ITV

Category: GECs

  • Veteran film director Robert Altman dies

    Veteran film director Robert Altman dies

    MUMBAI: Veteran filmmaker Robert Altman who influenced film narrative with classics like Nashville and Short Cuts has passed away. He was 81 years old and died in a Los Angeles hospital.

    Altman was known for his experimental style. One of his unique traits including his last film released a few monthsd back A Prairie Home Companion was overlapping dialogue. Another trait was having multiple storylines skillfyully interwoven into one another with a large ensemble cast. The subjects varied. There was Nashville which looked at country music. Short Cuts dealt with life in Los Angeles. Gosford Park was a classy British film about a murder and secrets as well as class conflict. The one challenge in these films particularly Gosford Park is that the viewer has to pay careful attention.

    Altman like Martin Scorcese never won an Oscar. However he was given a lifetime achievement Oscar at this year’s ceremony by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin who both star in A Prarie Home Companion.

    Tommy Lee Jones who also starred in that film says that Altman was very good at letting actors think that they had more control than they actually did.

  • Addressable platforms offer huge revenue upscale for filmmakers

    Addressable platforms offer huge revenue upscale for filmmakers

    MUMBAI: The Bollywood industry has something to look forward to from emerging addressable platforms like Direct-to-home (DTH) and IPTV.

    Tata Sky will offer several dedicated movie and audio channels as part of its product package to lure subscribers away from the cable networks. “Movie-on-demand will allow consumers to view the latest films without ad clutters. They also can do away with pirated VCDs where quality is poor. We are showing a movie on multiple timings and this is quite popular with our subscribers,” said Tata Sky head consumer marketing Vikram Mehra. He was speaking at a session on the home entertainment segment.

    Tata Sky has already touched a subscriber base of 250,000 and is on target to achieve one million within a year of operations, Mehra added.

    Film producers and broadcasters suffered from a loss of revenues due to piracy and under-reporting of subscribers by cable operators. Having had to suffer from bad video quality, film producers can now tap an additional revenue stream with its addressable system of reporting subscriber figures, said Mehra. “Digital addressable system will keep all the stakeholders happy. The ground is ready for DTH to take off,” he added.

    Home entertainment in India offers only 7-8 per cent of total revenue collections for a film, while in the US it was as high as 65 per cent, said Silicon Image president and CEO Steve Tirado, while speaking at the same session.

    As digital content travels across devices, home would form an important part of the media distribution strategy. The challenge was to work out a digital interface across various devices.

    About 73 per cent of American households would rather watch movies at home as 80 per cent of them own DVD players. “Content will roam among devices. Storage will also form a critical part of home entertainment. Scheduled viewing is in permanent decline except for spectacles and live sports,” Tirado said.

    Fighting piracy was what all the speakers agreed would be at the core of generating more revenues. “We have to evolve a strong distribution network to combat this. Besides, penetration shouldn’t be the only focus and companies have to come out with strategies to get prices up,” said Saregama India MD Subroto Chattopadhyay.

    Speaking on the international business of home entertainment, Shemaroo CEO Hiren Gada said theatrical collections accounted for 60 per cent of overseas earnings. There was potential to rake in more money from territories outside the US (which contributed 30 per cent), UK (28 per cent) and UAE (20 per cent). Piracy and high acquisition prices were among the red flags that threatened the sector, he added.

  • Hathway selects Magnaquest as SMS provider for digital pay TV operations

    Hathway selects Magnaquest as SMS provider for digital pay TV operations

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom is integrating its broadband and digital pay TV billing solutions. The multi-system operator (MSO) has selected MagnaQuest as its subscriber management system (SMS) provider for both the services.

    Earlier, when conditional access system (CAS) was to be implemented in 2003, Hathway had chosen Entriq (formerly known as Mindport as the SMS provider.

    Hathway was already using MagnaQuest’s MQSubscribe, a customer management and billing solution (CMB), for the past two years. “Eventually broadband, digital cable and voice services will converge. So we decided to deploy MQSubscribe for rolling out our digital pay TV services as well. We have been successfully using their billing solution for our broadband internet business for the past two years and found the system to be robust and scalable,” says Hathway Cable & Datacom MD and CEO K Jayaraman.

    Hathway Cable & Datacom will use MQSubscribe to handle subscriber information, billing, inventory and logistics management and customer care. MQSubscribe is seamlessly integrated with NDS CAS for automatic activation and deactivation of subscriptions.

    Says MagnaQuest CEO Vijay Debbad, “Apart from our domain expertise, solution flexibility and scalability, we believe it is our commitment and understanding of the Indian Pay TV industry that has enabled us to be chosen by Hathway Cable & Datacom.”

    MagnaQuest recently bagged a contract to manage the broadband and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) billing services of Hyperia Ltd, Nigeria’s leading internet service provider.

  • TV measurement service aMap announces all India coverage with 6,000 Peoplemeters

    TV measurement service aMap announces all India coverage with 6,000 Peoplemeters

    MUMBAI: Two years after launching its television ratings service in the country, Audience Measurement and Analytics (AMA) has announced that aMap, which provides data on overnight viewing, has installed 6,000 meters in India.

    In addition to the 28 markets already being measured, aMap is now present in three more markets Jammu, Guwahati and Bihar and Jharkhand.

    aMap CEO Tapan Pal says, “Currently, ten (broadcast) clients buy our product. We have also launched a fastrack service for our clients. This reports on viewership patterns during a significant event. For instance around 27 million people across India watched the Semi-Finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.

    “While these numbers are lesser than what the India matches got, they are considerably higher than the number of people that previously saw neutral matches. I would say that while our price might be higher than the competition (Tam) it is a question of the value one offers. One can slice and dice information in many ways. For instance one can check out what students watch and if o0ne wants to slice further one can see what an a student who speaks English watches versus what a student who speaks Marathi watches. We thus go beyond basic demographics

    “Also our service allows broadcasters and advertisers to constantly stay in touch with the consumer. The resistance from certain quarters to another ratings product will I am sure come down. Already there are another 50 channels who are keen on using us.”

    Pal notes that often there are differences in the ratings that aMap throws up versus what Tam shows. For instance the time spent on the niche channels like HBO, Star Movies is higher in aMap’s analysis than what Tam data shows.

    One show that delivered hugely divergent ratings on aMap and Tam was the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs finale live event which aired on 28 October. Tam data indicates that L’il Champs delivered for Subhash Chandra’s flagship channel Zee TV a whopping 11.1 TVR, rocketing it to the top of the charts for that week. On the other hand, the aMap rating for the show was just 4.7 without the ad break and 4.1 with the ad break included. The data was generated for C&S 4+ for north, west and east. “We are confident about our numbers,” asserts Pal.

    Confident he may be, but such disparities only make the already increasingly complicated job of media consumption analysis that much more difficult.

    aMap director Francis Howard said, “We are committed to the Industry in continuing with the most robust and sophisticated system that addresses the needs of the changing mediascape. We are now present all over India. Introduction of the three new markets of Jammu, Guwahati and Bihar and Jharkhand will give path-breaking insights into hitherto unreported markets. aMap ensures that it is large enough to capture the smallest nuances of the market.”

    “We proceeded in a deliberate manner in adding peoplemeters given the fact that the distribution landscape is changing. Ideally one would want 20,000 meters in three years. We also have plans in radio which we hope to surprise the industry with,” he asserts.

    Of course there is the question of how agencies related to WPP, which co-owns AGB Nielsen Media Research, the parent company of Tam Media, will respond to aMap’s product. aMap MD Raviratan Arora says that while it faces an uphill task in this area, he is confident that firms will accept a product that offers more targeted results. The idea that a monopoly is good in the ratings services industry is a fallacy, Arora argues. After all innovation will not happen unless there is competition, he points out.

    He still has to convince the industry on that score though.

  • Chai Peng to head Total Sports Asia’s operations in China

    Chai Peng to head Total Sports Asia’s operations in China

    MUMBAI: Sports marketing firm Total Sports Asia (TSA) has appointed Chai Peng as the MD for China.

    Peng will oversee TSA’s operations in China and will be responsible for the division’s overall performance.

    He says that TSA is a young company with a passionate business. “I believe there is a lot of potential in sports in China. We will increase the areas where TSA is already well established and develop new, creative avenues as well.”
    On the plans for China he says, “We will look into key consumer trends, key owners, main advertisers, sponsors, media and key people in the industry within the next couple of months and then explore a new strategy to take TSA China forward.”

    TSA CEO Marcus Luer said, “Chai brings an amazing track record in building up a business in China with him and has the international experience as well. Together with our expertise in sports marketing, we believe that we have a winning combination.”

  • Mauj and Gaming Hungama unveil ‘Baabul’

    Mauj and Gaming Hungama unveil ‘Baabul’

    MUMBAI: BR Films forthcoming movie Baabul is being launched in form of a game, simultaneously on mobile and online games. Mauj is assigned for the mobile gaming and Gaming Humgama for online games.

    The game was launched by the Babul star Amitabh Bachchan.

    Commenting on the launch Amitabh Bachchan said, “The Babul game will definitely generate more interest in the film. Its completely new and unique platform to Bollywood as such games based on films involve the audiences actively, while also opening new revenue stream for the industry.”

    Hungama MD and CEO Neeraj Roy said, “Gaming is one of the fastest growing avenues on the World Wide Web and is already the in thing among the youth of the country. There is huge potential for Hindi films to explore gaming as a promotional vehicle. Worldwide gaming is an integral part of the entertainment industry and will become a US$ 1 Billion industry in India by 2010″

    BR Films business head Sanjay Bhutani added ” The game basically engages the player in the brand, the more he playes the deeper he gets involved in the product, which is very good for the promotion of the film.”

    About the game

    On Gaming Hungama

    Player can play the game as Salman or John. He needs to find Rani Mukherjee who is hidden behind a door. There are in all eight characters including Rani and behind every door there can be any character, asserts an official release.

    The game would be available on www.gaminghungama.com.

    The Mobile Game

    There are two mobile games that Mauj has launched, Babul-The Garland and Baabul-Shaadi Ki Rasam.

    In the former once can choose to be John or Salman and has to try to garland Rani whereas the latter is based on finding coins in the water bowl.

    The games can be downloaded by sending SMS BAABUL to 7007.The content will be available through both SMS and WAP platforms, adds the release.

  • Akamai to acquire ‘Nine Systems’

    Akamai to acquire ‘Nine Systems’

    MUMBAI: Akamai Technologies, Inc. and Nine Systems Corp., Inc. have announced that the two companies have signed a definitive agreement for Akamai to acquire Nine Systems in a merger transaction.

    The closing of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of Nine Systems’ stockholders, is expected by year-end. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Akamai earnings on a normalised, diluted per share basis in 2007, asserts an official release.

    Akamai plans to integrate Nine Systems’ stream OS, a suite of configurable rich media management tools that enable easy production and publishing of content online, into the global Akamai network.

    Akamai president and CEO Paul Sagan said, “We are excited about offering a new and comprehensive solution for the delivery, management, and control of online media assets.”

    “Nine Systems has established itself as a leader in the creation of powerful Web-based tools for businesses to easily produce, publish, and distribute their streaming and downloadable media. Integrating Stream OS into our delivery network will allow Akamai to more fully support asset control, rights management, and media reporting to better enable our customers’ digital media businesses,” he added.

    Nine Systems president and CEO Troy Snyder said, “Nine Systems’ rich media publishing and management tools already power the online media experience for some of today’s best known companies in the music, broadcast, sports, entertainment, inspirational, advertising, education, and government markets. By joining forces with Akamai, our customers will have access to the leader in accelerating content and applications online, supported by a combination of the most experienced teams in the industry.”

    Under terms of the agreement, Akamai will acquire all of the outstanding common stock, preferred stock, and vested and unvested stock options of Nine Systems by issuing approximately 3.1 million shares of Akamai common stock and approximately $7 million in cash, subject to certain closing adjustments. The merger transaction is expected to be accounted for by Akamai under the purchase method of accounting, further adds the release.

  • Britain fares well at Intl Emmies

    Britain fares well at Intl Emmies

    MUMBAI: The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Iatas) has announced the winners of the 34th International Emmy Awards at a star-studded Gala event held at the New York Hilton, hosted by comedian and talk-show host Graham Norton.

    A cast of international stars including Katie Couric, Susan Sarandon, Christiane Amanpour, Rosie Perez, Roger Bart, Julianne Nicholson and Lorenzo Lamas presented the International Emmy statue to the winners.

    Shows from Britain wom six out of nine programming prizes. The Best Performance by an Actress was won by Maryam Hassouni from the Netherlands for her performance as Laila in Offers and the Best Performance by an Actor was won by British thespian Ray Winstone for his performance in the title role of Vincent.

    Winstone stars as private investigator, Vincent, who often forgets that he is running a business and not a crusade. His partner, Beth, is perpetually looking out for him and keeps his headstrong tendencies in check. In the series premiere, Vincent works on a case of suspected adultery, where he and his team follow the client’s wife to a club and straight into the arms of another man. Vincent realizes that this investigation will end brutally.

    In addition to the Best Actor category, British programmes won in the Children and Young People, Comedy, Documentary, Drama Series and Non-Scripted Entertainment categories.

    Iatas president and CEO Bruce Paisner says, “We congratulate this year’s winners for their outstanding achievement. The Academy is proud to be the international television community’s platform for recognizing excellence in television programming worldwide”.

    Channel 4’s Sugar Rush was awarded the best show in the Children and Young People category. Being an un-cool, 15-year-old lesbian who’s infatuated with the most popular girl in school is tough. Based on the novel by Julie Burchill, Sugar Rush explores the world of Kim and her lust for sassy Maria Sweet, a.k.a. Sugar. Then there’s Kim’s family: a freak brother, an obsessive dad and a mum who thinks she’s 15. Each episode is a journey to Kim’s world as she takes us into the mind of a screwed-up adolescent.

    The best documentary award went to Hiroshima which is a BBC/TFI/ZDF/Discovery Channel co-production in association with the Tokyo Broadcasting System and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Hiroshima is about the first use of an atomic bomb. This film mixes drama, computer graphics and special effects with testimonies from survivors and witnesses.

    Set in the three weeks from the first successful bomb test, it explores both the Allied and Japanese perspectives and follows the scientists who built the weapon. It also examines the politicians who would decide to use it and follows the Japanese people as the bomb explodes.

    The award for drama show went to the BBC’s Life On Mars. Detective Sam Tyler awakens realizing that he’s gone back to…1973. But he regroups and he and his new team – a technologically backward, risibly corrupt CID department – have crimes to solve. Crimes, which are some of the toughest investigations Sam’s encountered, primarily because they appear to be the key to the mystery of his existence in another era. Life on Mars is about one man’s frantic journey to get back home.

    The award for TV movie/mini-series went to France’s Nuit Noire. While de Gaulle was preparing to negotiate the end of the Algerian war, the chief of the Paris police, Maurice Papon, ordered the arrest of more than 11,000 Algerians who were demonstrating peacefully against the abuse of the police force and the curfew they were subjected to. The final death toll went up to several hundred protesters. Nuit Noire, October 17, 1961 reveals the truth of the savagery carried out by the highest levels of French authority.

    The International Emmy Founders Award was presented to Steven Spielberg, for his television career. The International EmmyDirectorate Award was presented to Central European Media Enterprises (CME) and its founder and chairman, Ronald S. Lauder for pioneering the development of independent television broadcasting in Central and Eastern Europe.

    Spielberg’s career began in episodic television. His first directing job was an episode of Night Gallery that starred Joan Crawford. He went on to direct a second episode of Night Gallery as well as episodes of such series as Marcus Welby, M.D., The Name of the Game and Columbo. His made-for-television Duel became a breakthrough for him when it was released theatrically in the international market. That led to his first feature films which took off after Jaws.

  • Star plus launches kids weekly ‘Golu Ke Goggles’

    Star plus launches kids weekly ‘Golu Ke Goggles’

    MUMBAI: After the launch of prime-time kids shows – Antariksh and Lucky – in both the weekday & weekend band, leading Hindi general entertainment channel Star Plus has announced the launch of yet another show targeted at young viewers – Golu Ke Goggles, a nature bound adventure show, starting Friday, 24 November at 8 pm.

    Golu Ke Goggles is the story of a simple and naïve 12-year-old boy from a hill-station – Golu and is played by theatre actor Karan Atri.

    Star India executive vice president Deepak Segal said, “After Antariksh and Lucky, Golu Ke Goggles is yet another endeavor to present fiction aimed and directed towards young viewers. Golu Ke Goggles is an out and out nature bound adventure show packaged with a lot of fun as it brings out the innocence of its characters, and is sure to keep the viewers entertained.”

    The show is produced by Grusha Kapoor and Bikramjeet Singh Bhullar from Indian Production House and directed by Shahjahan and Sunil Chaurasia.

  • MTV, Nick anounce Pakistan launch

    MTV, Nick anounce Pakistan launch

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks today announced the launch of two of its brands MTV and Nick in Pakistan.

    While MTV is being launched through a licensing agreement with Indus Media Group (IMG), kids’ channel Nick would be distributed in Pakistan by ARY Digital Network, informs an official release.

    IMG owns and operates Pakistani music channel Indus Music, which will now be re-branded as MTV Pakistan.

    MTV Pakistan would be headed by Ghazanfar Ali (chairman, Indus Media Group) as its chief executive officer. MTV Pakistan will be the 57th MTV channel worldwide.

    Announcing the launches, MTV Networks India MD and MTV Networks Asia executive VP Amit Jain said, “The launch of MTV and Nick in Pakistan is in keeping with MTV Networks’ strategy of expanding the footprints of our premium brands to key demographics in emerging markets in the region.”

    He further added, “Apart from Pakistan, the MTV networks brands have already built a strong viewer franchise in key South Asia markets such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal and reach in over 30.5 million households in the region.”

    Talking of the MTV launch in Pakistan Jain added, “By tapping into Pakistan’s rich local music scene, we plan to play a major role in supporting and exporting Pakistan’s incredible artists and cultural heritage around the world. We are pleased to partner with Indus Media Group to launch a brand new MTV channel that celebrates Pakistan’s vibrant musical landscape and youth culture.”

    Speaking on Nick’s launch in Pakistan, Amit added, “With an approach that puts ‘kids first’, Nick is known for its ‘safe-for-kids-viewing’ programming and takes pride in meaningfully engaging and entertaining millions of kids, worldwide. We are glad to extend Nick’s quality Edu-tainment programming to the kids in Pakistan.”