ITV

Category: ICC WORLD CUP

  • Portfolio Entertainment inks deals with multiple broadcasters








    MUMBAI: Toronto-based Portfolio Entertainment cruises into next week‘s television trade event Mipcom with nearly a dozen recently signed broadcast deals with territories spanning the globe for programming across multiple genres including lifestyle, animal, children‘s, culinary, travel and how-to series.

    Portfolio Entertainment director of sales and acquisitions Jon Rutherford says, “The growth of our sales this past year is due in part to the diversity of our current slate of programming. We are committed to acquiring even more new series in a variety of genres in the months ahead”.


    Discovery Asia (Japan) renewed the second and third seasons of Animal Miracles.


    The Pet Network (Canada) has acquired 26 hour-long episodes of Top Dogs. This is a series featuring canines of all sizes, shapes and breeds as they compete in spectacular events worldwide.








    Canal + / Domo TV (Poland) is the first in line for the first season of Mansions. The series provides a glimpse into the world of high-stakes wheeling, dealing, designing and building of multi-million dollar homes.


    Astro Xpresi (Indonesia) set its sights on all 26 half-hours of Workforce. This is a career exploration series designed to help young people make educated decisions about their future careers.


    City7 TV (Hungary) purchased all 26 half-hours of Campus Vets which details dramatic tales of students and animal patients; all 26 half-hours of Workforce the career exploration series for tweens; the first season of French Food At Home.


    Here host Laura Calder articulates the philosophy of French cooking with passion; and all five seasons of Chef At Large featuring Chef Michael Smith as he travels to meet other skilled chefs, investigates their amazing, diverse kitchens and documents their unique and challenging worlds.


    OutTV‘s Netherlands channel picked up a full order of Bump!, an international travel series targeting the sights, culture and cuisine of gay-friendly locales.


    Telemundo (Puerto Rico) picked up 26 half-hours of Heads Up!. This is an astronomy series that takes children and tween viewers beyond the basics of the Big Dipper and the Moon, and introduces them to the magical content and practical context of the universe.


    Civitel (Chile) sets off on a journey with the DVD rights for all 26 half-hour episodes of the animated children‘s adventure series Toad Patrol.

  • Tata Interactive Systems eyes animation biz at Mipcom

    NEW DELHI: Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), the e-learning company of Tata Group, is looking beyond providing e-learning services at the trade event Mipcom this year.

    TIS aims at providing 2D and 3D animation services to television production houses and film production houses.

    Says Tata Interactive Systems head innovation and design Manisha Mohan, “This year at Mipcom we will be going beyond e-learning services that we had been providing for sometime now. Our main aim will be to sell our 2D and 3D animation services to television production companies as well as film production companies. We have also started a studio completely for the purpose of providing animation services to the television and film industry.”
    Tata Interactive Systems is popular for its services in the sector of e-learning. Since its inception in 1990, the company has extended its presence with more than 950 development centers in Mumbai and Kolkata in India and US, UK, Mainland Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and Japan in the international market.

     

  • Sony Pictures to showcase new content at Mipcom








     

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) will travel to the television trade event Mipcom which kicks off in Cannes, France on Monday with a raft of new content.

    SPTI director licensing India Leena Dutta says that the company will be taking new shows which clients have not seen before. “Due to the Writers‘ strike in Hollywood this year, we, like all the other Hollywood Studios, were not able to screen as many shows back in May during L.A. Screenings as they were not ready or had not been picked up at that time. Now that we have additional pilot pick-ups, we will be introducing these new shows to clients at Mipcom. In addition, we will be showcasing a new multi-platform show starring movie star Rosario Dawson called Gemini Division.”


    Gemini Division is a science fiction series consisting of five to seven minute long webisodes.








    As far as Asian content is concerned, it is showcasing the upcoming Bollywood film Meerabhai Not Out. This is a cricket themed film with Mandira Bedi. It also features Anil Kumble. Korean films Venus and Mars and Open City will also be on offer.


    One show from the US that will be showcased is The Beast. In this pilot Patrick Swayze plays an undercover FBI agent. The Unusuals is a one-hour dramedy set in Manhattan, featuring Amber Tamblyn as a police officer whose choice of profession has made her the black sheep of her wealthy family. Tamblyn will play Casey Shraeger, a newly transferred homicide detective who learns that her fellow officers have quirks and secrets.



    On the animation front the company will showcase Sit Down Shut Up. This is a new animated series, with animated characters against non-animated backgrounds. It depicts the lives and quirks of nine staffers at a high school in a small fishing town. This series shows that teachers have lives and personal problems too. It airs in the US on Fox.


    Dutta adds that while Mipcom is certainly an essential part of the calendar, this year it is a bit unusual. Normally, Mipcom would be a good time to close deals on new shows screened at LA Screenings which by mid-October would have already launched in the US. But due to the Writer‘s strike earlier this year, SPTI will be looking to debut new shows at the market.


    Asked about the impact of the economic recession on the business that will be transacted at Mipcom, she conceedes that the global economic crisis affects every single one of the players and it will definitely influence the mood of the market. “The entertainment business, however, seems to be quite resilient during times of economic hardship. History has shown that when times are tough, people tend to turn to movies and TV shows for escapism even more so. We hope this will hold true as we deal with these tough times.”

  • Toel Animation sells shows to broadcasters ahead of Mipcom

    MUMBAI: Ahead of Mipcom, France animation production studio Toei Animation has announced that their shows have been acquired by several leading broadcasters in Europe and Asia.

     

    Asataro, The Onion Samurai will be aired on TV Asahi in Japan from 12 October. My 3 Daughters and Master Hamsters has been acquired by GMA7 in the Philippines and by France 3 in France.

     

    Happy Lucky Bikkuriman has been acquired by Cartoon Network in Italy, by France 3 in France and by Hong Kong Cable in Hong Kong.

     

    GeGeGe No Kitaro 5 has been acquired by Tooniverse in Korea.

     

  • Shemaroo to focus on films & animation at Mipcom

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment is gearing up for the television trade event Mipcom which kicks off on Monday in Cannes, France.

    Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada says that Mipcom in the past has been a great platform to build relationships and showcase products. “Business is, however, at a nascent stage and depends on various factors,” he adds.

    The focus will be on acquiring and selling content for animation, films and alternative content. It is also looking at co-production deals in the animation field.

    When asked about the content that will be showcased, Gada says, “In animation we will showcase Ghatothkach – Master of Magic; Bal Ganesh; Dashavatar; Return of Hanuman. Then there is Tina and Magical Alphabets which is an edutainment series. Fruit Salad is a fun series with morals.”

    In films, Shemaroo will showcase Mera Baap Pehle Aap; Jannat; Ugly Aur Pagli; Mission Istanbul; Chamku and Hello. As far as alternative content goes, there is Shilpa’s Yoga. The company will also offer shows on lifestyle, travel, food and health.

  • Mipcom to screen TBSL’s ‘Hot Gossip Bollywood’

    MUMBAI: Mipcom has instituted a new section for the mobile and internet content. Time Broadband’s content ‘Hot Gossip Bollywood’ has been selected for special screening under this section.

     

    Hot Gossip Bollywood is a two-minute show about Bollywood stars.

     

    Apart from Time Broadband, the other selected content is from major networks like MTV, Disney, Turner Broadcasting and Fox.

     

    European Broadcasting Union’s Nicoletta Laccobacci headed the selection committee. The selection, from 1000 entries, was based on innovation, customisation, and inventiveness of the content.

     

  • Colosceum to acquire formats at Mipcom

    MUMBAI: Colosceum Media, the creators of the popular Splitsvilla which aired on MTV, is set for Mipcom with the focus of acquiring formats from across the world.

     

    Colosceum Media CEO Ajit Andhere says, “Taking into account the booming television market in India, our aim is to acquire the best of both fiction as well as non fiction formats and bring them to India.”

     

    However, the production house which is almost a year old is not pitching in to sell any formats developed by them.

     

    “At the moment we are not selling anything. Our focus is to develop our catalogue with many more shows and exploit them sufficiently. May be after a year, when we have good shows we can also get into selling,” adds Andhere.

  • Firangi acquires 2,000 hours of content at Mipcom

    Firangi acquires 2,000 hours of content at Mipcom

    MUMBAI: SaharaOne‘s world television channel Firangi, which would air international content from across the globe, has made the best out of its visit to Mipcom.

     

    According to the channel‘s business head Rajeev Chakrabarti, the channel has acquired a whopping 2,000 hours of content, thus completing its first phase of acquisitions.

     

    “We were clearly the largest Indian buyers at Mipcom. On board we have about 2,000 hours of content, which will take care of approximately a year‘s programming needs,” says Chakrabarti.

     

    The acquired content library is across a variety of genres. “We have acquired short series primarily action thrillers, dramas, romantic comedies, telenovelas from regions like Europe, US, Latin America. There is however, no Asian content yet,” says Chakrabarti.

     

    The channel has tied up with about eight content providers worldwide. “When we conceived Firangi in June, we got in touch with international content providers and had been reviewing a host of content for the channel. Mipcom, essentially was an event for us to close our deals,” he says.

     

    Elaborating on the target audience for the channel, he says, “Our research across ten Indian cities has showed that there is large audience base, which is young in mind and waiting to see different cultures, locales, international fashion. They are waiting to consume content within their boundaries of sensibility as long as they can watch it together with their family.”

     

    Firangi will further acquire more content through international trade events like America Film Market, MipTV amongst others. The channel is slated to go on air this year.

  • Endemol to bring two format shows to India

    Endemol to bring two format shows to India

    MUMBAI: Endemol India is moving ahead aggressively with its plans. It has seven shows on the floor for various channels which are set for launch in November and December.

     

    These include the Pogo Amazing Kids Awards on Pogo. It will also be doing shows for INX and Star.

     

    In terms of introducing new formats to Indian broadcasters, Endemol is looking at two: 11 Cameras and Kids Are Alright.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Endemol India MD Rajesh Kamath says, “We are excited about 11 Cameras. This is a non fiction modern day story told entirely from the unique viewpoint of webcams and computer desktops. 11 Cameras is inspired by today’s world in which long-distance friends and lovers have traded in their pen and ink for the ones and zeroes of e-mail and the electronic hum of 10,000 webcams. Computers are the new breeding ground for today’s relationships.

     

    The details are being finetuned in terms of how candid cameras can be used and for how long an interesting story can last. “The story will also be finetuned to syuit indian tastes. This is a story of love, sex, loneliness, fear, money woes, longing, adultery and jealousy in the digital age,” Kamath adds.

     

    Endemol International had recently acquired the format rights for the show from Oasis International for several territories including India, Australia, the US.

     

    Kids Are Alright is a show where kids are pitted against adults.

     

    Kamath adds that the aim is to have both these shows on air sometime in the March-April 2008 period.

  • Mipcom 2007 sees record attendance of 13,000+

    CANNES: It was wind down time today at the 23rd edition of the audiovisual and digital market Mipcom 2007 in Cannes, Palais des festivals.

     

    And as has been the trend over the last few years, the market saw record attendances, the biggest jump of course being witnessed by India. The Mipcom Country of Honour saw participation up a massive 392 per cent over last year with 220+ delegates present this year.

     

    With 545 stands, from 4,581 companies and 105 nations represented, the event saw attendance cross the 13,000 mark (after Day 3 it stood at 13,295).

     

    This market is of course about business, so the statistic that there was a 10 per cent increase in programme TV buyers from 3,847 to 4,237 was of course a most relevant piece of information.

     

    This year also saw 1,801 exhibiting companies from 62 countries showcasing their products.

     

    The top 10 biggest stands from across International markets included Telefilm Canada, Warner Bros. International Television, CBS Paramount International Television, The Marketplace, NBC Universal Television Distribution, TV France International, Freemantlemedia, Disney ABC International Television, Sony Pictures Television International and Discovery Communications Inc.

     

    This year, 11 new countries came to the market – Antigua, Belarus, Cuba, Fiji, Liechtenstein, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Puerto Rico, Senegal and Tanzania.

     

    A new featured event that was well received by all delegates was the Green TV day on 9 October. A series of conferences that hosted major international media groups – News Corp, Nat Geo, BSkyB and MTV – discussed how they were individually tackling green issues.

     

    Research company ‘The Wit‘ offered examples of Green programming from across the world and across the different genres. The Green TV Day closed with the conference ‘Pangea Day: Can Film Bring the World Together?‘

     

    Pangea Day is a global event slated for 10 May 2008 that will showcase short films from around the world. On the day, venues in Cairo, Dharamsala, Jerusalem, Kigali, London, New York City, Ramallah and Rio de Janeiro will be linked in a four-hour global broadcast featuring films, speakers and music. The event will be streamed online, on TV, in digital cinemas and on mobile phones.

     

    Reed Midem television division director Paul Johnson said this would be an endeavour actively supported by the organisation right up to ‘D Day‘ on 10 May.