ITV

Category: Television

  • SBS Broadcasting sees success with first original drama series

    SBS Broadcasting sees success with first original drama series

    CANNES: Capitalising on its successful productions of local formats, SBS Broadcasting has branched out into original scripted drama development. The pan-European broadcaster’s first original dramatic series For Better or Worse runs Monday through Friday 7 pm time slot on host network TV2 Hungary.

    Today, more than a year since its debut, For Better or Worse continues to average 1.35 million viewers for a 14.4 rating/28 share among total viewers nationwide, the company claims in an official release.

    Initially conceived in November 2004 by Interaktiv, the SBS-owned production company, For Better or Worse (Joban Rosszban in Hungarian) is a hospital drama series set in the small town of Csillagkut, near the capital city of Budapest. The hospital, Csillagvirag Clinic, is privately owned by Peter Pongracz (the series’ protagonist) and his sister Reka, both practicing doctors. Focusing on the everyday lives of the town’s three most influential families – the Pongracz, Nemes and Varnagy families – the series explores human relationships as well as medical issues.

    The multi-layered storylines, crafted by the writing team of the scripted division of Interaktiv, involve elements of romance, jealousy, adolescence, comedy, and drama.

    TV2 head of programming Lóránd Poich says: “We are very pleased with the audiences’ response to For Better or Worse. Airing the program as a half-hour daily strip for over a year, we are encouraged by its ability to deliver consistently across all target demographic groups, proving to us that locally produced programming resonates with the viewer and really does provide an advantage to our station.”

    Added SBS Broadcasting VP production Daniela Matei, “This series has been an interesting exploration of developing original scripted drama series for our stations. As you know, our corporate mandate is always to deliver the best programming possible in the most cost effective and efficient manner. And based on the continuing success of this series and the affordability of the production, we are now looking at the possibility of adapting the local Hungarian scripts for other markets.”

  • Endemol’s game shows sold worldwide

    Endemol’s game shows sold worldwide

    MUMBAI: Endemol International has announced several new deals on hit game show Deal or No Deal, the recently acquired Take It or Leave It property and 1 vs 100.

    Take It or Leave It from Intellygents has been sold to Telecinco in Spain where the first series is due to launch later this year. And in Italy, RAI has renewed the show for a second season following its successful run last summer. The format has also just gone to air on NL2 (TROS) in the Netherlands.

    In the Middle East, Deal or No Deal is heading to LBC following a previous run on MBC. LBC is launching a new prime time daily version this month. The format is also set to air in Denmark later this year on TV2. The format has now been sold to 45 countries worldwide including the U.S.

    In Asia, VTV in Vietnam acquired 1 vs. 100 for launch in May. The show also recently premiered in Norway where it is a prime time hit for TV2. 1 vs. 100 has now been sold to 12 countries with both weekly and daily versions on the air.

  • Nominations announced for Banff World Television Awards

    Nominations announced for Banff World Television Awards

    MUMBAI: With the largest number of entries submitted over the past five years, the Banff World Television Festival has announced its 2006 Banff World Television Award nominees.

    This year’s festival boasts 101 nominated programmes across 18 categories, from more than 1,000 entries submitted. The Banff World Television Festival takes place from 11to 14 June 2006 in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
    TThe program nominees represent 24 countries including Australia, France, Germany, the UK, and the US.

    The nominees, as well as the 18 “Best-of” category winners, are chosen by the Banff selection jury. The jury meets for several days prior the Festival to screen the 18 category winners and ultimately decide the Grand Prize winner for the best overall program of the 2006 Banff World Television Awards.

    Banff selection jury chairman Jerry Ezekiel says, “This year’s volume signals a resurgence for the Banff competition. Moreover, we believe this year’s programme makers have set a new standard for quality. The cream of this year’s crop is an outstanding line-up from major content-creators in television and related media.”

    The jury also decides the winners of the $25,000 NHK President’s Prize, for the best HDTV program, and two Special Jury Prizes, awarded to the producers of two programs chosen from a shortlist of nominees designated by the Selection Jury. A separate all-Canadian jury will select the winner of the Best Canadian Programme in this year’s competition.

    Winners will be presented the coveted “Rockie” statuette at the Global Television Banff World Television Awards show on 12 June. Prior to the awards show, the nominees will be featured in Best of Banff World Television Award Tours and in the Best of Interactive Television From Around the World panel.
    In the animation category the nominees are Charlie & Lola: I Am Not Sleepy And I Will Not Go To Bed, HBO’s Classical Baby, UTV’s Jane and the Dragon: Shall We Dance, PBS’ John and Michael and Film Australia’s The Safe House. Comedies

    The comedy show nominees are ABC’s hit Desperate Housewives: That’s Good, That’s Bad,, BBC and HBO’s Extras: Kate Winslet, Channel 4’s IT Crowd, CBC’s The Rick Mercer Report III and Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s We Can Be Heroes. The interactive television nominees are Interactive Television BBC’s How to Sleep Better, Comedy Network’s Odd Job Jack: Odd Job Jack, Worldwide Web’s ReGenesis II: Extended Reality Game, BBC’s Shakespeare : Shakespeare’s Stories and Teletoon’s Zimmer Twins.

    The mini series nominees are BBC’s Bleak House, France 2’s De Gaulle, The Laser Man, HBO’s Rome and BBC’s Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky. Competing for the best unscripted entertainment programme are The Apprentice: Home Shopping Channel, Dragons’ Den, Paradise Lost, Setting Sail To The New World: Departure and Young Black Farmers.

  • Reality TV lines up shows for animal lovers

    Reality TV lines up shows for animal lovers

    MUMBAI: Reality TV has announced that it will air a host of shows this month like Campus Vets, Raising Rover, Dr G, Eye for An Eye and Matchmaker. The first two shows are dedicated to animals.

    Reality TV – Asia marketing manager Flecka Picardo says, “It has been Reality TV’s conscious attempt to provide meaningful, real life entertainment filled programmes tour Indian viewers. We are confident that these new programmes will further strengthen the position of the channel in India and will be appreciated by our viewers.”

    Campus Vets tells the stories of student veterinarians a veterinary school in Canada. This series showcases Canada’s young vets in training, as they pursue demanding careers of immense responsibility. Shot at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Teaching Hospital – a 24-hour facility – the young vets discover that learning to save the lives of animals is the challenge of a lifetime. Campus Vets chronicles moments where animal owner and are bound together in a race against time.

    American forensic pathologist Dr. Jan Garavaglia, takes viewers on an unprecedented look behind-the scenes at the world of science, mystery and justice in Dr G: Medical Examiner. Each programme features examinations of several deaths, including actual autopsies and exploring the investigative process.
    Caising Rover is a programme showing the rise in social status of dogs in a critical and engaging way. It explores the high-end dog designer business and looks at how this new class of canines is being indulged in ways once unimaginable.

    Eye for an Eye offers a twist on popular courtroom drama. It captures the essence of justice and puts punishment front and centre. Reality TV says that the show is a non-traditional, no-nonsense, no-holds-barred spectacle of trial and punishment. Eye for an Eye features Judge Extreme Akim, sentencing his litigants to “paybacks”. The programme promises to be witness to a diverse mix of cases all unravelling in the courtroom followed by consummation in a real world punishment phase.

    Matchmaker is all about friends hooking up friends on dates. It starts by tracking down someone special, facilitating a pre-date makeover or even sending them to a dominatrix if the matchmaker thinks their friend needs to be more assertive.

  • Malayala Manorama gears up to launch news channel Manorama News

    Malayala Manorama gears up to launch news channel Manorama News

    MUMBAI: The Malayalam print major Malayala Manorama is looking to launch its news channel Manorama News by the month of May. The channel will launch under the banner of Manorama’s newly formed television division MM TV.

    The company has almost completed the recruitment drive and presently, fine-tuning of the technology features is being carried out.

    “We haven’t zeroed in on the launch date yet, but it may happen by the month of May. We want to enter the market well prepared, complete to the final details,” says Johny Lukose, who will lead the news team in the capacity of news director.

    Lukose said Manorama News would have a team of about 100 journalists, and 80 per cent of the appointments have already been completed. The channel will also leverage strength from the wide network of journalists working for the print establishment Malayala Manorama. Former Asianet news editor K Jaideep will report to Lukose as coordinating editor of the channel.

    Manorama News will be headquartered in Aroor, near Kochi, where the company has set up its news studio. Two smaller studios have been set up in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

    MM TV has also finalised the logo for the news channel. The logo, which shows three geometrical designs coming together to form the letter M, is created by Red Bee Media (formerly BBC Broadcast).

    Lukose added that the channel would be backed by news broadcasting’s latest technology. Some of the latest technology features the channel has signed up include the IconMasterT system for master control with embedded multi-layer branding. The software is developed by the US-headquartered Harris Broadcast Communications.

  • Sify is webcasting India-England ODIs

    Sify is webcasting India-England ODIs

    MUMBAI: Sify, which works in the area of consumer Internet and Enterprise Services in India with global delivery capabilities, is live webcasting the current One Day International (ODIs) series between India and England.

    Sify senior VP interactive services Surya Mantha said, “This is another first in our quest to provide the most exciting India-centric broadband content for Internet users. Cricket in India goes beyond a national passion- its practically a religion! Now broadband users will be able to watch the ODIs from the office, or from Sify iWays in over 149 cities across the country.

    “The live webcast of the first ODI on 28 March at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground in Delhi received an overwhelming response, and confirms our belief that there is a large and growing number of broadband users who are turning to the Net for all their needs. Our intention is to make www.sifymax.in their home on the web with initiatives such as this”.

    SifyMax holds the internet and broadband rights for India for the live webcast of the one day series. So SifyMax users will be able to view each match live, ball-by-ball, as they would on TV.

    For users who are unable to access the live feed due to overwhelming demand, a live video scorecard is also available on SifyMax. The video scorecard provides video clips of the highlights of the game as it unfolds- how 4’s and 6’s were hit, how the wickets fell, catches and run outs.

    The live webcasts can also be accessed from over 3100 iWay cyber cafes across the country as they all have broadband connectivity.

  • Discovery Travel & Living redefines primetime with new Theme Weeks series

    Discovery Travel & Living redefines primetime with new Theme Weeks series

    MUMBAI: Entertainment via television is competitive and viewer-driven. Last season’s strategy of Theme Week series on weekdays prime time has worked for the lifestyle channel Discovery Travel & Living. The channel’s current quarterly plan for April to June will continue to focus on promoting appointment viewing in the Monday to Friday 9 pm time slot.

    Accepting the truism that weekday viewing differs from weekend viewing, the channel first introduced the concept of Theme Weeks in January this year. During the week, people have more consistent and routine living patterns: They get up, go to work, come home, eat and watch TV. And, tapping these viewers by appointment with its Q1 Theme-Week strategy, Discovery Travel & Living will present thirteen new captivating themes in the next three months.
    Starting today (3 April), the channel will present the best and latest of lifestyle programming, offering viewers a better understanding and control over their television viewing. London Week is the first to be aired as part of the Theme Week series from 3 to 7 April.

    Here, viewers follow the hidden trails into London’s most renowned historic and cultural destinations. Starting with a journey deep inside the world’s most luxurious department store, Harrods, to the never before tour into Madame Tussad’s Wax Museum. Get a glimpse of London as a secret destination for high rollers and big spenders, where millions are won and lost in minutes. It’s London like you’ve never known before.

    Discovery Networks India vice president – Lifestyle Aditya Tripathi said, “Discovery Travel & Living has witnessed a considerable surge in viewership in the first three months of 2006 reflecting viewers’ endorsement of the concept of theme weeks. The strategy has also allowed us to successfully communicate the channel’s diverse programming.”
    Apart from London Week being aired this week, the Theme Weeks line-up from 10 April to 23 June includes the following:

    Miami Ink Week from 10 to 14 April: Miami Ink is a specialised tattoo shop on South Beach, Miami. This reality series showcases the ordeals of four friends and their apprentice as they try to build a thriving business based on their extraordinary art.

    American Casino Week from 17 to 21 April: This series chronicles the high pressure, high stakes world of brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and their crack management staff tasked with running the day-to-day operations of their ultra-exclusive Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Fashion Week from 24 to 28 April: The week is all about high-end designers and models. Filled with attitude and visual treat, this series will have viewers hooked to their television sets.

    Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbour Week from 1 to 5 May: Armed with little more than his prejudices, Jeremy heads off to continental Europe to discover some surprising insights about fellow nationals – as well as his own neighbouring Brits. His liking for some and strong dislike for others is worth watching as he indulges in friendly banters. The series is at its cynical and sarcastic best.

    King of The Road Week from 8 to 12 May: This series is all about the mean beasts on the road. From Harley Davidson to Mustang, the week will uncover some of over-the-top muscle machine.

    15 to 19 May will feature the Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen Week: The mother of all reality shows, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen is about famous chef Gordon Ramsay and his no-nonsensical and at times brutal training of contesting trainees in inculcating culinary perfection.

    France Week from 22 to 26 May will take viewers from Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, from Moulin Rouge to Bordeaux and all through France and the historic landmarks of the country.

    Viva Las Vegas Week from 29 May to 2 June: The series encapsulates the lifestyle of the rich and famous and where they go to party.

    5 to 9 June features the Faking It Week: It tells the stories of real people who take on the challenge of transforming themselves into someone entirely different. Our “Faker” is plucked from their natural habitat and given three to four weeks to master an alien skill well enough to fool a group of industry judges. It is a nail-biting journey as our hero tries to survive and compete in a foreign world.

    Anthony Bourdain Week from 12 to 16 June: The Indiana Jones of the culinary world is at your doorstep. Travel with Anthony Bourdain as he visits countries, meets people, learns new recipes while mastering the art of cooking them.

    And, from 19 to 23 June the channel will air the Celebrity Week: Be it Madonna’s Hollywood hideaway or Paula Abdul’s private retreat or joining Jennifer Lopez for a Cuban cuisine meal, Celebrity Week will provide viewers with the passport to the life of these icons.

    With these series, Discovery Travel & Living will offer an eclectic mix of lifestyle programming to help viewers filter the clutter of prime time television to make the best use of their leisure time.

  • ESS looks to spread the Fifa fever with production, marketing initiatives

    ESS looks to spread the Fifa fever with production, marketing initiatives

    MUMBAI: One of ESPN Star Sports’ (ESS) biggest properties for the year is the football World cup. While the event is still a few months away and takes place from 9 June to 9 July 2006, the channel has announced a slew of initiatives that it is hoping will build excitement.

    ESS India MD RC Venkateish said, “The Fifa World Cup is one of the most watched sporting spectacles across the globe with last edition having a cumulative audience base of 28.8 billion worldwide. ESPN Star Sports will be unveiling a comprehensive programming around it to give the Indian viewers an experience of a lifetime to build their interest in the FIFA World Cup by creating an appeal.”

    Production values to be given a boost: Venkateish explains that to start with, ESS has established a distinguished and enriched studio panel of presenters for the World Cup. Gerry Armstrong, ex-Irish International and now a soccer expert with ESS; Steve McMahon, ex- England and Liverpool player and ESS presenter Harsha Bhogle for the World Cup. ESS is counting on the three generations of sports expert to provide a new dimension to the telecast of the event to viewers in India.

    The broadcaster will also have Indian soccer experts, Novy Kapadia, Noel Da Kima Leitao, P.K. Bannerjee and Bhaichung Bhutia from India joining the above mentioned studio panel as guests every week during the event. For coverage from the venues, the broadcaster will have two dedicated teams in Germany comprising Anand Narsimhan, Dave Roberts and Jason Dasey, who will capture the World Cup craze live from the host nation. Additionally, a special Indian ESS production team will travel across India to catch the enthusiasm among the Indian soccer fanatics.

    The sports network will also have a special Hindi feed for traditional markets in India during the event. Elaborating on this initiative, Venkateish said, “We are looking to reach the mass Indian market during this World Cup to build soccer as a sport in the country and localisation of content has helped us increase our penetration in traditional markets of India. The special Hindi feed will add a lot of value to our telecast especially for viewers who find it difficult to understand the heavily accented English or for viewers who are not familiar with English at all.”

    Venkateish is confident about the viewership for the event as the matches have convenient timings with some matches starting as early as 6:30 in the evening,. 75 million Indians sampled the telecast of World Cup 2002, with a cumulative audience reach of 804 million in India. He further says that the ratings of the Fifa World Cup have been higher than the ratings of an India cricket test match.

    “Soccer is getting much bigger in India than it was in 2002; with over 55 million people watching the European League this season.” he adds

    A strong marketing push: From this month, the broadcaster will carry out various marketing initiatives to promote and build up the popularity even more.

    ESS will be undertaking a nation wide search for eight school children to be chosen as the Fifa fairplay flag bearers at the World Cup. The contest will be an opportunity for the school children to travel to Germany and stand with their favourite stars during the pre match ceremony.

    McMahon said, “It feels wonderful to be on the panel as an expert covering the World Cup. The Fifa World Cup is the most anticipated event for any sports fan and I am looking forward to covering the mega event from ESPN Star Sports studios. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a footballer and being part of the England squad for Italia ’90. Now I look forward to my new role as an expert analyst for Germany 2006. I will give my best to the fans and play my part to help grow the popularity of this fantastic sport.”

    Bhogle said, “I have always been committed to ESPN Star Sports for programming and am honoured to be part of this special India presentation for the biggest sporting event in the world. We have got an excellent team and look forward to maintaining the presenting standards ESPN Star Sports has set in India.”

    A New Show: To build up hype for the event, the channel will also have Fifa programming to generate viewer interest. From Wednesday 4 April, the channel will telecast FIFA World Cup Stories. This will showcase stories in the World Cup history. Six episodes of half an hour duration will provide angles to chapters of the event. The programmes will feature stories on the most surprising and shocking results in the World Cup, Golden Boot winners of the previous editions, dramatic penalty shoot outs, young stars of the sport and rise to top of some of the underdogs. An extensive programming will follow the Fifa World Cup Stories on Fifa till the World Cup starts.

  • Canadian teens continue to watch less television: Survey

    Canadian teens continue to watch less television: Survey

    MUMBAI: A report from survey and research firm Statistics Canada notes that in the fall of 2004, Canadian teens aged 12 to 17 spent 12.9 hours a week in front of the TV, two hours less than in 2003 and almost three hours less than five years ago.

    This drop can partly be attributed to the Internet. According to the survey data on household spending, Internet use in households with children under 18 has risen substantially, from 50 in 1999 to 82 per cent in 2004.

    News and public affairs programmes experienced the sharpest decline with teen viewers. In 2004, teens spent only 9.4 per cent of their total viewing time on this type of show, down from 17.4 per cent in 2003. The full brunt of this loss came from Canadian programmes.

    Men aged 18 to 24 watched the least amount of television (12.3 hours a week), whereas women 60 and over watched the most (35.6 hours a week).

    Canadians spent 6.5 per cent of their television viewing time tuned into sports in the fall of 2004, down from 8.2 per cent in 2003. People were also spending less time watching programs with Canadian content, with viewer time falling to 37.2 per cent in 2004 from 40.2 per cent a year earlier.

    Among all the age/gender groups, men aged 18 and older account for the majority of viewers of sports programs. In the fall of 2004, they spent 11.3 per cent of their time watching sports broadcasts, down from 14.3 per cent in 2003.

    The cancellation of the 2004/05 National Hockey League season also significantly reduced Canadian content viewing. In the fall of 2004, it represented 45 per cent of sports programming, a significant drop from 62 per cent in 2003. In previous years, Canadian sports programming viewing had been relatively stable.

    This, in turn, affected the overall proportion of television viewing of programmes with Canadian content. On conventional Canadian television stations, Canadian content dropped to 54.1 per cent in 2004 from 56.5 per cent in 2003. On Canadian pay and specialty channels, Canadian programs accounted for only 36.8 per cent of viewing, down from 44 per cent in 2003.

  • Animax to launch in Korea later this month

    Animax to launch in Korea later this month

    MUMBAI: Animation channel Animax will be launched in Korea later this month. It has hired three experienced senior staff members to ensure a smooth launch and successful programming and operations.

    A joint venture between Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) and Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting (KDB), Animax Korea will be carried exclusively on KDB’S DTH platform, SkyLife, which has a subscriber base of about 1.9 million in Korea.

    Marty Hong, Sang-Im Kim and S.K. Kim, have been appointed in various senior capacities, bringing with them rich experience in their areas of expertise to ensure the successful launch of Animax Korea.

    Hong is the channel’s representative director. He has more than 15 years of working experience in the media and pay TV industry. He was previously MBC Dramanet MD.

    Hong will be supported by Sang-Im Kim and S.K. Kim. Sang-Im Kim has assumed the post of programming director and will report directly to Hong. She will be responsible for the programming of Animax Korea, as well as on-air promotion and off-air marketing activities. Kim’s experience spans more than 11 years in the pay TV industry, and was previously KDB channel manager where she oversaw and supported foreign retransmission channels on the DTH platform.

    S.K. Kim will be Animax Korea’s finance director/CFO and will be in charge of all financial aspects of the channel. He is a US CPA and has more than 14 years of financial and accounting experience.