ITV

Category: Television

  • Star World concludes ‘Desperate Housewives’ season II on 27 August

    Star World concludes ‘Desperate Housewives’ season II on 27 August

    MUMBAI: A murder – maybe two – a philandering husband, the discovery of a mysterious love child, an escape from a psychiatric hospital and a police sniper’s deadly shot ending a confrontation.

    Wisteria Lane is becoming increasingly dangerous. The final episode of the second season of Desperate Housewives airs on 27 August at 10 pm on English general entertainment channel Star World.
    There are several questions that hang in the balance. One issue is a showdown between the three men in Susan’s life. Susan is played by Teri Hatcher. There is also the issue of whether Susan and Mike get back together again. Another of Wisteria Lane’s housewives might discover that her husband is two timing her.

    Interestingly a recent report in Entertainment News Network states that a child killer trial inspired writer Marc Cherry to create the show. Cherry recalls watching the harrowing trial of Andrea Yates, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in her second murder trial for the bathtub drownings of her young children, with his mother.

    He says, “I was watching this horrific tale on TV and I turned to my mother and I said, ‘Gosh, can you imagine a woman being so desperate that she would hurt her own children?’

    “My mother took her cigarette out of her mouth and said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been there.’ “

  • eBay India to organise seminar on starting your own online business

    eBay India to organise seminar on starting your own online business

    eBay India invites all Mumbaiites to attend a seminar in your city
    and explore the possibility of starting your own online business
    A convenient way to earn and learn more at eBay Academy

    Mumbai, June 22, 2006: The eBay Academy to be held in Mumbai, aims to reach out to the entrepreneurial community of local sellers to the buyers across India and around the world.

    Attend a free seminar in your city, meet the experts and understand how you can start a business or expand your business on eBay.

    Date: Saturday, June 24, 2006

    Timings: Session 1: 10:30 am – 12:00 noon
    OR
    Session 2: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

    Venue: P L Deshpande Maharastra Kala Academy,
    Ravindra Natya Mandir,
    Near Siddhivinayak Temple,
    Sayani Road, Prabhadevi,
    Mumbai – 400 053

     

    For free registration, please call 32006735 / 32001073 or log onto
    www.ebay.in/academy.

    RSVP
    Deepa Thomas /Sneha Deshpande Mythili Rao /Anushri Dubey
    eBay India Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
    Tel: 91-22-66690000 91-22-56568716
    dthomas@ebay.com/sndeshpande@ebay.com mrao@vccpl.com/adubey@vccpl.com

  • IIFA Weekend 2006 kicks off in City of Surprises

    IIFA Weekend 2006 kicks off in City of Surprises

    Dubai, June 15th, 2006: The seventh International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend in Dubai kicked off in inimitable style today, heralding a star-studded four day spectacular that promises to dazzle the UAE with its glamorous fashion, spectacular IDEA IIFA Awards presentation ceremony and popular cinema unfolding at multiple venues around Dubai.

     

    The IIFA Weekend, presented by Tiara Residence, the AED 2.1 billion luxury lifestyle development from Zabeel Investments, and Dubai Summer Surprises, was officially opened at the Grand Hyatt this morning at a press conference featuring Indian superstar and IIFA Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, Star TV Vice-president, Kevin Vaz, Zabeel Investments CEO Mohammed Al Hashimi, Idea Cellular Vice-president Pradeep Shrivastava and DSS CEO Saeed Al Nabouda.

     

    The IIFA Weekend 2006 is being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of the DSS/DSF Supreme Committees.

     

    The IIFA Weekend presented by Tiara Residence will conclude on Friday, June 16, with the Idea IIFA Awards ceremony at the spectacular Central Hall at the Dubai Airport Expo. Hosted by A-listers Fardeen Khan, Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif, the ceremony will include electrifying performances from leading stars of Indian cinema including Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukherjee, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Dia Mirza, Himesh Reshamiya and Upen Patel.

    Mohammed Al Hashimi, Executive Chairman of Zabeel Investments, said: “The launch of the Tiara Residence Weekend and Idea IIFA Awards 2006 is a momentous occasion for this city and its people. Dubai is the first city in the Middle East to host this prestigious event, which has a huge following in this part of the world and we are all looking forward to the various activities associated with it.”

    “In many ways, the IIFA Weekend and Idea IIFA Awards share the goals and dreams of Zabeel Investments,” he added. “We believe in tomorrow and that the youth hold the answers to a better future – all they require is support, encouragement and the opportunity to realize their dreams.”

    Idea Cellular will also begin a new three-year association with IIFA this year. At the press conference, Idea Vice President Pradeep Shrivastava , “IDEA IIFA offers us the best platform to demonstrate the true essence of mobile and entertainment convergence. With Idea IIFA there is an unmatched value we provide to our customers by providing them the three aspects of entertainment that engage them through the all-powerful mobile phone. With IDEA IIFA, our privileged customer and business partners will have access to specially created merchandise, contests, video and MMS downloads and several other value added services. Only Idea can take you there.”

    The IIFA Weekend began on 14 June with the IIFA World Premiere of Jagmohan Mundra’s film ‘Provoked,’ starring Aishwarya Rai, Naveen Andrews, Miranda Richardson and Nandita Das. The film’s cast and crew will receive a red carpet welcome at the Grand Cineplex in Dubai.

     

    Saeed Al Nabouda, CEO, Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises said, “We are greatly honoured to host an event of such grand stature as the IIFA Weekend which is dubbed as the Indian equivalent of the Oscars. It is indeed a pleasure to welcome the stars of the Indian film industry to this glittering event. The four-day extravaganza is slated to be a bigger and most exclusive event in true Dubai style.”

     

    Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Director of Media, Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, spoke about the importance of IIFA as a shared growth platform for Dubai and the Indian film industry. “Dubai Studio City has been created to foster the growth of the film, broadcast and music production industries in the region,” she said. “Our association with IIFA is part of a long-term strategy to establish alliances with events that connect the filmmaking fraternity in a celebration of cinema. This association enhances our links with the world’s largest film industry and creates forums for greater cultural interaction”.

     

    The Tiara Residence IIFA Weekend will witness a host of exciting events that will enthrall the people of Dubai. The celebrations at the weekend will commence with the IIFA World Premiere Film- Jagmohan Mundhra’s ‘Provoked’ starring Aishwarya Rai, Naveen Andrews, Miranda Richardson and Nandita Das. The cast and crew of ‘Provoked’ will receive a Red Carpet Welcome at the Grand Cineplex on the evening of June 14th, in Dubai.

    The second day of the IIFA Weekend will begin with the FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and also includes the inauguration of the IIFA Film Festival.

     

    This three-day film festival, which opens with hit Tamil film ‘Chandramukhi,’ includes 31 critically and commercially successful examples of Indian cinema. The festival will also give media and cinema lovers an opportunity to interact with the cast and crew of many of these films.

     

    The IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza, presented by Rosyblue, will be the high point of the second day, with celebrated Indian designers Manish Malhotra and Vikram Phadnis outfitting cinema icons and celebrities with the best of Indian glamour and fashion. Director Karan Johar will also have a special conversation with his film star friends and reveal some of their most intimate secrets during the event.

     

    The black tie fashion extravaganza will help raise funds for the IIFA Foundation, which supports families of behind-the-scenes film workers who have been injured or worse during the making of a film.

     

    The IIFA Weekend and the Idea IIFA Awards will be broadcast on STAR Plus at 8 pm on Sunday, June 25, 2006.

     

    Kevin Vaz, Vice-President of Sales, STAR India, said, “We are very proud to be associated with the Idea IIFA Awards and the IIFA Weekend yet again. IIFA, which celebrates the emergence of Indian Cinema on a global platform, is partnering with STAR yet again. Following the success of IIFA last year, millions of viewers across India, UAE, Pakistan, USA, UK, South East Asia and several other nations who have chosen STAR Plus to be their preferred choice of Indian entertainment are looking forward to the IIFA Weekend in Dubai. We are working together to make this year’s event a truly memorable celebration of Indian Cinema and all our viewers.”

     

    Wiz Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft, said “The IIFA Weekend in Dubai will instill yet another milestone in our endeavors to take Indian Cinema to the Global platform. With the Idea IIFA Awards 2006, we will continue to provide the impetus for the crossover of Indian cinema to global audiences and delight the Indian diaspora with the grandest celebration of Indian cinema.”

     

    Launched seven years ago at the Millennium Dome in London, the IIFA Awards ceremony has grown into a three-day extravaganza showcasing the best of Indian cinema and providing a platform for its interaction with global media.

     

    The Idea IIFA Awards 2006 is a salutation to the world’s largest film industry and has attracted the stalwarts of both Indian and International cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Angelina Jolie, Kylie Minogue, Jackie Chan, Bo Derek and Miranda Richardson.

  • ‘Banned’ channels allowed to go on air; some operators await decoders

    ‘Banned’ channels allowed to go on air; some operators await decoders

    MUMBAI: After Sahara One and Filmy, the weekend saw the return of the remaining seven “banned” channels to most cable TV networks in Maharashtra.

    However, these channels were still off air on networks of major multi-system operators (MSOs) like Hathway and In Cable (who hold sizeable chunk of connections in Mumbai) as well as Zee Group controlled Siticable, among those that had their equipment confiscated by the police in raids on 21 August, when reports last came in. These cable networks were expected to start beaming all the channels again once their decoders were in place.

    The first to get back on air was Zee Cinema, while the other six channels – Star Gold, Star One, Star Movies, HBO, AXN and Max – came back soon after.

    Zee Cinema, like Sahara One and Filmy, had claimed that it was telecasting U/A certified movies.

    Broadcasters of other channels also got the clearance to get back on air soon after with the Mumbai police social service branch granting permission to the channels to resume transmission late on Saturday.

    The permission came with a rider though: that the channels would follow the Mumbai High Court directives that they would not air uncertified as well as adult movies.

    The nine channels had originally been blacked from 21 August after the Mumbai Police confiscated the decoders of major cable networks and beaming equipment of channels on the charge that they had violated the law by telecasting uncertified movies. This followed orders from the Bombay High Court that channels showing adult movie content should be taken off off air.

    Meanwhile, the Cable Operators and Distributors Association (Coda) have decided to meet the information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi to express their protest against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)’s support to direct-to-home (DTH) service providers for using multi-dwelling unit (MDU) technology.

    “We are planning to meet the I&B minister for placing our case against MDU. DTH is to home and not direct-to-building,” says CODA president Ganesh Naidu.

  • ‘American idol’ winner Hicks sues record producer

    ‘American idol’ winner Hicks sues record producer

    MUMBAI: The winner of the fifth season of US broadcaster Fox’s music based reality show American Idol Taylor Hicks has filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the release of his first recordings.

    The soul singer has been granted a temporary restraining order, which will prevent producer William Smith from cashing in on Hicks’ early tracks. Hicks hopes that the court will make the injunction permanent. He is also seeking unspecified damages in a lawsuit filed against Smith.

    Media reports state that Smith has been using ITunes to sell some very old tracks that Hicks recorded back in 1997, including a song titled “The Fall”. E! Online has quoted Smith as saying, “I have the legal right to use these recordings for a period of seven years to further his musical career. I am not going to radio, I am going to iTunes. This is the best way to make this single a number one hit.”

    Hicks has sued Smith and his production company for more than $75,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. Reports indicate that the singer’s lawyer received a letter in July from Smith stating that he planned to release a song on iTunes that Hicks had laid down in 1997 called The Fall.

    Hicks stated in his complaint that Smith has no ownership rights to any of the songs in question, and he is maintaining that Smith is in violation of the agreement the two arrived at after the songs unlawfully hit iTunes the first time around.

  • CAS notified areas: Pay channels issue some clarifications

    MUMBAI: Trai had issued press releases on 15/10/06 and 25/10/06 placing the details of Maximum Retail Prices fixed by the broadcasters in respect of CAS areas on the basis of the reporting done by them in terms of clause7 (ii) of the Tariff Order of 31/8/2006.

    The list placed on the website currently contains details of 13 broadcasters.

    Subsequently, the Authority was informed in one of the meetings held to assess the progress of implementation of CAS that some of the pay channels listed in the website are not pay channels in some of the notified areas.

    The issue was accordingly taken up with the broadcasters and the broadcasters have now indicated the correct position in respect of these identified channels.

    The changes reported so far is in respect of the following channels:
    Name of the Channel and BroadcasterStatus as reported earlier Status as reported now

    ETV – Bangla (Ushodaya Enterprises) Pay Channel in all notified areas including Chennai Pay channel in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, but FTA in Kolkata.

    ETV – Marathi (Ushodaya Enterprises) Pay Channel in all notified areas including Chennai Pay channel in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, but FTA in Mumbai

    BBC World – BBC World Pay Channel in all notified areas including Chennai Pay channel in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, but FTA in Chennai

    Star Vijay – Star India Private Limited Pay Channel in all notified areas including Chennai Pay channel in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, but FTA in Chennai

  • Star China renews Sony Picture Television Intl’s game show ‘Blackjack Bowling’

    Star China renews Sony Picture Television Intl’s game show ‘Blackjack Bowling’

    MUMBAI: Star has signed a deal with Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) to renew the second season of 212 episodes of Blackjack Bowling for Star Chinese in Taiwan.

    This follows the success of the game show format on the channel since its launch last June in Taiwan.

    On Star Chinese the show is known as Lucky Star and kicks of next month. The game show’s first season, which began broadcasting in June 2005, registered an audience of 6.6 million, and a 31 per cent reach in viewership in the first three months. It has consistently been ranked among the top three most watched game shows on pay TV channels in Taiwan says SPTI.

    SPTI adds that Blackjack Bowling is the only show of its kind that combines two of the world’s favorite pastimes – blackjack and bowling. Just as the two simple elements of the roulette wheel and hangman were combined to create Wheel Of Fortune, SPTI united two activities that everyone in the world has played. Blackjack Bowling’s format is flexible and can be played in either a half an hour or a one hour format.

  • DTH: Trai supports interoperability, MDU tech

    DTH: Trai supports interoperability, MDU tech

    NEW DELHI: Keeping up its busy schedule on industry related issues, India’s broadcast regulator came out with suggestions on DTH regulations today. The regulator has pitched for mandatory interoperability for DTH services and has okayed multi- dwelling unit (MDU) technology with certain riders in consumer interest.

    Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) today said that the new set of recommendations provide for “clarifications to certain provisions of the (DTH) licensing conditions” and guidelines to be followed in the adoption of MDU technology, which is basically perceived to be in consumer interest.

    According to Trai, the suggested guidelines relating to DTH will ensure that “interests of the consumers,” cable operators and other DTH players are protected.

    Some of the major DTH recommendations are as follows:

    # Personal Video Recorders and Interoperability: There should not be any amendment in Articles 7.1 and 7.2 of the DTH license agreement, which mandate technical interoperability among DTH service providers.

    # The license conditions should be amended to provide for casting an obligation on the service provider to inform and educate the consumers about the limited technical interoperability of the Set Top Boxes with Personal Video Recorders/Digital Video Recorders.

    # Uplinking and Platform Services: The guidelines for uplinking from India should be amended to exclude DTH platform services aimed at enabling the subscribers to utilize the platform efficiently and informing them of platform functionality and services.

    # MDU technology: The DTH license conditions should be amended to specifically permit use of MDU technology subject to the following conditions:
    a. The DTH service provider should not insist on any exclusive arrangement for installation of MDU technology to the detriment of other distributors of TV channels.
    b. Signals from the MDU technology shall not be provided to a consumer outside the multi-dwelling unit building, where the MDU technology is installed.
    c. The MDU technology should not carry the content from any other service provider other than the DTH service provider and
    d. The DTH operator shall obtain written consent from those subscribers living in a multiple dwelling unit who are desirous of availing the facility of MDU technology, before installing the same. A general permission obtained from office bearers of the Residents Welfare Association/group housing society will not be considered sufficient.

    The government had sought Trai’s views regarding certain issues relating to the licensing provisions of DTH. A full text of Trai’s suggestions could be accessed at www.trai.gov.in.

  • CNN-IBN to turn pay, likely to be priced Rs 5

    CNN-IBN to turn pay, likely to be priced Rs 5

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN, the English general news channel from the TV18 stable, is turning pay and is tentatively priced at Rs 5.

    Global Broadcast News (GBN), the company which owns and operates CNN-IBN, has entered into an MoU with Zee Turner Ltd. for distributing the channel. The MoU is valid till 31 March 2007.
    “We have entered into an MoU with Zee Turner pursuant to which we will become a pay channel,” GBN said in its draft red herring prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

    Though the price quoted in the MoU is Rs 5 a month per subscriber, this could change depending on the market situation. The channel may go pay in October, a source in the company says.

    CNN-IBN will be distributed by Zee Turner as a stand-alone channel. “Zee Turner Ltd has agreed that it shall endeavour to collect the subscription charges from the subscribers on the basis of the agreement signed with them and remit the actual collected amount within 60 days of last day of collection to the company,” GBN said in its IPO (initial public offering) document. Zee Turner will be entitled to a fee of 20 per cent on the subscription charges on collection.

  • Worldwide mobile phone sales grew 18% in Q2 2006: Gartner report

    Worldwide mobile phone sales grew 18% in Q2 2006: Gartner report

    MUMBAI: Worldwide mobile phone sales totaled 229 million units in the second quarter of 2006, a 18.3 per cent increase from the same period last year, according to Gartner Inc. This compared to a 23.8 per cent increase in the first quarter.

    Gartner said it had expected the slight slowdown compared to quarter one and that its mobile phone sales forecast is still on track to reach 960 million units in 2006, with 238 million units in the third quarter of 2006.

    “While mobile operators in the mature markets of Western Europe and North America struggled to maintain the customer acquisition growth levels seen in previous quarters, but mobile operators in emerging markets continued to sign new customers driving handsets sales,” said Carolina Milanesi, principal analyst for mobile terminals research at Gartner, based in Egham.

    Leading vendors Nokia and Motorola both grew their market share and accounted for more than half of the worldwide mobile phone sales in the second quarter of 2006.

    Nokia maintained its number one position with a 33.6 per cent market share, gaining two per centage points compared to the same period last year. Gartner stated that as Nokia starts to ship more feature-rich phones (such as the N72 and N73) in the third quarter of 2006, it needs to ensure that it can also cater for users who put fashion ahead of functionality and are looking for thin products, states an official release.

    “Motorola is the big winner this quarter,” said Milanesi. The company achieved a market share of 21.9 per cent, growing its market share by 4.2 per cent year on year, the highest growth this quarter. Motorola maintained its lead in North America and Latin America and its second position in other markets. With the Morofone, KRZR and RIZR mobile phones due to ship from the third quarter of this year, Gartner said Motorola should be able to continue to gain market share in both emerging and mature markets, informs an official release.

    Samsung retained its third position but lost market share compared to the top two players. Sales reached 25.5 million units in the second quarter, approximately half of Motorola’s total sales this quarter. Lower sales in the home market coupled with weaker than expected demand in some key markets in Asia Pacific explained Samsung’s weaker performance. To grow market share in mature markets such as Western Europe and North America, Gartner said Samsung needs to match its high feature set with a more distinctive design.

    Sony Ericsson regained the fourth position with sales reaching 15.3 million units. “Sony Ericsson’s bet on music and imaging continued to pay back. 25 per cent of their sales came from the Walkman branded devices and the first Cybershot phone k800 was also well received by consumers,” said Milanesi.

    Despite the success of the KG800 Chocolate phone, LG lost 0.4 per cent market share year on year and slipped into fifth place. “Although The Chocolate phone sold very well and helped to increase LG’s brand awareness globally, ‘one swallow does not make summer’. LG needs to bring to market more products from the Black Label series including a 3G offering, to win back and hold the fourth position,” added Milanesi.