Category: Software

MUMBAI: New figures released show that the growing popularity of Internet-connected TVs, smartphones and tablets helped BBC iPlayer hit record-breaking numbers in 2011, with 1.94 billion TV and radio programme requests across all platforms.

Although computers are still the most popular platform for BBC iPlayer users, accounting for two-thirds of requests over 2011, the month of December saw a huge spike in usage through mobiles, tablets and connected TVs.

In December alone, seven million programmes were requested on connected TV sets, a year-on-year increase of over 1000 per cent, while mobile phones and tablets recorded 13 million and 10 million requests – year-on-year increases of 163 per cent and 596 per cent respectively. This reflects both the growing penetration of internet-connected devices in the market, and the near-universal availability of BBC iPlayer on those devices.

This helped BBC iPlayer register 187 million monthly requests across all platforms in December alone, a 29 per cent increase year-on-year.

With the installs of mobile and tablet apps – many on new devices bought for Christmas – BBC iPlayer registered its best-ever week after Christmas (26th December-02 January) with TV programme requests at a weekly high of 29.7 million. The most popular day over this period was 2 January 2012 which saw a record 5.4 million TV programme requests on one day, with Sherlock the most-watched programme with 623k – the most requests seen for any one programme in one 24-hour period.

The figures also reveal BBC iPlayer’s top 20 programmes over the whole festive period (20 December – 02 January), with Top Gear Indian Special being the most popular programme – watched 1.7 million times. The show was also the most-watched TV programme for the whole month of December.

Performances over the festive period were also seen for Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Show (over one million requests), followed by the Christmas Day Eastenders episode (966k requests). Both Christmas specials also feature among the top 10 titles for December along with Frozen Planet: On Thin Ice, and Doctor Who – reflecting the linear TV viewing figures the BBC also recorded over the period.

BBC GM programmes and on demand Daniel Danker said, “While 2011 was a remarkable year for BBC iPlayer across the board, the real story was growth of iPlayer on TVs, mobile phones, and tablets, outpacing PC growth many times over. Having established itself as a must-have app for smartphone users and the gold-standard for TV on the go, we see huge potential for BBC iPlayer on the living room set in 2012 – the natural home for great TV – as audiences switch on to the benefits of connected TV.”

MUMBAI: Crackle, which is Sony Pictures Entertainment‘s multi-platform video entertainment network, has announced that anime channel Animax will now appear on its multi-platform network in the U.S. and Canada.

The launch of Animax on Crackle marks the U.S. and Canadian entry of the largest cable network in Japan and the largest anime channel in the world. Numerous series will also be available exclusively on Crackle.

Offering an extensive collection of anime content with curated updates, the Animax channel on Crackle will be available via the Crackle site as well as on tablets, mobile and OTT devices.

Sony Pictures Television executive VP, digital networks Eric Berger said, “We are thrilled to bring new, exclusive anime series and films to Crackle fans, providing the widest distribution of free anime content on mobile and OTT devices. Crackle is the single best multi-platform source of free, ad-supported movies and television and the launch of Animax is no exception.”

Currently, 25 anime series and eight anime films are housed on Crackle, such as:

‘Samurai X‘, Blue Exorcist, ‘Blood +‘ and ‘Fist of the North Star‘.

With Animax, Crackle will launch new series and movies, such as ‘Kurozuka‘, ‘Initial D‘, ‘Fate/Zero‘ and ‘Ikki Tousen‘.

New episodes and/or series will launch every Wednesday on Crackle.

MUMBAI: News agency Reuters has announced the launch of Reuters TV, a new YouTube channel featuring 10 news, commentary and analysis programmes covering hard news, finance, politics, technology and special Reuters investigations.

The programming, which will appear on Reuters.com and on Reuters redesigned YouTube channel, marks Reuters entry into the rapidly growing business of online video programming, in partnership with one of the biggest players in next-generation TV, YouTube.

Reuters is employing a creative editing style that is suited for Internet programming and does not mimic traditional TV.

Reuters global head of programming Dan Colarusso said, “This deal with YouTube gives Reuters a way to showcase our collection of talented journalists and compelling video from around the world. It will offer unique insights and images that other media companies simply can’t match”

Reuters claims to be the biggest news provider among the nearly 100 partners YouTube is working with as it creates original Internet-based programming and reinvents itself as a channel-based video site.

The new shows were developed by television news veteran and Reuters global executive producer Barclay Palmer. They highlight a high-energy, high-quality production style that is unique to any business news broadcasts on traditional television.

The 10 programmes will feature highly produced reports and commentary from many of Reuters award-winning, nearly 3,000 journalists around the world:

* Reuters Investigates, featuring investigative journalism and special reports from around the world, in coordination with Reuters award-winning Enterprise unit;

* The Trail, with Reuters political reporters covering the presidential candidates on the campaign trail;

* Felix TV, with Reuters finance blogger Felix Salmon, named by Time magazine one of the Top 25 financial bloggers;

* Media Bite, featuring Peter Lauria, editor of technology, media & telecommunications, and his team of reporters covering a media world experiencing massive change;

* Tech Tonic, with Anthony De Rosa, Reuters Digital’s social media editor, dubbed by The New York Times “the undisputed king of Tumblr”;

* Freeland File, with Reuters Digital editor Chrystia Freeland interviewing top newsmakers;

* Fast Forward, hosted by Chrystia Freeland and featuring Reuters’ top commentators and journalists, including David Rohde, Reuters columnist, author and two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Rob Cox, US editor of Breakingviews; Bethany McLean, Reuters columnist, Vanity Fair contributor and author; David Cay Johnston, tax expert, author and Pulitzer Prize winner; Geraldine Fabrikant, Reuters columnist, senior writer for The New York Times and winner of the Loeb Award; Steven Brill, Reuters columnist, author and founder of the Yale Journalism Initiative; Ian Bremmer, President of the Eurasia Group; James Ledbetter, Reuters Op-ed editor and author;

* Money Clip, with Lauren Young, personal finance editor and former editor at BusinessWeek and SmartMoney;

* Rough Cuts, with Jen Rogers, showcasing the remarkable news video that Reuters video journalists shoot around the world, allowing viewers to see and hear that video in greater depth than most television networks can offer;

* Decoder, explaining in succinct and surprising ways the key topics in the news, ranging from the debt ceiling to the Strait of Hormuz.

The programming will open with Chrystia Freeland’s exclusive interview with Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire and sportsman who has made the controversial announcement that he is running for president in Russia, challenging Vladimir Putin.

Reuters.com claims to get at least 40 million unique visitors around the world monthly and is the fourth most trafficked business-news website. YouTube gets more than three billion hits per day.

MUMBAI: The upcoming 2012 NAB Show, the annual conference and expo for professionals who create, manage and distribute entertainment across all platforms, will have Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) president, newly sworn in chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Bruce Rosenblum and multimedia studio Electus founder and chairman Ben Silverman, deliver a speech respectively.

The 2012 NAB Show takes place April 14-19, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While Rosenblum will be a featured 2012 NAB Show Super Session, Ben Silverman will deliver the keynote address to the Disruptive Media Conference.

“Bruce Rosenblum and Ben Silverman are leaders in the television industry, consistently creating and shaping the major trends impacting the media landscape,” Chris Brown, executive vice president, Conventions & Business Operations for NAB has been reported to have said. “Our attendees expect to hear from industry leaders when they attend NAB Show, and we are very pleased tohost these two visionary executives,” he added.

A 25-year veteran of the film studio, Rosenblum was named president of the Warner Bros. Television Group in 2005 where he oversees the industry‘s leading television operation, including worldwide production (network, cable, syndication and animation), traditional and digital distribution and broadcasting.

WBTVG, which has been the leading supplier to the broadcast networks for 18 out of the last 21 years, is producing nearly 50 series including Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, The Closer, The Voice and Ellen.

Silverman is the founder and chairman of multimedia studio Electus, which unites producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof to produce all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world.

He is executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning NBC comedy The Office, the Golden Globe-winning comedy Ugly Betty and is co-creator and executive producer of the reality show The Biggest Loser for NBC and executive producer for the hit scripted series The Tudors on Showtime. Prior to launching the new media venture with IAC, Silverman served as co-chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

Every year, the NAB Show hosts several different conferences offering educational opportunities to its attendees. NAB Show Super Sessions offer high-level perspective on the trends and technologies impacting the future of entertainment and media.

MUMBAI: Cartoon Network will launch the first high-definition kids’ entertainment channel in South East Asia on 20 January.

The first market to switch to HD is the Philippines, with Cartoon Network HD broadcast on the leading platform, SKYcable. The launch marks the first time an HD kids’ channel will be included in a premium HD subscriber pack in the region.

Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific senior vice president and GM Sunny Saha said, “HD is the future of television, and with the launch of Cartoon Network HD, kids across South East Asia can now enjoy cinema-quality entertainment from the comfort of their own homes. Cartoon Network HD is just one more way that we animate kids’ lives, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with SKYcable, an industry trailblazer in the Philippines, to deliver such an awesome HD destination.”

Cartoon Network HD’s programming line-up will feature shows such as The Amazing World of Gumball, Tom & Jerry, The Looney Tunes Show and Chowder. It will also premiere TV specials including the first CG-animated movie from the popular Ben 10 series, Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens, in March.

Skycable Corporation head – program packaging and merchandising Claudia G Suarez said, “Cartoon Network is a big part of many Filipino families. Its brand of humor and fun can only get better with the addition of its new, ground-breaking HD channel, Cartoon Network HD.”

Cartoon Network HD will be broadcast on SKYcable’s channel 178.

MUMBAI: Rohit Sharma has put in his papers with Reliance Entertainment where he was working as the chief executive officer – Digital.

Industry sources confirmed the development to Indiantelevision.com.

Sharma joined as CEO of Zapak.com (Causal Gaming Portal) in March 2006 and has built the entire team and business from scratch. He has an experience of over 12 years in the Internet/Digital Entertainment industry, where he has managed all aspects of the Internet business including content, community, e-commerce, sales and marketing.

Prior to joining Zapak, he was working with Indiatimes.com. In his six- year stint with Indiatimes.com, he managed number of projects ranging across content, commerce, technology and marketing. He was part of the senior leadership and instrumental in creating strategies and plans for the overall growth of the organisation.

Sharma has also worked with Cyber Media India for two years in developing strategies for web publishing, generating content and building communities on the Internet. During this period, he was responsible for creating the business plan and strategy for Ciol.com, which is an IT portal and spearheaded the VC funding for the portal and got Intel to fund the company.

BANGALORE: Bangalore-based mobile telephony solutions company TELiBrahma announced the launch of an application – IntARact .

The new app is a consumer-centric mobile application that is available on all feature/smart phones, that are data enabled and have a mobile camera.

IntARact enables a user to access anything and everything on a particular movie available on the net by simply focusing his/her IntARact mobile application on to the poster of that movie in newspapers, magazines, posters, multiplexes, hoardings, online posters, TV, anywhere and everywhere for free.

This on-the-go application provides the synopsis of the movie, ratings and reviews, theatres and timings, and official website of the movie. In addition, links to fan pages on face book, twitter, YouTube trailers, and Wikipedia pages are provided.

TELiBrahma has created multiple products like BluFi and intARact which have been used by many Global and Indian Brands to engage with their target audience. BluFi is India’s largest Network away from a telecom operator.

MUMBAI: The leading direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV has repositioned the brand and launched a new TVC with the brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan.

Dish TV has opted for a new tagline ‘Dish Sawar hai‘ which has replaced the old one, ‘Ghar Aayi Zindagi‘.

As per the company, ‘Dish Sawaar Hai‘ is a consumer‘s reflection of the “passion for entertainment” which is reflected in the campaign. This also set the tone to launch a brand song integral to SRK representing the brand.

The campaign is credited to McCann Erickson. According to the official communiqué, the thought came from a strong consumer insight. “People who are really passionate about their entertainment do not let anything come in the way of their entertainment and hence never compromise when it comes to their TV experience.”

The need to move to a new brand space is coming at an appropriate time when the brand needs to increase bonding and affinity with consumers.

Madison handles the media account of Dish TV.

MUMBAI: The Association of Commercial Stock Image Licensors (ACSIL) and Thriving Archives in the US have announced the release of the ACSIL Global Survey of Stock Footage Companies 2 (AGS2). TheAGS2 is an examination of current business conditions within today’s footage industry, providing strategic, action-oriented information and insights to footage industry leaders. The demand for and supply of HD footage are on the rise.

Thriving Archives founder, president David Seevers said, “Assessing the overall health and well being of the footage industry was our top research priority. Based on the performance of the 73 companies in our sample group, the footage industry appears to be in stable condition. Total industry revenue has increased since 2007 and is now estimated at $394 million per year.”

The AGS2 also looks at the impact of digital technology on how footage companies manage, present and deliver footage to the customer; explores how changes in film & video production have affected customer type, demand and need; examines how footage companies market, promote and reach out to customers; and reviews the impact of various trends on the footage industry as a whole.

ACSIL president, HBO Archives director Max Segal said, “ACSIL and Thriving Archives worked together in 2007 to produce the original ACSIL Global Survey of Stock Footage Companies 2007, the first publicly available study of the stock footage industry. Since its publication, the AGS 2007 has been widely used and highly valued by business leaders both inside and outside the footage industry. We’re thrilled to now have not only an update of this groundbreaking market research, but a study that takes our understanding of the footage business to the next level.”

A great deal has changed within the stock footage industry since 2007. For example, the standard transaction paradigm is evolving from a rights-managed model to a rights-managed/royalty-free hybrid and both the demand for and supply of HD footage are on the rise. Digital technology continues to drive shifts in the management, presentation and delivery of footage to the end user. Broadcast-quality digital holdings are increasing and more companies are seeing the light at the end of the digitisation tunnel.

Workflow at the majority of companies is increasingly digital, meaning that for the most part they do not need to access analog footage at any point in the process, including storage, retrieval, screening or final delivery of footage to the client. The footage business continues its migration to the web, and websites are improving as companies get more clips online and add more ecommerce functionality. As might be expected given the levels of investment in digitisation, footage companies have become more productive and average headcount has declined since 2007.

MUMBAI: UTV Indiagames has crossed 50 million download mark on the Nokia Store with the total downloads reaching 57 million.

UTV Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal said, “It is exciting as well as proud moment for the team. Mobile app stores like the Nokia Store have opened up avenues in the gaming world to exhibit and sell titles. Ra.One Genesis has done exceedingly well with over three million downloads. UTV Indiagames and Nokia have shared a strong partnership and we hope to successfully take gaming to the next level in India.”

Nokia head services marketing Jasmeet Gandhi said, “The success of UTV Indiagames crossing 50 million downloads on Nokia Store is a reflection of India‘s inevitable progress to becoming an App Superpower. The 50 million download mark on the Nokia Store is a huge achievement for UTV Indiagames and a benchmark”

Ra.One Genesis, the latest entrant on the store, is amongst the fastest downloaded Bollywood games in the country. The Cricket Fever titles including CricketT20 Fever, DLF IPL T20 Fever Official Game, Cricket 2011 have surpassed the nine million downloads mark.

The catalogue offers over 300 games across genres like sports, action, racing, Bollywood and cricket. Cricket, action and racing are the three biggest genres of downloads from the UTV Indiagames catalogue. Key Nokia devices across all titles are N95, N8, 5300, N97 and 6300.