ITV

Category: Television

  • ITV launches gaming network on Freeview

    ITV launches gaming network on Freeview

    MUMBAI: UK terrestrial ITV launched its newest digital channel, the interactive gaming network ITV Play, on Freeview, with programming to include the first show spawned from the broadcaster’s purchase of the Friends Reunited website.

    The channel airs daily from noon to 4 a.m. on Freeview, and is also available to be streamed live on itv.com. ITV Play launched at the end of March in the after-midnight slots on ITV1 and ITV2. The channel will be ITV’s first non-advertising-funded channel.

    Programming in the channel line-up includes The Mint, currently also airing on ITV1, which offers up cash prizes for a range of challenges; and This Morning Puzzle Book, produced by the This Morning team from Manchester.

    Friends Reunited – The School Run builds on the interest in nostalgia that is at the heart of the Friends Reunited website, which ITV bought last December. Based on a huge interactive board game, the show brings classmates together to test their knowledge of facts and trivia from a particular year.

    Also, all interactive programming, games and quizzes on ITV’s family of conventional TV channels, online and mobile will fall under the ITV Play banner, including the new Bullseye game, only available on ITV.com.

    The venture is part of ITV’s larger strategy to create new revenue streams and become a viable multi-channel offering. It aims to invest more in the participation TV sector to help build a long-term sustainable business by using its programme brands to create interactive formats.

    ITV Play controller William van Rest said, “ITV has a great heritage in producing the biggest and best live, interactive programmes and this is exactly what we want to do with ITV Play.”

  • NBC, affiliates form broadband venture to sell video

    NBC, affiliates form broadband venture to sell video

    MUMBAI: NBC Universal and its 213 affiliate stations have formed a joint venture called National Broadband Co to sell news, lifestyle, sports, weather and other video generated by local stations,.

    The new company is intended to gives NBC stations access to millions of dollars in advertising migrating from traditional TV to the Internet.
    NBC Affiliates Board chairman Terry Mackin said, “The joint venture will allow us to serve the market that seems to have an insatiable appetite for video.”

    The company will be majority owned by NBC and offer behind-the-scenes and other video from the NBC Universal library along with footage produced by affiliates.

  • NBC Universal unveils new division to boost digital media

    NBC Universal unveils new division to boost digital media

    MUMBAI: NBC Universal has formed a new business unit, the Technology Growth Center (TGC), within the media giant to focus on new business opportunities in digital media. NBC Universal has tapped Darren Feher, the company’s chief technology officer, to run the group.

    Feher will be reporting to NBC Universal’s technology and operations division president and chief information officer of Media Works John Eck.

    “Today, consumers want to enjoy media any time and any where,” Eck said. “The TGC will help fulfill this demand by providing the necessary technology to foster a greater variety of distribution methods.”
    The new division will coordinate NBCU’s approach to technology across the company’s various distribution channels.

    TGC is organized into four divisions: Technical Product Development, developing technology in the areas of broadband, iTV, electronic-sell-through, mobile and wireless, DVRs and gaming; Policy, Strategy and Standards, focusing on increasing the influence of NBC Universal’s industry positions among standards consortia and in Washington; Emerging Technology and Research, working with GE’s Global Research Center and universities; and Anti-Piracy Technical Operations, with an emphasis on forensic watermarking, cracking down on Internet piracy, and raids and investigations, stated a media report.

    The division has already developed the technology that allowed NBC Universal to digitally send its TV content to Apple for distribution on iTunes, eliminating the need for digital beta tapes. Other TGC projects underway include DVD point-of sale activation, forensic watermarking, new peer based distribution technologies, download-to-own technology, DRM standards and automatic closed captioning.

    The TGC has also launched several interactive television projects, including a service that enabled DirecTV, EchoStar and Time Warner Cable subscribers to access medal counts, athlete biographies and news during broadcasts of the Winter Olympics in February. More recently, the TGC has facilitated online voting in several NBC shows, including Deal or No Deal.

  • America Channel extends reach in Europe and Middle East via BT

    America Channel extends reach in Europe and Middle East via BT

    MUMBAI: The America Channel has entered into a long-term distribution and services agreement with BT Americas, a division of British Telecommunications (BT), for delivery of The America Channel via the HOT BIRD and EUROBIRD satellites. This will be received by an estimated 50 million homes in Europe and the Middle East

    Under the agreement, BT will provide digital conversion, backhaul, multiplexing, technical support, customer service, encryption, program origination, ad insertion, and uplink services, as well as capacity on the HOT BIRD and EUROBIRD satellites located at the 13 degrees East longitude and 28.2 degrees East longitude orbital slots, respectively.

    The America Channel CEO Doron Gorshein said, “There is a global fascination with all things American. We believe The America Channel – a network dedicated to exploring and celebrating our diverse communities, local heroes and ordinary people who accomplish the extraordinary — will find a substantial international audience. At the same time, we believe that by providing this window into America, the channel can build bridges and help the world to better understand our communities, cultures, and way of life. ”

    With immediate access to tens of millions of DTH homes, a freely competitive environment, and a product that is unique on the dial, The America Channel believes it is poised to become the next great American global network.

    “The magnitude of this transaction creates a new economic paradigm for the channel,” added Gorshein. ” The international markets are fertile grounds for American entrepreneurs, and we look forward to working with our partners abroad to deliver great programming to their audiences.”

    BT Americas president Chuck Pol said:, “BT is able to provide The America Channel with a customized worldwide global network solution, effectively and efficiently. Our experience, extensive global reach, highly skilled engineers, and affordable value proposition give The America Channel and other independent American networks the ability to compete in the international marketplace.”

    Initially, The America Channel’s highest European penetration levels will be in Germany, France, Poland, Spain, U.K., as well as portions of Russia. In the Middle East and North Africa, highest penetration levels will be in Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Algeria. Most of the initial 50 million homes will receive The America Channel via Direct-To-Home (DTH) unencrypted satellite delivery. Subsequent European cable rollout of the channel is expected to generate subscriber growth in the UK and across the continent.

    In addition to 50 million DTH homes, the region also has approximately 70 million cable homes accessible via HOT BIRD, which The America Channel will seek to penetrate. Following this launch, The America Channel anticipates expansion into Asia.

  • VH1 & Sundance to air documentary series on drug use

    VH1 & Sundance to air documentary series on drug use

    MUMBAI: VH1 partners with Sundance Channel for a four-part documentary about illicit drug use in America and its impact on popular culture.

    The Drug Years is based on the book Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, by Martin Torgoff. It premieres on 12 June on VH1, with repeat telecast on Sundance beginning from 16 June. It spans from the 1950s to the present and uses archival footage and interviewed to show how music, movies, television and theater were affected by the rise in drug use.

    The first episode, Break on Through focuses on the period from the 1950s to 1967, when artistic and social subcultures embraced marijuana and LSD use. The second episode, Feed Your Head, covers 1967 to 1971, when film and television content began to address drug use in America. The third installment, Teenage Wasteland, explores the years from 1972 to 1979, marked by the popularity of High Times magazine, drug humor by comedians like George Carlin and the emergence of Cocaine as the celebrity drug of choice. The last episode, Just Say No, takes viewers from 1980 to now.

    Produced by Hart Perry and Dana Heinz Perry, who has delivered titles such as Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century Art and the Peabody Award-winning John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen.

  • Nickelodeon ups Crosby to SVP strategy and business development

    Nickelodeon ups Crosby to SVP strategy and business development

    MUMBAI: Nickelodeon has named Dominique Crosby as Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids & Family Group senior vice president strategy and business development. The announcement was made by executive vice president strategy and business operations Sarah Kirshbaum Levy, to whom Crosby will continue to report.

    “With her gift for strategic thinking and process organisation, Dominique has been a major contributor to the growth of our business. She’s a talented executive whose proven leadership will insure greater coordinated strategic thinking across lines of business and that all of our strategy and business development activities get value added input and oversight,” said Kirshbaum Levy.

    In her new role Crosby will oversee all strategy and business development at Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group and will be responsible for identifying, analysing and recommending new business opportunities, as well as providing long-term strategic analysis and vision for existing lines of business.

    Crosby joined Nickelodeon’s business development team in 2001 as director strategy and business development and was named vice president in 2002. She has spearheaded the strategy work for Spike TV’s repositioning, Nickelodeon’s long range plan and Nick’s digital television networks’ positioning and expansion. She was also a key player in vital projects including Nickelodeon’s acquisition of the online site Neopets and MTV Networks’ foray into Video-on-Demand.

    Prior to joining Viacom, Ms. Crosby was an Associate in J.P. Morgan’s Venture Capital and Private Equity group focusing on the telecommunications, technology and media industries, and also worked in the mergers and acquisitions and debt capital markets departments.

  • Americans still gaga over radio: survey

    Americans still gaga over radio: survey

    MUMBAI: Americans rate the importance and relevance of local commercial radio very highly, despite the entry of high-technology competition, a national survey commissioned by American Media Services showed.

    The survey found that 78 per cent said radio is important in their everyday lives, and 91 per cent said radio is important in American life in general. Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) said they listen to radio at least once a day.

    The telephone survey of 1,004 American adults was conducted from 13 – 15 April, 2006 by Omnitel, the weekly omnibus survey by the national polling firm of GfK NOP of Princeton. The survey is considered accurate within plus or minus three percentage points.

    The new findings complement those in AMS’ initial survey in January: 64 per cent said they were listening to radio as much as, or more than, they were five years ago.

    “The evidence from our polls and others is conclusive that people are continuing to listen to their local, free radio stations. Arbitron and Edison Media Research just conducted a national survey of 1,925 respondents that revealed 77 per cent of Americans expect to continue to listen to their radio in the future as much as they are today,” said American Media Services president and CEO Ed Seeger.

    In the AMS survey, 57 per cent of men and 49 per cent of women said they listen to radio at least daily. The availability of music, news and reports on weather and traffic continues to be the most often cited reasons for listening to the radio, with 98 per cent of respondents saying they listen to radio for one of those features. “Radio doesn’t need to reinvent itself. It just needs to get its story out in the marketplace. It continues to thrive with the same basic programming we have embraced for the past half-century,” said Seeger.

    Other findings of the survey include:

    78 per cent usually tune to a local radio station when they get in their car.
    More people had a favorite local radio personality in their local markets (37 per cent) than a favorite television personality per cent (32 per cent), newspaper personality (seven per cent) or personality on a local internet site (one per cent).
    When asked what about the different qualities that make a good radio personality, they ranked four as most important: 89 per cent said they liked to listen to someone who makes them think, 82 per cent said one who makes them laugh, 79 per cent wanted a personality they could trust, and 76 per cent said a good radio personality has strong ties to the local community.
    Overall, 41 per cent of respondents said they liked to listen to stations that have a good balance of music, news, weather and traffic information. That rated above playing their kind of music (26 per cent) or making them laugh (3 per cent).
    Of those respondents who had a “favorite media personality,” 37 per cent said their favorite personality worked on the radio, while 32 per cent said their favorite worked on television.
    61 per cent of those likely to change stations during commercial breaks do so in a minute or less.

  • Tandberg Television appoints Emmanuel Boureau as sales VP, EMEA

    Tandberg Television appoints Emmanuel Boureau as sales VP, EMEA

    MUMBAI: In a move designed to further strengthen and expand its leadership position in Europe, the Middle East amd Africa (EMEA), Tandberg Television has appointed Emmanuel Boureau as VP of Sales for the region.

    Reporting to Eric Baron, Tandberg Television’s EMEA president, Boureau will be responsible for managing and growing the company’s direct and indirect sales channels in EMEA. He will lead the introduction of advanced compression, on-demand and interactive content solutions to cable, satellite, terrestrial and telco operators across the region, states an official release.

    Boureau joins Tandberg Television having spent the past eight years at Harmonic, most recently as European director of sales and pre-sales. Prior to his time at Harmonic, Boureau had a distinguished sales career within the computer industry where he held senior positions at the Digital Equipment Corporation and sales engineering positions at ITT Data Systems.

    “Tandberg Television is the clear leader in the European video compression space and continues to make first-to-market moves that strengthen and secure its pole position. With a best-in-class combination of solutions for IP, HD, on-demand and interactive television, Tandberg Television is in a unique position to help content owners, programmers and network operators leverage new digital media opportunities. Joining Tandberg Television provides me with a senior management role in which I can use my digital television experience as part of a dynamic, winning team,” says Boureau.

    “Emmanuel is an impressive operator with a strong sales track record and exceptional experience of driving a multicultural dispersed sales team. He has a solid understanding of the technology and commercial drivers in the digital television industry that will be of great benefit to Tandberg Television customers. I am delighted that he is joining to lead our EMEA sales team and looking forward to working closely with him as we continue to accelerate our leadership position in the region,” says Baron.

  • Hungama TV gets into action mode on weekends

    Hungama TV gets into action mode on weekends

    MUMBAI: Hungama TV is hotting up on weekends. For the next two weekends, the channel will air international kung-fu films that will keep kids glued to their seats.

    Shaolin Soccer directed by Stephen Chow will be aired on 22 April at 1.30 pm with a repeat telecast at 5.30 pm and 9.30 pm. Rumble in the Bronx starring the kung fu king Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong will be aired on 29 April at 1.30 pm with a repeat telecast at 5.30 pm and 9.30 pm.

    In Shaolin Soccer, a Shaolin Kung-fu practitioner (Lee Wai) is seeking a way to spread the word about his chosen art. He meets a down-on-his-luck lame ex-football player who helps him reconcile with his five brothers and teaches them to play football, adding Shaolin Kung-fu as a twist. They form a team, and are soon entered in a prestigious tournament with a $1 million prize.

    In Rumble in the Bronx, Keong (Jackie Chan) comes from Hong Kong to visit New York for his uncle’s wedding. His uncle runs a market in the Bronx and Keong offers to help out while he is on his honeymoon. Before he knows it, he’s on the mean streets of New York where he’s forced to defend his uncle’s (Bill Tung Bui) supermarket from two separate threats: Local bikers running a protection racket, and a bunch of professional diamond thieves whose latest haul somehow ends up in Chan’s possession.

  • Kajol to present special show ‘The Manish Malhotra Magic’ on Zee Muzic

    Kajol to present special show ‘The Manish Malhotra Magic’ on Zee Muzic

    MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Kajol is set to make her presence felt on the small screen hosting a special show on the music channel — Zee Muzic on 21 April.

    The channel will showcase The Manish Malhotra Magic at 9 pm. In the show, Kajol will share her insights on fashion icon Manish – the designer, the man and the friend. She will speak on Manish’s paranoia, along with her penchant for his designs.

    Commenting on this special Zee Muzic business head Irshwin Balwani said, “Manish has always been strongly associated with Bollywood. Keeping in mind the whole fashion season that’s been going on, be it the Lakmé Fashion Week or the WLIFW, we decided to focus on one designer as a one hour special show. And since Zee Muzic is a Bollywood driven music channel, we thought Manish was apt for this special since he’s synonymous with Bollywood like no other designer is.”

    He said, “We wanted someone who was articulate, who could present Manish correctly and knew him in and out as a person and as a designer, and we couldn’t think of anyone bigger and better than Kajol. Kajol’s is very closely associated with Manish and we couldn’t think of anyone better, who would speak about him the way she has.”

    The one-hour special will showcase Manish’s collection from Lakmé Fashion Week 2006. Kajol will also share her first experience on the ramp. Along with Kajol, Karisma Kapoor and Karan Johar, will share their thoughts on Manish Malhotra.