ITV

Category: Television

  • Wild Card Entry to Bigg Boss house The return of one evicted housemate

    MUMBAI: If you think the excitement has gone out of Bigg Boss after the drama queens Kashmira Shah and Rakhi Sawant have been evicted from the house, then here is news for all of you. Bigg Boss has decided to give one of the evicted members a second chance, to be back in the house!

     

    The members ousted from the Bigg Boss house are Deepak Parashar, Bobby Darling, Kashmira Shah, Rakhi Sawant, Aryan Vaid, who among these will get a second chance? While Kashmira,& Rakhi are top favourites, Aryan Vaid has sympathizers who want him back to be with his lady love. There is a lot of drama in store in the coming weeks.

     

    Imagine if Kashmira were to go back. Think of all those housemates who will want to confront her with all the intrigue and suspicion she planted in their midst. Or Rakhi, for that matter, who is rearing to go back and tell all inside the Bigg Boss house what the world outside thinks of them.

     

    For Aryan of course it would be a dream come true. He could never have imagined that he would ever go back in there to breathe the same air as Anupama! Who knows what is in store for this Romeo and Juliet? Wouldn’t it be a Shakespearean tragedy if Anupama is voted out just as Aryan goes back in!

     

    The permutations are many. Let’s see whose luck holds out … Keep watching Bigg Boss to know what’s going on… On Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Essel Group institutes excellence awards

    Essel Group institutes excellence awards

    MUMBAI: The Essel Group and its flagship, Zee Network, have unveiled an ambitious Awards programme aimed at recognising institutions or individuals who have made a significant contribution in public or private life. The Awards aim at celebrating the contribution of unsung heroes in various fields in order to encourage them to scale greater heights.

    Announcing the launch of the Awards, Essel Group and Zee Network Chairman, Mr Subhash Chandra said: “Ours is a Group fired by the spirit of nationalism and patriotism. Through these Awards, we hope to inspire the youth and instil in them a pride for India’s rich heritage. The Awards represent the Group’s strong resolve to empower the people and thereby build a vibrant and resurgent India.”

    The Awards will be instituted under different categories every month, beginning January 2007. The categories are: Legislator (January), Sports (February), Civil Service (March), NGO /Social Worker (April), Police /fire force (May), Legal (June), Minister (July), Young innovator /entrepreneur (August), Medical service (September), Art, Culture and Literature (October), Media (November), Gram Panchayat / Zilla Member (December).

    The Award series will first be launched in Karnataka and then replicated in other States.

    “These Awards will ignite young minds, awaken dormant senses and motivate the people to strive for a brighter future,” Mr M. Gautham Machaiah, Vice-President, Corporate and Public Affairs added.

    This is a truly a people’s Award, where the general public plays a key role in selecting the winner. For each category, nominations will be invited from the public and prominent citizens of the State. The nominations will be sifted by a screening committee and then put before a jury of eminent citizens, which will shortlist five finalists. A capsule on the five finalists will be produced and telecast on Zee Network. The public will then be invited to vote for best in each category.

     

    “It is significant that the Awards are being launched in Karnataka to coincide with the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations. Zee Kannada is proud to be associated with these Awards,” Head of Zee South Initiative Mr R. Ajay Kumar said.

     

    In the case of Karnataka’s Best Legislator, the parameters for the selection include: exemplary public service, commitment to issues, clean image and integrity, social and economic uplift of the constituency and constituents, accessibility to the people, and performance in the State legislature. The last date for receiving nominations is December 15, 2006.

     

    The Jury for the Best Legislator’s Award comprises Justice M.F. Saldhana, former Judge, Karnataka High Court (Chairman); Mr H.S. Balram, Editor, The Times of India, Bangalore; Dr M.S. Thimmappa, former Bangalore University Vice-chancellor; Mr M.C. Nanaiah, former Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs; and Ms Teresa Bhattacharya, former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka.

     

    The Essel Group stands out as a shining example of a socially conscious corporate citizen. Education is among the causes that the Group is most passionate about. The Ekal Vidayalaya Foundation of India, headed by Mr Chandra provides free education to over five lakh tribal children every year in remote parts of the country.

     

    The Essel Group with interests spanning across news, entertainment, packaging, infrastructure and communication, is a pioneer in virtually every business that it ventures into. The Group has always responded to opportunities created by changes in technology and captured the first-mover advantage – be it satellite television (Zee TV), amusement parks (Essel World) or cable distribution (Siticable).

  • Jhoom Ke Aaja 2007 December, 31st, 10.00 p.m Only on Sony Entertainment Television

    Jhoom Ke Aaja 2007 December, 31st, 10.00 p.m Only on Sony Entertainment Television

    MUMBAI: It’s time to say goodbye to the year 2006, but not before we look back and introspect on the year which have been with its ups and downs, highs & lows, milestones & tragedies. Recapping the past year is like trying to put a storm in a tea cup! However, everyone looks forward to the new year with a lot of anticipation and hope.

    And to welcome the new year there is nothing better than a night of entertainment. Sony Entertainment Television brings to its viewers a star-studded night called Jhoom Ke Aaja, 2007, on December 31st, 10.00 p.m onwards, where there’s going to be lot of naach-gaana, music-masti and hungama to herald the new year.

    Jhoom Ke Aaja 2007 presents a galaxy of stars who will sing, dance & bring cheer in to your homes. The evening starts with the enigmatic performance by Ashley Lobo and his dancers to a song written by Javed Akthar and music by Aayaan & Aamaan, sons of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

    As the evening progresses Prabhudeva, the sensational dancer from south, takes the stage to give a solo performance. He is soon joined by Esha Deol and both dance to chal chaiya chaiya… Esha once again takes the stage by storm with her sizzling dhoom machya dedhoom…While the team of Prabhudeva & Esha will represent the south, Sachin & Supriya and Ritiesh Deshmukh will represent Maharashtra and this segment will see some enigmatic dancing from the trio.

    The Bhojpuri industry was represented by Manoj Tiwari .To add that extra dash of colour Bipasha Basu will perform to the very hot beedi jalile , leaving the viewers asking for more. For all the Bengali viewers Bappi Lahari in his typical style will regale the audiences with some popular Bengali songs.

    The glam quotient of the evening will come from the dazzling Amrita & Ria Sen who will have the stage lit up with their sizzling performances.

    There’s also a thundering performance by Harbajan Singh Mann singing some top favourite bhangara nos thus giving the audience the flavour of Punjab.

  • AL JAZEERA INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES SHIULIE GHOSH AS NEWS ANCHOR AT THEIR DOHA HEADQUARTERS

    24 July 2006 – Al Jazeera International, the new 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel, headquartered in Doha, announced today that they have appointed renowned correspondent Shiulie Ghosh as news anchor at their Doha headquarters.

    Shiulie joins a large team of diverse on-screen talent based around the world at the channel’s broadcast centres: from Ghida Fakhry and Dave Marash at their Washington DC centre, to Veronica Pedrosa and Teymoor Nabili in Kuala Lumpur through to Felicity Barr and Stephen Cole and at the channel’s London broadcast centre.

    Speaking on Shiulie’s appointment from the channel’s headquarters, Director of News, Steve Clark said, “I am pleased to have Shiulie on board. She brings a wealth of experience in news reporting to the channel and is a great addition to the team.”

    “I’m thrilled to be joining Al Jazeera International and to be part of this exciting television project which will balance the information flow from South to North, bridging cultures for English speakers around the world,” said Shiulie Ghosh.

    Shiulie joins Al Jazeera International from ITV News where she was a correspondent and a presenter covering a range of major events around the world. Her reporting from Thailand on the Asian tsunami was awarded the 2006 Alfred I. Dupont Columbia News Broadcasting Award. During the conflict in Kosovo, Shiulie was based in southern Italy, where she reported on the bombing missions flown by NATO crews.

    She secured the first television report from the British aircraft carrier HMS Invincible heading for action off the coast of Montenegro. Post-conflict, she reported on the continuing tensions in the divided town of Mitrovica.

    Shiulie first joined ITV News as a general reporter in January 1998 and later spent three years as Home Affairs Editor of ITV News. Shiulie has covered a wide range of prominent domestic stories for ITV News including the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, the May Day disturbances and the death of the Queen Mother.

     

     

    In 2001 Shiulie was named Best Television News Journalist at the British Telecom Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards.

     

     

    Her journalistic career began in 1989 when she joined BBC Radio
    Cleveland as a programme assistant. In 1990 she became a news trainee at the BBC and went on to report for BBC’s East Midlands Today. By 1991 Shiulie was regularly presenting their half-hour news slot – one of the youngest people ever to do so. In 1993 she joined the BBC’s Country File programme as a presenter and this was followed by a move in 1995 to Newsroom South East as a reporter/presenter.

     

     

    Shiulie was born in the UK and spent the early part of her childhood in India with her family. When she was five the family returned to the north-east of England where she was raised and educated. She has a BA (Hons) Law degree from the University of Kent.

     

     

     

    About Al Jazeera International

     

    Al Jazeera International is the world’s first English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. Broadcasting from within the Middle East, looking outwards, Al Jazeera International will set the news agenda and act as a bridge between cultures. With unique access as the channel of reference for Middle East events, and broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC, Al Jazeera International will balance the information flow from South to North, providing accurate, impartial and objective news for a global audience from a grass roots level, giving voice to different perspectives from under-reported regions around the world.

     

    Al Jazeera International is building on the ground-breaking heritage of its sister Arab-language channel – Al Jazeera, which was responsible for changing the face of news within the Middle East, now extending that fresh perspective from regional to global.

     

     

    For further information please contact:
    Doha: Charlotte Dent or Lana Khachan: +974 489 2320/1
    Email: press.int@aljazeera.net
    mailto: press.int@aljazeera.net
     
  • Intelsat-Panamsat merger approved by FCC

    Intelsat-Panamsat merger approved by FCC

    MUMBAI: America’s media regulatory body Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Intelsat’s acquisition of Panamsat.

    Noting that the transaction was unopposed, the FCC Commissioners found that “the transaction will be in the public interest,” and they therefore granted Intelsat’s application for a transfer of control of Panamsat’s FCC licenses. No other regulatory approvals are required, in the US or elsewhere, prior to the closing of the transaction.

    Intelsat is planning on completing the Panamsat acquisition on 3 July 2006. Intelsat CEO David McGlade said, “The closing of the merger will open a new chapter for our industry and our customers, who will benefit from expanded services and improved network flexibility and resilience as we bring together these two great companies.

    “Serving our customers with innovation and quality is our highest priority, and the first step in accomplishing that objective is through implementing a seamless integration.”

    Intelsat and Panamsat had announced their merger agreement on 29 August 2005. Under the agreement, Intelsat will acquire Panamsat for $25 per share in cash, or approximately $3.2 billion in the aggregate.

  • Zee to launch dubbed movie channel in Russia

    Zee to launch dubbed movie channel in Russia

    MUMBAI: One area where Zee Telefilms is clearly ahead of rivals Star and Sony is in channel initiatives internationally. Keeping that tradition alive, Zee is launching a 24-hour movie channel in September that will air Indian films dubbed in Russian.

    Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra revealed his channel plans to Hindu Business Line on the sidelines of an address he gave to the Madras Management Association in Chennai yesterday.

    Considering how well Hindi movies in particular have been received in Russia (the late Raj Kapoor’s films were a rage there), it would surprise no one if Zee has a winner here.It was on 13 March that the Network began beaming Zee in Indonesia. There too the channel was dubbed in the local language Bahasa. Zee is available on the multi-channel satellite pay-television platform Astro Nusantara as a package.

    In Indonesia, the channel’s content is sourced from the flagship channel Zee TV library and localised with Bahasa Indonesia dubbing and Bahasa Melayu subtitling, to reflect the different language, lifestyle and viewing habits of audiences in the three countries Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

  • EA releases World Cup game, announces renewed partnership with Fifa

    EA releases World Cup game, announces renewed partnership with Fifa

    MUMBAI: Electronic Arts has started to ship the 2006 Fifa World Cup game to stores around the world.

    The event’s only officially licensed videogame has developed enhanced gameplay attributes and graphics.

    Along with the release of 2006 Fifa World Cup, EA and Fifa announced the extension of their long-term partnership, making EA the worldwide and exclusive Fifa Licensee for soccer action games across all console platforms, mobile phones and online formats. The on-going partnership will allow EA to continue to bring World Cup gaming experiences to consumers, and includes games for the future World Cups in 2010 and 2014.

    “Renewing our strategic partnership with Fifa will enable us to continue to deliver the most authentic football titles to fans who have helped to make our Fifa games the most successful football videogame franchise in the world,” said EA’s Gerhard Florin, Executive Vice President and General Manager for International Publishing.

    In 2006 Fifa World Cup, users can step into the heart of the action as they play their favorite team or most loathed opponent. Featuring stunning visual representations of the world’s superstar players, gamers experience the 12 official stadiums as they take their team from qualification to glory. In addition to taking control of one of 127 national teams, players will enjoy groundbreaking new play modes. Global Challenge tests even the biggest soccer fanatic by recreating classic moments in Fifa World Cup history with modern teams. True champions can challenge their friends in eight-way multiplayer matches and take advantage of tremendous in-game un-lockable content such as legendary players and exclusive licensed football apparel.

    2006 Fifa World Cup is available in North America, Europe and Asia on PlayStation2, the Xbox and Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy, PC and mobile as well as the PSP (PlayStation Portable). The game is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB and has a PEGI rating of 3+.

    In India, the World Cup PC Game is priced at Rs 1,299 and the PlayStation2 and PSP games are priced at Rs 2,499 and Rs 2,999 respectively.

  • Interactive entertainment marketers form trade body; Microsoft’s Moore to chair

    Interactive entertainment marketers form trade body; Microsoft’s Moore to chair

    MUMBAI: A new non-profit trade organization, the Association of Electronic Interactive Marketers (AEIM), has been formed in the US.

    The intiative has been spurred by the response garnered by MI6: Marketing Interactive ‘06, the special conference that addresses the challenges facing marketers in the interactive entertainment sector. The inaugural MI6 Conference and Awards Show will be be held on 27–28 June in San Francisco.

    Peter Moore, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division of Microsoft Corp., has been named to chair the new organization.

    Jim Chabin, president and CEO of Promax/BDA, is the MI6/AEIM president/CEO while Dale Hopkins, the COO of G4, is MI6 chairman.

    Said Moore, “The AEIM will serve to enhance the professional value of video game marketers and will seek to build strong partnerships between the gaming, entertainment, technology, distribution and retail sectors of this business.”

    Looking to increase the effectiveness of interactive marketers by spearheading idea sharing within the sector and encouraging communication with marketers in other entertainment areas, AEIM will provide education and training opportunities for marketers. Moving forward, AEIM will assume full responsibility for organizing subsequent MI conferences and developing additional means for contributing to members’ professional development and education. AEIM will also be overseeing the Senet-Muse annual marketing and promotion awards program. AEIM will Operate in collaboration with Promax/BDA and will be housed in the Promax/BDA offices in Los Angeles.

    Among the future objectives for AEIM are the development of an online community for educating, inspiring and facilitating idea sharing among its fledgling members; regional seminars and workshops, as well as networking opportunities, and, eventually, a certification program.

  • Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

    Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz will return for his 12 time as director of the US Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ (Atas) 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

    The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live in the US on 27 August on NBC.

    In March, Horvitz directed The 78th Annual Academy Awards. This marked his 10th year at the helm of the Oscars.

  • Zonemedia to Rok in mobile TV deal

    Zonemedia to Rok in mobile TV deal

    MUMBAI: Zone Mobile, the new media division of media firm Zonemedia (formerly known as Zone Vision) has done a deal with UK-based mobile technology and entertainment developer, Rok TV.

    Zonemedia will create a series of made for mobile TV programming loops which will consist of 15 minute segments of some of the most popular programme elements from Zonemedia’s licensed programmes. The mobile channel, which will be updated regularly, will be available for download through Rok TV’s mass-market 2.5G mobile TV service, via GPRS throughout the UK.

    Shows with large UK fan bases such as Cheaters, Ouch That Had to Hurt and Crash, Bang, Wallop are amongst the first programmes to feature in the deal. The innovative mobile TV channel will be available at the end of June within the UK.