ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Blinkx to provide access to The History Channel library

    Blinkx to provide access to The History Channel library

    MUMBAI: The video search engine Blinkx has forged a deal with The History Channel UK to carry historical audio and video clips from the channels’ library including speeches from icons such as Franklin Roosevelt, JFK, Albert Einstein and Neil Armstrong Under the terms of the agreement, the users will have access to hours of the best historical audio and video content on the web.

    “Blinkx is thrilled to be partnering with The History Channel UK,” says Blinkx founder and CTO Suranga Chandratillake. “The History Channel UK offers some of the best historical content on the Web and we are happy to make it easily accessible through blinkx.tv.”

    According to an official release, Blinkx is the only search engine optimized for rich media content and uses advanced speech recognition technology to automatically index and understand video and audio on the web making it easier for users to find exactly what they are looking for to the exact word in a clip.

    “With increasing numbers of people watching video online, we are keen to make as many of our programme clips available as possible on the website,” said History Channel UK Emily Lloyd. “Searchability is obviously extremely important and we’re happy to be partnering with Blinkx to ensure that more and more people find and view content from The History Channel.

  • Star World begins search for new ‘Rock Star’

    Star World begins search for new ‘Rock Star’

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will kick off the second season of the music based reality show Rock Star tonight at 8 pm.

    Rock band Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, Guns ‘N’ Roses’ Gilby Clarke and Metallica’s Jason Newsted are looking for a lead singer for their new band on the show Rock Star Supernova..

    This year, there will be 16 singers – picked from auditions held in the US, Canada, Australia and Asia. Each is already a star in the making. 16 diverse personalities with 16 different voices – living, working and singing together for 13 weeks to compete for their ticket to fame.

    The winner records an album as a member of the new super group, Supernova and goes on a massive worldwide tour with three of the biggest music influences of our time.

    In the first season, Canadian J.D. Fortune was chosen to front the Australian rock group INXS. Rock Star is the brain of Reality TV guru Mark Burnett who also created Survivor and The Apprentice.

    This year, the show will be hosted once again by Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke. Rock Star: Supernova will also feature stars and erstwhile fans like Slash, Macy Gray, Moby, Rob Zombie, Brian May, Ash, Courtney Love and even actor Hank Azaria. The contestants will perform songs covering more than five decades of rock music.

    Lee says, “I have toured with both Gilby and Jason. They’re incredible musicians and I’ve always wanted to play with them. Starting a new band with old friends on worldwide television is going to be a blast, and we’re going to pull out all the stops to find the most charismatic and musically talented lead singer to front Supernova. I love breaking the rules.”

    Bassist Jason Newsted said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to play with guys I’ve respected for a long time. It gives us a chance to be innovators. It’s never been done before. We’re going to break new ground musically and on television. The anticipation is building in me.”

  • Singapore TV personality Allan Wu to host AXN’s Amazing Race Asia edition

    Singapore TV personality Allan Wu to host AXN’s Amazing Race Asia edition

    MUMBAI: One of the action oriented AXN’s biggest on ground initiatives for this year is The Amazing Race Asia. Like its American counterpart, the reality show will see contestants from different Asian countries running from one location to another on specified modes of transport to emerge as a winner and get $100,000.

    The host of the show will be Singapore-based TV personality Allan Wu. He has in the past participated in the US reality series Fear Factor which also airs on AXN. As had been reported a few months ago by indiantelevision.com, over 1,000 teams had applied to participate in the race.

    As a marketing initiative, AXN will conduct a series of road shows in the region to engage the public. AXN will be holding the Amazing Race Fan Tour from July to October. The places it will visit are Delhi on 8 October, Korea on 8 July, Bangkok on 5 August, Singapore on 26 August, Kuala Lumpur on 9 September and Manila on 30 September.

    AXN says that it was searching for a host that could not only relate to various Asian cultures but who would be able to keep up with the intense physical demands of the race.

    SPE Networks Asia GM Ricky Ow says, “Having participated in another world-class TV show, Allan Wu understands what it takes to be the host of The Amazing Race Asia. He embodies the spirit of AXN and The Amazing Race Asia. As a big fan of The Amazing Race, Allan will be able to give interesting insight to the Asian version of this hit reality show.

    “And it doesn’t hurt that Allan is easy on the eyes. His good looks and natural charisma will offer a different appeal from the US version, and will definitely ‘Wu’ new fans for The Amazing Race Asia.”

    AXN has also announced a raft of sponsors for the event. They are Malaysia Tourism and Promotion Board, and the regional sponsors are: Official Camera Partner – Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, Official Airline Partner – AirAsia, Caltex, MSN, Official Mobile Partner – Nokia, and Official Hospitality Partner – Bintan Lagoon Resort and Bintan Resorts. Ford is a local sponsor.

    Production on The Amazing Race Asia finished last month. Post-production work will shortly commence and the show will air in 13 episodes across Asia later in the year.

    Each team comprises of two people with a pre-existing relationship like husband – wife, mother – daughter.

    As with the US version, participants will be perpetually guessing their next destination as venturing into the unknown has always been the entertaining hallmark of the show. This sense of the unknown puts everyone on a level playing field.

  • Star World to screen ‘One Tree Hill’

    Star World to screen ‘One Tree Hill’

    MUMBAI: Starting 4 July, One Tree Hill will debut on Star World at 9 pm. Television shows with dark secrets has always been a strong suit for any channel.

    Besides a love for hoops, the story of One Tree Hill revolves around Lucas and Nathan. The two young men with little in common – except for the dark secret that they share, the same father.

    Directed by Brian Robbins, the show sketches Nathan Scott having the perfect life, thanks to the perks his rich father provides. He has the girl, the car and the star position on the high school basketball team. On the other side of town, his half-brother, Lucas Scott, an intense loner ignored by Nathan’s father since birth, has a different story to tell. He’s always kept his distance from Nathan.

    Their lives were taking separate paths until the day Lucas was asked to join the basketball team. Now, the half-brothers are battling it out for control of the court and for the hearts of the three young women who are fast becoming an intricate part of both their worlds, Peyton, Haley and Brooke. And, so unfolds a deep and bitter conflict that’s been years in the making.

    But the half-brothers are destined to be brought back together in One Tree Hill to confront the aftermath of their shared pasts.

  • Discovery to launch DMax channel in Germany

    Discovery to launch DMax channel in Germany

    MUMBAI: Discovery will launch DMax in Germany in September 2006 in place of XXP, a free-to-air channel that the company acquired earlier this year.

    The fact-based entertainment channel, DMax will focus on the lifestyles and interests of male viewers aged 20 – 49 and offers frank opinions, revealing insights and a fresh, thought-provoking perspective on contemporary life and the way we live today.

    The channel will deliver the inside track on everything that is important to a predominantly male audience and will offer a broad range of locally and internationally produced content encompassing investigative documentaries, popular science, lifestyle, talk shows, real-life human interest stories, motoring and outdoor activities. DMax will occupy a unique position within the German media landscape as the only mainstream free-to-air fact- based entertainment channel.

    Discovery Germany VP country manager Dr. Patrick Höerl said, “The launch of DMax represents a significant investment by Discovery to build a compelling free-to-air brand that serves an important and growing segment of the German television market. DMax will benefit from investment in content produced in Germany, a fortified technical infrastructure that extends the reach of the channel and increased marketing and programming staff.”

    A significant investment will be made in programming for DMax consisting of both local German commissions and local and international acquisitions. It is expected that approximately 70 per cent of 2006 programming budgets will be invested in local commissions. DMax currently has over 1,000 new programming hours scheduled from launch in September until the end of 2006.

    Discovery Germany VP ad sales Magnus Kastner says, “DMax has a unique and compelling channel proposition designed specifically to attract the young male audience advertisers want to reach. The fact-based programming provides advertisers with a contemporary and high-quality environment for their commercial messages.”

    At launch, DMax will reach approximately 27 million households. The channel can be viewed on both analogue and digital satellite 24 hours a day and has extensive reach across Germany’s cable networks. DMax will be managed out of Discovery’s German offices in Munich by a growing team of media professionals.

    Kastner joined Discovery Germany in May 2006 and is currently building a full-service advertising sales function for DMax, which will be comprised of more than 20 employees operating out of Munich.

  • Hallmark comes up with a new look and feel

    Hallmark comes up with a new look and feel

    MUMBAI: It has been a period of transition for Hallmark. The international division was sold to a group of investors by Crown Media last year for $242 million.

    Now the channel has gone in for a new look and programming line-up. The new look signifies the broadcaster’s commitment to offering high quality movies, mini-series and drama series in an attractive and engaging channel environment that is relevant to Asian audiences.

    Sparrowhawk Media Group (which operates Hallmark) MD Asia Pacific Andrew Hanna said, “Hallmark Channel’s new look is designed to present our programming in the most contemporary and compelling way to our audiences. We will continue to provide our audiences with the same quality production values and premium entertainment shows they have come to know and love. Now, Hallmark Channel will do it better.”

    Hallmark’s Asia Pacific creative director Cameron Craig said, “So often we see that everyday events in life are a wellspring for dramatic storytelling. Hallmark Channel offers people great drama entertainment that draws upon the full range of human emotion. Creatively, we have set out to reflect that great stories often exist in the drama that surrounds us in each person’s life, everyday.

    The new on-air look features landscapes and captures scenes that aim to reflect the daily drama of people’s lives. These images were filmed in India, Malaysia and Thailand. Superimposed over these images are close-ups of what are typical Hallmark viewers reacting to the drama inherent in the scenes. The addition of the line ‘in every life, there is drama’ reflects, in a subtle but engaging way, the emotional connection audiences feel for the Hallmark Channel brand and its drama based programming.”

    As far as the programming template is concerned Hallmark will continue to offer mini-series based on world famous novels, classic tales of mythology, great people in history and inspiring true stories. In 2006, the mini-series that will air include an adaptation of Jules Verne novel Mysterious Island which deals with a group of prisoners who have escaped from a Confederate prisoner of war camp during the American Civil War by a hot air balloon, William Golding’s tale To the Ends of the Earth which is about a young man’s coming of age at sea, action adventure Supernova and the classic Greek tale of Hercules.

    On weekdays, Hallmark will air movies and drama series, including courtroom drama’s Judging Amy and Family Law, spy thriller Spooks, murder mystery’s Midsomer Murder’s and Wire in the Blood and contemporary drama’s Doc Martin and Hustle.

    Hanna adds, “Our new look and branding is part of our constant mission aimed to entertain the drama-watching and drama-loving audiences everywhere.”

  • Animal Planet goes on a safari every Sunday

    Animal Planet goes on a safari every Sunday

    MUMBAI: Animal Planet has announced a new initiative Safari Sunday. This will air every Sunday from 7 am to 7 pm. The aim is to give viewers a chance to catch up one shows that they may have missed during the week. Animal Planet says that it is unique in offering the viewers a rare perspective of the animal world, an interplay of human-animal relationships that appeal to audiences across age groups.

    A wide range of animals are tracked and environments explored in programs and are devised to offer viewers something new and unexpected each Sunday. By presenting this new package, the channel will not only be able to communicate the strong programming and diversity of the channel but will also draw higher viewership on Sundays.
    Some of the shows that will air under this initiative are:

    One Planet at 7 am – Countless species of wild animals – many unknown and uncategorized – are in danger of being driven to extinction by human development. Hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness are being slashed and stamped out of existence for short-lived commercial purposes. But spreading this message above the crowd are Animal Planet’s wildlife experts, using their voices to support the worthy cause of conserving wildlife and the wilderness they inhabit.

    Around The World With Tippi at 9 am – Last year, Animal Planet told the story of eleven-year-old Tippi, a remarkable French girl who was brought up in Namibia and who, as a child developed a unique passion for wild animals. From a very early age, Tippi was able to bond with all kinds of wild animals including elephants, jaguars, monkeys, giraffes and even serpents. Animal Planet followed Tippi as she returned to Africa after two years away and met conservationists engaged in the preservation of local wildlife.

    Now, Animal Planet catches up with Tippi and chronicles her adventures to other parts of the world to meet people who work closely with animals. Viewers join Tippi as she interacts with koalas and whale sharks in Australia, wolves in Canada and lions in Africa.

    Most Extreme at 9:30 am – This series is a countdown of the top ten animals with powers that put people to shame. So who are the fastest, or strongest, or greediest animals? Which are the highest jumpers or the smartest? Each episode sets up the challenge and then finds the most extraordinary solutions in the animal kingdom. It shows why each of The Most Extreme animals really are the best of the best and puts human achievements into perspective.

    TV With Teeth at 10:30 am – This show has intimate wildlife encounters – the ultimate experience of wildlife on the edge with a presenter that isn’t afraid to go there.

  • DIC Entertainment & AOL partner to create strategic TV & online programming block

    DIC Entertainment & AOL partner to create strategic TV & online programming block

    MUMBAI: DIC Entertainment (DIC), an independent global brand management company based in the US, and AOL online kids destination, KOL, have formed a partnership to co-produce a new Saturday morning branded programming block, KOL’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party on CBS, which will premiere 16 September 2006.

    DIC and KOL will also develop online and on-air co-production initiatives in conjunction with the block. DIC and KOL are also now in development on programs for the 2007 season, informs an official release.

    As per the agreement, KOL and DIC will co-produce programming for the 2006 broadcast season, including the new television series Dance Revolution. This series is inspired by Konami’s hit video game franchise Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). The new dance competition series will be hosted by Radio KOL DJ Rick Adams, who will also continue to maintain his live online radio show for kids available on KOL.

    In addition, KOL and DIC will develop a website designed to transform the programs airing on KOL’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party on CBS into a comprehensive and interactive experience for kids. KOL will also offer special online programming including games, program clips, behind-the-scenes features and more to drive on-air viewership.

    Dance Revolution and the online activities will support the schedule of programming debuting this fall on the E/I compliant branded block. Other programming on the Saturday Morning line-up includes Cake, Horseland, The Animated Trollz and Madeline. 

    Additionally, KOL will create public service announcements on healthy eating, to air during the block and online utilizing KOL’s popular original animated character Princess Natasha, adds the release.

    DIC will seek initial guidance on all programming to air on the KOL’s Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party on CBS, from children’s experts from the DIC Educational Advisory Board — a group comprised of leading media experts, educators and pediatricians created to provide information, guidance, advice and general expertise to DIC in the development of multimedia programs and projects for children.

    “With AOL’s expertise in developing online programming and our success in building brands such as ‘Princess Natasha’ and Radio KOL, appealing to millions of kids, we are confident that this landmark partnership with DIC will be a tremendous success,” says AOL Kids & Teens SVP Malcolm Bird. “Once again, AOL is leading the industry by building another initiative that taps the power of television and the online medium to ultimately grow a larger audience across both platforms.”

    “Kids today continue to expand their entertainment options beyond television, and our new partnership with KOL will provide us with a tremendous opportunity to reach kids through the launch of the new Saturday morning programming block on CBS as well as through KOL’s growing online destination,” comments DIC Entertainment chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. “We are thrilled to work with KOL to co-produce innovative programming and to create a unique cross-promotional program that will drive kids online; increase on-air viewership and provide our clients with an effective way to reach kids in a progressive safe environment.”

  • KyLinTV rolls out Hunan TV in North America

    KyLinTV rolls out Hunan TV in North America

    MUMBAI: Telecoms and media companies are gung-ho about growing area of the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). KyLinTV, which provides Chinese programming via IPTV in North America has rolled-out an entertainment channel from China, Hunan TV.

    The KyLinTV subscribers can now watch the most popular Hunan TV programmes such as Super Voice Girls and more.

    At present, KyLinTV is offering 26 live broadcast channels. According to an official release, KyLinTV subscribers have three ways to enjoy Hunan TV programmes. Viewers can tune in to live Hunan TV broadcasts on KyLinTV, and are able to watch any programme that they may have missed using the Hunan TV channel companion. 

    The broadcast channel companion preserves the lineup of news and entertainment programmes for 24 hours, and is a feature unique to KyLinTV. 

    In addition, KyLinTV subscribers can take advantage of Hunan TV On Demand, an exclusive library of the most popular Hunan TV programmes.

    Hunan TV has brought the age of the Super Voice Girls to KyLinTV. China’s answer to American Idol, all episodes from the 2006 Super Voice Girls can be accessed on KyLinTV using Video On Demand (VOD).

    “Through the use of IPTV technology, KyLinTV is delighted to offer the top entertainment channel from China to our subscribers,” said KyLinTV CEO Nancy Li. “The VOD companion and on demand features available to KyLinTV subscribers ensure that they will never have to miss any of the popular Hunan TV programs they want to watch. We are committed to making the most popular Chinese entertainment easily accessible to all of our subscribers, and to offering the most choices in Chinese entertainment.”

    “Hunan TV is extremely pleased to be in a partnership with KyLinTV,” said Hunan TV director general Wei Wenbin. “KyLinTV is an innovative service that gives Hunan TV the perfect opportunity to have our content reach the Chinese-speaking families in North America. We look forward to a prosperous future with KyLinTV.”

    By September 2006, KyLinTV will offer a total of 26 live broadcast channels in real-time to KyLinTV subscribers. Each broadcast channel will be offered with a KyLinTV VOD companion that will preserve KyLinTV broadcast titles for 24 hours, maintaining access and convenience for the benefit of KyLinTV. 

    An on demand library will offer access to past episodes of hit shows as VOD, offering the most choices to North-American consumers.

  • Discovery US is one of ‘Best Places to Work in IT’: Survey

    Discovery US is one of ‘Best Places to Work in IT’: Survey

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Discovery has announced that publication IDG’s Computerworld, the ‘Voice of IT Management’ has selected the company as one of its ‘100 Best Places to Work in IT’.

    This honour is part of the weekly IT publication’s 13th annual Best Places to Work in IT survey, which is featured in the June 19th issue of Computerworld and online at Computerworld.com.

    Since 1994, Computerworld’s annual “Best Places to Work in IT” feature has ranked the top 100 work environments for technology professionals, based on a questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention.

    In addition, this year Computerworld surveyed more than 27,000 IT workers for the list, and their responses factored heavily in determining the rankings. Discovery’s selection was based upon a survey administered to Technology & Media Services employees earlier this year.

    Discovery says that it focusses on creating a world class work environment that promotes productivity, enthusiasm and creativity. This enables it to deliver high quality media products and services to its global audience. The fact that Computerworld has acknowledged this long-standing commitment allows Discovery to recruit the most talented and dynamic workforce in the industry.

    Discovery adds that enhancing employees’ work/life balance is one of the six prongs of its corporate strategy along with expanding into new technologies and growing internationally.

    In 1999, Discovery launched its signature LifeWorks@Discovery Programme to address the needs of the workforce. LifeWorks@Discovery focuses on family support, health and wellness, flexibility and the community. The company also offers numerous training and career development courses designed to promote individual and team development through its Discovery University programme.