Category: Television

  • ‘The Orange County’ Season II on Zee Cafe from 30 June

    ‘The Orange County’ Season II on Zee Cafe from 30 June

    MUMBAI: Zee Café will unveil the second season of The O.C. (Orange County) this month. The second season will premiere on 30 June at 10:00 pm.

    Announcing the launch, Zee Café business head Neil Chakravarti said, “The first season of The O.C. on Café was immensely popular. We received innumerable requests from loyal viewers across the country to air the second season and we are indeed happy to be able to respond to those requests, and to bring it exclusively on Zee Café.”

    The first season saw Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) fall in love with the girl next door, Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) Their romance, however, is ill-fated, constantly tested by the young lovers’ inability to escape from their pasts. At the end of the season, Ryan returned to Chino to protect his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Theresa from her abusive ex-boyfriend.

    As the tumultuous summer comes to an end, both Seth (Adam Brody) and Ryan must make decisions on their futures in The O.C. and their futures with Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Marissa. And the adults in town face fresh challenges as well, with Caleb’s past coming back to haunt him causing big problems for Sandy, and Jimmy’s fortunes taking a turn. Meanwhile, Julie and Kirsten are thrown together in a surprising and contentious alliance.

  • Sony takes Dish TV basic tier pricing up by Rs 38

    Sony takes Dish TV basic tier pricing up by Rs 38

    NEW DELHI: Subhash Chandra’s Dish TV has increased the price of its basic tier of DTH service by Rs 38 after Sony-Discovery One Alliance came on board earlier this month.

    The basic tier would now cost a consumer Rs 180, plus taxes. Earlier it was priced at Rs 142, exclusive of taxes.

    The new pricing is a fair indicator as to the money that Dish TV is paying One Alliance for its channels per subscriber.

    However, AXN has been kept out of the basic tier, which includes all the other One Alliance fare and the likes of Zee TV, HBO and three sports channels (ESPN, Star Sports and Ten Sports).

    Dish TV’s other packages include Dish Plus package, which comes packed with a wide selection of national and international channels at Rs 125 per month and offers channels like Zee Studio, HBO, TCM, MCM, Reality TV; Dish Bioscope, which features Zee Premier, Zee Action, Zee Classic and Pakistani film channel Filmazia and costs Rs 55 per month. News is packaged in Dish News with Zee Business, Euro News, Euro Sports News, NDTV 24×7, CNBC TV18, Awaaz and CNN Headlines News. The cost: Rs 60 per month.

    Dish Pick is an a-la-carte package that allows subscribers to pick and choose extra regional channels. Two channels come for Rs 30 per month, five channels for Rs 50 per month and all regional channels come for Rs 100 per month. (All the prices listed here are exclusive of taxes.) Channels included in this package include Zee TV, Sahara One Zee Punjabi, ETV – Rajastan, ETV – UP, ETV – Bihar, Geo TV, Zee Telugu, Jaya TV, Jeevan TV, Akash Bangla, Zee Bangla, Zee Gujarati and Marathi, India TV and NDTV India.

  • E&M industry globally to touch $1.8 trillion in 2010: PricewaterhouseCoopers report

    E&M industry globally to touch $1.8 trillion in 2010: PricewaterhouseCoopers report

    MUMBAI: The media and entertainment industry as a whole is on an upscale growth curve. The global entertainment and media (E&M) industry has entered a solid growth phase and will increase at a 6.6 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $1.8 trillion in 2010, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2006-2010, released today.Interestingly, the report indicates that the Asia Pacific will remain the fastest-growing region in this industry, led by explosive growth in the People’s Republic of China and India, while US remains the largest but growing at a slow pace.

    New revenue streams are growing rapidly, the growth of physical formats has slowed, and availability of licensed digital distribution now provides consumers alternatives to piracy, the report says.

    Digital technologies, chiefly broadband internet and mobile, are becoming established and increasingly lucrative distribution channels that are changing the way consumers acquire entertainment and media content. Global spending via online and wireless channels reached $19 billion in 2005 and will increase to $67 billion by 2010, the Outlook says. Digital technologies consist of five categories: online rental subscriptions and digital streaming in filmed entertainment, licensed digital downloads and mobile music in recorded music, online and wireless video games, electronic books, and online casino gaming.

    “Virtually every segment of the entertainment and media industry is shifting from physical distribution to digital distribution of content,” said PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entertainment & Media Practice global leader Wayne Jackson. “As this shift continues, we see more revenue opportunities for entertainment and media companies. So while physical distribution of content is declining, that decline will be offset somewhat by digital distribution, which is driving and creating new growth opportunities.”

    “We expect that Asia Pacific will remain the fastest-growing region for the industry, reflecting both the underlying economic growth and local developments and initiatives. The growth will be led by double-digit increases in Internet, TV distribution, casino and other regulated gaming and video games,” said PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entertainment & Media Practice Asia Pacific leader Marcel Fenez. “Significantly, we also expect that the People’s Republic of China will pass Japan in 2009 to become the largest market in Asia Pacific.”

    Key Drivers of Global E&M Industry
    Continued expansion in the broadband household universe will be a major growth driver, and wireless subscriber growth and rollout of next generation handsets and high-speed wireless networks will stimulate mobile markets. In 2005, the broadband universe totaled 187 million households, up from only 30 million in 2001. By 2010, there will be an additional 246 million broadband households, bringing the total to 433 million globally.

    The number of people with a wireless telephone subscription is also growing rapidly, with a total of 1.8 billion globally in 2005. That figure will rise to 2.8 billion by 2010, adding one billion potential customers to mobile content during the next five years.

    Although piracy still cannibalizes sales in many markets, its incremental impact on legitimate sales will lessen. Industry trade associations, greater government action, the advent of convenient licensed alternatives and improved economic conditions are working to limit piracy.

    In the TV distribution market in Asia Pacific, piracy remains a significant problem showing no signs of improvement. However, for the overall E&M industry, incremental losses to piracy are slowing, which will have a positive impact on the overall end-user market.

    Global Advertising -Olympic Games and Fifa World Cups to Create Growth Spikes
    Global advertising will increase at a 6.2 per cent CAGR during the forecast period, to $521 billion in 2010 from $385 billion in 2005. Growth improvement achieved during the past two years will be sustained through 2008, but more moderate increases are projected during 2009-10 as the current economic recovery in many countries begins to falter. The Internet will remain the fastest-growing advertising medium, at an 18.1 per cent CAGR to $52 billion in 2010. The Internet will constitute nearly 10 per cent of global advertising in 2010 compared with less than 3 per cent in 2002.

    Growth by Region – U.S. Remains Largest but Slowest-Growing “The U.S. remains the largest E&M market, growing at a 5.6 per cent compound annual growth rate reaching $726 billion in 2010,” said James O’Shaughnessy, U.S. Leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers Entertainment & Media practice. “Video games and the Internet will be the fastest-growing segments, with compound annual increases of 8.9 and 8.4 per cent, respectively. Video games will be propelled by next generation console games and rapid growth in online and wireless games, while increased broadband penetration will enhance Internet access spending and stimulate online advertising.”

    EMEA, the second largest market, will expand at a 6.1 per cent CAGR to reach $580 billion in 2010. Led by Russia, Central and Eastern Europe will again be the fastest-growing area in EMEA, rising by a 12 per cent CAGR with double-digit growth expected in Internet and access spending, radio and out- of-home advertising, TV distribution, TV networks and video games.

    “During the next five years, TV distribution, Internet advertising and access spending, and casino and other regulated gaming will continue to record double-digit increases, as will video games for the EMEA region,” said PricewaterhouseCoopers Entertainment & Media practice European Leader John Middelweerd. “The sports market will also see a further boost due to a revitalized TV rights market and by revenues from sponsorship and merchandising around the two FIFA World Cups (Germany in 2006 and South Africa in 2010) and other major sporting events taking part in the territory.”

    Asia Pacific remains the fastest-growing region, led by explosive growth in the People’s Republic of China and IndiaSpending in Asia Pacific will average 9.2 per cent compound annual growth-the highest of all of the regions- reaching $425 billion in 2010. Latin America’s E&M market, the fastest growing region in 2005, is projected to rise at an 8.5 per cent CAGR to $60 billion in 2010. Canada is projected to expand at a 5.9 per cent CAGR to $41 billion in 2010, with double-digit growth in video games and the return of the NHL boosting its sports market.

    Key Findings by Segment – Internet Advertising and Access and Video Games to be Fastest-Growing

    Internet Advertising and Access: Increased broadband access will be principal driver of future growth, but it will come at the expense of dial-up spending in the U.S., EMEA and Canada. Internet advertising is growing rapidly, stimulated by an expanding broadband subscriber base and ad formats geared to broadband, including keyword search and full-motion video. Triple- play service bundles that combine broadband Internet access with telephone service and television distribution are making broadband increasingly attractive. Globally, Internet advertising will grow to $51.6 billion at an 18.1 per cent CAGR and Internet access will increase to $214 billion at an 11.9 per cent CAGR.

    Video Games: The video game market was in a transition year in 2005, awaiting the introduction of the next-generation consoles. Growth slumped to 3.3 per cent , the slowest increase during the past five years. The next generation of consoles and recently introduced handheld games will spur the console/handheld market in the U.S., EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Canada, while PC games will continue to decline or see little growth in the U.S. and EMEA. The introduction of new wireless phones capable of downloading games will boost the wireless game market in the US, EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Canada. Overall, the video game market will expand at an 11.4 per cent CAGR to $46 billion in 2010 from $27 billion in 2005.

    Casino and Other Regulated Gaming: Casino and other regulated gaming rose by 10.9 per cent, the second fastest growing segment in 2005. Rapid growth in online gaming and new casinos will propel growth, with Asia Pacific expected to experience the largest increase because new casinos in Macao will make that portion of the People’s Republic of China a major casino gaming destination. Spending will increase from $82 billion in 2005 to $125 billion in 2010, an 8.8 per cent CAGR.

    Television Distribution: Saturated markets will continue to dampen growth in the U.S. and will hold down growth in Canada as well. Conversely, in EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, large increases in the number of subscription TV households will generate double-digit gains. Continued piracy problems in Asia Pacific, however, will limit market potential in that region. Video-on- demand will expand in all regions, contributing to overall market growth. The introduction of IPTV will contribute to subscriber growth, and the migration of subscribers to higher-priced digital services will increase revenue per subscriber. The market will reach $230.3 
    billion in 2010 from $154.4 billion in 2005, at an 8.3 per cent CAGR.

    Television Networks (Broadcast and Cable): Digital platforms will support new channels and fuel multi-channel advertising, which will be the principal driver during the next five years. New analog channels, digital broadcasting, and HDTV will increase the appeal of free-to-air channels.
    Distribution to mobile phones will further expand viewing and advertising. Public TV license fees in EMEA and Asia Pacific will continue to be slow-growing components of the market. Spending will increase at 6.6 per cent CAGR to reach $227 billion in 2010 from $164 billion in 2005.

    Filmed Entertainment: While filmed entertainment declined in 2005, we expect a rebound in box office spending and introduction of high-definition DVDs to boost home video. Decreases at the box office and a sharp slowdown in home video spending caused the downturn. Box office spending rebound will be triggered by the construction of modern theaters and more screens in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, and by digital cinemas in the United States, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. Spending will increase at a 5.3 per cent CAGR, rising to $104 billion in 2010.

    Recorded Music: Growth in digital distribution and mobile music will drive spending in each market, offsetting further declines in spending on physical formats. Rising broadband subscribership will continue to fuel digital distribution, while an expanding wireless universe and upgrades to next generation wireless networks will foster mobile music growth. Globally, recorded music spending will rise at a 5.2 per cent CAGR to $47.9 billion in 2010. Spending in the US will rise to $14.7 billion in 2010, at a 3.7 per cent CAGR. The Outlook also includes in-depth global analyses and five-year market forecasts for seven other industry segments, including: radio and out-of-home advertising, business information, magazine publishing, newspaper publishing, book publishing, theme parks and amusement parks, and sports.

  • Sandy Smith the new editor of BBC’s flagship current affairs show ‘Panorama’

    Sandy Smith the new editor of BBC’s flagship current affairs show ‘Panorama’

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that Sandy Smith is the new editor of Panorama which is BBC One’s flagship current affairs series.

    He will take over the post in September. The appointment comes after the former Editor Mike Robinson announced in March this year that he was to step down and retire from the BBC.

    Sandy has worked at the BBC since 1988. The majority of that time has been spent producing and directing programmes for the corporation’s current affairs department but since August 2005, he has been editor of the BBC ONE programme Watchdog.

    BBC director of news Helen Boaden said, “Sandy has great flair in making creative television that delivers provocative, challenging and serious journalism to wide audiences. His energy and commitment will invigorate and refresh our most important current affairs programme.”

    BBC head of current affairs George Entwistle says, “Sandy is an exciting addition to Current Affairs’ strong senior editorial team. His commitment to original journalism and creative programme-making will ensure Panorama tells the biggest and most relevant stories of our time in an accessible and engaging way.”

    Smith said, “I am delighted to take over at Panorama which despite its long and illustrious career still has its best years ahead of it. I have enjoyed my time at Watchdog and will be very sad to part company with such a talented, young team but I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

  • FremantleMedia strengthens biz with promotions

    FremantleMedia strengthens biz with promotions

    MUMBAI: Format creator and owner FremantleMedia has announced a series of promotions in the UK as part of the continuing evolution of its international business.

    Dan Allen has been promoted to Fremantlemedia Enterprises (FME) COO from his current role of Fremantle International Distribution (FID) COO. In this newly created role, Allen will be responsible for all operational departments including marketing, finance, legal, HR and material.

    He will be based in London and will report to FME CEO David Ellender.

    Bob McCourt, currently FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) VP, finance joins FME as director of finance. In this capacity, McCourt will be responsible for the division’s finance function including management and financial reporting, commercial support, strategic development and management of the FME finance team. McCourt, who has been with the company for eight years, will be based in London and will report to Dan Allen.

    Lynne-Mei Lee has been appointed to FME head of publicity, from her current role as FremantleMedia PR manager. Lee, who will be based in London and will report to Ellender, will oversee publicity for the division worldwide, working closely with divisional and territory heads and with local and international press and marketing teams.

    Dawn McComish moves up to FME HR head from her role as HR Manager, FremantleMedia. In this new position, McComish will manage the division’s human resources function covering all FME’s global operations. She will be based in London and will report to Dan Allen. McComish joined FremantleMedia in 2005; prior to this, she was head of Human Resources at a private aviation company, Netjets Management and Human Resources manager at the British Chambers of Commerce.

    Ellender said, “This is an extremely exciting time for our international commercial team and these promotions are extremely well deserved. I am confident that, with the team’s great talent and wealth of experience, we will rapidly build upon FremantleMedia Enterprises’ existing reputation and strengthen our position even further as a leading player in the industry.”

  • BBC Worldwide looks to expand reach of channels in Latin America

    BBC Worldwide looks to expand reach of channels in Latin America

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide has made an appointment with a view to expanding the reach ot its chanels in Latin America.

    Jessica Rodriguez becomes VP, global channels for Latin America and for the Hispanic US Market. She will be responsible for the strategic development and implementation of BBC Worldwide’s channels and will manage the day-to-day activity across the Latin American region and in the US Hispanic market.

    BBC Worldwide MD global channels Darren Childs said, “Jessica’s appointment is a commitment from BBC Worldwide to further develop the Latin American and Hispanic North American market for our channels business. Jessica has introduced a number of new channels and we are keen to explore new opportunities for growth.”

    Rodriguez says, “In Latin America, BBC Worldwide’s presence is already strong through our programming participation and investment in Animal Planet and People and Arts. Given its rapid growth and strength, the US Hispanic market is critically important to our strategy. BBC America has already successfully demonstrated the power of the BBC’s superlative content in the US, and I am delighted to be developing our new branded channels in this marketplace.”

    She has over 16 years of experience in launching and expanding brands such as Travel Channel, National Geographic and USA Network across international markets. She also has an extensive development and management record having worked in business development positions at Discovery Channel and Landmark Communications and having spearheaded several channels in Latin America and Asia.

    Based in Miami, Jessica will be working across BBC Worldwide’s content divisions of program sales, new media, magazines, consumer publishing and home entertainment to maximise and consolidate brand exposure in the Latin and US Hispanic markets.

  • CNN launches a suite of free video podcasts

    CNN launches a suite of free video podcasts

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN has announced the launch of six online video podcasts, regularly updated newscasts and programming produced specifically for digital video players.

    The video podcasts, in addition to CNN’s audio podcasting products, are available for free at www.CNN.com/podcasting and at iTunes.

    CNN.com senior VP, GM David Payne says, “For the most part, the podcasting audience skews much younger than CNN’s television viewers and, perhaps surprisingly, somewhat younger than even users of CNN.com. They were raised during the age of the Internet, not that of the 6 o’clock news. They don’t necessarily want to see polished newscasts, but they want to see the action and make judgments for themselves. So we have produced original podcasts in a format that appeals to their fast-paced lifestyles and varied interests.”

    CNN producers designed each of the podcasts specifically for the small digital video player screen, although they may also be played on personal computers and other devices. The format also allowed CNN.com to offer programming with more raw footage, high-impact video, edgy humor and experimental content.

    CNN’s video podcasts include All Access – Backstage Pass. This is a behind-the-scenes look at how CNN journalists get their stories. The launch of video podcasting marks the latest digital product from CNN. In June 2005, CNN.com began offering free video to all of its users. In December 2005, the site launched CNN Pipeline, an on-demand broadband video service that puts users in control of multiple live video streams, CNN’s video archives and on-demand news clips from CNN’s unmatched newsgathering operation around the world.

  • HBO to air the concluding part of the ‘LOTR’ saga next month

    HBO to air the concluding part of the ‘LOTR’ saga next month

    MUMBAI: On 21 July 2006 at 9 pm HBO will air the concluding part in Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy The Lord Of The Rings. The third part The Return Of the King sees Frodo played by Elijah Wood and his best friend Sam played by Sean Astin attempt to destroy the ring at Mount Doom.

    Meanwhile the evil Lord Sauron sets his eye on the final stronghold Minas Tirith. Frodo in his journey to destroy the ring grows weaker as the ring tries to take control of him. Although Gollum is leading Frodo and Sam towards Mount Doom the creature cannot be trusted as his mind has been corrupted by the ring. The movie won 11 Oscars including picture and director.

    HBO will also air its original movie Something The Lord Made on 4 July at 9 pm. The film stars Alan Rickman and Mos Def. Working in 1940s Baltimore on a technique for performing heart surgery on blue babies Dr. Alfred Blalock and lab technician Vivien Thomas played by Mos Def form a strong team. They invent a new field of medicine thus savuing thousands of lives. However social pressures put a strain on the relationship.

  • Asia-Pac alliance formed for popularizing DVB-H tech

    Asia-Pac alliance formed for popularizing DVB-H tech

    SINAGPORE: Bridge Networks, Indonesia-based MECA , Malaysia’s MiTV, mobile phone giant Nokia and Intel have announced formation of DVB-H Asia Pacific Alliance (DAPA), a mobile TV special interest group.

    Formed by potential and key DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting, handheld) industry players in the Asia Pacific region with sponsorship from Harris Broadcast and Radio Frequency Systems, DAPA aims to establish a regional forum to promote sharing of best practices and to keep member companies abreast of new business and technological developments in mobile television.

    The group will also support regulatory preparations and discussions to facilitate adoption of DVB-H as the standard for Mobile TV in the Asia Pacific region.

    “An open and industry-supported standard is expected to foster growth throughout the wireless market with more choices across the value chain. This will expedite the adoption of the service to the mass market at a faster and at lower cost to consumers,” said Darren Kirsop-Frearson, managing director of the Bridge Networks.

    Nokia was committed to the deployment of robust, scalable and interoperable DVB-H systems to ensure an exceptional experience with mobile TV and related value-added services, according to Jawahar Kanjilal, director, multimedia experiences, Nokia Asia Pacific.

    “We are definitely pleased to be a part of this joint initiative to bring together technology, product and service leaders to ensure a common implementation of DVB-H networks and terminals according to open industry standards, and to spearhead discussions with the relevant parties involved,” he added.

    DAPA is open to additional member-companies and aims at cooperating with other similar alliances and forums such as MDTV alliance in US and BMCO.

    DVB-H is an open standard and an extension of the widely adopted DVB-terrestrial broadcast technology. It implements recent technical developments to enhance mobile broadcast reception, optimises hand-set power consumption and provides a quality visual display to maximize user experience.

    The IP-based platform allows provision of an electronic services guide (ESG), interactive services, and dynamic channel allocation to offer 30-50 mobile TV channels in a single spectrum channel.

    This could open up a plethora of business possibilities — advertising on channels, subscription based services, interactivity, games, etc. — in addition to regular television.

    The inaugural meeting of DAPA was held in conjunction with BroadcastAsia 2006 being held in Singapore this week.

    There has been several successful DVB-H trials throughout Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific regions in recent months. In South East Asia, there have been good consumer responses from showcases in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Australia.

    The open approach of the DVB-H standard nurtures flexibility of business models, competition and sales opportunities for the value chain. The DVB-H standard incorporates OFDM air interface technology with good spectral efficiency, immunity to multi-path fading and good mobile performance.

    Mobile TV enables consumers to watch their favorite TV programmes on handheld devises while on the move. The service works by receiving a special digital TV broadcast signal from the air in much the same way as a stationary TV set at home.

    A channel guide will also be broadcast allowing users to keep abreast of the latest programmes on air. However, mobile TV is not the same as streaming video over 3G or GPRS phones.

  • Online channel MediaZone to provide coverage of Wimbledon

    Online channel MediaZone to provide coverage of Wimbledon

    MUMBAI: Online broadcaster MediaZone, has announced a partnership with the All England Lawn Tennis Club to provide live and on-demand broadband video coverage of Wimbledon.

    The new service, Wimbledon Live, is available globally at www.wimbledon.org/live, and will include live and on-demand broadband broadcasts of more than 250 matches from up to nine concurrent courts — an unprecedented depth of coverage for this world-class event.

    MediaZone CEO Michelle Wu says, “It is an incredible opportunity to serve as the Worldwide Broadband Partner to the Wimbledon Championships and provide the most in-depth tournament coverage available via the internet to date. The Wimbledon Live service we’ve developed with the Club provides an intimate feel for the atmosphere at Wimbledon 2006 to tennis and sports enthusiasts around the world, allowing them to share the experience at their leisure throughout the championships.”

    From the first round through the finals, Wimbledon Live will feature the most comprehensive full match coverage available, as well as three free Radio Wimbledon channels of live commentary and 10 hours of classic archive footage showcasing rallies and matches that have taken place throughout the history of the tournament. To better serve the international community, the entire site will be localized in Chinese and an overview of the subscription will be available in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Japanese.

    Wimbledon Live will be integrated with the official Wimbledon website, www.wimbledon.org, which allows viewers to combine video coverage with player information as well as live scoring and statistics from all matches at the championships.

    All England Lawn Tennis Club CEO Ian Ritchie says, “We are thrilled by the relationship forged with MediaZone to offer, for the first time in the 120 year history of Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, daily live online coverage of the tournament to tennis fans around the globe.

    “Given MediaZone’s extensive experience successfully broadcasting live sporting events globally via the Internet, we feel they are the ideal partner to distribute the tournament to audiences worldwide.”

    A special advance order All Access Pass for Wimbledon Live is available for GBP 9.95 in the UK and $19.95 in the US and the rest of the world prior to the first day of competition.