ITV

Category: GECs

  • Delhi High Court issues injunction to cable operators on unauthorised telecast of India-South Africa cricket series

    Delhi High Court issues injunction to cable operators on unauthorised telecast of India-South Africa cricket series

    MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the India-South Africa Series, in its suit for permanent injunction filed against 66 cable operators across the country against unauthorised broadcast of the India-South Africa Series, restraining all the cable operators from unauthorisedly showing India-South Africa Series through their cable networks.

    The channel has the exclusive right to broadcast the feeds of the international cricket matches being played by India against South Africa in South Africa by terrestrial television, cable television and / or satellite television in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, asserts an official release.

    After this order anyone still showing India-South Africa series through any unauthorised means or any other channel will be held in contempt of court and liable for prosecution. The Delhi High Court has also permitted ESPN to take action against all other cable operators not parties to the suit who are found to be unauthorisedly utilising the feed of ESPN and Star Sport without license.

    Elaborating on this, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd chief operating officer Vijay Rajput said, “Carriage, reception or distribution of the India-South Africa series by any MSO, cable operator, sub-operator without written authorisation from ESPN Star Sports is a violation of Copyright Act, 1957 and hence an illegal activity.”

    “Also, no other channel, whether pay, free to air or terrestrial is authorised to provide, show or distribute the India-South Africa series in the territory of India. Also strict and legal action will be taken against the operators who violate the court orders. Post the order; police raids have already been started,” he added.

    The 66 cable operators restrained from the unauthorised telecast are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

    ESPN Star Sports will be broadcasting the ODI series in both English as well as Hindi feed. ESPN will telecast the series in English with ESPN’s a Few Good Men, Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Allan Wilkins, Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram joined in by South African Pat Symcox.

    The Hindi programming for the series on Star Sports will be spearheaded by Indian TV artist, Shekhar Suman and supported by Syed Kirmani, Wasim Akram, Arun Lal, Maninder Singh and Zaheer Abbas. The sports broadcaster has introduced special production and programming initiatives Planet Cricket, Cricket Crazy and Full Toss for the Indian audiences for the telecast of the series, adds the release.

  • Kalyan Sundaram returns to Sahara One as programming head

    Kalyan Sundaram returns to Sahara One as programming head

    MUMBAI: SaharaOne has appointed Kalyan Sundaram to head programming for the channel.

    Sundaram was roped into the network in 2004 when the new team structure was being set in place as the non-fiction programming head.

    A year later Sundaram moved onto Zee Arabia, a division of Zee International as the creative head.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Kalyan Sundaram said, “I was with channel for a year before I moved on to Zee Arabia Dubai. But I have always shared a special bond with Sahara and now I am back to head our programming plans for the channel.”

    With prior experience at MTV and B4U Music, Sundaram returns to SaharaOne as the network plans to spruce up its programming line up with six new shows, two being Solhar Singaarr and Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye. Two more additions being Zaara Pyaar Ki Saugat and Ghar Ek Sapna were officially announced today.

  • UTV Classics to promote alternative cinema

    UTV Classics to promote alternative cinema

    MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures has launched a sub-brand called UTV Classics, which will promote experimental and unconventional cinema, making it accessible to a wider audience.
    The first film to be released under the banner will be Vishal Bhardwaj’s The Blue Umbrella, which will be released on 5 January 2007, asserts an official release.

    The film is based on a Ruskin Bond’s novel by the same name and aims at adding a new dimension to today’s genre of kids’ films by combining entertainment with a morality tale. The Blue Umbrella stars Pankaj Kapur and Shreya Sharma. The movie has already been screened at a few international film festivals.

    UTV CEO Ronnie Screwvala said, “The entertainment tastes of a section of the audience are maturing with time and UTV Classics is an initiative to address the needs of this growing audience for different cinema. 2006 has been proof of this, with unconventional movies that have broken the mould and which have been applauded by audiences and critics alike.”

  • SPTI to launch deal with CJ’s new drama series ‘Hyena’

    SPTI to launch deal with CJ’s new drama series ‘Hyena’

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has entered into a long-term agreement with one of Korea’s entertainment company, CJ Media Inc., to distribute a selection of its upcoming and future drama series to broadcasters and digital content providers across Asia outside of Japan, China and Korea.

    The deal strengthens the partnership between SPTI and the CJ Group which was established last year when SPTI acquired the distribution rights from CJ Entertainment for the two Korean features How to Keep My Love and The Greatest Expectation.

    SPTI senior vice president distribution Asia Ross Pollack said, “Korean dramas have enjoyed unprecedented popularity domestically and abroad in recent years and we are thrilled to partner with one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in Korea, CJ Media Inc. As The Asian Hollywood Studio, this deal further enhances our already significant ability to bring our clients the very best product, whether it’s from Hollywood or more close to home in Asia.”

    CJ Media executive vice president broadcasting division Won-Pil Shim said, “We are proud to be partnering with SPTI for distribution of CJ Media Inc.’s original drama and made for television movie content. Based on our over 10 years of experience in producing and broadcasting on the Korean television market, we are geared up to create and produce quality original content for not only Korean audiences, but audiences throughout Asia and beyond.”

    The first drama to be distributed as part of the deal is Hyena, a 16-episode series following the lives of four playful guys — Chul-Soo (played by Min-Jong Kim), Suk-Jin (played by Sung-Rok Shin), Jin-Bum (played by Man-Seok Oh), and Jin-Sang (played by Da Hoon Yoon) — as they discover that though they may only look for casual relationship, sometimes they find true love.

  • SaharaOne unveils two properties; plans big marketing push

    SaharaOne unveils two properties; plans big marketing push

    MUMBAI: As part of their aggressive plans to ramp the programming on the network, SaharaOne has unveiled two more properties in connection with their sixth property roll out. These include the weeklies Zaara Pyaar Ki Saugat, which is slated to kick off on 4 December at 8 pm and Ghar Ek Sapna, which is targeting an 18 December launch.

    Following the launch of the two shows Solhah Singaarr and Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye, the channel is looking to make a big noise around the launch of Zaara Pyaar Ki Saugat with live outdoor screenings of the first episode in certain pockets of Mumbai including Mahim Causeway, Mohammad Ali Road and Azad Maidan.

    Expectedly, the channel will roll out marketing initiatives via print, outdoor and radio. But in addition to this the channel is also looking to heavily utilize the internet with contests, games and blog sites like the hugely visited community website Orkut, says SaharaOne marketing head Rajeev Chakraborthy.

    The marketing plans for Ghar Ek Sapna are yet to be cemented, which Chakraborthy was apprehensive to disclose.

    Commenting on the relevance of the themes for both shows, SaharaOne programming head Kalyan Sundaram says that research from smaller towns and cities have shown that this ‘women dominated’ audience prefers to identify with the non-progressive home bound Indian female as opposed to women achievers such as journalists and lawyers. This explains the move back towards narrating the story of the traditional homemaker.

    The channel has recently been boasting of the two new shows generating good numbers and CEO Shantonu Aditya seems confident that the latest additions will garner the same. In line with their programming fight plan, two more non-fiction properties will be unveiled, following which two big properties will emerge in January and February next year. These will tread the reality path much like what competition is doing, only this will be in the form of a game show.

    In another attempt to up their ratings and beat Sony to the third spot in the general entertainment genre, Aditya added that the channel has also lined up a bank of movies from their own stable including Khosla Ka Ghosla and Dor.

    Aditya adds, “In keeping with our mission to continually provide quality entertainment to our viewers and fulfilling our promise of newer shows, we are pleased to present Zaara Pyaar Ki Saugat and Ghar… Ek Sapna. With the launch of these two shows we have not only revamped the primetime band but have also expanded viewing time. The channel has been at an upswing over the last few weeks and our numbers are only getting better. I am certain that the new shows that will be launched over the next couple of months will take us to greater heights.”

  • ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ producer Gajendra Singh quits Zee TV

    ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ producer Gajendra Singh quits Zee TV

    MUMBAI: Zee TV’s star producer (Antakshari, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa) Gajendra Singh has put in his papers, after a long stint at Subhash Chandra’s flagship channel.

    Singh is charting out on his own and with plans to set up his own production boutique.
    Singh’s association with the channel will, however, remain as he will continue to do commissioned shows for Zee TV. Confirming the development, Zee TV business head Punit Goenka said, “Gajendra will be starting his own production house. However, he will continue to be associated with Zee TV doing projects for us.”

    Earlier this year, rumours were rife in the industry that Singh was likely to join rival networks (notably Star).

    Singh has been the creative mind behind the concept of reality shows like CloseUp Antakshri, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and the recent chart topper Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil’ Champs. Over his years at the channel he had taken the programme to the UK, USA, Middle East, Europe, all the while improving the format.

  • Bobby Bedi has epic plans for ‘Mahabharata’

    Bobby Bedi has epic plans for ‘Mahabharata’

    MUMBAI: Noted film producer and Kaleidoscope Entertainment promoter Bobby Bedi is on an epic project. His plan: to repurpose Mahabharata so that it can roam across various formats including a TV series, a film trilogy, an animation product, and a theme park.

    Bedi had first announced plans for the Mahabharat project around the time his big-budget film Mangal Pandey released in August of 2005.

    “For creating the entire chain of products, it would require an investment of around Rs 4 billion. The idea is to make it for the global market,” Bedi tells Indiantelevision.com.

    First would be the creation of reality TV through a talent hunt for the Mahabharata characters. This, he says, would take about a year.

    The talent hunt would next move to a Mahabharata TV series which could stretch to 150 episodes. Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi would direct the series. “It will transform Indian television and travel across the world. We can make it in many languages,” Bedi says.

    Bedi intends to invest Rs 160-170 million in just the development stage. “For completing the entire chain, it would require over three years. Developing gaming would require around $2 million,” he says.

    The animation work will be assigned to a company which has US and Indian base. He, however, refused to divulge the name of the animation firm.

    Will he rope in joint ventures to fund the project? “No, the investment will be done by Kaleidoscope. We may have partners,” he says.

    Mahabharata will be made into a comic book series as well. A theme park based on the Mahabharata is also in the pipeline.

    Delivering the keynote address at “India – The Big Picture,” Bedi said the project would involve multiple location shoots and be in multi-languages. “This is the direction Indian entertainment should be taking,” he added.

  • Indian telecom and broadband take centre-stage at CII event

    Indian telecom and broadband take centre-stage at CII event

    MUMBAI: Telecom and broadband will be taking a centre-stage at Telecom and Broadband Summit and Expo 2006, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the MMRDA Grounds, Mumbai on 23 and 24 November.

    This year’s theme is: India – The emerging telecom hub.

    The event has been planned to be a platform bringing together the entire telecom and broadband industry under one floor, as they display some of their technologies, discuss the business opportunities explored and unfold the current issues and future challenges in the sector. The event will have three main sections: the exhibition, the summit and the CEO’s round table, asserts an official release.

    The exhibition will focus on the growth of broadband connectivity and other new technologies in areas such as cellular technology, wireless network, broadcasting, etc, as well as their impact on this emerging market that is rapidly growing in global significance. The event emphasises on the impact of emerging technologies in the real life business environment.

    The summit will focus on mobile technology, business applications, next generation networks and broadband communications. It will focus and examine the opportunities existing for business to work in India and to achieve its goal in Telecom sector now and in long term, with the aim of accelerating its developments of convergent technologies and services.

    The CEO’s round table will be one of the highlights of the event, where the industry’s top minds will gather to deliberate on key strategic issues, adds the release.

    The event will have sessions on:

    – E-governance
    – WiMAX
    – Broadband deployment
    – NGN
    – Mobile telephony
    – Billing and CRM
    – Digital entertainment

    The visitors will primarily be engineers, technicians, buyers, production managers and sales managers from a diverse range of sectors including broadband and telecom.

  • Future growth of mobile gaming uncertain: In-Stat report

    Future growth of mobile gaming uncertain: In-Stat report

    MUMBAI: Mobile gaming in Asia/Pacific has been successfully established, with revenues reaching $1.56 billion in 2005, reports In-Stat.

    According to the high-tech market research firm, Japan and South Korea have been largely responsible for the revenue thus far, accounting for around half of the region’s total in 2005. Future growth drivers, however, will be the large, growing mobile markets of China and India.

    In-Stat analyst Bryan Wang said, “While there is great growth potential with expected increases in mobile subscribers and gaming-capable handsets, current problems are proving difficult to surmount.”

    “In-Stat’s user survey reflects low penetration of mobile games among Asia/Pacific mobile phone users. Fragmentation of the mobile gaming industry, revenue sharing issues, poor user experiences, competition from dedicated portable gaming devices, and game piracy are all issues needing to be addressed,” he added.

    Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

    — Mobile gaming in Asia/Pacific will reach $4.4 billion in 2010.

    — 3G users spend 70 per cent more per month on mobile gaming than 2G users.

    — Interest levels in mobile gaming are low, with more than half of both 2G and 3G users indicating they would be unlikely to play mobile games within the next six months.

    The research, Mobile Gaming in Asia/Pacific: Room for Improvement, covers the market for mobile phone gaming in Asia/Pacific. It includes forecasts for mobile gaming revenues in the region, and in four major markets, through 2010. It also includes analysis of results of an In-Stat mobile phone user survey on attitudes and behavior regarding mobile gaming.

  • Viacom chairman Redstone sued by nephew

    Viacom chairman Redstone sued by nephew

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone has been sued by his nephew Michael Redstone. Michael has also named his own father in his suit.

    Media reports state that in the suit Michael says that both his uncle and father cheated him of a stake in the media conglomerate. Redstone accuses his uncle and father Edward of ‘self- dealing’, ‘breaches of fiduciary duties,’ and ‘unjust enrichment’ in buying back shares of National Amusements (NAI) the company that controls Viacom, CBS and Midway Games – at low prices.

    In response a spokeswoman for NAI said that the allegations are knowingly baseless regarding entirely proper transactions that occurred decades ago. NAI will therefore defend vigorously against what it terms as a meritless and frivolous lawsuit.

    Reports add that Michael Redstone is looking for money damages amounting to what the present value of the plaintiffs’ approximate 50 per cent share of National Amusements are worth today.

    Joining Michael Redstone in the suit are trustees of the trusts representing Sumner and Edwards’ children. The buybacks occurred in 1972 and 1984 and the company is estimated to be worth about $8 billion.

    It is the second suit recently filed against Redstone by a family member. Sumner Redstone’s son Brent filed a suit against his father earlier this year, claiming that he was entitled to a one-sixth interest in National Amusements, valued at more than $1 billion. No trial date has been set for that suit state reports.