ITV

Category: Television

  • Al Jazeera tops Forbes’ list of top 40 Arab brands

    Al Jazeera tops Forbes’ list of top 40 Arab brands

    MUMBAI: Forbes has compiled its list of the top 40 Arab brands based on extensive international survey measuring brand loyalty and consumer perception. Al Jazeera ranks number one in Forbes Arabia’s list, followed by Emirates, Almarai and Al Arabiya Media. Overall, companies from eight countries made the final cut. Represented industries include media, airline, retailing, real estate development, leisure, food and beverages, and cosmetics.

    Forbes Arabia is the Dubai-based Arabic edition of the business magazine Forbes. Arab companies that cater to markets throughout 19 Arab countries were eligible for the list. To identify the Top 40 Arab Brands, Forbes Arabia factored in customer perception, and how well companies adapt their brand to a changing market environment.

    Forbes Arabia editor-in-chief Sulaiman al-Hattlan says, “With competition heating up in Arab countries, brands have become an effective way for a company to distinguish itself from competitors in terms of image and product offerings. The key question for those building Arab brands is how to think globally and act locally. The first of its kind, the Forbes Arabia Top 40 Arab Brands list looks at companies that have created strong brands not only in Arab countries, but that are also gaining recognition worldwide” .

    An online survey was conducted for Forbes Arabia by UK market research firm YouGov that drew on consumers from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

    The Forbes Arabia research team ranked each brand by giving points to how well customers recognised, and trusted each Arab brand, and how well companies adapted their brand to a changing market environment to service their customers.

  • VSNL plans cable link to India, Middle East, Western Europe

    VSNL plans cable link to India, Middle East, Western Europe

    MUMBAI: Tata group company Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) has inked an MoU with global telecom firms to construct a new submarine cable linking India, Middle East and Western Europe (IMEWE). 

    The company has joined hands with Etisalat, Saudi Telecom, Telecom Egypt, Telecom Italia Sparkle to work jointly on the new submarine cable.

    The cable will connect the major countries in the region including India, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy and France to provide interconnection facilities with several existing and emerging systems in the regions.

    The telecom consortium expects to get the IMEWE cable ready for service by mid 2008. The construction contracts are expected to be being awarded by end 2006.

    The network, upon its commissioning, will provide high-speed connectivity to the Asian, Middle East, North & East Africa and Western Europe regions, and meet their exponentially growing bandwidth requirements.

  • Nielsen to provide video game rating service

    Nielsen to provide video game rating service

    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.

  • BBC to outsource financial services to India based Xansa

    BBC to outsource financial services to India based Xansa

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC is outsourcing some of its accounting and financing services to India in a move aimed at saving 20 million pounds a year for the next decade. The BBC has selected Xansa as the preferred supplier for the BBC’s outsourced finance and accounting services. The new contract will run for a period of ten years.

    It is the result of the re-tendering of services that were successfully outsourced to Medas, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EDS, in 1997. Xansa will work closely with the BBC to deliver finance and accounting services across the BBC, including purchasing and sales transaction processing, artist and contributor payments, financial management and project accounting, payroll processing and expenses and customer support.

    The ten-year contract will cost the BBC approximately £8.5 million per annum, and will generate savings for the BBC in the region of £20 million per annum. This will be a major contribution to the BBC’s target of releasing £355 million of savings to invest in programmes and services.

    The BBC is currently conducting a simplification of its business processes as part of its Future Finance programme, which is delivering further savings of £17 million.

    Xansa will provide their services from a blend of locations in the UK and India. All voice contact (Customer Support) with Xansa will remain in the UK; other services, including transaction processing, will be carried out at Xansa’s location in Chennai, India.

    In this way the BBC is taking advantage of the significant savings of globalisation while maintaining the benefits of more local customer support. The original outsourcing of these services to Medas in 1997 was seen at the time as being a ground-breaking deal which included a successful implementation of a common systems platform (SAP) across the BBC.

    Medas also successfully transformed the BBC’s transaction processing operation, delivering a fit-for-purpose and efficient service to the BBC. Xansa was selected from a shortlist of four companies (Capita, EDS, Infosys BPO and Xansa) after a rigorous evaluation process against a number of criteria which included value for money, cultural alignment with the BBC, service delivery capability; the ability to drive improvements to the BBC’s business and financial processes, and transition and exit planning.

    Xansa will act as prime contractor working with Siemens Business Services.

    BBC group finance director Zarin Patel said, “I congratulate Xansa on winning this major contract. The BBC will benefit from Xansa’s proven expertise in managing outsourced Finance and Accounting Services, and we look forward to developing a close relationship with them. I believe this is an excellent deal for the BBC, and I am confident that Xansa will help us further to transform our finance and business processes.

    “By moving our transaction processing to India we are demonstrating that we are prepared to take bold and imaginative decisions that offer the licence-fee payer great value for money, while still maintaining the highest quality of service delivery. I would like to thank our colleagues in Medas for their valuable support over the last nine years: in that time they have helped us transform the BBC’s finance and accounting processes, delivered a sound SAP implementation, managed our transaction processing, expenses and business systems and left us with a fit and stable operation to build on in the future.”

    Xansa CEO Alistair Cox said, “We are delighted that Xansa has been selected as preferred partner to deliver Finance and Accounting Services across the BBC. Our expert technology and back office services allows our clients to do more with their own business and we are confident that we will, as the UK leader in F&A services, enable the BBC to minimise its administrative costs and to free up funds to invest in its own core business of creative programming.

    “We are particularly pleased to be the BBC’s first offshore BPO partner, and this week’s award win as offshore operator of the year is another terrific endorsement of our leading offshore position and capability.”

  • WWE ‘Raw’ to air 700th episode tonight in the US

    WWE ‘Raw’ to air 700th episode tonight in the US

    MUMBAI: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced that its show Raw will air its 700th episode in the US tonight 23 October.

    In India viewers can catch WWE on Ten Sports.

    The first episode of Raw aired on 11 January, 1993, from the Manhattan Center in New York City and since has been broadcast from arenas around the world, including Madison Square Garden, Staples Center in Los Angeles, as well as London, England and Tokyo, Japan.

    On 1 August, 2005, Raw surpassed previous record holder,Gunsmoke as producer of the most original episodes of any weekly fictional entertainment programme ever on American television.

    Raw airs in the US on USA Network. Since its return to USA Network last October, it has averaged a household rating of 4.03 and delivered an average of 5.1 total viewers including 2.6 million in the 18-49 age group.

  • Balaji Telefilms Q2 net rises at Rs 193 million

    Balaji Telefilms Q2 net rises at Rs 193 million

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms recorded a jump in net profit to Rs 193 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2006. The company’s revenues stood at Rs 837.95 million up from Rs 714.22 million a year ago.

    The operating profit recorded Rs 312.92 million from Rs 295.64 million as against the same corresponding period last year.

    It recorded an expenditure of Rs 525.03 million from Rs 418.58 million a year ago. The company’s expenditure include, cost of production and telecast fees of Rs 434.311 million, staff cost Rs 22.188 million and other expenditure Rs 70.771 million.

    The company has appointed Paul Francis Aiello, nominee of Asian Broadcasting FZ LLC as additional director in place of Michelle Guthrie who has resigned as nominee director of Asian Broadcasting FZ LLC from board of the company, both effective from 20 October.

  • Sony Pictures Entertainment acquires Grouper for $ 65 million

    Sony Pictures Entertainment acquires Grouper for $ 65 million

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has acquired Grouper, the fast-growing user-generated video site on the internet. The announcement was made by SPE chairman and CEO Michael Lynton.

    Grouper.com, which is the second largest independent video community, enables its members to watch, share and create video on the Web. Under the terms of the $65 million deal, the Sausalito-based company will retain its current management, working closely with a team at Sony Pictures.

    “Consumers are spending more and more time on sites like Grouper, and as one of the world’s largest creators of entertainment, we want to be where the audiences are. This acquisition demonstrates the breadth of involvement of Sony Corporation in the field of digital online entertainment. Many people in the Grouper community use Sony cameras to create videos and Sony VAIO computers and mobile devices to store and view them. It makes sense to complete the circle by having Grouper be a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which itself creates so much content for people around the world,” said Lynton.

    “When you pair Grouper’s innovative video sharing platform on the web and the desktop with Sony’s connected devices and copyrighted media you create a dynamic and exciting environment for consumers. We have an opportunity, as part of the Sony family, to bring together user-generated and copyrighted content across platforms and devices for the first time,” said Grouper CEO and co-founder Josh Felser.

    Grouper’s primary mission is to give its users the flexibility to take their videos with them across site and platform. Grouper users can browse videos and easily post them to a wide variety of third-party Web sites, such as their personal pages on MySpace, Blogger and Friendster. Grouper’s portability is anchored by its robust peer-to-peer video sharing network, which facilitates downloads of high quality uncut original video shared by its members. Its users can download from Grouper.com to connected mobile devices like the PSP and iPod. Grouper also provides members with easy-to-use video editing tools so that videos can be quickly uploaded from cameras, camcorders and webcams.

    Lynton said he is impressed by the experience of Grouper’s management team. “Grouper is not only one of the leaders in a new wave of content development, it is also a major innovator in empowering users to participate in a dynamic on-line community,” he said.

    Lynton said the acquisition of Grouper is a strategic initiative in the field of digital entertainment and consistent with Sony Pictures’ vision of making entertainment accessible to consumers whenever, wherever and however they want. No immediate changes are planned for the site. Over time, Lynton said there is potential for development of ad-supported and premium content businesses. “Grouper gives us a strong platform for growth,” Lynton said.

    In addition, he noted that there is value in connecting an enormous amount of imaginative content with a studio that is always interested in finding new ideas and talent for the movies, television shows and games it creates for audiences around the world. “A site like Grouper allows people to showcase their creativity to a vast audience. It’s like a virtual, global audition, and a great source of entertainment,” he added.

  • YouTube deletes Japanese videos

    YouTube deletes Japanese videos

    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.

  • TV Today Q2 net up at Rs 33 million

    TV Today Q2 net up at Rs 33 million

    MUMBAI: The Aroon Purie promoted –TV Today Network records net profit of Rs 33 million for the quarter ended 30 September as against Rs 23.4 million for the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

    The company reported its net sales at Rs 381 million for this second quarter from Rs 314 million as compared to the corresponding quarter.

    The company’s expenditure for the quarter closed at RS 320 million. It has largely incurred employee cost at Rs 105.90 million and transmission and production cost RS 43.60 million. On advertisement, marketing and distribution front, the company has recorded expense of Rs 71.70 million.

    The company has informed that of the total Rs 950 million raised through initial public offering (IPO), Rs 685.50 million has already been utilised as of 30 September, 2006.

    The company is a part of the India Today Group, which manages media company across television, radio (yet to launch its station under the second phase of private FM), print, publishing and music distribution.

    The scrips opened at Rs 74.55 and closed the trading day at Rs 76.

  • Global cable TV infrastructure market driven by three-screen quest, fixed mobile convergence

    Global cable TV infrastructure market driven by three-screen quest, fixed mobile convergence

    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.