ITV

Category: Event Coverage

  • MipTV’s Milia conference ‘Capture Innovation’ gets 3 industry execs as keynote speakers

    MipTV’s Milia conference ‘Capture Innovation’ gets 3 industry execs as keynote speakers

    MUMBAI: MipTV featuring Milia has announced that three industry executives Joseph Jaffe, Philip Rosedale and Gerhard Zeiler, will be keynote speakers for this year’s conference programme.

    Milia’s 2007 conference programme entitled “Capture Innovation,” will focus on five key themes looking at ‘Trends-in-Television,’ the ‘Explosion of Mobile Media,’ ‘Branding and Marketing 2.0,’ ‘On-Demand Television and Digital Distribution’ and ‘Content 360 and the Future of Media,’ informs an official release.

    Joseph Jaffe president and ‘Chief Interruptor’ of new-age marketing specialists, Crayon L.L.C. and author of the marketing best-seller “Life after the 30-second Spot,” will look at how advertising is evolving in a world ruled by an empowered consumer and a television industry no longer governed solely by the 30-second spot. His speech, entitled “Energize Your Brand: The New Marketing Renaissance,” is part of a new conference track featuring debates between advertising agencies, brands and content industry leaders.

    Philip Rosedale founder and CEO of Linden Lab, the creator of the 3D online digital world phenomenon “Second Life,” will open the ‘Future of Media’ day on 19 April by discussing the next generation of media and how to engage audiences and brands in the a virtual world. The ‘Future of Media’ day will include Content 360 conferences, showcasing new talent along with enabling technologies and creative cross-platform formats, as well as two super panels “TV 2.0 meets Web 2.0” and “Future of Lifestyle Media.”

    Gerhard Zeiler chief executive officer of European entertainment network, RTL Group, will give his “Traditional Media Fights Back” keynote speech on 16 April. A former ‘Mipcom Personality of the Year,’ Gerhard Zeiler will share his vision of how the networks across the world are responding to fragmented media distribution and embracing change.

  • Korean Broadcasting, BBC to back Miptv’s Content 360

    Korean Broadcasting, BBC to back Miptv’s Content 360

    MUMBAI: The Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) and the BBC are backing Miptv’s Content 360, the international competition to commission innovative, interactive content and applications for mobile and broadband.

    The event is a part of Miptv featuring Milia, which takes place in Cannes between 16 to 20 April.

    WPP’s OgilvyOne Worldwide is partnering the competition for the first time, alongside returning partner National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

    Content 360 provides the opportunity for international multimedia and application developers to present original ideas which fully exploit the creative potential of new digital platforms and maximise the interaction between audiences and broadcast television. The call for entries is now open, with winners of the competition sharing €100,000 in development funding, asserts an official release.

    KBC director Jinny Kwak said, “DMB has created a whole new culture where people are creating new lifestyles by experiencing completely different forms of broadcasting. At Content 360, KBC hopes to serve as a fresh motivation for new media platforms, such as DMB, to create and develop their own unique content.”

    “The BBC wants to build relationships with the most creative companies out there and together deliver successful services across all new media platforms. This explains our involvement from the inception of the Content 360 competition,” says Jonathan Kingsbury, Head of External Supply, BBC New Media and Technology.

    Milia director Ted Baracos added, “Content 360 brings together the creative ideas and digital applications which are key ingredients in the new multi-platform world. As part of Miptv featuring Milia, it also provides an unparalleled networking and financing opportunity between traditional and new media.”

    Content 360 entrants have time till 9 February to respond to written briefs provided across various categories, each of which has its own specific criteria as established by the event partners.

    KBC will reward the best entry in the cross-platform formats including DMB (mobile TV-centric) category and NFB is offering co-production financing for innovative new forms of socially responsive media. The BBC categories include : localness on bbc.co.uk, children’s content, cross-platform documentary, teenage drama and entertainment, and on-demand participation. OgilvyOne Worldwide has created a cross-media brand marketing category.

    Mint Digital Ltd Tim Morgan said, “Last year’s Content 360 was truly a great opportunity for a creative and technology company like ours to engage the global TV industry. Before Content 360, Mint Digital was a web design company. After Content 360, Mint Digital became a leading provider of social and user-generated web applications with new relationships with broadcasters and producers from around the world.”

    Content 360 finalists will promote their projects during a series of pitching sessions in front of a panel of key decision-makers. The competition winners will be announced on 19 April during the Content 360 zapping show.

    In addition to the pitching competition, Content 360 will focus on creative conferences such as learning from games, impact of virtual reality, tools and platforms enabling user-generated content, video search and social communities, adds the release.

    The Content 360 initiative also includes a dedicated pavilion for networking between digital creators and the international TV industry executives attending the Miptv featuring Milia exhibition.

  • Paramount Motion Pictures tops Golden Globe Awards with 15 nominations

    Paramount Motion Pictures tops Golden Globe Awards with 15 nominations

    MUMBAI: Paramount Motion Pictures Group has received 15 nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards beating all other studios. This also marks a record for Paramount.

    Babel, the first film to be green-lighted by Paramount Vantage, topped all films with seven nominations; Dreamgirls, produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, followed with five nominations; and the co-productions (with Warner Bros.) Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima received one and two nominations respectively, states an official release.

    Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a unit of Viacom, produces and distributes filmed entertainment through the Paramount Motion Picture Group which includes Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies.

    PPC operations also include Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Studios and Worldwide Television Distribution.

  • ‘Lost’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy, ‘Weeds’ competing at Golden Globe Awards

    ‘Lost’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy, ‘Weeds’ competing at Golden Globe Awards

    MUMBAI: Nominations for the 64th edition of the Golden Globes have been announced.

    ABC’s hospital soap Grey’s Anatomy and Showtime’s Weeds got four Golden Globe nominations, including best drama and best comedy, respectively.

    Keeping Grey’s Anatomy company for best drama are Lost, 24, Heroes, and Big Love. For comedy the nominees are Desperate Housewives, Weeds, Entourage, The Office and Ugly Betty. In India the Golden Globe Awards will air on Star World next month.

    HBO led the television categories with 14 nominations, followed by ABC with 11, NBC with nine and Showtime with six. HBO’s Elizabeth I and Mrs. Harris got nominated for best mini series or TV movie. Tsunami The Aftermath which will air in India on HBO on 26 December picked up acting nominations for Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo and Toni Collette.

    On the film side Babel with its multiple narrative threads picked up six nominations along with Martin Scorcese’s gangster epic The Departed. Director Clint Eastwood got two nominations for directing the war films Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. So it is a Clint vs Marty showdown again. Leonardo Dicaprio got two nominations for acting in The Departed and Blood Diamond. On the actress side Helen Mirren is the favourite for the playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen.

  • ATF kicks off; participation up 25 %

    ATF kicks off; participation up 25 %

    SINGAPORE: The Asia Television Forum, Asia Film Market & Conference and the Asia Animation Conference got off to a flying start this morning in Singapore with the Singapore information, communication and arts minister Dr Lee Boon Yang announcing that participation had grown 25 per cent this year.

    Dr Lee stated that the markets had attracted 80 new seller companies, and 50 new buyer companies. The total number of sellers at the market has grown to 250 and buyer countries represented from 25 to 29 countries, revealed Dr Lee.

    Among the countries which have shown sharp increases include: Greece, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Qatar and Ukraine. The companies attending the market for the first time include: Mosfilm Cinema Concern, Kazakh Cinema Distribution, and Russico. All the major four Korean broadcasters including Educational Broadcasting System, Korea Broadcasting System, Munhwa Broadcasting Corp, and Seoul Broadcasting System have made it a point to attend for the first time.

    The minister added that Singapore was working hard to emerge as a post production service providing hub to Hollywood and other countries wanting to dub or subtitle and distribute to Asia. He pointed out that a beginning had been made and that Singapore has a long way to go but the effort will continue in the form of financing funds from the Media Development Authority, and other government institutions. “Media is one of our core focus areas,” he said.

    He also announced that Oak3 Films will be coproducing a telemovie for German broadcaster ARD which will be distributed by Beta Films globally. Another Singapore company Sitting in Pictures is developing a nine part series with Fremantle International Distribution. Dr Boon Yang also said that the MDA has collaborated with Singapore talent management and executive production company RGM Holdings to set up a loan guarantee facility. The loan facility will be used to partially finance at least six international films worth Singapore $80 million over the next two years.

    His most important announcement was that Singapore’s media industry secured coproduction deals worth $50 million at Mipcom 2006

    Additionally, he said that the his ministry had identified interactive and digital media sector as a key engine of growth and that a fund of upto S$ 500 million had been kept aside to catalyse the same.

    Among the companies which are exhibiting at ATF and the AFM include: Sony Entertainment Television, Sahara One, Zee TV, Eros Multimedia, UFO Movies, Indian Television Dot Com, to name a few.

    The highlight from the Indian perspective is the Indian animation conference which is to be chaired by Ashish Kulkarni with participation from Munjal Shroff, P Jayakumar, Rajesh Turakhia, Sudhish Rambothia. SET CEO Kunal Dasgupta is slated to give the welcome address and function as the co-chair.

  • The Intrepid Indian

    The weather report has been accurate about Cannes – clear weather, cool to warm temperatures and loads of golden sunshine. Whoever can, makes sure to step outside the massive Palais Des Festivals, venue for Mipcom 2006, to soak in the bright sun bouncing off the clear blue sea.

    Colourful canopies dot the beach and it seems so right to conduct business there instead of indoors underneath all that artificial lighting. Fremantle Media has large white tents hooked up right on the beach and some others are working from their sparkling yachts; but the majority have interestingly done up booths inside the large cavernous Palais.

    Its Day three of Mipcom and my pace has not slackened; I was hoping to be able to catch my breath after two hectic days but being a buyer makes one liable to more meetings – everyone wants to meet you!

    Mipcom 2006 – Main Entrance

    The market is busy, vibrant and exciting. Some of my meetings have been so much fun, like the one with JJ from Paramount. JJ is witty and sharp and her tongue in cheek comments had me laughing through the meeting. I enjoy such informal meetings that are not strictly business!

    Most companies are not reacting very well to the fact that I come from India. One of my meetings with such a company opened with the comment, “I hate being rude; I don‘t like myself when I am like that but Indians tend to bring out the worst out of me.” Taken aback, I responded that this sounded suspiciously like a threat and I was expecting him to pull out a gun on me next. He apologized profusely but went on to relate horrifying tales of his experience with Indian buyers – the screeners he sent, turned up as pirated VCD‘s in the Indian market!

    At that, I held up my Mipcom badge that stated my company name in bold – Sony Entertainment Television India. And I was flooded with apologies again! But such stories abound and it‘s a shame that this is the reputation we carry abroad. As an industry (and proud Indian businessmen and women, we will have to do something about that!)

    Day 1 culminated in a grand opening party at the beautiful Majestic Barriere, situated on the Croisette. All of Mipcom seemed to have descended there and the place buzzed with hundreds of people unwinding after a packed first day. Different rooms had been decorated according to different themes. There was one with a “Bollywood” theme too, dressed with Hindi film posters and bathed ( strangely ) in red lighting. The food served up was passable Indian fare and we decided to give it a miss.

    In the next room, the Prisonbreak party was being conducted noisily. And with our glasses of champagne in hand, we gravitated towards the loud cheers. We were just in time to catch the good looking cast of the show, who made a hasty appearance before they disappeared as quickly. Someone should buy this hot show for Indian viewers! Hmmm wouldn‘t be surprised to catch it on AXN or Star World one of these days!

    Day 2 ended in a pleasant cocktail aboard the Buena Vista yacht. It was beautiful to be out under the stars, sipping wine after a long hard day, looked after by our generous and charming hosts. The Buena Vista and Disney folks from abroad are only saying good things about India at the market. Clearly, they‘ve based a lot of their growth expectations on Rajat Jain and his team. The FTV boat along side, attracted much attention with scantily clad models and loud music. Good to see that their promotions at the trade show are consistent with what their channel offers us!

    As I rest my tired feet for a moment, I ponder on how hard it is being a buyer. You get run off your feet in the huge venue and sometimes the meetings are so close, that you skip meals as well! Next time, I promise myself, its only running shoes for me.

    Sony PIX programming head Gitanjali Murari on her experiences at Mipcom 2006.

    (The views expressed here are those of the author and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to the same)

  • Mipcom announces nominations for annual Mobile TV Screenings and Awards

    Mipcom announces nominations for annual Mobile TV Screenings and Awards

    MUMBAI: The global television trade event Mipcom has announced the nominations for the second annual Mobile TV Screenings & Awards. 23 nominations and 10 special mentions will be presented during MIPCOM and the winners will be announced in a special screenings and awards Ceremony to be held in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes on 11 October, 2006.

    Sponsored by Orange, Ericsson and the Korean Broadcasting Commission, the Mobile Screenings & Awards 2006 brought in a record number of 290 entries from 34 countries. This marks a 30 per cent increase in submissions from 2005.

    For the second year running the competition recognises innovation and creativity in new mobile entertainment concepts and formats especially related to audiovisual TV and Film content.

    Reed Midem’s Television Division director Paul Johnson says, “Mobile TV represents a growing opportunity for the audiovisual content industry. Mipcom is proud to take an active role in promoting the development of made-for-mobile content and facilitating commercial transactions on a global level for both TV and film.”

    The Pre-selection Jury head and president of London based Any Screen Productions Ferhan Cook says, “The competition has attracted an even wider variety of genres, and new approaches from both existing well known entertainment companies as well as new ones.

    “It is clear that the world’s creative community is hard at work, innovating new formats for the mobile medium.”

    The 23 nominated entries are to be screened and judged by the Mobile TV Awards Jury at Mipcom from each of the following five categories: Best Original Made-for-Mobile Film or Video Content; Best Repurposed Content from Existing Film or TV Property; Best Made-for-Mobile TV Channel; Best Format for Interactive Mobile TV and Best Mobile format for User-Generated Content.

    In addition to these five categories, there will also be The Orange Grand Prize for Innovation and a special recognition mention for the Best Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) projects.

    The Mobile TV Screenings & Awards are a part of the Mobile TV focus on 11 October 2006. Included in the programme are a number of conferences focusing on the distribution, marketing and creation of audiovisual mobile content; including keynote addresses by Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja and ESPN president, and ABC Sports co-Chairman George Bodenheimer.

    The nominees in various categories are:

  • Sweeney, Bodenheimer to deliver keynotes at Mipcom

    Sweeney, Bodenheimer to deliver keynotes at Mipcom

    MUMBAI: The upcoming television trade event Mipcom 2006 which takes place in Cannes from 9-13 October has announced four keynote speakers.

    This year’s conference programme is called Reshaping Media. The speakers include ESPN US president George Bodenheimer, Disney-ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney, NBC Universal president, digital media and market development Beth Comstock and MGM chairman and CEO Harry Sloan.

    This year’s programme will focus on the changing landscape for traditional TV programming and the advertising business, film financing and distribution, as well as exploring the new opportunities offered by internet TV and mobile TV.

    Named the Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter, one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune and one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes, Sweeney is responsible for Disney’s entertainment and news television properties globally. Under her guidance ABC went from strength to strength with shows like Desperate Housewives and Lost.

    At Mipcom Sweeney will share her vision of the future and the impact of digital on all forms of media. She will offer an insight on the changing landscape of television and evolving consumer demands.

    As part of a new conference focus at Mipcom 2006 highlighting new financing and distribution opportunities for film Sloan, will present the new invigorated MGM business strategy to hundreds of Mipcom delegates. A core business for MGM, Sloan will be addressing the new opportunities for cinema in television distribution, channel operations, home entertainment and new media. Sloan headed three media companies before joining MGM in October 2005. They were SBS Broadcasting, Lions Gate Entertainment and New World Entertainment.

    Comstock drives NBC Universal’s digital strategy and leads the company’s content and distribution efforts across new and emerging digital platforms. In her keynote speech, she will discuss NBC Universal’s 360 degree content approach to capitalise on opportunities in the digital age and strategy for success in this era of the pull consumer.

    Bodenheimer will be looking into the reasons and strategy behind the growth of the ESPN brand as part of the day’s spotlight on cross-platform and mobile content. Bodenheimer was named president of ESPN in 1998 and his focus on creativity and cutting-edge innovation has led the company to expand its brand to over 50 business entities.

  • Ficci regional council moves to a new premise in Mumbai

    Ficci regional council moves to a new premise in Mumbai

    Mumbai, 5 May, 2006 – With a mission to accelerate industrial and economic growth of the western region manifold by acting as a catalyst in the process of progress, FICCI Western Regional Council – the regional arm of the FICCI – the largest and the oldest apex body for industries, moved on Thursday evening, to a bigger and modern office at Krishnamai Building, Pochkhanwala Road, Worli, Mumbai 400025. With this shifting, FICCI-Western Regional Council has become the largest regional office of FICCI in India. The new office has been designed to accommodate a big conference room, research center with space to accommodate future growth.

    Inaugurating the new office of FICCI-WRC, Mr. Saroj Poddar, President, FICCI expressed confidence that the regional office of FICCI, which has been doing wonderful work, would serve the industry and the society with renewed vigour. He pointed out that the expansion of the regional office in Mumbai was in line with FICCI’s firm belief that strong regional offices would strengthen the apex body to maintain the position of leadership in serving trade, industry by offering excellent service. He assured all out support to its regional office in its developmental efforts for the region.

    Mr. Habil Khorakiwala, Sr. Vice President, FICCI in his address said that the opening of the bigger and modern office in Mumbai showed the importance that FICCI attaches to this great city of Mumbai and the State of Maharashtra. He envisioned Mumbai becoming the knowledge capital of India, based on her strengths in IT, ITeS, Pharma, Biotechnology sectors. He called for a total transformation of Mumbai, Maharashtra and the entire western region, which have a great potential for unlimited growth. He expressed confidence that FICCI Regional Office could act as a catalyst in bringing about such a transformation.

    Earlier Mr. Sushil Jiwarajka, Chairman, FICCI-WRC, gave an overview of the regional and national initiatives undertaken by the council. He elaborated on the achievements of the council in areas of regional core competence viz., Textiles, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Petrochemicals, Entertainment, Energy – Oil, Gas, Power, Agriculture, Banking, Capital Markets and Medical Tourism. He also highlighted its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives like curbing of cyber crime, flood relief, rainwater harvesting, and corporate governance. He stressed the role of the regional council in areas like trade facilitation, arbitration and conciliation, sold waste management, women empowerment and enterprise.

    Underling the need for brand protection, Mr. Ashok Chhabra, Executive Director, Procter & Gamble, Member, FICCI, Brand Protection Committee said that fake products and counterfeits wee harming the interests of all the industries in general and FMCG & Pharmaceuticals in particular. He also said that FICCI was taking every effort to contain this menace. He called for total cooperation of all concerned to control this problem.

    Highlighting the need to reduce transaction costs and improve market access in international trade, Mr.Ramu Deora, Chairman, FICCI Trade Facilitation Forum elaborated on the work being done by the Forum in providing a forum for effective interface with trade related agencies and the authorities concerned for creating a hassle free international trade environment.

    Lauding the FICCI-Western Regional Council for setting up the excellent office in Mumbai, Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI, envisioned that the regional office would provide more services to industry, bring about radical changes in the economy, and effect changes in policies to enlarge market opportunities for conducting easy and hassle free trade in the true spirit of globalization with liberalization as its foundation. He underlined the strengths of FICCI at the national level in terms of highly qualified manpower, economic database, wealth of research information, research facilities and the support of its regional and overseas office. He was confident that both FICCI and FICCI-WRC could bring about synergies in operations and be a strong force to reckon with.

    Media Division,
    FICCI, Mumbai

    For further information please contact:
    Neha Taleja/Shefali Virani
    ntaleja@corvoshandwick.co.in
    /shefalivirani@corvoshandwick.co.in
    Corporate Voice I Weber Shandwick

  • MipTV reports a marginal rise in attendance

    MipTV reports a marginal rise in attendance

    MUMBAI: The recently concluded television event in Cannes, France MipTV featuring Milia had an attendance of 12,249 participants, compared to 12,163 in 2005.

    Company participation rose to 4,201 from 4,138 last year, while the number of acquisition executives in Cannes was 3,565, a five per cent increase on the 2005 level of 3,393.

    Reed Midem’s television division director Paul Johnson says, “MipTV featuring MILIA 2006 saw a significant rise in the number of companies and executives coming from the digital sector, particularly IPTV, mobile and interactive television specialists. Our figures show that we welcomed some 1,800 companies from the Internet and mobile sectors.

    “Our conference programme and a series of new initiatives such as Content 360 and the International Interactive Emmy Awards, reflect the changes taking place in the industry. MipTV featuring MILIA is not just a television market, it’s a content market.”

    The event had 45 sessions and over 170 speakers. For the first time ever, the conference programme welcomed seven keynote speakers, including AOL chairman and CEO Jonathan Miller, reality television producer Mark Burnett, BBC new media head Ashley Highfield, FremantleMedia’s Gary Carter, Takeshi Natsuno of NTT DoCoMo and Erik Huggers of Microsoft.

    Miller at the event announced that AOL had brought programming originally produced for its Internet video channels and was selling the shows to traditional broadcasters.

    A highlight of MipTV was the inaugural International Interactive Emmy Awards, organised by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Reed Midem. This is the first time that an Emmy Awards ceremony has taken place outside the US. A gala dinner, hosted by Desperate Housewives star Roger Bart.

    Among the other new initiatives launched in 2006, Content 360 set out to commission innovative content and interactive applications for mobile and broadband. Organised in partnership with the BBC, the Korean Broadcasting Commission and the National Film Board of Canada, Content 360 rewarded six company projects and provided €80,000 of development funding to be divided between the winners.

    For the first time in MipTV’s history, the annual Lifetime Achievement Award was attributed not to an industry individual but to a whole company, in the form of Japanese production powerhouse TOEI. TOEI Company chairman Tan Takaiwa and TOEI Animation chairman Tsutomu Tomari accepted the tribute on behalf of the entire TOEI group.

    Now in its ninth year, the two-day Mipdoc documentary and factual programme screenings, which precede MipTV, saw a 14 per cent rise in participation with 438 companies from 57 countries attending. Production and sales companies sent 1,192 programmes to the digital screening library, of which 769 were appearing at a market for the first time.