Category: Software

MUMBAI: Analysys International, an advisor of technology, media and telecom (TMT) industries in China, says in its recently released report China’s Handhold TV Annual Report 2006 that China’s total users of handhold TV will reach 22.19 millions in 2010.

According to Analysys International’s research, China’s handhold TV market is currently at a starting-up phase. Cellular mobile telecommunication network-based handhold TV started in 2004, while wireless digital broadcasting network-based handhold TV is still at a trial phase now. The trial projects are mainly carried on in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong complying with the state-recommended standard of DAB.

Analysys International analyst Joan Lin says, “China’s domestic handhold TV market will see a rapid developing period. Among which, cellular mobile telecommunication network-based handhold TV users reached 220 thousands in 2005. Limited by factors such as network band width, content and tariff, the market developed comparatively slowly in 2006.

“In 2007, with the issue of the 3G licenses, China’s streaming media-based mobile TV will enter a rapid developing phase. It’s estimated that the market users will reach 7.45 millions of families in 2010.”

Analysys International is an leading advisor of technology, media and telecom (TMT) industries in China with the mission to help their clients make better business decisions. They provide data, information and advice to 50,000 clients worldwide, representing 1,500 distinct organizations.

They also deliver over 150 consulting engagements a year, and hold more than 20 events that draw in over 8,000 attendees. Their clients include executives from companies like technology vendors, vertical information technology users, as well as professionals from professional service companies, the investment community and government agencies.

MUMBAI: Video content sharing site YouTube has deleted nearly 30,000 files over copyright concerns after being asked to do so by a group representing Japan‘s entertainment industry,

Media reports state that the Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers found 29,549 video clips such as television shows, music videos and movies posted on YouTube‘s site without permission.

Yotube now shows more than 100 million video clips per day. YouTube‘s worldwide audience was 72.1 million by August, up 2.8 million from a year earlier, according to comScore Media Metrix.

MUMBAI: US firm OpenTV which provide enabling technologies for advanced digital television services has announced that the Kudelski Group which works in the area of content protection and related digital television technologies, has signed a stock purchase agreement with Liberty Media to acquire voting control of OpenTV.

The transaction aligns two global digital television technology firms who, together, will be able to deliver fully integrated products and solutions to the world‘s digital TV operators, spanning conditional access software, middleware, interactive applications, and advertising. At the same time, the transaction enables both companies to continue operating independently, supporting efforts to serve some customers on a standalone basis as their requirements dictate.

The Kudelski Group companies, with consolidated 2005 revenues of approximately $550 million, include primarily: — Nagravision, a worldwide leader in integrated security software solutions for digital television — Nagra France, NagraStar, Nagra Plus, NagraCard and NagraID — Abilis, Quative, and SmarDTV developing new technologies in mobile, IPTV and security — SkiData specialising in public access OpenTV has historically worked closely with the Kudelski Group to deliver various digital television services, including PVR, VOD and other on-demand services, EPG and content syndication for on-demand services, interactive applications, and enabling technologies for enhanced and interactive advertising.

OpenTV chairman and CEO Jim Chiddix says, “Aligning ourselves with a global leader in the digital television sector like Kudelski will help us immediately extend our product lineup
into new markets and give us access to customers we haven‘t had relationships with before. It will also open up new opportunities that we may not otherwise have had the technical or related resources to address in the near term.

“We think this deal offers us a myriad of new opportunities to bundle solutions, sell products into Kudelski‘s existing customer base, save costs through various integration and joint R&D efforts, and collaborate more effectively in several early stage sectors, such as the digital terrestrial market.

“And, just as importantly, we expect to do that while retaining the requisite degree of independence necessary to satisfy the needs of all of our existing and potential customers and partners, with a continued focus on maximising value for all OpenTV stockholders.”

Kudelski Group chairman and CEO Andre Kudelski says, “OpenTV‘s software has established the global benchmark for set-top box middleware. We also believe it is a company with great potential and very talented people, a gold-plated customer list, and market-leading technologies that will offer both OpenTV and the Kudelski Group, working side by side, real growth opportunities.

“This transaction was driven, in large part, by recognition of OpenTV‘s leadership position in advanced digital television and our desire to work more closely with OpenTV to capture additional market share in the rapidly consolidating digital television industry. With digital television households expected to double by 2010, with the landscape for television advertising changing daily, and with the mobile and online video sectors now quickly evolving, we see OpenTV as extremely well-positioned to exploit these opportunities — even more so given the complementary nature of our product offerings.”

Liberty Media senior VP Michael Zeisser says “Over the past four years, through its controlling position in OpenTV, Liberty has helped shape an industry-leading player in digital television. OpenTV has a strong management team, customers, and momentum. As it embarks on its next stage of growth Kudelski will be a formidable strategic partner.”

MUMBAI: Drawing on its resources in media audience measurement, Nielsen Media Research has launched GamePlay Metrics in the US.

This is a new rating service for video games. The all-electronic ratings service will establish new metrics for the buying and selling of advertising in video games, while also tracking the activities of gamers across other media platforms, such as TV and the Internet.

GamePlay Metrics will be the first offering from the newly created Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services division. The new data will
enable the video game industry to develop an advertising business model to offset the steep development costs of new titles for next-generation consoles.

In addition, the metrics will give advertisers a greater level of precision for targeting the digital consumer. Nielsen‘s new measurement service will provide advertisers, agencies,
hardware manufacturers and game developers with independent, high-quality, quantitative demographic data for negotiating the buying and selling of in-game and around-game advertising.

Nielsen‘s GamePlay Metrics service also will provide advertisers with analysis on how video game play affects or complements the
use of other electronic media. For example, the data will show what television programmes gamers watch when they‘re not playing games. This unified data source increases the precision of advertisers‘ target marketing, and enables them to allocate their ad dollars in a more
efficient manner.

Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services VP Jeff Herrmann says, “The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured. A reliable and accurate standard of measurement for video gaming will drive advertising investment in this medium and help convert video game advertising from a discretionary advertising experiment to a must-have option.

“Nielsen‘s unmatched resources, including its portfolio of intellectual property, extensive technology infrastructure and decades of media measurement expertise, are the foundation of the Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services business.”

Denuo gaming division Play‘s group director Saneel Radia says, “For games to gain prominence as both a medium and a communication platform, the gaming industry must deliver the tools brands need to leverage it most effectively. A credible set of data and learnings such as those provided by Nielsen‘s GamePlay Metrics Service will provide marketers the confidence they demand, expanding the size and type of deals in this burgeoning space.”

Collecting Video Game Data : The new service builds on Nielsen‘s Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative — which provides integrated ratings for video
consumption across multiple media platforms — by harvesting information from existing Nielsen samples.

Nielsen‘s national television sample of more than 10,000 households in the US currently collects information on video game use through existing People

Meter technology. Nielsen GamePlay Metrics will use a patented approach to harvest this existing information from current and next-generation video game consoles within these sample households. The new service will passively record the titles of games while capturing key demographic detail about players. Moreover, because it is based on Nielsen‘s national TV ratings sample,

Nielsen GamePlay Metrics also will provide advertisers with data on what TV programmes are consumed by active gamers. Nielsen GamePlay Metrics will begin providing video game ratings data in mid-2007. Subscribing clients will receive, on a weekly basis, easy-to-access ratings charts and rankings which show the most-played video games. Clients will be given necessary elements — titles, platform, genre, daypart and demographics — from which to base their advertising and planning decisions.

Nielsen has been working with major clients in the video game industry, including the manufacturing and advertising sectors, to develop the specific metrics that will be used to measure game playing. In order to process the data to be collected from game consoles, the Nielsen GamePlay Metrics service is developing a new audio system to process data on video game, movie, music, video and other media usage.

This system builds on Nielsen‘s existing experience with its Active/Passive metering technology, and eventually this same type of collection system will be leveraged by Nielsen‘s other A2/M2 initiatives.

In preparation for the launch of the service, Nielsen is also building a reference data base of game titles to be measured, while creating the system for reporting information to clients.

Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services was recently launched as a business unit to provide measurement services to the video game and wireless industries. The new unit will draw upon the resources within VNU‘s Media Measurement and Information (MMI) Group, including Nielsen Media Research and Nielsen Entertainment, which recently reported the Nielsen Active Gamer 2006 study.

The key client base for Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services will include wireless carriers, handset manufacturers, application providers, technology and infrastructure companies, video game console manufactures, publishers/developers, agencies and advertisers.

The new unit is led by Herrmann, who has held various senior marketing and product strategy roles within Nielsen Media Research and Nielsen//NetRatings. Most recently, he served as VP business development and strategy for the VNU Media Measurement and Information Group responsible for evaluating new business opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions.

MUMBAI: The worldwide cable TV industry is in a race to provision a ‘three-screen‘service that starts with HDTV sets, maps over to broadband-connected PCs, and follows subscribers around during the day on cell phones or other portable devices.

A report by In-Stat notes that as a result, the high-tech market research firm expects strong, continued growth in cable TV infrastructure equipment with sales rising from about $925.4 million during 2006 to more than $2.1 billion in 2010.

In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold says, “The cable TV industry is working diligently to connect all the infrastructure dots in the race to provision a three-screen telecommunications service. System operators are building out Super Headends and upgrading Local Headends to provide the economies of scale needed to provide the greatest number of services, over the greatest geographical reach, at the lowest possible cost. Fixed Mobile Convergence, or FMC, will become a fast-growing market for cable operators, and they will disrupt the cell phone industry.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following

High Definition TV services and Video-on-Demand are expanding, driving plant upgrades for improved Gigabit Ethernet video switches, Switched Digital Video (SDV), more QAM channels, and widening deployments of 1 GHz Final Mile equipment.

Modular Cable Modem Termination Systems (Modular CMTS) and wide band cable modems are being brought into play to upgrade High Speed Data services to compete against telephone companies’ ADSL, VDSL, and Fiber-to-the-Home.

Comcast, Cox, Time-Warner and Advance/Newhouse have a joint venture with Sprint Nextel that will begin offering cable-branded cellular phone services later this year in the US. Later on, Fixed Mobile Convergence will add innovative video services and wireless extensions to the Cable TV infrastructure, and disrupt the cell phone market.

The cable TV industry is rapidly deploying Voice-over-IP services.

MUMBAI: The mobile is increasingly becoming a way for channels to reach their consumers. A case in point is the action oriented AXN.

AXN Mobile, a mobile Wap entertainment portal by AXN, is ready to be launched in Asia and will be available to consumers from early November 2006.

Now viewers acros Asia will not only get to catch high-octane action and adventure programmes on TV; supplement their programme knowledge and have fun with games and contests via the website; live the AXN lifestyle by participating in specially formatted made-for-TV challenge-reality shows… but to top it all off, AXN Mobile is now available to continue providing the AXN buzz while on the move – giving consumers an adrenaline-charged “power snack bar” to get them freshened up for their next appointment.

Through the mobile AXN is looking to catch viewers whether they are on a lunch or coffee break from work, commuting on public transport to meet friends, or soaking their stress away in the Jacuzzi.

AXN Mobile offers exclusive streaming video on demand (SVOD) services and downloadable personalisation products such as ringtones and wallpapers from the channel‘s flagship programmes that have garnered a huge loyal following around the region.

In Singapore and Malaysia, AXN has expanded its partnership with affiliates like StarHub to carry the mobile products on their platform and with Astro to distribute AXN mobile to major telcos. In the Philippines, AXN has partnered with Smart Communications. Direct deals with major telcom firms are also in negotiation in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which will be announced at a later date.

The channel says that a clear differentiation about AXN Mobile, is the exclusive made-for-mobile contents offered to consumers, in an effort to ensure the desirability and relevance of AXN Mobile. Unlike other mobile TV services that are mostly an extension of the TV contents (like news updates or the linear channel service), AXN offers a library of video clips from its stable of signature shows that are specially produced for streaming via mobile.

AXN Mobile will be available in various Asia markets in early November, in conjunction with the much-awaited premiere of AXN‘s biggest original production – The Amazing Race Asia. Special made-for-mobile contents have been created that will allow viewers of The Amazing Race Asia to supplement their knowledge of the show – like host Allan Wu‘s Host Video Diary, where he shares his thoughts at the end of each race day; interviews with eliminated teams on their reflection of what may have caused their elimination and their thoughts on which team they believe will emerge victorious.

In the final stages of the race, viewers can also download clips of interviews with the remaining teams after every episode to see what would be each team‘s strategy going into the next leg of the race. These videos will serve to “whet the appetite” of viewers as they wait in anticipation for the next episode. Of course, there will also be the ever-popular “unseen footages” or “behind-the-scene” shots of the funny moments, big arguments or even too-hot-for-TV catfights…

Similar offerings from other shows like Mondo Magic Singapore and The Contender are also in the pipeline, as well as a special segment known as AXN Moments featuring great moments of fun, courage, and laughter from some of the best daredevil record-breaking challenges from AXN original productions and events.

SPE Networks Asia GM Ricky Ow says, “AXN has always been a leading trendsetter, being the first action and adventure channel, the first to bring the reality craze to Asia, the first in Asia to take on such a mega scale production like The Amazing Race Asia. And now we will also be the first to provide a true-blue entertainment WAP portal that allows our viewers to have a seamless, well-rounded, enriching entertainment experience that complements their TV viewing.

“Mobile technology is very much a part of our viewers‘ lifestyle, our core audience being the working executives and professionals. With the rapid advancement and pick-up of mobile technology in Asia, we feel that it is the right time to venture into mobile TV, and I am confident that our viewers will appreciate the unique content offerings we have.”

NBCU 2.0 will seek to maximise the potential of the entire NBC Universal portfolio, including broadcast, cable, film, and theme parks, by creating operating efficiencies and reallocating resources to invest in new growth areas. The initiative the firm says continues the evolution of NBC Universal, marked in recent years by significant investments such as Vivendi Universal Entertainment, Telemundo and iVillage. NBCU 2.0 will enhance ongoing efforts to redirect traditional analogue resources toward high-growth digital areas and international expansion.

NBC Universal has struggled with weak ad sales and profits. The structuring plan will reduce annual expenses by $750 million. This will be partly done by cutting 700 jobs. The moves, which have been in the works for more than a year, were announced by General Electric vice chairman and NBCU chairman/CEO Bob Wright. NBC U profit dropped 10 per cent during ththird quarter, pulled down by lower ratings at NBC which has struggled after the departure of high profile shows like Friends.

NBC is said to be looking to ease off of scripted dramas, that can cost several millions of dollars per episode, in the 8 pm time slot in favour of less expensive game shows and other fare. The advertiser interest is not enough to justify the expense of scripted shows indicate reports. To give a cost comparison to readers the game show Deal or No Deal costs $1.1 million an episode, while the drama Friday Night Lights costs more than double at $2.6 million an episode. So in the first hour of primetime there will be more of game shows rather than dramas.

Wright says, “Success in this business means quickly adjusting to and anticipating change. This initiative is designed to help us exploit technology and focus our resources, as we continue our transformation into a digital media company for the 21st century”.

In many cases, the company says that savings will be reinvested in higher-growth areas. The focus is going to be on tapping into the digital arena. Digital revenues are expected to exceed $1 billion by 2009. Recent growth has been driven by initiatives such as the partnership between Yahoo and Telemundo to develop the leading Hispanic Internet destination; the launch of NBC WeatherPlus, nbbc, nbcsports.com, cnbc.com, and dotcomedy.com; the creation of several other original broadband channels; the development of interactive television and digital cinema applications; and the delivery of a 360-degree content experience via online and wireless platforms.

NBCU Television Group: As part of NBCU 2.0, the business models in News and Entertainment will be further adapted to exploit the opportunities of the changing media landscape.

NBC Universal Television Group CEO Jeff Zucker says, “NBC Universal 2.0 will prepare us for future growth from a position of strength. With new momentum in prime time at NBC, continued leadership from NBC News, real growth at Telemundo, and solid performances in virtually every other division of our Television Group, there is no better time to re-engineer the company for the revolutionary changes to come. We have to recognize that the changes of the next five years will dwarf the changes of the last fifty.”

News: Newsgathering operations will be further modernised to improve efficiencies. As part of the redesign, NBC Universal‘s 24-hour cable news channel, MSNBC, will move its operations to the company‘s production facilities at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The move will streamline newsgathering operations and result in better utilisation of both state-of-the-art facilities.

In addition, in an extension of the successful centralisation strategy developed by the NBC Universal TV Stations Group in recent years, the company is creating consolidated news facilities in Burbank. The facility will support a number of news and information operations, including the NBC and Telemundo networks, KNBC, KVEA, KWHY. The new configuration the company says will increase productivity and improve communication, coordination and resource-sharing among newsgathering units. Reviews are also under way at NBC News bureaus and facilities around the world.

New digital distribution opportunities and synergies will be created by improvements in how information is gathered, shared and distributed across multiple news and information platforms. These changes will be implemented at the NBC network and stations levels, as well as at the Telemundo stations, where new emphasis will be placed on regionalised news programming with local content in some smaller markets.

Entertainment: On the entertainment side, the TV Group will maximise its ability to generate revenues across all platforms – including new digital distribution outlets – through a business strategy that reduces NBCU‘s dependence on traditional content distribution methods and advertising models. This includes bringing content to consumers sooner on a variety of platforms, creating new windows or opportunities in the traditional syndication market, and developing alternative advertising metrics.

NBCU 2.0 will also continue to make the growing Hispanic market a priority, as highlighted by the significant recent investments in Telemundo‘s prime-time production, a new studio and news bureau in Mexico, and the acquisition of three TV stations in the last 18 months.

Universal Studios : The initiative will focus on the recent developments in technology and media that are transforming the film industry, with the goal of competitively positioning the Studio for continued growth and success.

Universal Studios president and COO Ron Meyer says, “As a business we are continually looking to be smarter about how we develop, distribute, and market our films around the world . “We plan to realign our operations to maximize growth opportunities in an increasingly competitive and evolving industry. Making these changes now will reinforce our position as an industry leader.”

The strategic realignment of domestic theatrical, home entertainment and television marketing and distribution divisions will realize cost savings through consolidating positions and maximizing efficiencies across all aspects of the business units. Savings will also be realised though consolidating locations, support functions and marketing activities at Universal Pictures International, Universal Pictures International Entertainment and NBC Universal International Television Distribution.

Universal Parks and Resorts Group will continue to look for strategic growth opportunities and cost reductions at their properties in Los Angeles and Orlando

The fund is designed to ensure direct access to emerging technologies and businesses. With an initial funding of €50 million, BDMI’s mission is to tap into new technologies and digital media innovations to support the continued leadership of Bertelsmann’s divisions across the media landscape.

Richard Sarnoff, who has been President of Random House‘s corporate development group and its venture arm, Random House Ventures LLC, additionally has been named President of BDMI, and will report to Bertelsmann CFO Thomas Rabe in this capacity.

BDMI’s international team based in the US and Germany will concentrate on digital media opportunities that can enhance or extend Bertelsmann’s existing strengths in broadcast television, book and magazine publishing, music, media services, and direct marketing. Investments will primarily be minority stakes in early-stage companies, but can also include majority stakes and external fund investments where appropriate.

Bertelsmann chairman and CEO Gunter Thielen says, “Bertelsmann has a keen focus on new technologies and fosters expertise within each of its divisions. We are committed to further extending our innovative spirit and media leadership by creating a fund dedicated to emerging technology opportunities.

“Richard Sarnoff is the ideal candidate for this assignment, since he has excellent experience in funding such opportunities, strong connections in the venture capital industry, and broad familiarity with all of Bertelsmann‘s businesses above and beyond his responsibilities at Random House”.

Sarnoff said, “Technology continues to play an increasing role in all Bertelsmann divisions as digital media, the Web, and mobile access continue to converge on a global scale. This new fund will allow us to supplement the existing in-house knowledge base and support ongoing divisional technology initiatives through investments in pioneering companies”.

BDMI will operate in partnership with each Bertelsmann business division, taking investment cues from new business models and digital media trends identified by the divisions as strategic to future growth. It will work with the appropriate Bertelsmann division on each investment for initial evaluation, due diligence and ongoing oversight of portfolio companies.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has expanded its mobile entertainment team to better serve its existing and new clients.

SPTI is adding executives to oversee its mobile teams in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and providing additional support from SPTI‘s headquarters in Culver City, California.

SPTI senior VP, mobile entertainment, Jason Wells says, “Sony Pictures is firmly committed to growing its mobile entertainment business, and is dedicating significant resources to ensure its future growth. With the global team in place, SPTI‘s mobile entertainment group will provide not only content from blockbuster movies such as Casino Royale, but also be a single source for SPE‘s integrated mobile offerings ranging from TV series on mobile to interactive games.”

In the Asia-Pacific region, SPTI‘s mobile entertainment team has appointed Rosemary Tan as director, mobile entertainment, Asia-Pacific, reporting to Wells. Based at SPTI‘s Asia headquarters in Hong Kong, Tan joins SPTI from Universal Music Asia in Hong Kong where she was regional new media director and head of new media business development since 2003.

Andy Bishop, based in Los Angeles, has been promoted to VP, sales and business development, mobile entertainment. Reporting to Wells, he will be directly responsible for sales and distribution in Canada, Latin America and Brazil, and will work with all of SPTI‘s regional offices around the world, overseeing business development and sales strategy with mobile operators and other strategic wireless partners worldwide.

He was previously SPTI‘s director, business development and sales planning, mobile entertainment. Prior to joining Sony, he was manager, business development at Disney.

SPTI‘s mobile entertainment team has also expanded in Latin America with the appointment of Stephen Brough as director, mobile entertainment, Latin America, reporting to Bishop. Based at SPTI‘s Latin American headquarters in Miami, Brough heads the mobile entertainment team for the region. Brough and his team are responsible for business development and the sale of mobile TV/video, games and personalization products to mobile operators and customers throughout the region.

Brough previously held a number of executive positions at VSNL International (formerly Teleglobe) in Miami since 2003, most recently as mobile content sales specialist. Prior to that, he served in various executive posts at Sirius Telecom in Santa Barbara, CA, Vonova Communications in Austin, and at Ernst & Young Consulting in Buenos Aires and Lima. He began his career as a business consultant at Andersen Consulting working in Dallas, Kansas City, and New York.

SPTI‘s mobile entertainment team is charged with extending Sony‘s theatrical and TV assets, as well as its range of custom-made mobile content, into mobile distribution outside the US. With mobile product such as the James Bond franchise, the Ratchet and Clank Going Mobile game adaptation from the popular Sony PlayStation franchise, and Spider-Man 3 mobile content, SPTI is the international distribution and marketing arm for SPE‘s portfolio of mobile content, including mobile games, such as Wheel of Fortune, tones, images, video and text programmes.

MUMBAI: Parag Kamani has joined Cornershop Entertainment – An Essel Group Enterprise – as Business Head Wireless. Parag will be reporting to director Cornershop, Chirag Shah and will be handling the entire wireless entertainment and enterprise business, including the management of Short Code 7575 among various new initiatives that are in the pipeline, said an official release.

“7575” was the first to launch Voting and Polling for Reality television and mobile enables all Zee Network Channels and is a leading provider of wireless entertainment, its applications and services.

Parag’s vast experience in the entertainment space – initially in the record industry and, thereafter, in the home video business – has seen him execute various roles at Magnasound, BMG Crescendo, Virgin Records [now EMI India], Saregama India [formerly, popularly known as HMV], and the Dubai-based Vanilla Group [now known as Viva Entertainment].

Commenting on Parag’s appointment, director Cornershop, Chirag Shah says, “We are really happy to have Parag on board, his vast experience in the music and home video industry will shed a fresh perspective to our existing business and add value to new initiatives in the wireless space.”

Parag says, “Having worked for the music industry for 14 years, followed by four years in the home video business, I have always pursued a career providing me new challenges. For the immediate future and, without compromising on my passion for entertainment, I have found it in wireless entertainment and the enterprise business.” Parag is a music aficionado and used to write for various publications on aspects of the entertainment industry.

Cornershop is looking forward to having Parag on board and scaling new heights. The Cornershop team believes there will be a fresh strategic perspective for all with the synergies of Cornershop’s inherent strengths of being backed by the reputed and well-established Essel Group and Parag’s past experience obtained in the entertainment business, ensuring that it is only a matter of time before Cornershop takes on the wireless entertainment world