ITV

Category: Television

  • GBN to hold 15 per cent in TV18’s Web Holdings

    GBN to hold 15 per cent in TV18’s Web Holdings

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl-promoted TV18 Group is consolidating its internet businesses into Web 18 Holdings Ltd. As part of this plan, Global Broadcast News (GBN) has transferred its interactive news and current affairs internet portal, ibnlive.com, to Web 18 Software Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Web 18 Holdings Ltd. With this, GBN will hold a 15 per cent stake in Web Holdings.

    According to the consolidation plan, Web 18 Holdings will run the internet businesses either directly or through its subsidiaries. The internet company plans to raise capital from financial or strategic investors.

    Bahl has an aggressive internet plan and today announced the acquisition of three companies – Cricketnext.com, Compareindia.com and urban Eye. Earlier TV18 acquired significant stakes in Yatra.com and Jobstreet.com India.

    Revenues from TV18’s internet business crossed $1 million during the first quarter of this fiscal.

  • Cisco Systems to acquire Arroyo Video Solutions

    Cisco Systems to acquire Arroyo Video Solutions

    MUMBAI: US-based internet networking player Cisco Systems has announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Arroyo Video Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of next-generation solutions for on-demand television and related consumer services.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately $92 million in cash. The acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of Cisco’s fiscal year 2007, ending 31 October, 2006.

    The integration of the Arroyo platform into the Cisco IP-NGN (Next Generation Network) architectural framework will help enable carriers to accelerate the creation and distribution of network delivered entertainment, interactive media and advertising services across the growing portfolio of televisions, personal computers, mobile handsets and emerging media capable devices in our increasingly connected lives, informs an official release.

    “The entertainment industry is going through a major shift while consumer desire for personalized on-demand service is on the rise. The industry is quickly evolving from pure video-on demand to anything-on-demand with any content delivered to any end device. Cisco’s next generation network strategy offers service providers the ability to make this vision a reality,” Cisco senior vice president and general manager Michelangelo A. Volpi. “With the addition of Arroyo’s innovative software, which offers flexibility in content delivery, service providers will be in a position to serve content how, when and where consumers want it.”

    Joining Cisco from Arroyo will be a team of technical industry leaders. This team includes Drew Major, an original founder of Novell and industry icon recognized for his expertise in network operating systems, distributed systems and content delivery networking (CDN). Also joining is Paul Sherer, former chief technology officer at 3Com and key contributor to a broad portfolio of networking patents and technologies. Arroyo was founded in 2002 and has 44 employees based in California and Utah, the release adds.

    Upon close of the transaction the Arroyo team and product portfolio will be integrated into the Cisco Cable & Video Initiatives Group, within the Service Provider organization led by Volpi.

  • ‘Sons & Daughters’ debuts on Star World on 24 August

    ‘Sons & Daughters’ debuts on Star World on 24 August

    MUMBAI: Get introduced to the zany and slightly troubled members of the ‘Walker’ family who try to make it through the day-to-day routine of life as Star World launches the comedy series Sons & Daughters on Thursday 24 August at 10 pm.

    Creators Goss and Nick Holly borrow from their own middle-American, middle-class upbringings to deliver a very real and relatable modern-day family comedy, starring Fred Goss, states an official release.

    At the center of the mess is Cameron Walker (Fred Goss), who is happily married to second wife Liz (Gillian Vigman), with three children. Cameron’s teenage son from his first marriage has officially moved in-and has a little… well, a lot-of trouble becoming comfortable in the new environment. Cameron’s sister Sharon (Alison Quinn) seems to have the perfect life-although her husband, Don (Jerry Lambert), are both in denial about their sex-less marriage. Then there’s Jenna (Amanda Walsh), the gorgeous little half-sister who had her life shook when she became a single mother. Jenna doesn’t really know what’s good for her, and she always goes for the bad boys like Tommy White (Greg Pitts), while the nice guys like Wylie Blake (Desmond Harrington) love her. Equally problem-filled Colleen (Dee Wallace Stone) and Wendal (Max Gail), the parents of the siblings, try to keep their family in order…somehow. Colleen, though, is admittedly uptight and impulsively judgmental. Even though they’re all a little nuts, the Halbert family hangs in there and keeps it all together, the release adds.

  • Sesame Workshop expands opportunities for kids to play with ‘Sesame Street’ friends

    Sesame Workshop expands opportunities for kids to play with ‘Sesame Street’ friends

    MUMBAI: Preschoolers will soon have more opportunities to play with Bert, Ernie, Grover and Elmo. Play With Me Sesame’s worldwide success has led Sesame Workshop to greenlight production of 26 new episodes of the interactive series. In addition, the series is one of the shows included in Sesame program blocks debuting in Poland, Hungary and Croatia.

    Play With Me Sesame encourages children to get up and play games such as Ernie Says (a la Simon Says) and Move and Groove with Grover along with their favorite muppets from Sesame Street. Broadcast in over 50 countries, the series is currently seen on such networks as Disney UK, Disney Asia, ABC Australia, YTV/Treehouse Canada, Cartoon Network India and Rai Sat Italy. The 104 30-minute episodes include a mix of new and classic Sesame Street segments that focus on fundamental concepts critical to reading, math and science, and encourage creativity and individual expression.

    Play With Me Sesame is one of the programs featured in new Sesame programming blocks in Poland, Hungary and Croatia. On Poland’s Minimini, the recently launched Sesame Nook includes Elmo’s World, Play With Me Sesame, Global Grover and Sesame English. In December, broadcaster Minimax will begin airing a Sesame block with Play With Me Sesame, Elmo’s World and Global Grover, in Hungary, Romania Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The three series will also be seen in Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slovena, Serbia and Montenegro, starting in early 2007, in a block on broadcaster Magma.

    “The expansion of the Sesame brand through wonderfully interactive shows like Play With Me Sesame and Elmo’s World give children around the globe new ways to experience fun and learning in the way Sesame does it best. We are excited to bring more games to children with the addition of new episodes of Play With Me Sesame and thrilled that children throughout Eastern Europe will have the chance to interact with friends like Grover and Elmo,” said Worldwide Television Distribution vice president Jennifer Monier-Williams.

    Play With Me Sesame is produced by Games Productions Inc. in association with Noggin and Sesame Workshop. The series will be available to international buyers and co-producers at the Mipcom market at Cannes in October.

  • MTV and Nickelodeon to take on larger role at Paramount

    MTV and Nickelodeon to take on larger role at Paramount

    MUMBAI: Viacom Inc.s has announced that MTV and Nickelodeon will become full labels under the Paramount Motion Picture Group (PMPG) as part of a new structure designed to deepen their already successful track record with their core target audiences.

    The two former production companies, which previously operated as on-lot producers, will now join several other labels under PMPG’s umbrella, including Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Vantage and Paramount Classics.

    “After successful 12-year stints as production companies at Paramount, we are going to upgrade MTV and Nick to full movie label status,” says Viacom president & CEO Tom Freston.
    “This will expand their role at Paramount, will better leverage their considerable talent and marketing capabilities, and will allow for smoother day to day management on the lot with strong connections back to the core brands. This move plays perfectly to our company’s unique strengths and will surely increase the positive momentum that we’re seeing at Paramount under the leadership of Brad and his team.”

    “MTV and Nickelodeon are two of the strongest brands in entertainment reaching families and young adults,” says Paramount Pictures Corporation chairman & CEO Brad Grey. “We look forward to great films and a great future with these two new labels at the Paramount Motion Picture Group.”

    “In partnership with Paramount, this new model represents a great opportunity to build on the growing success we’ve experienced making movies over the last decade,” adds MTV Networks chairman & CEO Judy McGrath. “We believe that together we can take these brands to the next level, attract the best talent and material across genres, and really tap into our strong relationships with kid, teens, young adults and families around the globe.”

    Additionally, Paramount and MTV Networks named veteran producer Scott Aversano President of MTV Films and Nick Movies, giving him responsibility for film development, production and acquisitions for the two film labels. Aversano will work on the lot, reporting to Paramount Pictures president Gail Berman. On all image- and brand-related matters for these pictures, he will also report to MTV Networks Music Group president Van Toffler and Nickelodeon and MTV Networks Kids and Family Group president Cyma Zarghami, states an official release.

    Aversano will assume his new position effective immediately, transitioning from his current role as an independent producer for Paramount Pictures. Prior to his producing deal with Paramount Pictures, Aversano spent more than seven years with producer Scott Rudin, most recently as president of Production, the release adds.

    “MTV and Nickelodeon are household names with audiences in every corner of the world,” says Aversano. “I’m excited to embark on this new challenge to continue bringing movies to the marketplace that utilize Viacom’s unique strengths in targeted demographics.”

    MTV Films and Nick Movies will continue to release films targeted to their respective demographics; with Nick Movies releasing animated and family films, and MTV Films focusing on comedies, documentaries, urban fare and horror films for teens and young adults.

  • MGM makes science fiction available on iTunes

    MGM makes science fiction available on iTunes

    MUMBAI: Film and TV company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc (MGM) has announced it has made current episodes of the hit science fiction/adventure series Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis available for purchase and download from the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com).

    The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Effective today the first five episodes of Stargate SG1 season 10 and the first five episodes of Stargate Atlantis season 3 will be available for download and subsequent episodes for both series will be within 24 hours after airing on the Sci Fci Channel.

    “By making these popular series available through iTunes we’re able to extend the reach of the MGM brand and the Stargate franchise,” said MGM New Media Division executive VP Doug Lee. “We’re always delighted to enhance the consumer’s experience of our popular content and see this as a win all the way around.”

    The deal marks the first step in MGM’s strategy to expand its electronic distribution footprint globally with more announcements expected in the future. Since forming the New Media Division in April of this year and the recruitment of Lee to supervise it, MGM is now positioned to expand in the new media world, which will bring upside potential for the company’s library.

  • Cable blackout in Mumbai ends

    Cable blackout in Mumbai ends

    MUMBAI: Cable television is finally back in Mumbai after almost two days. However, movie channels, as well as Hindi entertainment channels Star One and Sahara One, remain on the blink.

    A compromise was reached late this evening after the Cable Operators and Distributors Association (Coda), which represents local cable ops, as well as representatives of the various multi-system operators, met Maharashtra home minister RR Patil.

    The cable fraternity’s contention has been that since they are only service providers, and not content producers, they require “clear cut regulation from the government for the telecast of movie channels.”

    According to a cable operator who preferred to remain anonymous, all the networks were restoring cable services barring those of the nine channels that triggered the imbroglio in the first place. “We will wait for the verdict, which will be heard tomorrow (Wednesday) by Justice Lohda (before deciding on the next course of action),” he said.
    Cable operators have filed an intervention petition in the Bombay High Court asking why broadcasters and direct-to-home operators were not being taken to task by the authorities. The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing tomorrow.

    Earlier in the day, cable operators were running a scroll informing viewers of the reasons behind the suspension of services. “Due to unprecedented raids on cable operators for carrying satellite movie and entertainment channels having adult content, all Maharashtra cable operators have shut down these channels till further directions from the High Court and commissioners. Kindly bear with us.” — Cable Operators and Distributors Association.

    The channel blackout was not total all over Maharastra though. Besides Mumbai, other parts of the state – such as Nasik, Pune, Thane and New Mumbai – were affected to varying degrees by the channel blackout. In Pune, for instance, the cable networks only discontinued the transmission of movie and music channels.

    Cable services were halted last evening after the Mumbai police raided cable TV control rooms and seized the decoder boxes of nine channels charged with showing adult content. Among these were Hindi and English movie channels (Zee Cinema, Star Movies, HBO, Filmy, Star Gold, AXN and Max), and Hindi entertainment channels Star One and Sahara One.

    Police said the operators were raided because they were showing adult films, despite there being a ban on them. At least three million homes were affected by the blackout.

  • Sopranos star Gandolfini inks production deal with HBO

    Sopranos star Gandolfini inks production deal with HBO

    MUMBAI: Extending his alliance with HBO beyond next year’s final episodes of The Sopranos, the three-time Emmy winner James Gandolfini has signed a three-year production deal with HBO.

    As per the deal, Gandolfini will develop projects exclusively for HBO and its specialty movie division, Picturehouse.

    The actor has also announced his plans to launch a production company called Attaboy Films with partner Alex Ryanhas.

    The biopic Hemingway will be Gandolfini’s first projects as a producer. Reportedly, Gandolfini and Ryan are also working on a documentary for HBO about US soldiers in Iraq.

    Gandolfini has won three Emmys for playing Tony Soprano. His noted works also include Get Shorty and The Last Castle.

  • Sesame Workshop expands opportunities for kids to play with ‘Sesame Street’ friends













    MUMBAI: Preschoolers will soon have more opportunities to play with Bert, Ernie, Grover and Elmo. Play With Me Sesame’s worldwide success has led Sesame Workshop to greenlight production of 26 new episodes of the interactive series. In addition, the series is one of the shows included in Sesame program blocks debuting in Poland, Hungary and Croatia.



    Play With Me Sesame encourages children to get up and play games such as Ernie Says (a la Simon Says) and Move and Groove with Grover along with their favorite muppets from Sesame Street. Broadcast in over 50 countries, the series is currently seen on such networks as Disney UK, Disney Asia, ABC Australia, YTV/Treehouse Canada, Cartoon Network India and Rai Sat Italy. The 104 30-minute episodes include a mix of new and classic Sesame Street segments that focus on fundamental concepts critical to reading, math and science, and encourage creativity and individual expression.


    Play With Me Sesame is one of the programs featured in new Sesame programming blocks in Poland, Hungary and Croatia. On Poland’s Minimini, the recently launched Sesame Nook includes Elmo’s World, Play With Me Sesame, Global Grover and Sesame English. In December, broadcaster Minimax will begin airing a Sesame block with Play With Me Sesame, Elmo’s World and Global Grover, in Hungary, Romania Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The three series will also be seen in Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slovena, Serbia and Montenegro, starting in early 2007, in a block on broadcaster Magma.


    “The expansion of the Sesame brand through wonderfully interactive shows like Play With Me Sesame and Elmo’s World give children around the globe new ways to experience fun and learning in the way Sesame does it best. We are excited to bring more games to children with the addition of new episodes of Play With Me Sesame and thrilled that children throughout Eastern Europe will have the chance to interact with friends like Grover and Elmo,” said Worldwide Television Distribution vice president Jennifer Monier-Williams.


    Play With Me Sesame is produced by Games Productions Inc. in association with Noggin and Sesame Workshop. The series will be available to international buyers and co-producers at the Mipcom market at Cannes in October.

  • Star donates US$1.1 million to UNICEF’s Tsunami Fund

    Star donates US$1.1 million to UNICEF’s Tsunami Fund

    MUMBAI: Unicef has received a donation of US$1.1 million (HK$8.6 million) from Star for its tsunami recovery projects in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The donation will address the educational, developmental and health care needs of the children affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami.

    The donation cheque was presented by Star CEO Michelle Guthrie to Dr Robert Fung, chairman of the Hong Kong Committee of Unicef, and Charlie Young, ambassador of Hong Kong Committee for Unicef. At the event, Young also shared her experience of her visit to Sri Lanka shortly after the Indian Ocean tsunami, informs an official release.

    Disaster relief funds from around the world have been instrumental in providing children and families in Sri Lanka and Indonesia with basic necessities after the tsunami destroyed their ways of life in December 2004. Today, children are still depending on assistance in the areas of education, development and health care.

    In order to address these, US$550,000 of Star’s donation will be used for the School Reconstruction Programme in Ampara, Sri Lanka and US$560,000 for the Comprehensive Early Childhood Development and Health Care Provision Programme for children in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (Aceh) Province, Indonesia, the release further adds.

    Says Guthrie, “We are honoured that today’s donation will play a part in helping children in two of the worst hit areas to gradually put their traumas behind them. Our sincere hope is that by working together with Unicef through their tsunami recovery projects, the children will be able to lead fulfilling lives and look towards a brighter future.”

    Fung adds, “With the generous support of Star, I am sure that Unicef’s recovery projects in Sri Lanka and Indonesia will be very successful, achieving Unicef’s aim to help affected countries to ‘Build Back Better’”.