ITV

Category: Post Production

  • FremantleMedia & Telefe to co-develop entertainment formats for Latin America

    FremantleMedia & Telefe to co-develop entertainment formats for Latin America

    MUMBAI: In a bid to grow its business in emerging markets, including Latin America, FremantleMedia has inked a two year co-development partnership with Argentina’s television network, Telefe to create and develop entertainment/non-scripted formats for the Argentinian and wider-Latin American market.

     

    Based in Buenos Aires, the development team will comprise staff from both companies, with Telefe drawing on FremantleMedia’s creative strength to co-develop original entertainment IP. Telefe will have exclusive rights on all new shows to broadcast on its Argentinian network in Argentina and across Latin America, reaching millions of viewers. FremantleMedia has worldwide rights to the shows created through the deal, which will be sold through its international distribution network, FMI and its global network of production companies.

     

    FremantleMedia Latin America CEO Adrián Santucho said, “Today’s agreement is an important and exciting step forward in FremantleMedia’s plans to grow its business in Latin America as we develop and produce shows for the Argentinian market. As the country’s most popular television network, we couldn’t have asked for a better partner. We’re really looking forward to working with Tomás and his team over the next two years to create shows that will appeal to audiences in Argentina and around the world.”

     

    Telefe head of entertainment Tomás Yankelevich added, “FremantleMedia is a world-renowned producer of entertainment shows, loved by audiences all over the globe. We embark on this exciting challenge with great enthusiasm. Telefe has been producing entertainment shows with vast success for decades in Argentina. Now, with the expansion of our content development team, and working together with Fremantle, we know it is a big step forward to generate new formats, not only for our screen but also for the rest of the world.”

     

    The deal with Telefe is the latest of a number of creative partnerships undertaken by FremantleMedia recently in order to co-develop new formats. In April 2015, the company set up a joint venture with Shanghai Media Group’s BesTV and China Media Capital to create formats for China, and announced in September that it was teaming up with newly-formed Danish production company, Skylark, to develop entertainment formats via a creative hub, based in Copenhagen.

  • Disney CEO Robert Iger’s pay falls 3.4% to $44.9 million in 2015

    Disney CEO Robert Iger’s pay falls 3.4% to $44.9 million in 2015

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Robert Iger’s reported compensation drop 3.4 per cent to $44.9 million for the fiscal year ending October 2015, as his cash bonus depleted by $410,000 and the value of a pension declined due to an accounting change.

     

    Iger’s base salary of $2.5 million was unchanged from 2014, when his overall compensation came in at $46.5 million. That  was an increase as compared to his 2013 package of $34.3 million. He also earned $22.3 million in non-equity incentives, $8.9 million in stock awards and $8.4 million in option awards.

     

    As per a proxy filed by Disney, Iger’s bonus fell to $22.3 million in the fiscal year that ended on 29 Sept ember, 2015. The biggest factor was a change in a discount rate applied to his pension, which resulted in an almost 50 per cent drop in its reported value, to $1.42 million.

     

    Disney, which has seen a strong box office in 2015, is currently basking in the glory of record worldwide collections from the recently released Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

  • Prime Focus Technologies inks deal with Miramax

    Prime Focus Technologies inks deal with Miramax

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology arm of Prime Focus, has entered into an agreement with global film and television studio Miramax.

     

    PFT will utilise its Primetime Emmy Award-winning DAX, part of the CLEAR Media ERP Suite, to assist Miramax in virtualising its content supply chain and production workflows, helping to reduce content turnaround times, enhance efficiencies, and drive creative enablement.

     

    DAX allows for the secure exchange, collaboration and distribution of work-in-progress materials throughout the content creation lifecycle. This includes, but is not limited to, accessing who viewed, liked, shared and downloaded content (takes, scenes, cuts and complete films/episodes), incorporating user comments and time-code stamps for content review and approvals, transcoding, batch watermarking, image management and more.

     

    “In utilising PFT’s production solutions, DAX and Digital Dailies, Miramax’s creative teams can view in-process production content and access it in a secure on-the-go manner. PFT recently expanded upon the patent for DAX and Digital Dailies technology, demonstrating the continued evolution and development of the software,” said Prime Focus Technologies president, North America Patrick Macdonald-King.

  • BBC & Pact outline policy framework for BBC Studios

    BBC & Pact outline policy framework for BBC Studios

    MUMBAI: The BBC has entered into an agreement with the British trade association Pact regarding the BBC Studios proposal.

     

    The proposed policy framework will “strengthen the UK production sector and bring substantial benefits in terms of opening up new commissioning opportunities to competition.”

     

    BBC director of strategy and digital James Purnell says, “We welcome the agreement reached with Pact. Creative competition is in the best interest of audiences and BBC Studios is an essential part of the BBC’s future.”

     

    Pact CEO John McVay adds, “Pact is pleased that we have been able to negotiate a progressive agreement with the BBC that will result in even more competition at the BBC for the best programmes regardless of who makes them. This will build on the success of the WOCC and ensure BBC licence fee payers continue to enjoy the best of British.”

     

    The new charter and agreement will set out a policy framework for the relationship between BBC Public Service, BBC Studios and BBC Worldwide.  The proposal is that the agreement should include a set of guiding principles for how BBC Studios, as a commercial entity, should operate, and its relationship with the BBC Public Service. Additionally, there should be no cross-subsidy from BBC Public Service to BBC Studios; a separation between the finances and operations of BBC Public Service and BBC Studios; and fair transfer pricing.

     

    The proposal also states that there should be an “arms’ length commissioning, with commissions offered to BBC Studios subject to the same range of published tariffs and terms as are available to external producers.”

     

    BBC Studios will receive new commissions, creatively tendered established/returning series and the opportunities afforded by de-commissions, following fair and transparent competition with third party producers.

     

    The BBC Board would set out methodologies and processes for meeting the above principles prior to BBC Studios being launched as a commercial entity. Additionally, BBC Studios will be set up and operated to ensure compliance with State Aid requirements.

     

    As was previously set out, the BBC Studios proposal will exclude Network TV commissioned content for children’s, current affairs and sport. For current affairs, the BBC proposes to reduce the current in-house guarantee on eligible hours from 50 per cent to 40 per cent and extend the independent guarantee from 25 per cent to 40 per cent, creating a 25 per cent swing when these two changes are added together. For children’s, the BBC proposes to reduce the in-house guarantee on eligible hours from 50 per cent to 40 per cent and extend the independent guarantee from 25 per cent to 40 per cent. The BBC proposes that these changes are phased-in over a two year period from the new charter. For sport, the current in-house and independent guarantees would remain unchanged. Content made by BBC Studios, as a commercial entity, would not count as “in-house” and therefore would not count as part of in-house quota.

  • INA & UNESCO to safeguard, digitise & make accessible 70 hrs of AV programming

    INA & UNESCO to safeguard, digitise & make accessible 70 hrs of AV programming

    NEW DELHI: UNESCO director general Irina Bokova and French National Audiovisual Institute CEO Laurent Vallet have signed an agreement to preserve 70 hours of audiovisual (AV) programming from UNESCO’s valuable collections and make them available to the public.

     

    Cooperation between UNESCO and INA, which is France’s repository of radio and television archives began 10 years ago on the occasion of the organisation’s 60th anniversary.

     

    To mark the 70th anniversary, INA and UNESCO decided to reinforce this partnership, undertaking both to preserve and make accessible to the general public a selection of 70 hours of audiovisual programming that includes film, video and audio material.

     

    UNESCO is in possession of exceptional audiovisual archives containing thousands of items, which bear testimony to 70 years of the world’s cultural history and to the organisation’s activities. As is the case with audiovisual heritage anywhere, these collections are vulnerable, perishable and at risk of being forgotten unless they are digitised and shared with the greatest number.

     

    INA is presently mobilising the range of its technical capacities to secure the preservation and enhancement of UNESCO’s audiovisual archives: digitisation of material, its organisation and the development of a multiple-use offer for different audiences.

     

    UNESCO’s material will be accessible to the public on INA’s websites and to professionals on inamediapro.com. It will also be made available to researchers, teachers and students at INA THEQUE centres and partner multimedia libraries across France. INA will also make this audio and video material available for cultural and educational purposes.

     

    “The agreement marks a new decisive step in raising awareness of the need to implement a safeguarding and digitisation plan for UNESCO’s audiovisual archives. Similarly, in order to safeguard audiovisual heritage, INA invites Member States to reinforce national policies and support safeguarding and enhancement measures for all of UNESCO’s collections,” declared Vallet.

     

    “This partnership reinforces the strong relationship that already exists between UNESCO and INA. It will help enhance the value of a shared memory, which also sheds light on the recent history of humanity. This is a very concrete way to preserve fragile documents and contribute to the dissemination and sharing of know-how at the service of peace,” said Bokova.

  • DreamWorks, Reliance, Participant Media, eOne form new film, TV & digital venture

    DreamWorks, Reliance, Participant Media, eOne form new film, TV & digital venture

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Studios principal partner Steven Spielberg, Participant Media chairman Jeff Skoll, Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani and Entertainment One (eOne) president and CEO Darren Throop have announced the formation of a new film, television and digital content creation company called Amblin Partners.

     

    The new company will create content using the Amblin, DreamWorks Pictures and Participant brands and leverage their power and broad awareness to tell stories that appeal to a wide range of audiences. Participant Media will remain a separate company that continues to independently develop, produce and finance projects with socially relevant themes.

     

    Amblin Partners will be led by CEO Michael Wright and president and COO Jeff Small.

     

    In addition, Amblin Television will become a division of Amblin Partners and continues to be run by co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, who maintain their longtime leadership roles. They join producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and president of production Holly Bario on the film side, to complete Amblin Partners’ senior management team.

     

    Participant Media CEO David Linde and Participant’s narrative feature team, led by executive vice president Jonathan King, will work closely with Amblin Partners to develop and produce specific content for the new venture in addition to exploring opportunities for co-productions and other content.

     

    Spielberg said, “We are thrilled to partner with Jeff Skoll, Participant Media, and to continue our prolific relationship. We are of like minds, as our many collaborations have illustrated, with a mutual commitment to quality, premium entertainment and global vision.”

     

    Skoll added, “I have had the good fortune of working with Steven for many years. We share a passion for stories that can truly affect change. And this new venture will further Participant’s growth and global impact.”

     

    DreamWorks Studios and Participant Media have collaborated on many Academy Award nominated films such as Lincoln and The Help as well as the critically acclaimed The Hundred-Foot Journey, and the recently released Bridge of Spies.

     

    Spielberg continued, “We are honoured to continue our long-term association with our dear friend, Anil Ambani and his team at Reliance. We have had the opportunity to develop and produce wonderful films thanks to their ongoing support.”

     

    “We are delighted to continue our now seven-years-strong relationship with our valued partner, Steven Spielberg, and to extend this alliance to the formation of Amblin Partners with Jeff Skoll. We look forward to the combination of Steven’s passion and integrity with Jeff’s unique socially conscious vision to create uplifting and quality content to entertain global audiences,” Ambani said.

     

    Spielberg said, “We are also grateful to Darren Throop and his team at Entertainment One for their contribution to Amblin Partners. We look forward to expanding our relationship.”

     

    “We are delighted to join Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll and Reliance in launching this unique new venture,” Throop said. “We continually strive to partner with producers of the highest quality content, and Amblin Partners certainly represents the gold standard.”

     

    Through this new partnership, eOne extends its collaboration into television production and distribution and expands its successful film distribution relationship across additional territories. eOne will handle the direct distribution of Amblin Partners films on a multi-territory output basis in Australia/New Zealand and Spain as well as the United Kingdom and the Benelux, where it previously had a successful output arrangement with DreamWorks Studios.

     

    J.P.Morgan Chase structured and arranged the $500 million debt syndication together with Comerica Bank, which served as co-lead. Other financial institutions involved included Sun Trust Bank, Union Bank, City National Bank and Bank of America, among others.

  • United Mediaworks & K Sera Sera merge ops; set aside Rs 100 crore as investment

    United Mediaworks & K Sera Sera merge ops; set aside Rs 100 crore as investment

    MUMBAI: K Sera Sera(KSS) Digital Cinema Private Limited and United MediaWorks (UMW) joined forces to become the third largest digital cinema player in the country.

     

    The two companies have decided to integrate their full operations and technology and use their combined energies to develop and consolidate their market position. Post the merger across content, technology and operations, the new venture will serve their existing 600 digital cinema theaters across the country. KSS’s Satish Panchariya will be the Chairman of the new company and UMW’s Ashish Bhandari will be the Managing Director.

     

    To fuel their expansion plans, both the companies plan to invest INR 100 crores over the next two to three years. This investment will be used to build state-of-art and scalable digital cinema technology and on ground servicing, while assisting in digital content security and distribution of the films. Over the next 2 years, the joint venture is aiming to capture 25% market share with presence in 2000 screens across India. 

     

    As part of their growth strategy, the two companies aim at reaching out to advertisers, targeting both, national and regional players and offer them pan India reach. Both the companies are working together to build a common technology platform for content acquisition, content processing and field servicing. The new platform will not only provide cost effective solutions to both multiplexes and single screen theatres, but also offer advertisers a wide reach across the country for better ROIs. Additionally, the companies will mutually work towards delivering best quality services and reaching out to the untapped market segments of India. They intend to serve the Indian cinema industry with best products and services. The exisiting workforce will remain unaffected in both of the companies.

     

    Speaking on the joint venture, United Mediaworks co-founder & joint managing director Ashish Bhandari said, “We are really excited to partner with K Sera Sera, as our goal has always been to support the growth of the Media and Entertainment industry. With this merger, we are aiming to expand our presence across India and create a benchmark for the entire industry in terms of technology and quality services. This collaboration is also an effort to revive and support the single screen theatres that face tough competition from the multiplexes in the industry.”

  • GoQuest Media Takes Turkish Drama Ezel to Nigeria

    GoQuest Media Takes Turkish Drama Ezel to Nigeria

    MUMBAI: The viewers in Nigeria will be on an edge-of-the-seat journey from the month of November. GoQuest Media, an India based television content sales agency, has licensed Ezel – a Turkish crime drama series to a popular television channel in Nigeria.

     

    GoQuest Media Ventures, licenses TV series and Bollywood films to territories across the world. Ezel has been a popular TV series and has been broadcasted around the world. GoQuest Media had licensed Ezel to a top channel in Uganda earlier this year. Owing to its strong foothold in Africa and especially in Nigeria, GoQuest has managed to get this famous Turkish Series to Nigeria. With this deal, the company stands true to its image of providing best programming and is proud to bring the first ever Turkish Drama to Nigeria.  

     

    ”We have always enjoyed good relationships with broadcasters in Nigeria and continue to license popular Indian series in the territory. Continuing with our initiative to provide innovative content, we look forward to bring interesting Game Show Formats and Entertaining Scripts to Nigeria in the near future”, said GoQuest Media managing director Vivek Lath.

     

    Ezel produced by the renowned Ay Yapim Turkish production company is set in modern day Istanbul, Turkey. In 1997 Omer Ucar (Ismail Filiz) and his family lived a comfortable lower middle-class life, until one day his life was changed forever.  After betrayal by his best friends and the love of his life, Omer returns with a new face, new identity and with a flawless revenge plan. GoQuest Media has licensed Ezel from the global drama and formats distributor, Eccho rights.

     

     

     

     

  • Q2-2016: Mukta Arts EBIDTA up 32%

    Q2-2016: Mukta Arts EBIDTA up 32%

    BENGALURU: Mukta Arts Limited EBIDTA increased 31.9 per cent YoY in the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter) to Rs 2.16 crore (13.8 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 1.64 crore (6.8 per cent margin), but declined 2.2 per cent QoQ from Rs 2.21 crore (14.5 per cent margin). The company’s net Total Income from Operations (TIO) in the current quarter fell 34.8 per cent YoY to Rs 15.61 crore from Rs 23.95 crore, but increased 2.5 per cent QoQ from Rs 15.23 crore.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

     

    Mukta Arts reported a small Profit after Tax (PAT) for the current quarter at Rs 0.32 crore (2.1 per cent margin) as compared to a loss of Rs 0.03 crore in Q2-2015 and a loss of Rs 1.43 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Segment performance

     

    Mukta Arts has four segments-Software Division; Equipment Division (including other income); Theatrical Exhibition Division and ‘Others.’

     

    Software Division reported revenue of just Rs 1.64 crore in Q2-2016 as compared to Rs 13.89 crore in Q2-2015 and Rs 0.03 crore in Q1-2016. The segment reported less than one fourth of operating profit YoY at Rs 0.08 crore as compared to Rs 0.33 crore. This division had reported an operating loss of Rs 1.94 crore for the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Equipment Division reported revenue of Rs 0.09 crore in the current quarter as compared to Rs 0.1 crore each in Q2-2015 and Q1-2015. The segment reported operating profit of Rs 0.05 crore in Q2-2016 as compared to a loss of Rs 0.12 crore in Q2-2015 and a loss of Rs 0.04 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Theatrical Exhibition Division reported revenue of Rs 12.02 crore in the current quarter as compared to Rs 0.07 crore in Q2-2015 and Rs 11.14 crore in Q1-2016. The segment reported operating profit of Rs 1.36 crore in Q2-2016; operating profit of Rs 0.07 crore in Q2-2015 and operating profit of Rs 0.49 crore in Q1-2016.

     

    ‘Others’ segment reported revenue of Rs 1.87 crore in Q2-2016; revenue of Rs 1.96 crore in Q2-2015 and revenue of Rs 1.97 crore in Q1-2016. The segment reported operating profit of Rs 0.53 crore in Q2-2016; operating profit of Rs 1.68 crore in Q2-2015 and operating profit of Rs 1.40 crore in Q1-2016.

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Mukta Arts

     

    Mukta Arts’ Total Expenditure in Q2-2016 reduced 37.3 per cent YoY to Rs 14.89 crore (95.4 per cent of TIO) from Rs 23.74 crore (99.1 per cent of TIO), but increased 3.4 per cent QoQ from Rs 14.41 crore (94.6 per cent of TIO).

     

    Distributors and producers share in the current quarter reduced 31.1 per cent YoY to Rs 3.96 crore (25.3 per cent of TIO) from Rs 5.74 crore (24 per cent of TIO), but increased 11.9 per cent QoQ from Rs 3.53 crore (23.2 per cent of TIO).

     

    Employee Benefits Expense in Q2-2016 increased 38 per cent YoY to Rs 2.12 crore (13.6 per cent of TIO) from Rs 1.54 crore (6.4 per cent of TIO), but reduced 2.6 per cent QoQ from Rs 2.18 crore (14.3 per cent of TIO).

     

    Purchase of Food and Beverages cost increased 18.9 per cent YoY to Rs 0.85 crore (5.4 per cent of TIO) from Rs 0.71 crore (3 per cent of TIO) and increased 7.7 per cent QoQ from Rs 0.79 crore (5.2 per cent of TIO).

     

    Finance costs in Q2-2016 reduced 12.9 per cent YoY to Rs 1.83 crore (11.8 per cent of TIO) from Rs 2.11 crore (8.8 per cent of TIO), but increased 5.4 per cent QoQ from Rs 1.74 crore (11.4 per cent of TIO).

  • TV Editors call off strike unconditionally

    TV Editors call off strike unconditionally

    MUMBAI: Much to the relief of television producers and broadcasters, the indefinite strike by the Association of Film and TV Editors has been called off unconditionally, after a meeting with Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) on the evening of 9 November.

     

    “We have called off the strike unconditionally, and editors will resume their work with the respective production houses,” Association of Film and TV Editors GM Vaibhav Desai tells indiantelevision.com.

     

    As the strike continued over the weekend, broadcasters and producers had earlier feared repeat telecast of their daily serials that heavily depended on the television editors, as they ran out of bank episodes to air. 

     

    With the strike pulled off, broadcasters have narrowly avoided the risk of repeat telecast and a billion rupees of ad revenue loss.

     

    Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that out of the 22 crafts, which are part of the federation, members of an association went on strike on 4 November after a memorandum of (MoU) addressing the editor’s wage renewals and better working conditions wasn’t signed by the due date.

     

    To read the full article, click here: http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/gecs/tv-editors-go-on-strike-channels-fear-repeat-telecast-151106

     

    “While all the issues have not been resolved and addressed in the meeting, the federation has assured us that the working conditions of the editors will be improved. They have given us in written that the payment dealt out to our assistants and associates will be given within 30 days. They usually have to wait more than 120 days sometimes to receive their fees, but the federation has taken responsibility that this problem will be addressed,” says Desai.

     

    He however added that there was still some amount of uncertainty surrounding the MoU being signed.

     

    Though worried about the shows, the council of producers had earlier refused to have a meeting with the Association unless the strike was called off. “We want to come to an understanding, and are willing to sit down and talk, but not under any threat. We can only resume a discussion once everybody returns to work,” Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC) co-chairman JD Majethia had earlier informed.

     

    Now that the strike has been called off, the federation is hopeful that the discussions on the MoU will resume after Diwali, and shall be signed soon after, after reviewing the updated information.