ITV

Category: GECs

  • ‘L’il Champs’ finale rockets Zee to top of ratings charts

    ‘L’il Champs’ finale rockets Zee to top of ratings charts

    MUMBAI: The tykes really did a number for Zee TV with their chart-busting ratings performance. The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs finale live event on 28 October fetched Subhash Chandra’s flagship channel a whopping 11.1 TVR, rocketing it to the top of the charts.

    What was quite remarkable about the numbers, which is for the HSM 4+ TG, is that this is the average TVR the show generated over the full three-and-a-half hours it was on air and it was still well ahead of the perennial number one – Star Plus’ half-hour queen of soaps Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi – which registered a 10.3 TVR. The peak rating L’il Champs achieved was at 10 pm – of 15.4.

    The performance of L’il Champs gave Zee TV a reach of 30 per cent taking the channel to 350 GRPs, while Star Plus and Sony had 454 and 151 GRPs respectively.

    An elated Punit Goenka business head Zee TV remarked, “We are thrilled with the ratings of the finale. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs has been a very successful series since its inception. We have been overwhelmed by the response the show has garnered over the past few weeks. It provides an impetus to strive harder and clearly boosts the morale of the team. We will continue to put in our best efforts into making other shows such a grand success. As the average break TVR was 8.4, the show garnered high visibility for our partners as well.”

    Title sponsor Hero Honda would certainly be pleased by that bit of news of course.

    Expectedly, the highest ratings came in from the home cities of the three finalists.
    * Kolkata – Rating 15.8 and reach 39 per cent.
    * Mumbai – Rating 13.9 and reach 29.6 per cent.
    * Delhi – Rating 11.4 and reach 29 per cent.

    The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa story seems to be just getting better for Zee, much like American Idol has been for Chandra’s one time partner and now bitter rival in India Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Network.

  • Carl D. Folta is Viacom executive VP, corporate communications

    Carl D. Folta is Viacom executive VP, corporate communications

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has appointed Carl D. Folta as executive VP, corporate communications.
    Folta, who will serve as Viacom’s chief communications strategist and spokesperson, will report to Viacom senior executive VP and chief administrative officer Thomas E. Dooley. Folta, most recently served as executive vice president, office of the chairman.

    In his new role, he will be responsible for Viacom’s overall communications activities, both internally and externally, as well as the coordination of communications at the Company’s operations, including MTV Networks, Bet Networks, the Paramount Motion Picture Group and Famous Music. Folta will have oversight for all financial communications, and will direct the Company’s media relations activities for industry issues and public affairs, including regulatory, legislative and legal matters.

    Additionally, he will be responsible for managing corporate events and overseeing the Company’s philanthropy activities and public affairs programs, including Know HIV/Aids, the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning cross- platform public education partnership with CBS and Kaiser Family Foundation, which he initiated in 2003.

    Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said, “Carl is a consummate communications professional who understands the strategic and financial complexities of our businesses and the industry. I know he will make a big contribution to Viacom in the future as we continue to expand and embrace the opportunities of the digital age. I am also pleased that I will have the opportunity to continue to work with Carole and that Viacom will continue to benefit from her knowledge, experience and talent as she moves to her new role at MTV Networks.”

    Dooley said, “Carl is a highly effective leader and a seasoned communications councelor with more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of the public relations field, including financial and investor communications. I couldn’t be more pleased to be teaming up with him again.”

  • Star One, Star Gold to debut in UK this Nov-Dec

    Star One, Star Gold to debut in UK this Nov-Dec

    MUMBAI: After Japan, it’s the turn of the UK for Star India channels to spread their wings. Star India has entered into a syndication deal with BSkyB to launch Star One and Star Gold.

    Entertainment channel Star One and movie platform Star Gold will debut in the UK later this month or early December on BSkyB, which is over-35 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

    Star One is already available on US-DirecTV along with, Star Plus, Star News and Star Vijay. Speaking to indiantelevision.com Star India official spokesperson refused to comment on when will Star Gold be available to DirecTV subscribers.

    While, on BSkyB, only two of channels –Star Plus and Star News are accessible.

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the decision has been taken and most formalities are said to be been completed. The reason for taking these two channels, apart from already existing ones, to the UK is that there’s a sizable Indian-origin population residing there who would pay to watch Indian fare, especially Hindi movies.

    However, the programming on Star One and Star Gold may not be a photocopy of what’s seen back home. Reason: copyright issues. Especially those related to the satellite rights of Hindi movies.

    Earlier this week, Star had announced launch of five Indian and two international channels in Japan on a new IPTV and community platform World on Demand (WoD). On WoD, Star has launched Star Plus, Star One, Star News, Star Utsav and Vijay, along with Sky News and Fox News.

  • Infomedia & Reed Business Information partner to launch Hotfrog.in

    Infomedia & Reed Business Information partner to launch Hotfrog.in

    MUMBAI: Infomedia India Ltd., special interest and directory publishing company has joined forces with the Australian business to business publisher Reed Business Information, and its online division, Catch, to launch Hotfrog.in in India.

    Hotfrog.in is a free business listings site where the content is driven by its users and is maintained and updated by its users. Users are able to update their listings with press releases announcing news for their business, as well as listing products and services and linking back to external websites, informs an official release.

    “Being India’s largest Yellow Pages and having healthy partnership with Reed Business Information, it was a logical step to launch an Indian-based site as it’s such a rapidly growing and vibrant online market,” Infomedia managing director Prakash Iyer said.

    “HotFrog is one of the most exciting new web developments which gives users control. We are happy and confident that with the strong database of Infomedia Yellow Pages, Hotfrog will reach out to the right target audience in Indiam,” said Catch managing director Andrew Dent.

    Hotfrog.in is the 10th Hotfrog site to be launched around the world and its is estimated that Hotfrog.in already has 450000 listings. Launched in Australia in May 2005, HotFrog.com.au currently has around 900000 businesses listed.

  • ‘L’il Champs’ finale rockets Zee to top of ratings charts

    ‘L’il Champs’ finale rockets Zee to top of ratings charts

    MUMBAI: The tykes really did a number for Zee TV with their chart-busting ratings performance. The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs finale live event on 28 October fetched Subhash Chandra’s flagship channel a whopping 11.1 TVR, rocketing it to the top of the charts.

    What was quite remarkable about the numbers, which is for the HSM 4+ TG, is that this is the average TVR the show generated over the full three-and-a-half hours it was on air and it was still well ahead of the perennial number one – Star Plus’ half-hour queen of soaps Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi – which registered a 10.3 TVR. The peak rating L’il Champs achieved was at 10 pm – of 15.4.

    The performance of L’il Champs gave Zee TV a reach of 30 per cent taking the channel to 350 GRPs, while Star Plus and Sony had 454 and 151 GRPs respectively.

    An elated Punit Goenka business head Zee TV remarked, “We are thrilled with the ratings of the finale. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs has been a very successful series since its inception. We have been overwhelmed by the response the show has garnered over the past few weeks. It provides an impetus to strive harder and clearly boosts the morale of the team. We will continue to put in our best efforts into making other shows such a grand success. As the average break TVR was 8.4, the show garnered high visibility for our partners as well.”

    Title sponsor Hero Honda would certainly be pleased by that bit of news of course.

    Expectedly, the highest ratings came in from the home cities of the three finalists.
    * Kolkata – Rating 15.8 and reach 39 per cent.
    * Mumbai – Rating 13.9 and reach 29.6 per cent.
    * Delhi – Rating 11.4 and reach 29 per cent.

    The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa story seems to be just getting better for Zee, much like American Idol has been for Chandra’s one time partner and now bitter rival in India Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Network.

  • MindShare promotes Pratibha Vinayak to managing director – Sri Lanka

    MindShare promotes Pratibha Vinayak to managing director – Sri Lanka

    MUMBAI: MindShare has announced that Pratibha ‘Pat’ Vinayak, currently national director – investments for Unilever at Mindshare, will move to Colombo as MindShare Sri Lanka managing director.

    MindShare North, East, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh MD Sundar Raman said, “Pat is one of the most respected media professionals in the industry and we are fortunate to have such a high calibre professional in Pat to lead the MindShare business in Sri Lanka. We are looking forward to the same high level of enthusiasm, drive and innovation that she brought to the business in India.”

    Vinayak is a media professional with experience across agency, publishing and broadcasting businesses. She spent over a decade with Reader’s Digest managing research and marketing before joining JWT to handle media responsibilities on Unilever under the newly formed JWT Fulcrum where she spent over five years.

    She also spent time with Sony entertainment television and Carat before returning back MindShare Fulcrum to manage Unilever investments in 2004. A strong industry advocate, Pat has served on the technical committee of leading industry studies, states an official release.

    It has been said that over the years Pat and her team have been instrumental in bringing discontinuous trading practices in managing investments for demanding clients.

    Commenting on her new role, Pat says “I am looking forward to working with a fantastic management team which has built MindShare into the best agency in the region, and helping consolidate our leading position in Asia.”

  • Multihued and Affordable – the C139 from Motorola

    New Delhi, 15 February 2006: Motorola launched the C139, a chic candybar handset with a vibrant color display at an affordable price. The Motorola C139 sacrifices neither function nor style to meet your everyday communication needs, keeping you in touch and entertained while on the move. The C139 is the latest in the series of mass market phones from the technology giant making an aggressive stance at capturing the Indian market.

     

    The Motorola C139’s small shape fits comfortably in your hand and the keypad is designed for easy dialing. If you prefer your thumbs to do the talking, enjoy text messaging made effortless with iTAP predictive text entry. The zoom font makes typing faster and easier. Charged with an unbelievable battery power – up to 700 minutes of talk time – there is plenty of time to talk or text! The C139 is also equipped with multiple organizational features, making it a one-stop shop for on-the-go time management. Offering daily and weekly calendars, calculator, currency converter and stop watch, this mobile keeps you on top of your game. The C139 has been competitively priced at an amazing amount of Rs 3000.

     

    Speaking at the launch, Mr. Lloyd Mathias, Director Marketing India – Mobile Devices, said, “The C139 is a smart option for those looking for a chic handset packed with efficient features to serve their communication needs. The C139 is a symbol of Motorola’s efforts to serve mass-market consumers that hold tremendous growth potential. It is our constant endeavor at Motorola to drive technological innovations that cater to the needs of the consumer.”

     

    Motorola is on a concerted drive to serve the needs of the masses. The launch of the C139 is a statement that the company is reaching out to Indian homes to provide excellent mobile solutions at a reasonable price. Motorola aims to drive its growth as the definitive solution in telecommunications for the Indian market.

     

    About Motorola

    Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by our vision of Seamless Mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you get and stay connected simply and seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment that you want and need. We do this by designing and delivering “must have” products, “must do” experiences and powerful networks — along with a full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.8 billion in 2005. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit www.motorola.com.

     

  • Tender deadlines for slate of sports properties coming up

    Tender deadlines for slate of sports properties coming up

    MUMBAI: It’s a week of hectic activity ahead for sports broadcasters, with the deadlines for submission of tenders for a number of big and not so big properties coming up over the next few days.

    The big daddy of them all of course is the ICC’s cricket rights, for which the present deadline for bids submission is 10 November.

    Also up for bidding are the tenders for English Premiere League football (7 November deadline) and the rights to Bangladesh cricket (8 November).

    As far as the Big One is concerned, up for grabs are the audio-visual rights for 18 ICC tournaments starting from the second half of 2007 till the World Cup in 2015.

    The current agreement with Global Cricket Corporation (a News Corp subsidiary), which began in 2000, ends in March/April 2007 with the World Cup in the West Indies. GCC, which won the global rights with a $ 550 million bid, had sold the satellite rights for the Indian subcontinent territory to Sony Entertainment Television India for $ 208 million.

    Market speculation on how high the bidding will go this time round range from at least a billion dollars to even as high as $ 2 billion.

    While Sony is the “incumbent broadcaster” for ICC cricket, it is ESPN Star Sports which currently holds the rights to both Bangladesh cricket as well as EPL.

  • MTV launches dating-reality show ‘Gehre Pyaar pe Laath’

    MTV launches dating-reality show ‘Gehre Pyaar pe Laath’

    MUMBAI: MTV India is no stranger to reality shows. This time round the music network has launched a dating-reality show Gehre Pyaar pe Laath (G.P.L).

    The network has adapted and localised the international format show Dismissed, which aired on MTV Networks International. Launched on 28 October, G.P.L airs at 6:30 pm.

    Each episode of G.P.L opens up with three people i.e. two guys and a girl or vice versa who go out and spend an entire day together. Starting out as a blind date with a twist, wherein addition to meeting the date, the contestants also meet their rivals, informs an official release.

    The mission for the two, in a nutshell, is to destroy the rivals date but ensure that your own date goes smoothly. And as the day unfolds the two guys or the two girls turn on their charm to woo their date. From destinations like amusement parks, arcades and even a sophisticated dinner, the date tests a variety of emotions and bonds. Each episode ends with the wooed choosing just one wooer as his/her final date. For the wooer that wasn’t selected, he/she goes home with a grand G.P.L, states the release.

    MTV India VP GM creative and content Ashish Patil said, “Romance, reality, double the number of people you take on a date… and guaranteed double the fun! With a name as provocative as G.P.L., you know it’s going to be one wicked show that only MTV would dare to air.”

    With reality TV shows being the most money spinning programme, can more dating reality TV shows be on its way?

  • MTV Networks appoints Mika Salmi as president of Global Digital Media

    MTV Networks appoints Mika Salmi as president of Global Digital Media

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom has announced that Mika Salmi has been named President of Global Digital Media for MTVN. Salmi was formerly CEO of Atom Entertainment, the company he founded and which was acquired by MTVN in August.

    Salmi will work across MTVN’s growing portfolio of multiplatform brands to further develop and implement the company’s strategy of building an engaging universe of music, games, entertainment, networking and interactivity for its communities of targeted audiences. He will report directly to MTVN chairman and CEO Judy McGrath, and will become a member of her senior strategy team, asserts an official release.

    Commenting on Salmi’s appointment McGrath said, “I am incredibly pleased to have his talent and leadership experience on board to lead our digital media transformation, worldwide. With Mika’s guidance, our digital teams will continue the momentum we have today, to extend our brands across every platform while creating new business, and next generation applications across every device that engages our community. And he brings that upbeat entrepreneurial spirit that is a hallmark of the digital age.”

    “MTV Networks is an amazing global entertainment community reaching targeted audiences through all of its TV, online and mobile brands,” said Salmi.

    “What MTVN calls its ‘maniacal consumer focus’ will be the driving engine for our Global Digital Media strategy. We will engage consumers with an industry-leading digital experience through interactivity and community in all media including video, music and games,” he added.