ITV

Category: Television

  • Sesame Workshop in talks with DD

    Sesame Workshop in talks with DD

    NEW DELHI: Children’s educator and creator of the world famous Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop is in talks with Indian pubcaster Doordarshan for an alliance to reach out to maximum number of children in India.

    “Talks with Doordarshan are in early stages, but we are exploring an option to have a weekend window (time band or slot),” Sesame Workshop president and CEO Gary E. Knell told Indiantelevision.com today.

    DD’s terrestrial platform is being explored by Sesame Workshop, a non-profit organization, as it wants to reach out to the maximum number of children through its innovative and educative programmes. Especially those who do not have access to cable and satellite television.

    To target kids in India’s approximately 61 million C&S households, Sesame Workshop has tied up with Tuner International India (managers of Cartoon Network and Pogo) and the New Delhi-based production house Miditech to bring an Indian version of Sesame Street called Galli Galli Sim Sim from mid-2006 .

    According to Knell, ideally his company would like to have a time slot on DD’s terrestrial network that is suitable for children viewing and where Sesame Workshop characters can be used to spread public service messages too.

    Apart from that, the Sesame Workshop-Turner combine will also explore production of Sesame Street in another Indian language, which could be Tamil. Galli Galli Sim Sim will be in Hindi on Pogo.

    “The work on the other language production, apart from Hindi, will start in a couple of months’ time,” Knell said.

    Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of children around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street.

    Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programmes and products are engaging and enriching.

    Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and groundbreaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia.

  • EuroNews launches on digital cable in Mexico

    EuroNews launches on digital cable in Mexico

    MUMBAI: EuroNews has launched on digital cable in Mexico by Cablevision and has appointed Eurochannel as its exclusive representative for South America. As a result of this partnership, 100,000 subscribers can now watch EuroNews in Spanish, English and French since 1 March 2006.

    Eurochannel’s mission will be to extend the distribution network of the multi language news channel all across the continent via cable, satellite and all new media platforms.

    Based in Miami, USA, Eurochannel distributes a cable TV programming service for pay TV Systems in South America and is released in 25 countries in Latin America. More than six million homes receive Eurochannel and it is a part of the 30 most popular thematic channels available.

    EuroNews president Philippe Cayla said, “EuroNews is the most watched and widely distributed international news channel in Europe. As well as North America, we plan to develop the channel’s distribution in South America. Eurochannel’s in depth market knowledge will be a key element in the implementation of our strategic plans for distribution in these dynamic markets. EuroNews broadcasts in seven languages including the two main languages of South America, Spanish and Portuguese. The channel has great potential to expand its presence on this continent and to bring a new perspective on international news to audiences in these territories.”

    Eurochannel chairman and CEO Gustavo Vainstein added, “We are proud to contribute towards the growth of EuroNews’ distribution in Latin America. EuroNews is eagerly anticipated in Latin America, because everybody in the continent is keen to have access to “the European vision of the world”. EuroNews is also a well known brand for journalist and professionals. With such a powerful mix of brand and programming we envision a rapid development of EuroNews in Latin America.”

  • Hungama TV organises ‘Fireman Sam Saftey Show’ for Mumbai kids

    Hungama TV organises ‘Fireman Sam Saftey Show’ for Mumbai kids

    MUMBAI: Hungama TV has initiated a Fireman Sam Safety show, which is a live experience programme planned to educate and entertain kids all across Mumbai in almost 23 schools, with the help of the Mumbai fire Brigade department. Fire Man Sam is a popular show aired from Monday to Friday on the channel at 1.30 pm.

    Hungama TV hopes to transcend the popularity of the show into awareness about necessary precautions to be undertaken while handling fire.

    Fireman Sam Safety Shows at schools kick started at the beginning of this month at Don Bosco School, Matunga, Podar School, Santacruz and Campion School, Colaba where more than 1400 kids actively participating in this awareness programme and will go on until the end of the month. The highlight of the show is the enthusiastic drill on safety management performed by the local fire department.

    All students are gathered at a common area resembling a fire station replete with safety symbols like fire extinguisher, water bucket, sand bucket etc. An A/V on Fireman Sam sets the tone of the session which is taken forward by Sam’s local friend – our friendly neighborhood fire official who doles out safety guidelines to everyone. A quiz is followed to reinforce the key information amongst the students and prizes given out. Every student attending the drill also takes away exciting goodies consisting safety tips.

    ”This school contact programme activity not only aims at imparting Safety guidelines to young kids but also discarding any kind of fear regarding fire. Through this initiative, Hungama TV in its colourful and attractive way takes steps in the direction of educating and driving awareness around certain domestic issues where kids can be exposed to thereby enabling them to become independent and self-confident,” said UTV senior vice president marketing and communications Siddharth Roy Kapur.

  • Channel [V] to premier Get Gorgeous-III on 16 March

    Channel [V] to premier Get Gorgeous-III on 16 March

    MUMBAI: Starting 16 March, Channel [V] will showcase the third edition of the glam reality show — Get Gorgeous.

    The eight -episode series will have drama, excitement and tribulations of a nationwide search to identify the ‘one’ who has the looks, the grit, the determination and the potential to Get Gorgeous! The show will air at 7:30 pm.

    The first episode captures the excitement of the [v] Get Gorgeous III auditions that were held in New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai, states an official release.

    The chosen ones will be initially screened by the expert panel to arrive at a shortlist of 15 finalists. These 15 selected faces will then be given a complete makeover and grooming by Noyonika Chatterjee along with the panel of experts from the industry such as dancer and choreographer Rajiv Goswami; ace photographer- Colstan Julian; styling partnertship from Elle editor – Nonita Kalra and skin experts from Kaya Skin Clinic, offering the finalists the opportunity to reveal their true beauty in the competition there on.

  • MTNL selects Time Broadband for IPTV

    MTNL selects Time Broadband for IPTV

    MUMBAI: State-owned telecom major MTNL has selected Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd, India (TBSPL) to develop and handle the content delivery network for its IPTV services.

    TBSPL has signed a seven-year deal which will have IT major HP as its systems integrator. The company will design and deploy the content delivery network, aggregate and repurpose content, and market and promote the services

    “We have signed with Time Broadband as our franchisee for setting up the content delivery network. The first launch of IPTV will be in Delhi and Mumbai will follow. We expect to launch the service commercially by June,” says MTNL executive director, Mumbai, MS Rana.

    Time Broadband will have Israel-based Infogate Online as its middleware vendor while Verimatrix Inc. will provide content protection solutions. The digital headend will be from Optibase. Amino and Softier Inc. set-top boxes are being tested.

    “We are extremely glad to participate with a telecom giant for the IPTV project. While MTNL is investing on the networking technology, we are pumping in money for the content delivery network. HP is our systems integrator and will also be responsible for risk mitigation of the technology. The scalability test is being done in their laboratory at Grenoble in the US,” says Time Broadband managing director Sujata Dev.

    MTNL has invested in deploying a networking platform developed by Ericsson. On this network, MTNL can run its triple play services – voice, data and video.

    The telecom company is employing ADSL 2+ technology that can safely take up to 24 mbps at the origination point, says MTNL general manager broadband Peeyush Agrawal. “For the video part, we are using MPEG-4 compression technology,” he adds.

  • SifyMax launches city-centric broadband portal

    SifyMax launches city-centric broadband portal

    BANGALORE: www.sifymax.in, the broadband portal from Sify Limited, has launched www.bangalorelive.in, the country’s first city-centric broadband website.

    Bangalorelive.in will showcase original Bangalore-centric video content, created exclusively for an online audience. The videos will focus on city news and events, entertainment, celebrities, lifestyle, commerce and politics, anchored by Net Jockeys (NJs), a new concept introduced by Bangalorelive in India. The Net Jockeys will also present daily news bulletins on video, covering the latest happenings in the city extensively.

    The broadband website also features, for the first time in India, live video feeds from traffic web-cams stationed at key junctions of the city including Brigade Road and Hosur Road, states an official release.

    A key aspect of Bangalorelive is the options for users to publish their views, participate in Bangalore-specific discussions and upload their own content in images and videos, the release adds. They can also message greetings through Short Message Service (SMS) to their friends who are using the site that will scroll across the home page on a ticker. The idea is to make Bangalorelive the online resource and home for Bangalore’s citizens, and the perfect way for Banglorian living elsewhere to stay in touch with what’s happening in their home city.

    Nikhil Chinapa, the popular MTV VJ from Bangalore, now based in Mumbai, says, “Considering that people from Bangalore have a really strong emotional bond to what they consider ‘their’ city, a site like Bangalorelive.in is a great way for them to stay in touch with all that’s happening in the city. No matter where they are now, Bombay, Delhi, Canada or the US, every Bangalorean can keep up to date on what’s happening in Bangalore-the clubs, the music, the buzz, news, hot topics, and in recent times, the latest traffic as well.”

    Sify Limited senior VP Surya Mantha says, “This is one of the most exciting web initiatives in recent times, and we believe that the people of Bangalore will embrace it and truly make it come alive! The site is India’s first city-centric broadband website designed to be the Bangalore citizens community media channel for airing their views, discussing hot local topics and building their own personal space online”.

    Mantha added, “With 24×7 live video coverage of the city’s traffic, news & events, reviews, news from around town presented by India’s first Net Jockeys, television-style newscasts and most importantly, video and image galleries for users, Bangalorelive is all set to change the online experience of people from Bangalore, whether they are in the city or elsewhere. The website also features Bangalore-specific classified advertisements for jobs, matrimony, real estate and automobiles which can be posted and viewed by the users free of cost”.

    Bangalore residents who log on to www.bangalorelive.in can take part in the four-week long contest, which ends on March 18th 2006, offering the all-new Scorpio as the mega prize! Users just have to watch three videos, and answer one question on each, to be eligible to win the Scorpio. Contestants also win iPods and World Space Receivers every week!

    The launch of Bangalorelive began with a four week-long event across the city billed the “Battle of the DJs”. Three of Bangalore’s best DJs are competing for the ‘Favourite DJ’ title. Bangaloreans can vote for their choice by sending an SMS to 4545, Sify’s short code for text messages. The DJ with the most popular votes wins! The grand finale starts at 7 pm on 18 March at Freeway 19, Palace Grounds.

  • Star Movies presents Ladder 49

    Mumbai, March 16, 2006… Fire! It’s man’s most ancient friend, but also our most ancient foe. Sure, it might toast our marshmallows and keep us snuggly in the wintertime – but when it starts ravaging our homes the truce is well and truly off. And that’s when we need firefighters! It’s time for adrenaline, overflowing action as Star Movies presents the John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix starrer, ‘Ladder 49’, a gripping film about the life of a fireman, on Friday, March 24th at 9 p.m.

    Ladder 49 is the story of a firefighter- the loves, the losses and of course the roaring flames! Under the watchful eye of his mentor Captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta), probationary firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he’s made have put him in harm’s way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he gets trapped inside a 20-story building. As he reflects on his life, now Assistant Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him.

    This action packed, star-studded film bagged $100,572,044 at the worldwide box office. Catch some spectacular special effects and stunt work and some very impressive performances by actors like Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta in this gripping film which will keep you glued to your seat, right till the very end.
    Experience the life of a firefighter by watching this spectacular action-packed film, Ladder 49 on Friday, March 24th at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.

    About Star
    STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 50 television services in nine languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world’s largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com

    For further information please contact:
    In Mumbai
    Zeenat Khan Shiraz Bhavnani / Aditi Chada
    Asst. Vice President – Publicity Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
    STAR (India) Ltd. Tel: 91-22-5656 8787
    Tel No. 91-22-56305555 Fax: 91-22-5656 8788
    Email:sbhavnani@vccpl.com / achada@vccpl.com

  • Journalist to start news portal

    Journalist to start news portal

    Another print medium journalist bites the dot com bullet. Managing editor of Outlook newsmagazine, Tarun Tejpal, has quit to start tehelka.com, claimed to be India’s first independent news portal.

    Tehelka Communications Ltd, the company that will manage the affairs of tehelka.com, will have majority shareholding by the Tejpals (52.5 per cent), while 25 per cent will be held by adman Suhel Seth.

    “It’s an ambitious project and we are looking at a really comprehensive horizontal portal which will not only provide news, but also information on issues like literature, etc.,” Tehelka Communications’ chief executive Tarun Tejpal said, claiming it will be India’s first independent news portal.

    The board of this new dotcom company will include illustrious personalities like Khushwant Singh, R.K. Laxman, V.S. Naipaul and Russi Mody.

    In the initial phase the investment to be made in tehelka.com project is to the tune of approximately $ 2 million. The project, likely to be up by mid-May, is looking at attracting investments up to $ 10 million by second quarter of this year. According to Suhel Seth, involved in this venture in his personal capacity, tehelka.com will cater to both the high and low brow as it will have the zing necessary to attract hits. Though Seth was unwilling to divulge more financial details, IT industry sources said that venture capital funding will be tapped too. “In the initial phase about 10 per cent is likely to be offloaded to the venture capital fund which invests in the company,” a source close to Tehelka Communications said, adding, “Talks are already on with a Mumbai-based VCF.”

    A certain quantum of the equity stake in the company has been reserved for the employees stock option plan (ESOP), Tejpal said. This has been necessitated as some of the finest brains in journalism will be joining the project, including some from Outlook magazine.

    Tehelka.com is looking at having more than one model for generating revenue. One is the traditional one of making the site and detailed information susbcription-based. Another stream of revenue being looked at is facilitating downloading of magazines and excerpts from yet-to-be-published books for a price.

    But tehelka.com will have to face competition from existing news sites and portals like india-today.com and indiatimes.com and some like GO4i (go for India) which are in the offing and backed by big media houses.

    For example, in a two-pronged Internet strategy, The Hindustan Times Ltd, through an offshore company, based in the United States, has formed a joint venture with Chase Capital Partners with equal equity participation from both for development of a horizontal portal, tentatively called GO4i (go for India).

  • Aditya Shastri quits UTV as motion pictures COO

    Aditya Shastri quits UTV as motion pictures COO

    MUMBAI: Aditya Shastri, who had joined UTV as COO motion pictures production in late 2004, has quit the company. “We mutually agreed to part ways,” a source in UTV said.

    Shastri had moved to UTV from Twentieth Century Fox where he served as managing director. At Fox, he had handled and released several blockbusters such as Moulin Rouge, Die Another Day and The Day After Tomorrow.

    “I have left UTV. I am joining a new company on 15 April,” Shastri told indiantelevision.com.
    UTV has been enjoying major successes on the movie front this year with productions like the Aamir Khan superhit Rang De Basanti and Taxi No 9211 hitting the jackpot.

    The company has also distributed products in various territories including heavyweight titles such as Lagaan, Lakshya, Mission Kashmir, Parineeta and Viruddh.

  • Entertainment industry to be valued at Rs 650 billion

    Entertainment industry to be valued at Rs 650 billion

    A comprehensive report on the entertainment industry, the first of its kind, has been compiled by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) along with Arthur Anderson. The report reveals very positive and optimistic figures projected for the entertainment industry’s growth. The media committee is headed by Lalit Modi and the members include Plus Channel’s CEO Amit Khanna, Sone Entertainment Television’s CEO Kunal Das Gupta and ESPN India Chairman Manu Sawhney along with representatives of film, music and entertaiment industry.

    The report says that the Indian entertainment industry’s turnover will touch Rs 650 billion in the year 2005 from the current Rs 150 billion. The television software industry is slated to grow to Rs 90 billion, music industry to Rs 22 billion from the current Rs 12.54 billion where as the live entertainment sector would be worth Rs 33.65 billion from the current Rs 2 billion.

    The survey suggests private or progressive participation in Doordarshan. Other suggestions are as follows:

    * Creating a special anti-piracy cell with the police department to combat the growing piracy menace.
    * Developing closer association with international cells guarding against piracy and streamlining anti-piracy laws with that of US, UK etc.
    * Bringing the industry in parity with the information technology sector with respect to overseas investment and stock listing norms.
    * Providing stable legislation for the issue of radio broadcasting licences.
    * Reviewing the functioning of the Censor Board in light of the changing scenario and citizens increasingly demanding the right to make their own decisions on entertainment.
    * Issuing board regulations/guidelines for banks and financial institutions to facilitate lending to this intellectual property related industry.
    * Reviewing archaic laws and onerous responsibilities cast on the industry particularly in the film exhibition and live entertainment sectors.

    The Ficci has organised a conference on 30 March and 31 March, 2000 in Mumbai to discuss the problems faced by the entertainment industry. Industry bigwigs and political bigwigs are slated to attend the seminar.