Category: Technology

MUMBAI: Measat Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.has appointed Vishal Mathur as South Asia sales director. In this role, Vishal will be responsible for building and supporting Measat’s customer base across the South Asian region.|

Prior to joining Measat, Vishal worked with Zee Telefilms as AVP. At Zee Telefims, he managed the sales and marketing portfolio for the Asia Pacific market.

MUMBAI: Former US Vice President Al Gore has unveiled plans to launch a UK version of his ‘user generated‘ network, Current TV.

Current has signed an agreement with UK pay TV platform BSkyB to launch a localised version of its viewer-created TV channel in the UK and Ireland.

The announcement was jointly made by Current chairman Al Gore and BSkyB CEO James Murdoch. The agreement provides Current’s first presence outside the US and marks a step in fulfilling its plans of becoming an international media company, while for BSkyB it represents a first step in a strategy to develop a broader presence in the fast-growing field of user-generated content.

Current TV is the first TV network created by, for, and with a young adult audience, enlisting its audience as creative partners. To tailor its output to the local audience, Current plans to deliver a channel specifically designed for the British and Irish markets.

Viewer producers from the UK and Ireland will be able to submit their video segments via Current’s website and, if their work is selected for broadcast, they will also have a chance to have their pieces air on Current’s U.S. network and in other markets into which Current will expand in the future.

Since its launch in August 2005, Current TV claims to have been a pioneer in the world of user-generated content, with its ‘viewer created content‘ or VC2, programming model. Rather than a traditional network with primetime shows and “appointment television,” Current offers short-form, nonfiction programming, called “pods,” which are only a few minutes long and which explore the issues of interest to young adults, including technology, fashion, music and videogames, the environment, relationships, spirituality, politics, finance, and parenting. In the US, approximately 30 per cent of the network’s content is created by viewers.

The agreement will allow Current TV to reach up to 22 million more viewers in 8.2 million households subscribing to BSkyB’s Sky digital service, equivalent to almost one in three households in the UK and Ireland. Over the past year Current has expanded its US carriage by 70 per cent from 17 million to nearly 30 million homes.

Gore says, “We are grateful to be working with BSkyB in our first international venture. This is a big step in fulfilling Current’s mission of sparking a global conversation among young adults. Bringing our viewer-created content model to the UK and Ireland will give millions of young viewers the opportunity to not only watch but also to create television programming that is relevant to them. We’re excited about being able to unleash the creativity of young people in the UK and Ireland, enabling them to share their stories with their generational cohort here and around the world.”

Murdoch says, “Current TV is bringing the web’s sense of empowerment to television for the first time. It has a uniquely collaborative approach to working with viewer producers that stands out among other platforms for user-generated video. As a first step towards Sky’s own moves in this fascinating field, we’re pleased to help give a voice to millions of young people throughout the UK and Ireland.”

Murdoch incidentally was one of the first to back Mr Gore‘s campaign to persuade big business to face up to green issues. He said the partnership with Current TV was the first step towards the broadcaster, which will make it available free to all its 8.2 million subscribers, launching other user-content initiatives.

Internet networking sites such as MySpace and video sharing services such as YouTube and Google Video have forced broadcasters to learn from them. Political parties have also tried to get in on the act, as with the WebCameron Tory initiative

MUMBAI:Buena Vista International Television–Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP), the international television distribution arm of Disney has concluded a multi-year agreement with Korean pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VoD) operator CGV Choice, a subsidiary of CJ Media.

The deal is for current and library features from BVITV-AP’s features portfolio. BVITV-AP is the first US studio to deliver Hollywood movies on CGV Choice’s VOD platform. This agreement is in line with Disney‘s focus on the application of technology to enhance its content and expand its distribution to deliver it anytime, anywhere.

Under this licensing agreement, subscribers to CGV Choice are able to enjoy films like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl, Flightplan, National Treasure and Casanova.

BVITV-AP’s senior VP, MD Steve Macallister says, “We are pleased to be the first U.S. studio to be delivering hit Hollywood blockbusters on-demand to CGV Choice’s pay-per-view and VOD subscribers. This is another groundbreaking new media deal for BVITV in Korea and reflects our commitment to finding new and innovative ways to deliver our quality content whenever consumers want it.”

CJ Media executive VP Richard Shim says, “We are thrilled to have BVITV-AP as an important partner of our service. CGV Choice is Korea’s premier PPV and VOD operator and service brand of CJ Media.

“At present, Korea‘s Cable TV market is fast developing its digital convergence, and VOD stands to lead in new media. We look forward to providing our VOD subscribers with BVITV-AP’s high quality Hollywood blockbusters that will position us as the leader in this exciting new media space.”

NEW DELHI: The Bobby Bedi promoted entertainment company Kaleidoscope Entertainment Pvt Ltd (KEPL) has announced a strategic partnership with leading Indian media conglomerate – ABP Pvt. Ltd.

The ABP-Kaleidoscope partnership will capitalise on both companies‘ strengths to create original content across media by producing high quality content for filmed entertainment, TV, mobile and Internet.

ABP will pump in Rs 200 million to kickstart Kaleidoscope‘s foray into new media, primarily focused at TV and mobile content development.

A rapid scale up of operations is envisaged to establish a broad and deep presence as a provider of premium content for this space.

“The paradigm of entertainment today has evolved beyond conventional definitions. The new media and digital content segment is growing in excess of 50 per cent annually and we envisage an acceleration driven by the ever widening consumer base for technology products,” Kaleidoscope Entertainment Pvt Ltd MD Bobby Bedi said.

According to ABP Pvt Ltd MD and CEO Pramath Raj Sinha, “A conglomeration of Kaleidoscope (one of India‘s leading entertainment companies) and the ABP Group (one of the best in the business of media across genres) this enterprise is a win-win partnership for both the companies. This marks our foray into entertainment.”

KEPL claimed it‘s India‘s first production house to follow an international approach in filmmaking and is an internationally recognised film and television production house with critically acclaimed films like Bandit Queen, Saathiya, Maqbool and Mangal Pandey – The Rising to its credit.

The ABP Group has, today, evolved into one of the foremost media conglomerates in the country, with twelve premier publications, two 24-hour national TV news channels, two leading book publishing businesses, several mobile and Internet properties and a radio channel in the offing.

Also read:
Star’s news partner ABP charts expansion plan

MUMBAI: MTV and Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions have joined forces to conduct a global study into the impact of technology on today’s youth.

The study, commissioned by MTV International (MTVNI) and supported by Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, is being conducted with teens and young adults across nine countries – India, China, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, US and the UK. The study will examine the social impact of viral video, instant messaging, email, online social networks, mobile phones and on-line gaming.

The research aims to understand:

How today’s youth differ from their predecessors?

What behaviour has technology altered / eclipsed?

Do girls and boys use technology in the same way, for the same reasons?

Is there a prime age of digital engagement?

What factors dictate media platform and content choice?

The new role of entertainment media and brands in 2007 and beyond.

MTV Intl senior VP, international tesearch and planning Graham Saxton said, “The latest research into technology and teens has limited itself to understanding the habits of the early adopters or been obsessed by the technology itself. We decided to commission a study into understanding genuine social change.

“By viewing technology within the wider context of young people’s lifestyles we aim to demystify the digital generation and provide tangible insights for ourselves and our clients to continue engaging our audience now and into the future.”

Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions head of International Research Caroline Vogt said, “There is a lot of received wisdom surrounding youth and their technology uptake. This research aims to uncover the real motivations driving behaviours and understand the role technology is serving in the daily lives of youth today. ”

The research began in August and full qualitative and quantitative results are expected by December 2006.

MUMBAI: Disney-ABC Television Group‘s ABC News Now channel will soon launch on Dish TV, the direct-to-home platform.

This is the first deal outside of United States that the Walt Disney Company’s Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) has entered into.

The 24-hour ABC News Now channel is likely to launch on Dish TV later this year – subject to downlinking approval by the information and broadcasting ministry, according to an official statement.

ABC News Now is a 24/7 international news channel that provides live breaking news coverage, complete shows, exclusives, news specials, in-depth coverage and more. The channel also offers viewers exclusive uncut interviews from award-winning ABC news programming such as 20/20, Primetime and World News with Charles Gibson as well as insightful, original programs with the latest on health, money and Hollywood.

“We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Dish TV for the ABC News Now channel, and look forward to working closely with them to bring ABC‘s first class news service to the Indian audience,” commented BVITV-AP senior vice president and managing director Steve Macallister. “India is a key strategic market for our company so this deal marks a particularly significant achievement.”

“This is a major step forward for ABC News Now,” said ABC News president David Westin. “As ABC News strives to reach news audiences anytime and anywhere around the globe, we are delighted that one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world should be our first step.”

“As technology rapidly evolves in the Indian media landscape, a new generation of consumer is embracing all it has to offer. With Dish TV, the Walt Disney Company would be able to provide top-of-the-class global news coverage to a savvy and discerning Indian audience,” said The Walt Disney Company India MD Rajat Jain.

“In the last year, Dish TV has emerged as one of the fastest growing digital platforms in Asia. Our association with ABC News Now is in line with our commitment to provide the best of infotainment, available in India or abroad, to our subscribers. We are sure that Dish TV subscribers would be happy to access ABC News Now in India shortly,” mentioned Dish TV business head Jawahar Goel.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) has announced the imminent arrival of its first three 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray Discs (BD). The comedy Click, starring Golden Globe nominee Adam Sandler, Oscar winner Christopher Walken and Kate Beckinsale, will be available on store shelves 10 October.

Black Hawk Down, the Oscar-winning, action-packed drama from director Ridley Scott, starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore and Eric Bana, features new Blu-Wizard technology and will be available to film fans on 14 November. The hilarious box office hit, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, starring writer and producer Will Ferrell and Oscar(R)-nominee John C. Reilly, hits shelves 12 December. All three titles were authored by the Sony Pictures Digital Authoring Center (DAC) and manufactured by Sony DADC, informs an official release.

“As consumers make the leap to Blu-ray‘s incredible high-definition picture and theatre quality audio, they want access to a diverse selection of content packed with added-value features and reference titles like Ridley Scott‘s powerful war epic Black Hawk Down, that will add to their growing Blu-ray Disc libraries,” said David Bishop, president, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

“We‘re proud to be the first studio to deliver a 50GB Blu-ray Disc title to the marketplace with Click on October 10, along with two other highly entertaining titles this year that offer the expanded capacity and special features only a 50GB disc can provide,” he adds

Hathway will provide over 90 analogue television channels to its subscribers. The cable service company will soon be launching ‘voice over cable‘ services, which will enable the MSO to be a true ‘triple player‘ with digital, high speed internet and voice services, according to an official statement.

The deal Hathway has struck with SR Network is similar to the one it entered into in Kanpur in April where it operates as a joint venture with Jai Mata Di Sherawali (Sanjeev Dikshit promoter) under the brand name Hathway Jai Mata Di Sherawali Cable & Datacom Pvt. Ltd. Hathway JMD has subsequently started operations in Farukhabad and Unnav.

Starting with Kanpur, Hathway plans to take the digital revolution forward gradually in other cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur will be the first city in UP which will provide Digital Cable TV transmission from December 2006.

Hathway‘s Digital Cable TV services are presently available in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore , Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Jalandhar.

The digital services are offered through a remote controlled digital device called the Set Top Box. The digital device is feature packed and it changes the entire TV viewing experience for the subscriber. The key features include DVD picture quality, stereophonic sound, a capacity to receive more than 1000 channels, an EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) which enables programme reservations & reminders, positioning of favourite channels, parental control, information banner and selection of channels by genre etc.

The other value added services such as video-on-Demand, interactive gamming etc. are also available with Hathway‘s digital set top box.

Apart from Analogue Cable TV and Digital Cable TV services, Hathway provides Cable Broadband services with high – speed connectivity from 256 Kbps onwards through the high bandwidth capability of cable. Hathway‘s Broadband Internet is presently available in the cities of New Delhi, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mysore and Chandigarh.

Hathway also has under its umbrella Cine Channel (CCC), a movie based entertainment channel and I-TV a dial – up interactive music channel that operates like a juke box and local channels like Win Cable & Win Movies.

MUMBAI: With the champiopns trophy in cricket kicking off today Spice Telecom a cellular operator in Punjab has plans to offer value added services for cricket fans.

Spice subscribers can keep themselves updated with the latest match scores and updates through IVR, SMS and USSD packs and also choose from a host of action packed cricket games available on Spice GPRS. Furthermore, Spice subscribers can listen to cricket maestro Ravi Shastri’s and Tony Greig’s expert comments on each game during the entire tournament.

Spice Telecom, Punjab assistant VP – marketing, Mukul Khanna says, “Spice has always made efforts to understand the needs and requirements of its subscribers and offer them the best value added services. With the series commencing shortly, Cricket fever is at its peak and considering the popularity of the game we decided to provide our subscribers an opportunity to play, stay updated and access a host of exciting cricket based trivia on their favorite teams.”

Cricket trivia on SMS, IVR, USSD & GPRS platforms : On Spice cricket buffs can keep themselves updated on the latest cricket scores by subscribing to the tournament pack, which is available on SMS, IVR, and USSD by simply dialing 5550 (for IVR) or *555*3# (for SMS /USSD).

SMS Pack – Customers who subscribe to SMS pack would get SMS alerts every 15 minutes or each time a wicket falls during the duration of the match.

IVR Pack – Customers subscribing to the IVR pack can listen to Live score updates any number of times during the entire series for FREE, by simply dialing 5550 (Toll Free).

USSD Pack – Customers subscribing to the USSD Pack can access cricket content by dialing *555*5# for free during the entire series.

GPRS – Subscribers can access live score board, match schedules and recent match details through GPRS by going to Spice WAP Portal >> Cricket Fever.

Furthermore Spice subscribers can download various cricket games like Kapil’
s Challenge, 50 s n 100s, Cricket 05-Skava, Cricket Fever and lots of Wallpapers and a host of Cricket Trivia.

Expert comments from Ravi Shastri and Tony Greg: By dialing 555 subscribers can access live Cricket Scores, expert comments and match updates by Tony Greig and Ravi Shastri (on all match days), match schedules, team rankings, player rankings and cricket logos. All calls to 555 will be charged at a nominal rate of Rs.6 per minute.

Alternatively Spice subscribers can also catch all the Live action by simply dialing *555*5# (for USSD) or by sending <Cric> to 555 (for SMS) to receive live updates and scores on their phones. Charges applicable would be Rs.3/- per request on USSD and SMS platforms

MUMBAI: Nielsen Entertainment today released its third annual Active Gamer Benchmark Study in the US.

This shows that the social elements of video games are becoming an increasingly important part of the overall gaming experience. The research found that among the roughly 117 million active gamers in the US in 2006, more than half (56 per cent ) play games online, and that 64 per cent of all online gamers are women.

Moreover, while gaming has conventionally been thought of as a solitary experience, the new study reveals that active gamers spend upwards of five hours a week playing games socially, led by teenagers who are socially involved in gaming about 7 hours per week.

The research also shows that although teenagers continue to comprise the largest percentage (40 per cent) of Active Gamers, more than 15 million of these gamers (almost eight per cent) are now 45 years or older. While women make up nearly two- thirds of all online gamers, men still outnumber women in the overall video game universe by more than two-to-one.

Among the study‘s other key findings:

* Though older females make-up the largest percentage of casual gamers, active gamer teens and young adults also comprise a considerable portion of this market, with more than half playing casual games an hour or more
a week.

* Demonstrating a loyal fan base, the majority of active gamers who say that they usually pre-order a title, or buy it the first day of its release, choose Role Playing games. But while such games typically are thought of as catering to the older gaming audience, they are the most popular genre among active game playing teens.

* With next-generation gaming building steam, what will drive active gamers to these advanced console platforms will be the desire for better
graphics and richer game play experiences.

Nielsen Interactive Entertainment senior VP Emily Della Maggiora, says, “The Active Gamer 2006 Report comes at a pivotal time in the evolution of the video game industry. The expansion of next generation hardware and technology in the marketplace is simultaneously delivering new ecosystems of social exchange, interactive entertainment, media experiences and advertising models.

” We see everyday how important online gaming is in terms of connecting people and bringing communities of gamers together. From a simple battle in Halo to a more immersive communal experience, online gaming has the power to unite gamers across the street and/or around the world.”

PC-Based Online Gaming Makes a Comeback: Just a few years ago, talk within the gaming industry speculated whether the personal computer could survive as a viable gaming system and successfully compete against console giants and handhelds. Nonetheless, PC-based gaming recently has evolved into a platform that provides a unique gaming experience for vastly different gaming audiences.

Among casual gamers, for example, online games offer simple and engaging encounters that are attracting both existing and new gamer audiences, especially older women. Plus, the growth in broadband access has helped redefine Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) that let communities of gamers connect in ways that consoles and handheld platforms can‘t match.

Even so, handhelds, like online games, have themselves experienced the most growth year-over-year, thanks to innovative software and hardware, plus expanding multimedia options.

Examining the Forces Driving the Growth of Video Gaming : This Nielsen Entertainment study examines the dynamics influencing the growth of the video game industry. Analysding recent attitudes, activities and purchasing behavior of more than 2,000 consumers over the age of 13 who play games at least one hour a week, the new research identifies several compelling factors, including changing demographics within sectors of the Active Gamer population and the resurgent popularity of PC and handheld games.

Video Game System Ownership and Usage: Given the penetration of personal computers in US households, it is not surprising that 64 per cent of active gamers play on PC-based systems. These systems offer users connected experiences through Massively Multiplayer Online Games that other platforms cannot match. Personal computers also are the platform of choice for players of casual games, especially among women, 64 per cent of whom play video games online.

Among the console universe, Sony‘s PlayStation 2 dominates overall ownership at 59 per cent. This is followed by nearly matching levels of ownership between Microsoft‘s Xbox (33 per cent) and Nintendo‘s GameCube (30 per cent). With Microsoft‘s Xbox 360, the newest console entrée into the market, having 15 per cent ownership among Active Gamers. Notably, there is large cross ownership among Active Gamers and systems. The majority of Active Gamers also own at least a console and one other platform, with the level of cross-ownership between consoles and handhelds more than doubling (seven per cent to 16 per cent) between 2005 and 2006 to date. This is due, in large part, to the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP and the unique gaming experiences they provide to millions of gamers

But unlike consoles, handheld ownership among Active Gamers is significantly more gender balanced. Furthermore, there is surprising power in portability. Active Gamers generally average about 14 hours a week on their consoles, while they often play as much as 17 hours a week on handhelds. About one quarter (24 per cent) of Active Gamers also play games on their mobile phones.

Video games as an entertainment experience: During the past six months, active gamers purchased, on average, four games. Of those, 90% were bought in retail stores, with the remaining 10% purchased online. On average, Active Gamers spend 47 hours playing each individual game they‘ve purchased.

But video games must compete for wallet share and clock time with other forms of entertainment. Active Gamers spend an average of $58 a week on entertainment, $16 of which goes to video games. They also average about a quarter of their weekly leisure time (13 out of 55.3 hours) playing video games. After gaming, music is the second most popular activity among the majority Active Gamer groups, though it is tied for first among females at nine hours.

Methodology: Surveys for the 2006 Active Gamer Benchmark Study were conducted online from July 3rd to July 9th with 2,200 active gamers, who were 13 years old or over, owned a gaming device and played games at least one hour per week.

To help get a better understanding of the gamer and their thoughts, emotions and social groups the report included two additional methodologies. First is an immersive behavioral segmentation analysis, where the research identified and defined 5 distinct groups of gamers. Second is a qualitative element where focus groups were conducted that serve as ancillary support and aid discovery to the quantitative findings