Category: Software

MUMBAI: Digital and mobile entertainment company Hungama Digital Media has appointed Pradeep Singh as general manager – North (India).

In his new role, Singh will be responsible for developing and managing sales for the integrated media function at Hungama. He will be reporting to Niloufer Dundh, head of integrated media.

Prior to Hungama, Singh was AVP – online at Zee News Ltd. 
 
Hungama Digital Media COO Siddhartha Roy said, “The northern region is bustling with interesting opportunities and we are glad to have Pradeep on-board. His deep understanding of media sales will drive the various initiatives skewed towards integrating digital services with traditional media practices.”

Singh comes with close to 11 years of industry experience focusing on marketing and sales at various organisations. Apart from Zee News, Singh has also worked with media houses such as HT Media Ltd, Business Standard, Business India and The Pioneer.  
 
“The number of people in India are accessing new age media is phenomenal. These are exciting times for marketers to innovate and create interactive promotional concepts. With Hungama’s expertise on the digital medium, it will be interesting to work with different brands and create newer forms of digital promotions,” Singh said.

MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Digital Distribution has announced that the game Hatty Potter: Spells is now available on Apple Store.

The application, based on the Harry Potter films, will transform Muggles everywhere into fledgling wizards, casting spells at their opponents to stun them with Stupefy! or disarm them with Expelliarmus! This is is the only official Harry Potter game available on the Apple Store.
 
Beginning with an arsenal of 14 spells, wizards-in-training can conjure magic alone or duel others by casting spells from one device to another using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections. After receiving an official invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, students will make the ceremonial visit to Ollivanders wand shop, where the wand destined for them will then choose its new master.

Players are then introduced to the legendary Sorting Hat and placed into one of four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin). Next, it‘s time to begin wizard training in the Spell Tutorial where players learn the specific hand gestures to cast each spell. Once a spell is mastered it can be used in a duel. 
 
Once students master their spells they can practice alone or challenge a friend to a duel. While players of different years may duel, be wary, as more advanced students will have a tactical advantage with a larger repertoire of spells – but novice students can still win based on their magical skills (more damage is done to an opponent with higher level spells and with well-cast spells, regardless of level). A duel concludes when one player‘s health meter is reduced to zero.

MUMBAI: Reliance Entertainment‘s online gaming portal Zapak.com, in collaboration with Parle-G, launched the third edition of ‘Parle G Super Gamer.’ Saloni Daini, winner of Chhote Miyan, launched ‘Parle G Super Gamer’.

After having received a good response continuously for the past two years, ‘Parle G Super Gamer’ III aims to be bigger and better this year.
 
After a period of 21 days, 50 hi-scores from each Zone will be invited to Zapak Gameplex, nearby in their own city. Five winners will be selected from each of the Zones and will be coming to Mumbai to compete in the National Finals. The tournament is open to all children in the age group 6-14 years.
Besides having a lot of fun and a lot of gaming for the kids, the tournament is offering exciting prize of actually creating a game on the winner of the tournament. 
 
Parle Products GM marketing Pravin Kulkarni says; “In this fast changing world, children are more exposed to the technical advances happening around them. The computer has become a major part of their education and upbringing. For kids, computers are not a piece of luxury but an essential tool or a great friend, With Parle G Super Gamer we intend to connect to this ever evolving generation of Genius kids.”

Zapak Digital Entertainment CMO Arun Mehra says, “Zapak has always been synonymous with online gaming for the kids’ community in the country. Zapakkids.com is the fastest growing segment on Zapak.com with 1.6 mn registered users. Parle G Super Gamer is a flagship property that we have created with Parle-G, the most popular brand in kids category and it has given us an over whelming response for the first two editions of the tournament. We hope to see even better response this year.”
 

MUMBAI: Asiasat has been awarded a contract by 2009 East Asian Games to supply satellite capacity on Asiasat 3S for live television coverage of the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games (EAG) from 5-13 December 2009.
 
Asiasat 3S will be exclusively used to distribute television feeds of the 2009 EAG to broadcast right holders and millions of sports fans across the Asia Pacific.

Asiasat CEO Peter Jackson said, “We are very proud of the key role Asiasat will play in delivering the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games coverage across the Asia-Pacific region.”  
 
Close to 3,000 athletes from nine participating countries and regions in East Asia will gather in Hong Kong at 21 competition venues to compete for 262 gold medals in 22 sports at this event, making it the largest in the history of EAG.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced the launch of ESPNEWS, the sports news channel dedicated to Asian sports fans, on SingTel’s Mio TV platform in Singapore.

ESS is also interested to get the channel to India and has applied to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for its clearance.

Consisting of highlights, scores, updates and sports information, ESPNEWS will provide real-time sports news.
 
The new channel will deliver content from local, regional and international sporting events.

ESS MD Manu Sawhney commented, “As Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, the launch of ESPNEWS, the first 24/7 sports news channel dedicated to Asian sports fans, is a defining moment for us and I’m delighted to share this with our valued partner SingTel.”

The channel’s layout features four main data streams – a ‘video window’ carrying all the sports action and highlights; a ‘bottom line’ graphic streaming results and upcoming fixtures, a ‘top line’ graphic which provides a continuous update of news, and the ‘sideline’ graphic which will provide the latest standings, rankings and statistics from the professional leagues around the world.  
 
“We are excited about welcoming ESPNEWS as the first of several ESS channels that will be coming onto the Mio TV platform. Mio TV is fast gaining traction as a serious player in the sports broadcasting arena, and we are certain that the synergy that comes out of this partnership will ensure an excellent experience for all sports fans in Singapore,” said Singtel VP (Mio TV) Tim Carmichael.

Currently launched with an English voice-over, ESPNEWS will also be available in Cantonese and Bahasa Melayu at a later date.

The channel is currently available free to all Mio TV subscribers till 17 December, and subsequently will be available at no additional cost to those who sign up for the Barclays Premier League 2010/11 with ‘ESPN STAR Sports Channels Early Bird‘ offer. It will also be available on an a la carte basis at $8.90.

ESPNEWS is already available in Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam and will be rolled out across other markets in the region in the coming months.

MUMBAI: NDTV Convergence has announced the launch of an SME portal in partnership with HP and Indiamart.com. The new site, ndtvsme.com, will serve as a destination for SMEs and provide them with information, transactional platforms and services relevant to their businesses.

This website offers focused business enquiries for members through the network of NDTV, HP and Indiamart.com. 
 
NDTV Networks CEO Vikram Chandra said, “We are excited about reaching out to the SME community, which forms the backbone of the Indian industry, through this portal. NDTV has always focused on this space with its business channel NDTV Profit and now we plan to address the various needs of this huge segment.”

The new portal will be a repository of information that will help technology leaders, CIOs, CMOs at every stage of the IT purchase and product marketing process, the company said. The online portal will also draw on the channel for premium content and as a platform to promote services.

The ndtvsme.com portal includes the HP Smartbiz section which contains trade news, case studies, white papers and information on HP products and solutions. 
 
Hewlett-Packard India Sales head, marketing – commercial & SMB, personal systems group Deepti Dang said, “With the launch of ndtvsme.com with a trusted media partner like NDTV we further reiterate our commitment to India as the SMBs form the backbone of the country. HP India is best equipped in empowering them by providing technology that is relevant, reliable, secure, affordable and easily available.”

Added Indiamart.com CEO and founder Dinesh Agarwal, “In order to serve the large Indian SME population, we strongly believe that partnerships like the one between NDTV and Indiamart.com are the best way forward. The extensive reach of media will take the relevant content to millions of SMEs and address their need for an integrated source of information and B2B commerce.”

MUMBAI: Warner Bros Digital Distribution has announced that the game Hatty Potter: Spells is now available from the Apple Store.

The application, based on the Harry Potter films, will transform Muggles everywhere into fledgling wizards, casting spells at their opponents to stun them with Stupefy! or disarm them with Expelliarmus! This is is the only official Harry Potter game available on the Apple Store.
 
Beginning with an arsenal of 14 spells, wizards-in-training can conjure magic alone or duel others by casting spells from one device to another using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections. After receiving an official invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, students will make the ceremonial visit to Ollivanders wand shop, where the wand destined for them will then choose its new master.

Players are then introduced to the legendary Sorting Hat and placed into one of four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin). Next, it‘s time to begin wizard training in the Spell Tutorial where players learn the specific hand gestures to cast each spell. Once a spell is mastered it can be used in a duel. 
 
Once students master their spells, they can practice alone or challenge a friend to a duel. While players of different years may duel, be wary, as more advanced students will have a tactical advantage with a larger repertoire of spells – but novice students can still win, based on their magical skills (more damage is done to an opponent with higher level spells and with well-cast spells, regardless of level). A duel concludes when one player‘s health meter is reduced to zero. 

MUMBAI: BBC has confirmed the timetable that will make HD services on Freeview available to 50 per cent of the population in time for next June’s World Cup, and to 98.5 per cent of the population by the end of digital switchover in three years’ time.

In order to bring the benefits of HD on Freeview to as many people as quickly as possible, the Freeview HD rollout has been accelerated with an advance network so that viewers in London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Bradford and Birmingham receive signals by the end of March 2010.
 
The majority of viewers will come into coverage at the same time that they go through digital switchover – including viewers in Manchester in December 2009 and those in Cardiff, who will get Freeview HD by the end of March 2010. For the seven per cent of the UK population who switched before December 2009, a retrofit programme will bring them into coverage before the end of November 2010.

New DVB-T2 technology will deliver an increase in capacity of 67 per cent to the BBC’s Multiplex B, efficiently creating the space needed for UK public service broadcasters’ HD transmissions. The UK will be the first country in the world to launch this new standard, and its successful implementation is the result of pioneering work by the BBC in collaboration with partners including Ofcom, Arqiva, Siemens and receiver manufacturers.

To view Freeview HD, audiences will need equipment containing this new technology. Freeview HD receivers (set-top boxes, digital television recorders and integrated televisions) will be available from early 2010.

From January 2010, viewers will be able to use the Freeview website to find out when HD services will be available at their postcode. The BBC is also working closely with Digital UK to ensure that information about Freeview HD is made available as part of digital switchover communications. 
 
BBC COO Caroline Thomson says, “This is a terrific step forward, and it’s a great achievement that the BBC and its partners have been able to work together to overcome some really difficult technical challenges to bring HD to the Freeview platform through world-leading innovation. We’re really excited about the prospect of seeing BBC HD and HD channels from the other public service broadcasters on Freeview next year”

Freeview MD Ilse Howling says, “This is great news for the millions of Freeview homes and viewers who are looking forward to getting high definition with no subscription next year.”
 

MUMBAI: Professional networking site LinkedIn has roped in Hari V Krishnan as country manager for India operations. Prior to LinkedIn, Krishnan was with MySpace India.
 
Under his new mandate, Krishnan will be responsible for growing the site‘s business model that comprises of subscriptions, advertising sales and enterprise software licensing in the Indian market.

Krishnan will also focus on user engagement, strategic partnerships, marketing and general operations. 
 
LinkedIn has around 3.4 million members in India and this is the first appointment done by the company for the Indian market.

MUMBAI: Time Warner will spinoff AOL Inc into a separate business from 9 December.

Time Warner board of directors has approved the final distribution ratio and declared a pro rata dividend of the shares of AOL common stock that it owns. This will result in the complete legal and structural separation of the two companies.
 
On 9 December, Time Warner stockholders of record of 27 November will get one share of AOL common stock for every 11 shares of the Time Warner common stock they have.

The company‘s share will be traded on a ‘when-issued‘ basis under the symbol ‘AOL WI‘ from 24 November to 9 December. Starting 10 December, AOL shares will start trading the regular way under the symbol ‘AOL‘. 
 
Acquired in 2001, Time Warner had announced plans to spin off the AOL business after a string of unsuccessful trials to integrate the two companies.