Category: Software

MUMBAI: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific has announced the launch of Discovery HD, the 24-hour high-definition channel, in India.

The English language channel is available at Rs 25 per month and will remain ad-free.

Discovery HD will be available on Sun Direct channel No 965. The HD channel features content from across Discovery Networks’ channels, as well as select exclusive content.
 
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific EVP and MD Tom Keaveny says, “I am delighted to announce the launch of Discovery HD in India. Today’s launch underscores Discovery’s enduring commitment to offering high-quality content and services that serve the needs of both affiliates and advertisers while enhancing the consumer viewing experience.”

Adds Discovery Networks Asia Pacific SVP and GM India Rahul Johri, “The emergence and growth of digitisation in India is critically dependent on the broadcasters’ competence to offer differentiated, credible and entertaining content. Discovery HD brings the network’s thrilling factual content to life sound effects are more realistic, images larger than life and situations more gripping than ever before.”

Discovery HD aims to bring audiences closer to their world with imagery and detail, featuring programming on the wonders of the world ranging from culture, science, and natural history to travel and lifestyle themes.  
 
The HD programming will be offered in 1080i, along with 5.1 surround sound.

Sun Direct COO Tony D’Silva comments, “Sun Direct is proud to be the first DTH provider in India to showcase high definition content to its viewers. Discovery HD’s worldwide reputation, global programming repertoire and production quality will surely add value to our HD product offering.”

The programming lineup on Discovery HD will have shows like Green Paradise, Postcards Australia, Nature’s Keepers and Our Planet, Space Station HD, Sunrise Earth, Moments in Time, Monumental Vision and Destination Wilderness.
 

MUMBAI: Zee Turner senior VP cable sales Dilip Sharan has quit the company.

Sharan was responsible for developing and implementing the cable sales strategy after joining Zee Turner in August 2009.
 
Confirming the development, Sharan said, “Yes I have decided to move on.”

Meanwhile, Zee Turner has put Himmat Sandhu in charge of cable sales for the time being. Sandhu was handling cable sales before Sharan joined.  
 
“We are restructuring the sales team and will announce major changes soon. For the interim period, Sandhu will take care of the cable sales as well,” Zee Turner CEO Dinesh Jain told Indiantelevision.com.
Prior to Zee Turner, Sharan was with ESPN Star Sports, where he served for six years as associate director-sales. He has also been associated with Modi Entertainment Enterprises, Intek Software, Tata Press, Dunlop India and even initiated one of his own ventures, Market Corpus India.

MUMBAI: Fox Soccer Plus has rolled out as a premium network on DirecTV, Dish Network, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS, while its online version, Foxsoccer.tv, has expanded the slate of content available through its broadband player.
 
Announcing the carriage deal for the channel, Fox Cable Networks president of affiliate sales and marketing Mike Hopkins stated, “Fox Soccer Plus is a dynamic new network that will provide our distribution partners with the ability to profitably reach an extremely passionate subscriber base. Soccer and international sports fans will thoroughly enjoy the diverse and compelling lineup of live events.” 
 
Meanwhile, the online complement to Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus, Foxsoccer.tv, will expand its premium broadband video offering to feature a variety of live and on demand soccer competitions from the Barclays Premier League, Uefa Champions League, Italy‘s Serie A, FA Cup, Carling Cup, Coca-Cola Championship, the England Men‘s National Team and the Argentine First Division. It will also deliver rugby‘s Guinness Premiership, Heineken Cup and Magners League.

MUMBAI: Indiagames‘ Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior was awarded the People‘s Choice Award at the prestigious International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA), held last week at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.

The game is developed by Indiagames and Barcelona based Digital Legends for the iPhone and iPod touch and licensed through Universal Partnerships & Licensing.

A masterpiece of the 3D martial arts genre, the game is developed using motion-capture technology and features players fighting in historical locations around the world in an attempt to become the Master of Martial Arts.
 
Commented Indiagames Ltd CEO Vishal Gondal, “We are extremely honoured with this award and recognition and given the increasing popularity of the iPhone medium for gaming, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior is definitely a game to look out for in the coming months and the IMGA award has given us an additional boost.

“With Digital Legends as the co-developer and co-publisher, we believe that a game based on an international legend like Bruce Lee will appeal to millions of gamers worldwide. Indiagames is constantly expanding its presence on the iPhone platform and will continue developing quality games within the mobile gaming space.”

In Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, the gameplay and controls are designed for casual as well as skilled gamers, and filled with high quality graphics, easy manoeuvrability and lively animation. The game art is developed through Indiagames with Digital Legends working on the programming art. It will be the first game to bear Bruce Lee‘s name and likeness in the iTunes App Store. 
 
“We are very happy to have contributed with our expertise in fighting games and seven years of experience in 3D games development for smartphones teaming up with Indiagames as a co-publisher and co-developer for Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior.
“We are very honoured to win IMGA People‘s Choice ward in two consecutive years (Digital Legends won last year with iPhone game “KROLL”). This is the best reward to all the efforts, passion and dedication of Indiagames and Digital Legends teams for this title”, averred Digital Legends Entertainment CEO Xavier Carrillo Costa.

The game will be available on the iTunes App Store worldwide in spring.

BANGALORE: In a bid to attract new subscribers, DTH service provider Sun Direct has decided to offer Max free on its platform with every new connection.

Existing customers can also avail the offer provided they opt for 12 months recharge.
 
The channel will be available free of cost till 25 April on the DTH platform on channel No 359. 
 
Max is the official broadcaster for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sun Direct is the fastest growing DTH company in India with over 4 million subscribers.
 

MUMBAI: Nominees from seven countries will compete for this year‘s International Digital Emmy Awards. The announcement was made by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Iatas).

The Emmys will be presented at a special ceremony hosted by film & television actress/producer Illeana Douglas on 12 April at the television trade event MIPTV in Cannes.
 
There are 13 nominees in three categories, Digital Programme: Children and Young People; Digital Programme: Fiction and Digital Programme: Non-Fiction. This is the first time that Brazil, Hong Kong and New Zealand are nominated for an Emmy in the Digital Categories.

Iatas president and CEO Bruce L. Paisner says, “The 2010 nominees showcase global excellence in programming on digital platforms and we congratulate them for their outstanding achievements”.

In addition to the presentation of the International Digital Emmy Awards for the three categories, the International Academy will present a special award – the Pioneer Prize, which is not an Emmy but rather a special initiative from the Academy which honours an industry personality or organization.

The Pioneer Prize will be presented to Heroes Creator & Executive Producer Tim Kring, for his contribution to the fields of digital television and cross-platform entertainment with Heroes Evolutions.
 
 
The International Digital Emmy Awards 2010 is sponsored by Nokia and Ooyala.

Nominee List:

DIGITAL PROGRAM – CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
1. Cross Media Experimental Project: HK File.X
Radio Television Hong Kong
Hong Kong, China

2. Inside Hana‘s Suitcase
Xenophile Media/Rhombus Media/My Pet Skeleton/CBC
Canada

3. Reservoir Hill
KHF Media Ltd/Television New Zealand/New Zealand On Air
New Zealand

4. The Space Trainees
MediaCity/Sveng.com/Olof/4xM
Finland

5. The Well
Conker Media/BBC Switch
United Kingdom

DIGITAL PROGRAM – FICTION
1. Final Punishment
BeActive Entertainment/Aitec do Brasil/Canal Oi/Millagro
Brazil

2. Pietshow II
Grundy UFA TV Produktions GmbH
Germany

3. Primeval Evolved
ITV1/itv.com/Hoodlum/Impossible Pictures
United Kingdom

4. Print Friends
FremantleMedia/FMX
United Kingdom

DIGITAL PROGRAM – NON-FICTION
1. Construction and Fall of the Berlin Wall
ZDF Enterprises GmbH
Germany

2. Digital Revolution
BBC /The Open University
United Kingdom

3. Hunger to Learn
BBC
United Kingdom

4. Last Chance to See
BBC
United Kingdom
 

MUMBAI: With less than three months until the final episode of Lost, US broadcaster ABC celebrates the series‘ dedicated fans, providing them with the opportunity to become a part of Lost history.
 
Sponsored by Kia Motors, the Ultimate “Lost” Fan Promo Contest gives fans the tools to express and share their passion for the groundbreaking hit drama series through the production of an original promo which will air on ABC the week prior to the finale, airing on 23 May. In India, the show airs on Star World. 
 
ABC adds that for the past six years, the fans of Lost have shown extreme passion and unwavering commitment. They‘ve spent countless hours watching and re-watching episodes, and formulating their own theories about the island‘s mysteries.

The broadcaster is, thus, inviting the entire ‘Lost‘ fan community to play an active part in the series‘ final season by participating in the ‘Ultimate Fan Promo Contest‘ and look forward to celebrating their creativity and passion.

Lost fans can visit ABC.com to create and submit their own original 35-second promo. Entries will vie for the opportunity to be broadcast on-air in the week leading up to the final episode of Lost. In addition to having their promo televised, the Grand Prize winner will receive a trip to Los Angeles to attend the series‘ special finale party.

ABC.com has made available an archive of pre-cleared “Lost” assets including video, still images, music, sound bites and special effects audio that fans can use to create their pieces. Additionally, the site is offering an online mash-up tool that can be used to create videos. Original promos can be uploaded to ABC.com till 21 March.

The top creative and original entries that promote the series‘ finale will be evaluated by a panel of judges, including Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, as well as executives from ABC Entertainment. Once the top five videos are selected by the special panel, fans will be able to go to ABC.com from 19-23 April to cast their vote for the Grand Prize winner.
 

MUMBAI: ABC has warned Cablevision subscribers that the network‘s signal could go off after midnight Saturday if a dispute over how much it‘s paid by the cable operator is not resolved by then.

If the fight isn‘t resolved, Cablevision‘s 3.1 million customers could miss the Academy Awards scheduled to be telecast on ABC on Sunday. The signal, however, can still be pulled from the air for free with an antenna and a new TV or digital converter box.
 
Walt Disney, ABC‘s parent company, is seeking an additional $40 million a year in new fees. Cablevision pays more than $200 million a year to Disney.

“It is not fair for ABC Disney to hold Cablevision customers hostage by forcing them to pay what amounts to a new TV tax,” a spokesperson said. 
 
The dispute is akin to the standoff at the end of last year between News Corp. and Time Warner Cable over how much Fox television station signals were worth. The fight that threatened the college-football bowl season and new episodes of The Simpsons was resolved without a signal interruption.
ABC‘s previous contract with Cablevision expired more than two years ago, but the companies extended it month-by-month as talks continued.
 

MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV, the direct-to-home (DTH) arm of Bharti Airtel, has announced partnership with HDFC bank to offer discount to all HDFC credit card holders.
 
As part of the new offer, all HDFC credit card customers buying an Airtel DTH connection online would be entitled to a 15 per cent discount. The offer is valid till 31 March 2010.
 
Says Bharti Airtel CMO- DTH Sugato Banerji, “Airtel always provided great value propositions to consumers through innovative offerings. With this special alliance with HDFC, we bring yet another opportunity for HDFC Bank credit card holders to bring home Airtel Digital TV with MPEG4 DVBS2 technology.” 

MUMBAI: Laurent Dumeau and John Burnett have been promoted to new roles to support the continued expansion of NBC Universal’s international pay-TV channels.

The announcement was made by Universal Networks International and Digital Initiatives president Roma Khanna to whom they now report. The appointments are effective immediately. 
 
Dumeau is appointed VP, global affiliate sales. In his new role, Laurent will have oversight of global affiliate sales and strategy, working closely with local and regional managing directors.
Burnett is VP, commercial operations and will now control and manage Universal Networks’ continued growth plan including the planning and delivery of new channels and other key commercial projects across all regions.

The focus for these two new roles will be to set a commercial and strategic framework for Universal Networks International’s ongoing expansion towards 100 channels. 
 
Khanna commented, “Laurent and John’s newly focussed global roles will ensure we deliver on our aggressive and exciting growth plans for 2010 and beyond. Their combined experience will be central to providing great service and support to our affiliates and customers across all our territories.”
The appointments follow the recent unveiling of Universal Networks International’s five revitalised core channel brands to deliver compelling quality content to audiences across the world. The first core channels to launch in January 2010 were Syfy Universal in France and 13th Street Universal in Australia to great local audience acclaim. Further Q1 brand launches include Syfy Universal in Benelux and Spain and Universal Channel in Africa, the number one international channel in the region.

Concurrently, Universal Networks continues its rollout of HD channels as a strategic priority in 2010, having already launched in UK, France, Japan and Portugal.