Category: Technology

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:

Category 1:
Best Original Made-for-Mobile Film or Video Content (8 projects)

Category 2:
Best Repurposed Content from existing Film or TV Property

Category 3:
Best Made-for-Mobile TV Channel

Category 4:
Best Format for Interactive Mobile TV

Category 5:
Best Mobile Format for User-Generated Content

Category 6:

Mobile Awards Special Mention

Category 7:

Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) Special Mention

MUMBAI: US media firm Discovery Communications has expanded its expansion of its collection of world-class content on Google Earth.

It has added over 150 video segments for destinations around the globe. A pilot partner for Google Earth’s new showcase of multimedia overlays, the Discovery Networks World Tour; can be accessed through the Featured Content checkbox in the Google Earth sidebar. This expansion follows the April announcement of Discovery being the first provider to bring video content to Google Earth.

Google Earth is a satellite imagery-based mapping product that combines 3D buildings and terrain with mapping capability and Google search. Over the past year, there have been more than 10 million unique Google Earth downloads from around the world.

Discovery senior executive VP for strategy and development Don Baer, says, “As promised, Discovery has continued to populate the world with engaging video to help Google Earth users explore the wonders of our planet. Discovery is dedicated to growing its showcase on Google Earth, giving virtual globetrekkers a journey of infinite proportions.”

The initial collection included companion video for 10 of America’s most popular national parks,including Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and Dinosaur National Park. Drawing from its rich stable of programming and to enhance viewers‘ experience with its TV brands, Discovery has expanded the offering to include 48 world landmarks, national parks, American and European cities, and African location.

Google Earth users will find videos on everything from the design process used to create the face of George Washington on Mount Rushmore and how to make authentic Belgian chocolate, to the history of China’s Terra Cotta soldiers and why fire is one of the most important natural forces in Yellowstone Park’s ecosystem.

Users can access the video elements by clicking on Discovery’s globe icon, shown at destination sites where Discovery video content is available. An interactive broadband player hosted by Discovery launches into a selection of rich and compelling two- to four-minute videos. Destinations include the following:

• National Parks and Landmarks — Representing the natural diversity of the United States,videos are available for Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, the Everglades, Point Reyes National Seashore, Niagara Falls, Mt. Rushmore, Alaska National Parks, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Santa Monica Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns and Dinosaur National Park.

• US Cities — From the Lincoln Memorial to the Golden Gate Bridge, users can explore the history, architecture and food of some of America’s favorite cities; Atlanta, Boston,Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.

• European Cities — Users can discover cathedrals, museums and neighborhoods while learning about the history, people and cultures of Europe’s greatest cities and regions: Amalfi Coast, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bavaria, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh,Florence, Interlaken, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Naples, Paris, Rome and Zurich.

• Africa — Unlocking the majesty of the world’s most diverse continent, users can learn about Ghana on a virtual tour with its president, uncover the ruins of a once great empire in Zimbabwe or get a glimpse inside King Tut’s famous crypt.

• World Landmarks — Spanning thousands of years and hundreds of cultures, the human race has created astounding feats of architecture, engineering and beauty. Users can marvel at the majesty of some of the world’s greatest wonders, including the Taj Mahal in India, the Great Wall and Terra Cotta Army in China, El Tajin in Mexico, the Great Pyramids in Egypt and the Shrine of Itsukushima in Japan.

• Coming Soon — Special features based on the upcoming global series Discovery Atlas. This is an HD project, offering video for 35 different locations in China, Brazil, Italy and Australia, the first of 30 countries in the multiyear programming franchise.

MUMBAI: Worldspace Satellite Radio has signed an exclusive broadcast license agreement with Espn Star Sports to provide subscribers with live audio coverage of cricket, further enhancing its content offering and providing consumers with a truly unique listening experience.

Under terms of the agreement, Play, the Worldspace -branded all sports channel for South Asia and the Middle East, will have exclusive broadcasting rights throughout South Asia for 12 tours and over 200 days of cricket comprising both test matches and one-day internationals.

Three of the 12 tours include India — Worldspace Satellite Radio‘s primary market in the Asia region. Coverage begins 19 November, 2006 with India‘s tour of South Africa, and runs through February 2008, with conclusion of the India-Sri Lanka-Australia Triangular Series in Australia, informs an official release.

Subscribers will have “ball-by-ball,” real-time coverage of all matches as well as a host of ancillary programming surrounding each match. The coverage will feature matches with the national teams from India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, and will also include the biennial Australia-England test series, “The Ashes.” Broadcasts can be received in countries covered by the Worldspace AsiaStar satellite‘s West Beam and include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE.

MUMBAI: Bennett Media Worldwide (BMW), the global distribution operation for The Bennett Group, has completed multiple satellite television sales in Asia and the Middle East for a variety of the company’s High Definition (HD) reality programs.

BMW president Paul Rich, announced the following deals:

Fox Life has licensed satellite television rights in Japan for BMW’s The Wild Side (14 x 30’).

Zee Network has picked up Bikini Destinations (30 x 30’) for satellite television in India.

Hotvision has licensed Bikini Destinations (30 x 30’), Renegade Road (1 hour special), Billabong J-Bay: The Pure Line (1 hour special) and The Extremists in HD (30 minute special) for satellite television in Israel.

Show TV picked up Bikini Destinations (30 x 30’) for standard definition satellite television broadcast in Turkey.

MUMBAI: Imagilon, a New York based media company, has launched www.jhanki.com, an online community for sharing news and views.

Jhanki – literally glimpse or snapshot in Hindi, is a site where readers can add news stories that they think are interesting, along with their comments. Readers can also vote or “Jhanki” stories posted by others, and post comments. In this way, Jhanki provides a very powerful forum for all Indians to voice and share their opinion about news, states an official release.

Jhanki includes stories in many categories, including current affairs, international news, Hollywood, bollywood, cricket, television, citizens’ concerns and many others. Within a week of its launch, over 1300 stories, all submitted by readers, can be read on the site. There is no editorial control over the content, it is entirely driven by the community, the release adds.

Speaking at the occasion, Imagilon CEO Jay Joshi said, “We felt that the time was right for an online news community, as net usage among Indians is at a never-before seen high, with almost 40 million users. More and more people are turning to the net to access news, but more importantly, many are also using the net to voice their opinion in the form of blogs and online communities. We designed Jhanki to be a meeting point for news and opinions that would normally be dispersed among various news sites, blogs and communities. Our job is to provide an excellent technical backbone, that makes it easy and fun for users to add news and comments, then the community takes over.”

The future plans for www.jhanki.com include – more opportunities for the user community to express their minds, providing public opinion information to media and researchers, and advertising sales.

MUMBAI: It took a rap on the knuckles today by the sector tribunal, but finally, DTH service provider Tata Sky can now claim to have a “complete” channel offering. Zee-Turner this evening provided the signals for its channels after an order issued earlier in the day by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

“Now they (the Zee-Turner channels) are on,” Tata Sky MD & CEO Vikram Kaushik told Indiantelevision.com. “The channels were delayed by Zee-Turner and the tribunal directed them to provide the signals,” he added.

Coming down heavily on the distribution network, TDSAT chairman Justice Arun Kumar was quoted by Press trust of India news service as saying, “tricks would not work … at least I did not expect this from you … you are more interested in earning money rather than implementation of the order.”

During the proceedings Zee-Turner, a 74:26 joint venture between Zee Telefilms and Turner International India, a sister concern of Time Warner, contended that Tata Sky was yet to address issues “regarding territory and piracy” mentioned in their terms and condition, the PTI report said. In its response, Tata Sky accused Zee-Turner of unilaterally deciding the terms and conditions under which they would provide signals.

Zee Turrner had given an undertaking last Wednesday (20 September) to TDSAT that it would provide all the 32 channels in its bouquet at an interim pricing of Rs 75. Tata Sky is already offering 75 channels at an introductory price offer of Rs 200.

Zee Turner claims had then told Indiantelevision.com that it had got what it wanted. “We wanted our entire bundle of channels to be taken and at that price. This falls in line with the latest TDSAT directive,” Zee Turner CEO Arun Poddar had said.

The final hearing will be on 18 October where the issues of pricing, capacity and other related issues will be decided.

It may be recalled that Zee Turner was willing to provide all its channels at a price of Rs 75 while Tata Sky wanted to select the channels it wants at half the price of cable TV rates.

Also Read:
Zee Turner channels to hop on Tata Sky following TDSAT ruling

MUMBAI: Tandberg TV is set to build on its business and technology in the Asian IPTV video head-end market with a demonstration of its full suite of live, on-demand and interactive solutions at IPTV World Forum Asia 2006 (stand 83), which runs 27 September – 29 September in Shanghai.

The event will give delegates the chance to see why the annual IPTV leadership report, published earlier this month by the Multimedia Research Group (MRG), ranked Tandberg Television as the leading IP video head-end supplier in Asia, as well as in EMEA and rest of world.

Worldwide Tandberg Television claims to have been involved in more than 160xDSL and FTTH deployments and there are over 2 million subscribers currently viewing IPTV due to the company’s technology, states an official release.

“Asia has always been a very important market for us,” says Tandberg Television Asia Pacific EVP & GM Graham Cradock. “According to research from In-Stat the Asia-Pacific IP video services market will grow nearly 80 per cent per year between now and 2010, with Asia accounting for half of all worldwide IPTV subscribers by the end of 2009. We’ve been working with IPTV operators in the region for over five years and our market-leading technology is allowing telcos to deploy IPTV services right across the continent, from Dubai to Osaka and from Delhi to Shanghai.”

Tandberg Television EVP Corporate Development Jim Olson will deliver a keynote speech: Beyond IPTV – Why Plain Old Television Won’t Cut it for Telcos at 9:10 on 29 September at IPTV World Forum Asia.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today dismissed on technical grounds a petition filed against implementation of CAS in the three metros of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.

The special leave petition (SLP) had been filed by United Cable Operators‘ Welfare Association of India.

After studying the petition, the Apex court today decided that the SLP did not merit a hearing on a number of grounds, according to information available with Indiantelevision.com.

The petitioner, amongst several other reasons, had said that rollout of CAS would not be beneficial for consumers and should be deferred as DTH technology had already come in to the country.

According to a Delhi High Court mandated arrangement, agreed upon by the government and the industry, CAS is slated to be rolled out in the south zones of Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai from 1 January 2007.

The sector regulator has already paved the way for the implementation of CAS by deciding on the prices of pay and free to air channels in a CAS regime

MUMBAI: US broadcaster MTV will acquire Harmonix Music Systems. The firm develops the PlayStation 2 product Guitar Hero and other music gaming titles.

MTV will pay $175 million in cash. In addition, Harmonix shareholders may be eligible for incremental earn-out payments through 2008, to the extent that financial results exceed specific targets. MTV says that the acquisition demonstrates its commitment to music and
furthers its strategy of engaging passionate music fans through a deep and immersive multi-platform entertainment experience.

With the addition of Harmonix‘s music gaming titles, MTV will enhance its music-based
universe of entertainment, news, gaming, and interactive content offerings, and increase audience engagement and time spent with the brand across all screens.

The announcement follows MTV Games‘ successful partnership, initiated in November 2005, to feature Harmonix‘s Guitar Hero franchise in original programming, creative promotions and competitions across a number of MTV‘s multi-platform properties.

Guitar Hero, published by RedOctane/Activision, is among the top-selling PlayStation 2 games this year and has been honoured with several accolades at the Interactive Achievement Awards, Game Developer Choice Awards, and other industry events. Guitar Hero 2 is
scheduled for release later this year.

MTV president Christina Norman says, “The acquisition of Harmonix will deepen MTV‘s connection to its audience via on-line, mobile and console music gaming, and expand the
relationship with both labels and artists through the creation of games based on classic songs as well as future album releases.

“Harmonix‘s technology allows everyone to pursue their rock and roll fantasies, even people like me, with more musical ambition than actual talent.”

Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman says, “Harmonix is a wonderful addition to Viacom‘s tremendous collection of digital assets, and is precisely the type of transaction that will help us aggressively grow our digital business while maintaining strong fiscal discipline.

“We‘re committed to a swift integration and look forward to helping Harmonix
become even stronger with the support of the incredible marketing and creative power at MTV Networks.”

MTV chairman and CEO Judy McGrath, says, “The acquisition of Harmonix advances MTV Networks‘ strategy of connecting with target audiences by creating immersive, multi-platform environments that extend to every device they use. Harmonix is an innovator in giving audiences new and dynamic ways to interact with music, and I couldn‘t be
more excited to welcome the company into MTV Networks‘ strong portfolio of multi-platform brands.”

Harmonix introduced Frequency in 2001 and Amplitude in 2003. These games won numerous accolades including one of Rolling Stone‘s “Best Console Games of 2003” and IGN‘s “Reader Top 10”. The company also developed the Karaoke Revolution franchise, which turned singing into a competitive game. This title was
named by TIME Magazine as the “#1 Video Game of 2003” and won Electronic
Gaming Monthly‘s 2003 “Gaming Innovation of the Year” award.

Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos says, “We are very excited to combine our unique assets in the music and gaming space with one of the most recognised brands in the music world. We
look forward to continuing to create innovative ways for people to enjoy music.

Rigopulos and other key employees will continue in their roles following the completion of the acquisition. Harmonix will join MTV
Networks‘ Music and Logo Enterprises unit, led by Jeff Yapp who is the executive VP of the unit.
He says, “Harmonix‘s talented team will be a powerful and important addition to MTV that brings enormous talent and expertise. All of us are excited to begin working with them to develop meaningful and creative ways to deliver
music to our audience”.

MUMBAI:The phenomenon of social networking is growing rapidly in the US and MTV is the latest media firm looking to take advantage of this phenomenon.

It is testing new social-networking platforms that will integrate television programming with virtual world technology, resulting in interactive experiences that let viewers personally experience — and ‘live‘ for themselves — the content they see on-air.

The new platforms are in early stage development and will evolve in partnership with advertisers and audience feedback. MTV says that it could help define next-generation media and advertising models.

The company is working hand-in-hand with Pepsi, Mediavest Worldwide and OMD on the development of a beta version of the first platform Virtual Laguna Beach. This is built around the successful MTV series Laguna Beach.

MTV president music, films, Logo Van Toffler noted that the platforms will deliver immersive environments that are not only reflective of, but parallel to, the world viewers see on
television. These universes take viewers beyond passive consumption to active engagement with programming and with marketers‘ messages. A beta version of Virtual Laguna Beach is at www.vlb.mtv.com.

Other virtual worlds are planned later this year for the broader music community and for viewers of Logo. This makes it one of the first such applications for the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community.

Toffler says, “Our audience wants more interaction with our content and with each other. Virtual Laguna Beach lets our audience become the stars themselves, stepping onto a virtual stage and living the life they see — or would like to see — on television.

“Virtual Laguna Beach also is just one example of the next-generation media models that we‘re creating for our viewers to connect with one another in ways they never could before; for content creators to develop experiences that live side by side with on-air content; and for marketers to become an integral and meaningful part of the programming.”

MTV executive VP Jeff Yapp programme enterprises notes that the media models give rise to a new concept of social networking by combining two elements audiences love —
popular television programming and emerging virtual world technology.

He says, “Virtual Laguna Beach and the other models we are developing hold the potential for ushering in a new era of audience engagement.

MTV says that the platforms offer the ideal environment for marketers to seamlessly weave their messages into the overall experience.Viewers in- world also can choose to interact with sponsors‘ content and also purchase virtual as well as physical goods. MTV is working with its advertisers to help them become an integral part of each experience so they can reach their consumers — our audience — in meaningful ways.

Marketer Support: A number of marketers and media buyers have pledged their support for Virtual Laguna Beach. Pepsi says that through Virtual Laguna Beach the brandwill be able to interact with consumers in ways that it never thought possible.

Mediavest says that platforms like Virtual Laguna Beach allows it to achieve much more than a simple campaign extension. They offer the opportunity to dimensionalize the brand and infuse brand attributes into the user experience in a smart, fun, engaging way.

OMD notes that this opportunity is an extension of the truly convergent partnership between it and MTV. It allows clients the opportunity to connect with the audience of one of MTV‘s premier properties in a much deeper and personal way.

Virtual Laguna Beach transports viewers directly to Orange County, California, where they live in the same environment as their favorite cast members, and interact with other fans through real-time chat. Viewers can hang out at the beach or shop at the local surf store and interact with one another in ways that mirror the on-air program. Just as the cast gears up
for the Winter Formal, so too can viewers within Virtual Laguna Beach prepare for the big night, find a date online and select the tux or prom dress for their on-screen identity.

The third season of the reality drama premiered last month and chronicles the coming-of-age stories of various high school stories in the upscale seaside town. On MTV.com fans can join the VIP section of the Laguna Beach Surf Club. Die-hard fans also can go to MTV‘s Overdrive broadband channel to get exclusive content, first looks, community features, games and much more.

MTV is also working with Makena Technologies on the development of Virtual Laguna Beach and the forthcoming Logo environment. MTV Networks is also working with Doppelganger, formerly Evil Twin Studios, on the virtual
music environment.

MTV Networks selected Makena Technologies, creators of the 3D social virtual world There.com. Makena is helping develop Virtual Laguna Beach and the forthcoming Logo-based experience. The selection leverages Makena‘s many years of experience in developing one of the Internet‘s largest 3D social virtual worlds, its understanding of the youth demographic, its
development of an in-world economy, and its sophisticated integration of user-created content.