The company says that the growing availability of the channel throughout Asia reflects the region’s surging demand for high-quality, real-time business news. Through alliances with premier global media companies, Bloomberg Television says that it is broadening distribution, reaching a wider audience and solidifying Bloomberg’s position as the leading provider of global news and data.

    In Seoul, the channel is now available on the major cable TV systems operated by CJ Cablenet and Areum Broadcasting, and on Korea Telecom’s Mobile PDA video service known as KT Netspot Swing, which is available to 120,000 of its mobile users. Bloomberg’s James Ross says, “Bloomberg Television is the best vehicle for delivering global business TV news to Korean financial professionals. We are working closely with many of the major cable, satellite, and mobile companies to help this market benefit from new technological developments and the gradual change in broadcast regulation in Korea.”

    Within the last 12 months, the channel has expanded its reach with additional cable, satellite and mobile systems in Thailand (UBC), Hong Kong (now Broadband TV / Smartone-Vodafone), Vietnam (VCTV), Australia, (Optus TV), Cambodia (PPCTV), Indonesia (Astro), Singapore (Singtel), Malaysia (Celcom) and South Korea (CJ Cablenet, Areum Broadcasting, Korea Telecom).

  • DD calls for producers to bid

    DD calls for producers to bid

    It’s show time folks. Doordarshan has called for bids from television producers for three time slots on DD- Metro (DD-2): 7:55 am, 5:25 pm, and 6:55 pm. The time slots are of five minutes duration each and involve the creation of film trailer based shows. Producers can pick up the application forms between 6 and 13 March (11 am to 1 pm) from the respective Metro stations.

    Bids are to be submitted between 13 and 15 March between 11 am and 2 pm along with an earnest money deposit of Rs 50,000 and a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 5,000. The bids will be opened on 15 March at 3:30 pm. DD officials have fixed the minimum guarantee at Rs 50,000 per weekday.