ITV

Category: Television

  • Adobe wins Emmy for its Flash video technology

    Adobe wins Emmy for its Flash video technology

    MUMBAI: Adobe has won a Technical and Engineering Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for its Flash video technology, in recognition of the software’s role in bringing television content to the Internet.

    The award for streaming media architecture and components was announced by the National Academy of Television and will be formally delivered to Adobe at a ceremony held during the Ces trade show, in January 2007 in Las Vegas.

    Today, television shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and Friday Night Lights are being delivered online thanks to Flash video, while the technology also powers the video capabilities of social networking sites such as YouTube and MySpace.

    Adobe president and COO Shantanu Narayen says, “Flash Video is fundamentally changing the role of video on the Internet, and this prestigious award is further proof of this technology’s profound impact on how broadcasters deliver their content.

    “ABC and NBC and pop culture phenomena like YouTube and MySpace are relying on Adobe technologies to reach new audiences. Winning this Emmy is deserved recognition for our engineering teams and Adobe’s continued commitment to innovation in dynamic media.”

    With Flash Video technology, users can view interactive video online as an instant-on web video experience. Flash Video is delivered via Adobe Flash Player, allowing content publishers to reach the largest possible audience on the web and to deploy consistent, high-impact online video across all major platforms and browsers, while lowering the costs of development, quality assurance, and support. Adobe Flash Player is installed on over 700 million Internet-connected desktops and mobile devices.

    Flash Video works with Flash® Media Server 2 to give organisations a scalable and secure way to stream video content, and partnerships with leading content delivery network providers — Akamai, Limelight, and VitalStream — to create the foundation for delivering web video and rich media applications to the widest possible audience on the Internet.

    The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards honor achievements in two areas: Science Engineering and Technology for Broadcast Television, which includes broadcast, cable and satellite distribution and Broadband and Personal Television encompassing interactive television, gaming technology, the Internet, cell phone, private networks, and personal media players.

  • Nielsen, NetRatings launch TV/Internet fusion database in the US

    Nielsen, NetRatings launch TV/Internet fusion database in the US

    MUMBAI: US media research firm Nielsen Media Research and subsidiary NetRatings have launched their TV/Internet Fusion database.

    This product merges information from television and Internet panels into a single dataset, and allows television programmers and advertisers to study and capitalize on the relationship between television and Internet use.

    The new service is the first deliverable being developed through Nielsen’s Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative. This resource combines Nielsen’s National People Meter sample of more than 30,000 respondents with NetRatings’ NetView sample, which electronically tracks Internet use of approximately 29,000 panelists from homes and businesses.

    The fused database uses panelist information, including age, sex, household income, household education and region of the US to link the two databases, thereby providing a picture of consumers’ TV and online activities.

    The National TV/Internet Fusion database serves as a springboard toward the development of a single-sample Internet/television panel. In November, Nielsen Media Research will begin a test to identify the potential impact of Internet measurement on television panel-quality metrics, installing software meters – including NetRatings’ patented metering technology – on the laptops and personal computers of test homes installed with Nielsen People Meters. The company plans to fully deploy the meters during the 2007-2008 television season, assuming successful test results.

    Nielsen Media Research chief research officer v says, “At a time when the importance of the Internet as an advertising vehicle continues to grow and expand with new streaming offerings, it’s particularly important to understand the interaction between these two media. The National TV/Internet Fusion database is an advanced multi-platform measurement service that offers advertisers, agencies and media companies an unparalleled view of this expanding relationship; and it represents a critical element in Nielsen’s commitment to measure television wherever and however it is viewed.”

    NetRatings VP measurement science Mainak Mazumdar said, “The National TV/Internet Fusion database takes media measurement to a new level. As streaming content becomes ubiquitous on the Internet, the importance of a combined television and internet data set is critical for companies competing for the digital consumer.”

    By reporting both national TV network viewership and web site usage in a single data set, the National TV/Internet Fusion database can provide media and advertising clients with a broad range of analysis, including:

    – Assessment of Internet usage by TV audiences, including visits to media company web sites by viewers to their network.
    – TV viewership by visitors to specific websites.
    – Quantification of the unduplicated reach of television sources and Internet web sites.
    – Segmentation of audiences to identify and target specific interest groups.
    – Tracking of changing patterns of media consumption as more TV programming and other streaming content becomes available online.
    – Improved measurement of the reach and frequency of combined TV/Internet campaigns.

    In conjunction with the launch of the new service, the companies have produced a research report of their April 2006 fused data, based on time spent watching television and usage of more than 2,000 ad-supported web sites. Included in the key findings:

    The analysis of the intersection of television and Internet quintiles reports that 40 per cent of the US 2+ population are more television-centric, 24 per cent are more Internet-centric, and 15 per cent are equally heavy users of TV and the Internet (the remaining portion of the population are light users of both media). Heavy Internet users also tend to watch more television than do light Internet users.

    Broadcast and cable networks achieve higher ratings among people who visit their websites, however this relationship differs greatly by demographic and program genre. Visitors to pure-play Internet web sites tend to watch less television than average viewers.

  • CNN PRESENTS shows real-life drama inside Combat hospital in Iraq

    CNN PRESENTS shows real-life drama inside Combat hospital in Iraq

    MUMBAI: Over two weeks, CNN PRESENTS: Combat hospital looks at the life and death struggles that the medical team face every day in the Iraqi capital’s military emergency rooms at the 10 Combat Support hospital in Baghdad.

     

    With exclusive and unprecedented access to the five doctors, 14 nurses and 22 medics who treat casualties from U.S. and coalition forces, the civilian population and even insurgents, in a building that Saddam Hussein once used for his own personal medical care, CNN PRESENTS: Combat hospital reveals the horror and humanity of present day Iraq.

    Presented without narration, the programme is a compelling and gritty close-up look at the American military’s frontline hospital starkly depicted with the daily challenges that face the 10 Combat Support hospital in Baghdad. Graphic video and natural sound reflect the reality of the chaos and heroism in a wartime emergency room: gunshot wounds, burns, amputations and other devastating damage caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

    Filmed during 16 days of exclusive access to the Mountain Medic Combat Support hospital by CNN Baghdad bureau chief Cal Perry, CNN senior photojournalist Dominic Swann, and CNN’s Ryan Chilcote, viewers see why the maturity and professionalism required in a Combat emergency setting are hard-earned.

    A young nurse, Lt. Riane Nelson, R.N., talks ruefully about how she was “picked” to come to Iraq after being called to replace another nurse who became pregnant shortly before her tour of duty.

    Nelson’s supervisor, head nurse Lt. Col. John Groves, describes the back story of Nelson’s early inability to keep up with the requirements of their busy unit. Then, Nelson worked with other personnel to resuscitate a critical patient with CPR, saving her life. After that, says Groves, “her confidence skyrocketed.” By the time viewers meet Nelson, she is a self-assured and proficient team member, saving more lives during the programme.

    Outside of the emergency room, the unit tries to maintain some normality by playing football and baseball in the alley behind the hospital and even celebrating a co-workers 21 birthday.

     

    In one of the most compelling sequences in the documentary, the film crew captures the arrival of 12 casualties during a few moments of relative quiet for the medical team. Four are already dead. Seven U.S. soldiers and CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier are critically injured and fighting for their lives. The team goes back to work; their trauma rooms are full again.

     

    CNN PRESENTS is the most honoured documentary program in cable news. So far in 2006, CNN PRESENTS has been honoured by an Emmy, six New York Festivals Awards, two National Headliner Awards and a National Press Club Robert L. Kozik Award for environmental reporting.

  • CBS operating income up 4% to $646 million

    CBS operating income up 4% to $646 million

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate CBS Corporation has reported results for the third quarter ended 30 September, 2006.

    CBS’ operating income rose by four per cent to $646 million led by television and outdoor. Net earnings from continuing operations went up by 26 per cent to $324 million.

    Revenues of $3.4 billion for the third quarter of 2006 were up slightly from the same quarter last year, as growth at outdoor and publishing was offset by a decline at radio, the shutdown of broadcaster and lower home entertainment revenues due to the switch from self-distribution in 2005 to third party distribution in 2006.

    For the nine months ended 30 September 30, 2006, revenues were $10.4 billion which marked an increase of one per cent from the same prior-year period, as growth at outdoor, television and publishing was partially offset by a decline at Radio. Results for the first nine months of 2006 reflected $24.0 million of expenses related to the UPN shutdown as well as the impact of stock-based compensation expense of $51.7 million versus $13.1 million for the nine months ended 30 September, 2005.

    For the quarter, television revenues of $2.2 billion decreased slightly from the prior year as growth in television license fee revenues and affiliate fees was more than offset by lower advertising and home entertainment revenues.

    Television license fees increased by seven per cent principally due to the domestic syndication sale of CSI: Miami and higher foreign syndication revenues. Affiliate fees increased six per cent due to rate increases and subscriber growth at Showtime and the inclusion of CSTV Networks since its acquisition in January 2006. Ad revenues decreased by three per cent primarily due to the shutdown of UPN in September of 2006 and the absence of the Primetime Emmy telecast in 2006, partially offset by strong political advertising sales at the television stations.

    Home entertainment revenues decreased by 35 per cent principally due to the switch from self-distribution in 2005 to third party distribution in 2006. The CW, a 50/50 per cent joint venture broadcast network with Warner Brothers Entertainment, was launched in September 2006 and has been accounted for as an equity investment in the third quarter of 2006.

    CBS executive chairman Sumner Redstone says, “CBS Corporation is right on track. “We remain committed to escalating shareholder value as we continue to drive our businesses forward. I am encouraged by the strategic vision Leslie and his team have put forth to capitalize upon the tremendous opportunities unfolding in the digital age.”

    CBS president, CEO Leslie Moonves says, “This was another strong quarter, posting solid profit increases in Television and Outdoor, generating significant free cash flow, and delivering the third of three dividend increases since the start of the year. In Radio, our plan to strategically reduce the number of markets in which we operate is well underway. We have signed agreements to sell 29 stations for a terrific value. We also believe that the growth we’re seeing in key formats such as Jack, Spanish and Talk bodes well for improved performance at Radio in 2007.

    ” Through innovative partnerships with YouTube, Yahoo, and many other key new media concerns, we’re aggressively pursuing opportunities that help us extend our world-class mass-appeal content to new digital platforms and channels and get paid for it. As a premier content company, we continue to be pleased with new technological developments that allow consumers to more easily enjoy our content, and extend our reach into the digital space.”

    The company expects to deliver low single-digit growth in revenues, mid single-digit growth in operating income and high single-digit growth in earnings per share.

  • CNN increases funding for PTSD research for journalists

    CNN increases funding for PTSD research for journalists

    MUMBAI: The global news and current affairs channel CNN is teaming up with the world’s foremost authority on PTSD in journalists, Dr Anthony Feinstein to initially fund a unique web based clinical and research facility.

    CNN, which is in safety training and research into post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has announced a creation of a new site along with Dr Feinstein at the annual NewsXchange conference that took place in Istanbul Turkey on 2 November and will run till 3 November.

    According to an official release, this site will be accessible to all media organizations and journalists around the world and this new website will provide a confidential and much needed self help resource for all journalists, even those who do not have access to a company supported PTSD resource. Further information as to how to access the new site will be announced shortly.

    One of the innovative aspects to this service is that journalists will be able to use it while on assignment in zones of conflict. “Research over the past six years has shown that journalists and media workers assigned front-line assignments may develop symptoms of distress due to the escalating dangers confronted,” said Dr Feinstein. “This new website will enable us to broaden our understanding of how journalists are responding emotionally to these challenges while also providing immediate feedback to those who are searching for answers and guidance.”

    The web based program will allow journalists to complete self assessments with respect to symptoms of PTSD, depression, general psychological well being and alcohol and substance use. Immediate feedback with the option of a printout will be given to all web users. This can then be used to facilitate access to a family doctor or an Employee Assistance Program for therapy, if required. Future development of the site is to include versions in different languages.

    “Dr Feinstein’s previous research has helped countless colleagues inside and outside of CNN, said CNN International MD Chris Cramer. “This is an area of staff welfare that media companies need to address, particularly in an era where the media is seen as being fair game in many parts of the world.”

  • Star One, Star Gold to debut in UK this Nov-Dec

    Star One, Star Gold to debut in UK this Nov-Dec

    MUMBAI: After Japan, it’s the turn of the UK for Star India channels to spread their wings. Star India has entered into a syndication deal with BSkyB to launch Star One and Star Gold.

     

    Entertainment channel Star One and movie platform Star Gold will debut in the UK later this month or early December on BSkyB, which is over-35 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

     

    Star One is already available on US-DirecTV along with, Star Plus, Star News and Star Vijay. Speaking to indiantelevision.com Star India official spokesperson refused to comment on when will Star Gold be available to DirecTV subscribers.

     

    While, on BSkyB, only two of channels –Star Plus and Star News are accessible.

     

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the decision has been taken and most formalities are said to be been completed. The reason for taking these two channels, apart from already existing ones, to the UK is that there’s a sizable Indian-origin population residing there who would pay to watch Indian fare, especially Hindi movies.

     

    However, the programming on Star One and Star Gold may not be a photocopy of what’s seen back home. Reason: copyright issues. Especially those related to the satellite rights of Hindi movies.

     

    Earlier this week, Star had announced launch of five Indian and two international channels in Japan on a new IPTV and community platform World on Demand (WoD). On WoD, Star has launched Star Plus, Star One, Star News, Star Utsav and Vijay, along with Sky News and Fox News.

  • ‘L’il Champs’ finale rockets Zee to top of ratings charts

    ‘L’il Champs’ finale rockets Zee to top of ratings charts

    MUMBAI: The tykes really did a number for Zee TV with their chart-busting ratings performance. The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs finale live event on 28 October fetched Subhash Chandra’s flagship channel a whopping 11.1 TVR, rocketing it to the top of the charts.

    What was quite remarkable about the numbers, which is for the HSM 4+ TG, is that this is the average TVR the show generated over the full three-and-a-half hours it was on air and it was still well ahead of the perennial number one – Star Plus’ half-hour queen of soaps Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi – which registered a 10.3 TVR. The peak rating L’il Champs achieved was at 10 pm – of 15.4.

    The performance of L’il Champs gave Zee TV a reach of 30 per cent taking the channel to 350 GRPs, while Star Plus and Sony had 454 and 151 GRPs respectively.

    An elated Punit Goenka business head Zee TV remarked, “We are thrilled with the ratings of the finale. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs has been a very successful series since its inception. We have been overwhelmed by the response the show has garnered over the past few weeks. It provides an impetus to strive harder and clearly boosts the morale of the team. We will continue to put in our best efforts into making other shows such a grand success. As the average break TVR was 8.4, the show garnered high visibility for our partners as well.”

    Title sponsor Hero Honda would certainly be pleased by that bit of news of course.

    Expectedly, the highest ratings came in from the home cities of the three finalists.
    * Kolkata – Rating 15.8 and reach 39 per cent.
    * Mumbai – Rating 13.9 and reach 29.6 per cent.
    * Delhi – Rating 11.4 and reach 29 per cent.

    The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa story seems to be just getting better for Zee, much like American Idol has been for Chandra’s one time partner and now bitter rival in India Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Network.

  • ‘Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses’ hits mobile content in India

    MUMBAI: Mobile content based on Barbie‘s latest movie, Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses has been launched across mobile networks in India including Hutch, Airtel, Idea, BSNL, MTNL, Reliance and Tata.


    Wallpapers, animations, themes, mono tones, poly tones, SMS tones, true tones, video clips and MMS Clips / M-cards will also be available and can be accessed by any GPRS enabled phone, informs an official release.



    Speaking on Barbie‘s latest marketing initiative Mattel Toys India managing director Sanjay Luthra said, “The range of 12 Dancing Princesses: the dancing Barbie doll, the other doll characters, a musical castle, a stretch-limo Carriage etc. supported by lifestyle consumer products – takes every little girl deeper into the world of brand ‘Barbie‘ and enhances her magical experience and interaction with her favourite Doll. Mobile content is one more avenue to reach out to parents‘ who are trying to keep up with their tech-savvy Kids!”


    He added, “While Experiential Marketing has always been an important element of our Brand‘s Strategy; 360 Degree programs such as these, merely help to build our consumer‘s loyalty and inclination to “live in” Barbie‘s world with Barbie and for parents who want to teach their children, traditional family values and togetherness that that we respect as part of our Indian beliefs, Barbie brings alive the same, through story and example.”


    Speaking on the mobile content offering the digital content production and distribution company, Rajshri Media (P) Limited managing director Rajjat A. Barjatya said, “We have been enthralled at the response to Barbie mobile content over the last one year and are delighted to release yet another property on the mobile phone. In fact very soon, we have plans to bring Barbie a lot more close to you, by launching the Barbie MobiWorld on our short code and a series of mobile games too. We are quite confident that the new initiatives we are taking, along with Mattel, will be well accepted.”


    In addition, this entertainment property is also supported by lifestyle consumer products such as: the animation movie content on VCD and DVD from Universal Pictures and distributed locally by SaReGaMa, and other licensed consumer products such as storybooks from Euro Kids and Sterling Publishers, role play toys and costumes, My Size jigsaw puzzles and tableware from Mahindra Intertrade , play cosmetics from Magicwell, bags from Genius Leathercraft, innerwear from A-Klass Fashions, nightwear from SD-Lounge and bed linen from Portico, adds the release.

  • BBC to make big screen wildlife film on ‘The Meerkats’

    BBC to make big screen wildlife film on ‘The Meerkats’

    MUMBAI: BBC Films will collaborate with the BBC Natural History Unit to produce their first ever feature film together, The Meerkats.

    The film is set to start principal photography this month in the Kalahari Desert. The Weinstein Company are co-financing the project, and will distribute the film internationally.

    The Meerkats is directed by James Honeyborne, with Joe Oppenheimer and Trevor Ingman as producers. BBC Natural History Unit head Neil Nightingale and BBC Films head David M Thompson will serve as executive producers with co-president of production, Michael Cole and director of development and production Rhodri Thomas overseeing the project on behalf of The Weinstein Company.

    The BBC Natural History Unit has been involved in feature films emanating from their own television series – Blue Planet and the forthcoming Planet Earth. But this is the first time such a project has been produced as a feature film right from the outset, asserts an official release.

    The Meerkats is a revealing look at one family’s daily struggle for survival in the harshest environment on earth. But what makes these natives of the African plains even more remarkable is a family dynamic which bears an uncanny resemblance to our own.

    Whether they are going through the routines of daily life or locked in a very real battle to stay alive, The Meerkats is a look at how one family’s connection to each other and their surroundings stands as a model of resilience and fortitude.

    Talking about the film Thompson said, “This is a tremendously exciting collaboration. The Natural History Unit is the best in the world at what they do and we’re really thrilled to be working with them at last. The film has huge emotional appeal and will really travel internationally. It’s a great story, with a fantastic team behind it, and we hope this will be the start of a great partnership for the future.”

    Nightingale added, “I am very excited about the potential of this film project, combining the talents of the BBC Natural History Unit and BBC Films. With a strong and emotional story, featuring some of the most charismatic of wildlife characters, this film will appeal to a very broad cinema audience, in Britain and around the world.”

    BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC, developing, producing and financing an average of eight feature films each year.

  • CNN increases funding for PTSD research for journalists

    CNN increases funding for PTSD research for journalists

    MUMBAI: The global news and current affairs channel CNN is teaming up with the world’s foremost authority on PTSD in journalists, Dr Anthony Feinstein to initially fund a unique web based clinical and research facility.

    CNN, which is in safety training and research into post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has announced a creation of a new site along with Dr Feinstein at the annual NewsXchange conference that took place in Istanbul Turkey on 2 November and will run till 3 November.

    According to an official release, this site will be accessible to all media organizations and journalists around the world and this new website will provide a confidential and much needed self help resource for all journalists, even those who do not have access to a company supported PTSD resource. Further information as to how to access the new site will be announced shortly.

    One of the innovative aspects to this service is that journalists will be able to use it while on assignment in zones of conflict. “Research over the past six years has shown that journalists and media workers assigned front-line assignments may develop symptoms of distress due to the escalating dangers confronted,” said Dr Feinstein. “This new website will enable us to broaden our understanding of how journalists are responding emotionally to these challenges while also providing immediate feedback to those who are searching for answers and guidance.”

    The web based program will allow journalists to complete self assessments with respect to symptoms of PTSD, depression, general psychological well being and alcohol and substance use. Immediate feedback with the option of a printout will be given to all web users. This can then be used to facilitate access to a family doctor or an Employee Assistance Program for therapy, if required. Future development of the site is to include versions in different languages.

    “Dr Feinstein’s previous research has helped countless colleagues inside and outside of CNN, said CNN International MD Chris Cramer. “This is an area of staff welfare that media companies need to address, particularly in an era where the media is seen as being fair game in many parts of the world.”