ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Fox bids ‘Final Goodbye’ to ‘That 70’s Show’ next month

    Fox bids ‘Final Goodbye’ to ‘That 70’s Show’ next month

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Fox bids farewell to one of its longest-running series the sitcom That 70’s Show next month.

    It will air the retrospective special That ’70s Show: The Final Goodbye on 11 May 2006. In India the show airs on Star World.

    The special celebrates 200 episodes and eight seasons by taking a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the show.

    The special will feature interviews with all the cast members and director, as well as past guest stars such as Brooke Shields, Bruce Willis, Luke Wilson, Lindsay Lohan and The Rock. It will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and up-close-and-personal segments taped with many of the cast.

    Additionally, the special will include outtakes from classic episodes and never-before-seen clips rescued from the editing room floor. The special will also give viewers an inside look at the final week of taping the show, including some of the funniest and most touching moments as the cast brings their eight-year journey to a close. The series finale and 200th episode of the sitcom airs on 18 May 2006.

  • British TV regulator Ofcom lifts ban on Freeview

    British TV regulator Ofcom lifts ban on Freeview

    MUMBAI: Britain’s television regulator Ofcom has given the go ahead to British DTT platform Freeview to begin carrying subscription-only channels.

    It has thus lifted a 2002 ban by the previous regulator, the Independent Television Commission.

    Freeview is transmitted on television multiplexes licensed by Ofcom under the Broadcasting Act 1996, three of which state that all channels must be free-to-air.

    Ofcom said the decision to lift the restriction was influenced by the rapid development of DTT, which is now in more than a third of the 18 million UK households that can access digital television on a variety of platforms.

    In a statement Ofcom says, “Ofcom believes that the current restriction on pay TV channels is no longer a matter requiring regulatory intervention and that finding the right balance between pay and free-to-air services on the DTT platform can be better left to the market”.

  • AXN goes Bollywood in attempt to boost viewer connect

    AXN goes Bollywood in attempt to boost viewer connect

    MUMBAI: If there is one medium that travels really well across the country other than cricket, it is Bollywood. The action oriented AXN which over the past few years has done on ground events to connect closer with viewers will do a Bollywood themed event over the summer season.

    The channel is organising the AXN Action Awards in June. This is a show that seeks to reward action stars and films in Bollywood. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on this initiative AXN South Asia director Rohit Bhandari says, “We have five competitive categories and one open category for the awards. The five categories are Best Actor, Best Actor in a Negative Role, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Stunt Sequence with Life Time Achievement being the open category.

    “We will be short listing nominees for each of the competitive categories and viewers will have to vote in for their favourites. The voting can be done through sms, online and though a paper ballot. The voting process is on from 1 to 31 May 2006. Later a show will be held, which will be hosted by Dino Morea,” he added.

    Bhandari points out that action has always been integral part of Hindi cinema which is popularly referred to as Bollywood. “Almost every movie has some scene that depicts action in some form and over the last two decades, there have been movies which have been categorised as purely as action movies. Also, in most of the awards given out to movies, action is always a sub category or is part of the technical category.”

    “Given AXN’s association with action and adventure, we have created India’s first award that will honour the action genre of Bollywood, through the AXN Action Awards. Thums Up is the presenting sponsor given the great brand fit that it has with action as a genre for the first ever AXN Action Awards. Scorpio is the associate sponsor,” he said.

    When asked about marketing activities that will be done to create awareness, Bhandari says that given the synergies that both AXN and Thums Up have with action and adventure, the two parties will be taking the concept to the ground in the form of road shows in nine markets across India. The aim is to give consumers a first hand experience of both the brands AXN and Thums Up. People will also have an opportunity to cast their votes for the above categories, through a paper ballot.

    When asked whether this effort would be start of an association between Bollywood and AXN Bhandari says that given the fact that most of the viewers in India connect with Bollywood, the channel made it a Bollywood based award concept. “Since this is the first year, we will be taking our learnings from the same and working towards improving the concept and who knows, next year, we may also include a section for Hollywood movies. We think the concept is robust enough to embrace both the film industries and hence, scaling the awards accordingly.”

    On ideas for other local shows Bhandari says, “There are quite a few ideas on the table, but they are still in the concept stage. We have aggressive plans over the next few months with both acquired and local content.

    “The Man’s World show was our first show in the Mens Lifestyle space and we are very happy with the results that we had for season one, which ended on 19 April. We will be resting the show for a while, as we would like to refresh the concept and come back later in the year with some improvements to the original concept.”

  • History Channel to air film on Hitler in May

    History Channel to air film on Hitler in May

    MUMBAI: It is reinvention time for the History Channel. In order to live up to its new position of being an entertainment channel, the broadcaster will among other initiatives, air television movies. One of these is Hitler The Rise of Evil. This will air on 6 and 7 May at 9 pm.

    The movie describes the life of Adolf Hitler (Robert Carlyle) from childhood to manhood, and how he became so powerful. It describes his poor childhood in Austria, the first world war from his point of view, and how he became the strongest man in Germany.

    The movie show us how Hitler went from being a poor soldier into the leader of the Nazis, and how he survived the attempts to kill him. It describes his relationship with his mistress Eva Braun (Zoe Telford), and his decisions and enemies inside Germany and inside the Nazi party

    Another film that will air is Haven on 13 May. It stars Natasha Richardson, Ruth Gruber and Colm Feore. This is the true story of a woman named Ruth Gruber who travels to Europe to help escort 1000 Jewish War victims to the United States. She comes to love and feel sorry for them all, and fights for their rights to live in America.

  • Perry Stahman appointed MGM president, domestic theatrical marketing

    Perry Stahman appointed MGM president, domestic theatrical marketing

    MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has named Perry Stahman as president, Domestic Theatrical Marketing.

    Stahman will report directly to MGM COO Rick Sands. Stahman is a seasoned marketing executive who brings extensive experience from 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony Pictures to the newly created position.

    Stahman takes on the responsibility for supervising all theatrical marketing activities for MGM’s theatrical distribution unit, unveiled as part of MGM’s revitalization strategy in March. The release of several high profile films this year will kick off MGM’s domestic theatrical distribution business in North America, states an official release.’

    Chairman and CEO Harry E. Sloan said, “As part of the marketing team which released Hannibal, Legally Blonde, Barbershop and Heartbreakers, just to name a few, we are delighted to welcome Perry back into the MGM family. Perry’s experience, both in terms of the roster of studios where he has worked and the number of marketing successes he has achieved, will be of tremendous benefit as MGM readies for this new chapter in studio history. We are thrilled to have an executive of Perry’s caliber on our team and leading the marketing efforts for our new slate of films. ”

    MGM COO Rick Sands added: “Marketing is an extremely important function for any studio and we are confident that Perry has the skill, talent and knowledge to make our films big hits with audiences. Having overseen the marketing for a number of high profile films, Perry’s extensive experience encompasses a wide spectrum of film genres and styles as well as different studio environments, which will be a great asset in marketing our well rounded slate of new theatrical releases. I am pleased to welcome him to MGM.”

    “I am excited to be an integral part of MGM’s groundbreaking effort to craft a new model for theatrical distribution, breaking from the bounds of the traditional studio system. I’m energized by the opportunity and look forward to helping MGM establish a fresh and effective new approach to film marketing,”said Stahman.

    Stahman comes from MGM from 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles, where he served as SVP, Creative Advertising since 2004. During his tenure at Fox, Stahman worked on the release of such films as Fantastic Four, Big Momma’s House 2, Transporter 2, Family Stone and Date Movie. Prior to this, Stahman served as SVP, Creative Advertising at Miramax Films. Joining Miramax in June 2002, Stahman created campaigns for Chicago, Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2, Hero and Gangs of New York.

    In February 1997, Stahman joined Sony Pictures as manager, Creative Advertising and worked on Men In Black,Air Force One, As Good As It Gets, Stepmom and The Mask of Zorro. Three years later, he joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as vice president, Creative Advertising.

  • HBO US renews drama series ‘Big Love’ for second season

    HBO US renews drama series ‘Big Love’ for second season

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster HBO has renewed the drama series Big Love for a second season.

    HBO Entertainment president Carolyn Strauss says, “Big Love is a unique and remarkable series. The second season will offer more of the terrific storytelling that has gripped critics and subscribers this year.”

    Big Love tells the story of Salt Lake City native Bill Henrickson, who balances the needs of his three wives – Barb, Nicki and Margene – their seven kids, three houses and his home improvement stores. Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin and Harry Dean Stanton star in the series.

    The second season kicks off next year.

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

    America Channel extends reach in Europe and Middle East via BT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Nick Intl acquires show from an Irish animation firm

    Nick Intl acquires show from an Irish animation firm

    MUMBAI: Irish animation house Jam Media has licensed its interactive kids’ series Picme to Nickelodeon across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

    The five-year deal will see all 104, five-minute long episodes of the series rolled out to Nickelodeon channels around the world .

    The series launched on RTE in September 2004 and also airs on Nick UK. The animated preschool series allows kids to be star of the cartoon alongside a group of animal friends. JAM Media has developed a broadcast-ready software package that allows broadcasters to superimpose a child’s face onto an animated body and place them into the PICME environment.

  • Star World celebrates ‘Dance Fever’; unveils a world of luxury

    Star World celebrates ‘Dance Fever’; unveils a world of luxury

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World is looking to capitalise on the success of American Idol through another music based show.

    The difference is that instead of singing, the contestants on Dance Fever show off their skills on the dance floor.
    The show will air every Tuesday from 9 May at 8 pm. The mission of this dance competition is to find out America’s best dancers. The ultimate Dance Fever contestant or team champion will strut away with a $100,000 grand prize.

    Auditions for Dance Fever were held in New York, L.A., Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta. Of these auditioners, only 48 individuals or teams will make it past the initial audition process and head to Las Vegas for their chance at dancing stardom. The Top 48 can consist of individual dancers, or teams of two to four dancers. Once the elimination rounds begin in Las Vegas, the contestants will meet host Eric Niles.

    The contestants will also face, for the first time, the Dance Fever judges: actress and singer Carmen Electra (Baywatch, Starsky & Hutch); Grammy-winning artist MC Hammer; and director/choreographer Jamie King, who has worked with Madonna, Britney Spears and Ricky Martin.

    The channel will also boost its lifestyle offerings by exposing viewers to a world of luxury. Luxury Unveiled airs every Sunday from 28 May at 7:30 pm. This is a reality – documentary series that goes behind the scenes to find out how these brands swept the world, how they got there, how they keep the magic alive and why men and women from very different countries, cultures and lifestyles spend thousands buying into them.

    Each episode will concentrate on one luxury brand. The cameras will follow as the brands prepare for the latest show; as the designers, the marketers and the manufacturers create the house’s new look. Over the hour, viewers will watch the creation, production and unveiling of a haute couture collection or a new line of accessories or a new scent and all the pain and expectation along the way. At the same time, using historical footage and interviews, the show explains how the brand got here and how many of these firms transformed themselves from provincial family-run shops into huge multi-nationals.

    More reality on air with Beauty and The Geek. The show kicks off on 31 May and airs every Wednesday at 8 pm. It teams up a group of beautiful girls with a bunch of genius guys in the hopes that one group’s strengths will help overcome the other group’s weaknesses. The “Beauties” are a group of stunningly attractive young women who use their looks to manipulate every situation. What they lack in intelligence they more than make up for in beauty.

    Each “Geek” is one of the country’s next brain surgeons, rocket scientists and philosophers, who will create cures and technology that will change the world. But despite their massive intellects, these guys don’t possess the confidence or social skills to even talk to a girl or ask her out on a date. Partnered into Beauty/Geek teams, each will train the other to develop his or her brains or charisma. In a series of hilarious contests, the incredibly hot women go head to head in a battle of smarts, while the troop of genius guys compete to prove who can be the coolest, hippest and sexiest.

  • Crown Media Holdings not to sell Hallmark Channel US

    Crown Media Holdings not to sell Hallmark Channel US

    MUMBAI: Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which owns and operates the Hallmark Channel, has decided not to sell out the channel. The company, after extensive review of strategic alternatives including a possible sale of the company, announced that the board of directors has decided to terminate this process and fully commit the company’s resources to continuing to operate its channels and its VOD and HD programming services.

    “We worked diligently with the Special Committee and our financial advisors to evaluate various strategic initiatives. Ultimately the board determined that the greatest value for our shareholders will be derived by our continued operation of our business. Given the record ratings results, subscriber growth, and solid advertising and subscriber fee revenue increases we have been able to achieve, we believe that the underlying business fundamentals are in place to enhance the value of Crown Media by building a more successful business. Our results in the first quarter continue to reflect the success of our programming strategy and subscriber expansion as we solidify our appeal to viewers and advertisers on a broad national level,” stated Crown Media Holding president and CEO David Evans.

    “Our management team is prepared to meet the challenges ahead with the talent and experience that have made us a top ten cable channel with over 72 million subscribers. We intend to implement cost saving strategies and emphasize programming and marketing promotions to continue our efforts to target a younger audience. We have initiated discussions with our distributor partners in order to renew our licenses and intend to aggressively pursue those renewals on favorable terms. We will continue to pursue opportunities to improve our capital structure. We are extremely pleased to have the support of our partners as we work together to operate the business on a long-term basis,” he added.

    Hallmark Cards, Inc., which owns 67 per cent of Crown Media, has indicated its continuing support of the channel by agreeing to extend its trademark license agreement with Crown Media.

    “We are proud to be associated with a channel with such strong ratings and advertiser support. Our relationship with Crown Media has been mutually beneficial. Crown Media has been able to leverage the consumer recognition and strength of the Hallmark brand and together we have collaborated on successful co-marketing programs between Hallmark Channel and the more than 4,000 Hallmark Gold Crown stores,” said Hallmark Cards, Inc. president and CEO Don Hall Jr.

    The company had announced in August 2005 that its board of directors had authorised management to explore strategic alternatives for the company. After pursuing a number of alternatives and meeting with interested parties, the company and the Special Committee of the board has determined that the best course of action at this time is to continue to operate the business. The company will continue to explore ways in which it can improve its capital structure.