ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • Roys buy back 7.7% NDTV stake from GA Global Investments for Rs 1.9 billion

    MUMBAI: New Delhi Television Ltd’s founder-promoters Dr Prannoy and Radhika Roy have paid around Rs 1.92 billion to buy 7.73 per cent stake from GA (General Atlantic) Global Investments, increasing their stake in the news media major to 61 per cent.

    Meanwhile, 7.67 per cent of NDTV shares were pledged with Indiabulls Financial Services. “It seems NDTV promoters have pledged their shares while also making a 7.73 per cent (4.8 million equity shares) market purchase from GA Global Investments,” says a source.

    The foreign holding in NDTV has dropped to around three per cent after the purchase of GA Global Investments by the promoters. The government regulation stipulates that news channels uplinking from India can have a maximum of 26 per cent foreign holding.

    “The promoters wanted to increase their stake as it would provide them some space to dilute when they want to. After doling out ESOPs, the promoter holding would have fallen from 53.2 to 51 per cent. The government regulation asks promoters to hold at least 51 per cent in the news venture,” says the source.

    The purchase also allows foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and NRIs to acquire that many shares more in NDTV till the ceiling of 26 per cent is reached.

    The promoters had announced in late 2005 their intent to transfer 15 per cent of their stake to daughter Tara Roy who is a non-resident Indian. But the proposal has still not received regulatory approval.

    “If the proposal to gift 15 per cent still stands, it will limit NDTV’s opportunity to get in a foreign strategic investor. But if that is dropped, then the equations change,” says an analyst with a global broking firm.

    The analyst also points out that NDTV’s general and business news channels are held in the same company. “In case of TV18 Group, it is housed in two separate entities with Global Broadcast News (GBN) holding the general news space,” he adds.

    Following the market purchase, the promoters of NDTV have made an open offer to acquire 20 per cent equity in the company at a price of Rs 438.98 per share. “This is part of the Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) regulation for promoters who increase their stake by over 5 per cent in a financial year. The pricing fixed by the promoters is not aggressive for shareholders to offload. But if they manage to mop up more shares at that price, it will be good,” says the analyst.

    NDTV shares closed on Monday at Rs 462.60 on the BSE, up 0.6 per cent from the previous close.

  • BBC to cap premium rate for programe phone-ins

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC will introduce a new policy this week to bring greater clarity to audiences in the way programmes which use premium rate phone calls are priced.

    From this week, calls to BBC programmes using premium rate telephony are to be capped at 15 pence. The only exception to this will be in programmes directly related to a charity appeal, such as Comic Relief, Children in Need or Restoration.

    In these cases, as now, the audience will be given a clear indication that this is happening. The new policy of having just two premium call categories – one capped at 15p for all BBC programmes and the other for any charity appeals – will make it even clearer to audiences what to expect when they interact with BBC programmes in competitions or votes.

    At the moment a number of BBC programmes not directly related to a charitable appeal, such as Strictly Come Dancing, take the opportunity to raise a small additional sum for the charities by increasing the call price, usually by 10 pence. This will no longer happen under the new policy.

    BBC DG Mark Thompson said, “BBC programmes do not make money from premium rate calls and we’ve always told viewers and listeners the costs of calling to enter competitions or to vote. But I want this to be even clearer.

    “In future, audiences can be clear that these calls will be capped at 15 pence unless they are directly related to a charity appeal. I do understand that this will mean that slightly less money will go to the charities as a result of the new policy, but we’re already talking to them about other ways of supporting their work.”

    The new policy is part of a range of measures the Corporation, with the approval of the BBC Trust, is to take prior to the return of competitions on the BBC.

    A new Code of Conduct (bbc.co.uk/competitionspolicy) was announced last month.

    The code is the BBC’s undertaking to its audiences on the running of competitions and voting, and will be widely publicised to the general public.

    45 per cent (7,200) of applicable BBC staff have already attended the mandatory training course Safeguarding Trust which was launched in November following concerns over competitions and editorial breaches.

    A limited number of competitions will return to the BBC in a phased manner from January 2008, beginning with Goal Of The Month on Match Of The Day on BBC One and Pop Master on the Ken Bruce show on BBC Radio 2.

    A range of measures have been put in place prior to the return of competitions.

    These include:

    All staff involved in the running of a competition must have attended the BBC’s Safeguarding Trust training and the additional training this programme offers in running competitions and voting

    A reduction in the number of competitions to be held on BBC programmes

    Any proposed competition must have very senior level prior approval

    The competition must be supervised by an appropriate editorial figure, and this arrangement must be approved in advance

    A senior executive in each BBC Division will advise on any potential issues that may arise from competitions and how approval processes are being bedded down in their division

    All use of premium rate phone lines must have the prior approval of the BBC’s Editorial Policy Department

    BBC programmes are to make audiences aware of the new Code of Conduct on air.

    Thompson adds, “The public pay for the BBC, indeed they own the BBC, and quite rightly they have higher expectations of us than of any other broadcaster. Trust in our integrity, our determination to deal fairly and honestly with our audiences, is the most precious thing the BBC possesses.

    “The BBC has followed a policy of confronting problems, disclosing everything and giving the public a clear explanation of what we are doing to get things right. Early indications are that our audiences approve of what we’ve done. After an understandable dip, our ratings for trust are recovering.”

  • BBC invites pitches for youth shows in UK

    MUMBAI: Finding original drama for a younger audience remains an ambition for UK pubcaster the BBC. It has invited a range of in-house and independent production companies to pitch two series for young audiences to be broadcast on BBC Three and BBC Switch in the UK.

    The shows will air in 2009 and have a fully integrated multimedia campaign to run alongside the series.

    BBC Three controller Danny Cohen says, “Building loyalty with young viewers is crucial to BBC Three. Developing a slate of returnable, authentic and youthful drama can play a vital role in this.”

    BBC Switch controller Andy Parfit says, “BBC Switch is a distinctive offer for UK teenagers across BBC Radio, TV and on the web. Producing originated British drama for this audience is key for us and I welcome the opportunity to work with Danny on this important collaboration.”

    The series will follow in the footsteps of other recently-commissioned dramas which will include Spooks Liberty, P.A.s and Things I Haven’t Told You.

  • BBC Worldwide takes ‘Blue Planet’ to a bigger scale in 2008

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has announced that the road show The Blue Planet Live! which is based on the BBC documentary The Blue Planet, returns to the UK on a bigger scale in April 2008.

    The performances allow fans to enter the dramatic underwater world of the oceans with a two-hour edit of the scenes from the programme.

    These scenes will be projected onto large screens with performances in several venues including London Wembley Arena.

    Alistair Fothergill who produced the TV show says, “In creating The Blue Planet I wanted to take the viewers on a journey to a place that they had never been before, and to be emotionally moved by it. I am delighted that World Class Service has teamed up with BBC Worldwide to produce the live events in 2008 which capture the original spirit of the BBC television series. From the creatures of the deep to the awesome blue whale The Blue Planet Live! puts the audience in a moving and dramatic world at an immense scale.”

    The BBC adds that the tour is an opportunity for audiences to see these sequences synchronised with George Fenton’s music score for which he won a Bafta. Fenton says, “The Blue Planet Live! offers a unique and emotional ride, experiencing the story of life beneath the oceans on a theatrical scale. The show is presented in a way that heightens the drama, the fascination and, ultimately, the awareness and I very much look forward to the opportunity of taking the show to new audiences in the UK.”

    One of the BBC Natural History Unit’s most successful brands of the last 20 years, The Blue Planet TV show was created in 2001 and has been sold to more than 140 countries, winning countless awards.

    To help reduce the environmental impacts of the show, customers can choose to use Ticketmasters innovative new ticketing solution MobileTicket for shows at Manchester Central and Wembley Arena which allows ticket buyers to receive their event tickets directly to their registered mobile phone as a unique barcode that is valid for entry to the event without requiring any paper.

  • CNBC TV18 to review biggest happenings of the year

    MUMBAI: CNBC TV18 is closing 2007 with a bouquet of special programmes that will recap the biggest happenings of the action-packed year. The programmes will picture India in the glory it gathered through the year, a definitive perspective and a focus on various aspects that have made news this year.

    On 26 December at 10.30 pm, a special bulletin Corporate News of the Year will review the year that corporate India could well call a ‘red letter year’ as it went about brokering the largest ever deals.

    Young Turks Special at 7:30 pm on 27 December will be a year-end special with extraordinary young achievers of India.

    On 28 December at 10.30 pm, Storyboard Special will review the strengths and weaknesses of the campaigns targeted at the consumers throughout the year.

    Markets in a two-part series on 31 December and 1 January, will showcase how the year took a leap from 15,000 to 20,000.

    Global CEO will have anchor Shereen Bhan in conversation with some of the biggest names from fortune global forum, in a three-part series from 1-3 January at 7:30 pm.

    In Policy Battleground, Shereen Bhan will bring a critical look at the governmental policies from special economic zones (SEZs) to telecom industry. The special programme will be on 2 January at 10:30 pm.

  • BBC’s Upstaged invites public to make a show of themselves

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC appeals to all UK residents to participate in its new show Upstaged. The show is open to anyone across the UK who thinks they are interesting enough to keep the nation entertained for eight hours.

    What contestants do is completely up to them – the more unusual, wilder and wackier, the better, says a release.

    As long as the online community vote to include them in the show, they can do whatever they want. By visiting bbc.co.uk/upstaged, potential contestants can find out more about this unique new show and get details about how they can apply to take part.

    Even if they just have an idea that they think might be interesting, they can drop the Upstaged team a line via the website to let them know about it.

    The eight-week programme will see the first five weeks exclusively shown on the BBC Three website, with the final three weeks being accompanied by coverage on BBC Three.

    The entertainment takes place in two huge 15 x 25 ft glass boxes, both in full public view in the Millennium Square in Bristol, which will double up as stages, performance spaces, exhibition spaces or platforms.

    So from artists to musicians, from sculptors to those needing a venue or soapbox, Upstaged is the place to be. In a twist from other shows, who goes in and who goes out – and ultimately who wins – is entirely in the hands of the online community.

    This method of programme-making involving both TV and an online community empowers the public to effectively make their own show by deciding what they watch and when they watch it. Upstaged is produced by Initial West, part of Endemol UK.

  • Newspaper world looks to India, China for growth in industry: Wan

    NEW DELHI: While free dailies around the world saw the slowest ever rise in circulation of just 13 percent in 2007, growth is also expected to be modest in 2008 unless new markets such as China, Germany or India open up.

    According to a Newspaper Innovation report quoted by the sfnblog of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), total free daily circulation reached 42 million this year, but growth was in nearly its slowest year.

    In 1996, free dailies only grew 8 percent, while 2003 saw growth of only 10 percent. However, the number of launches outweighed closures in 2007.

    However, a survey shows that global newspaper ad expenditures will achieve US $129.2 million this year, and keep on growing with a single digit ACGR in the next two year, and will reach nearly US $140 million in 2009.

    According to the 2007 World Press Trend released by WAN, newspaper ad spending has grown slowly each year since 1004, except for in 2001 and 2002, and increased over 55 percent in total.

    Newspapers’ share of the ad market, on the contrary, has shrunk over the years. In 1994, newspaper ad spending accounted for over 35 percent of the total market. It declined to less than 30 percent in 2005, and will make up only 28.6 percent this year. The slip is expected to continue in the next two years, and in 2009, newspapers’ share will become 27.5 percent only.

  • Swarup tells NBA to submit Code by its 31 January deadline

    NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting ministry today said that news broadcasters must meet the deadline set by themselves for 31 January 2008 and submit their draft content code to the government.

    I&B secretary Asha Swarup stressed on the media to act fast, and buttressed her statement by saying, “There is no need for you to question the government’s intentions, but if industry does not come out with its content code the courts will do it for you.”

    This was obviously in reference to the suggestion made by the Delhi High Court recently while hearing a case on a fake sting operation that the I&B ministry could form a committee to vet and clear every sting operation before it goes on air.

    The government has no intention whatsoever for curbing the freedom of the press,, she reiterated, but adding that some regulation has to be in place and it could easily come from the NBA.

    “We have taken them very seriously and hope they will stick to the deadline, and are looking forward to the draft,” she said while addressing a panel discussion on regulatory issues at the Assocham Global Media and Entertainment Summit, Focus 2007.

    Interestingly, Swarup was reacting to a comment from Pavan Duggal, chairman, Assocham cyberlaw committee, that regulation for the media in the digital era is already there in the Information Technology Act.

    She said the this was brought to her notice for the first time and the ministry would see if amending that law would be enough to set up the regulatory system for the broadcast media.

    Duggal had pointed out in his presentation that already there are provisions (Sections 4 and 79) under the IT Act, 2004, which should govern the media in the digital environment.

    The ministry remains open to all suggestions regarding the broadcasting regulation she said, arguing that people have misunderstood the draft that the ministry had floated for public debate.

    “I wonder whether the people who have been protesting so vehemently have carefully read the draft, because in it we have said three things, ‘that the regulator will be a body outside the government, that the need is to have a uniform standard, and the third point relates to the constitution of the regulator’.

    “We are prepared to consider any document which leads to the media governing itself, and if you want to change the manner of constituting the regulator to make it independent, we are ready for any discussion even on that,” she said.

    It may be recalled that during the Digital Summit organised by indiantelevision.com earlier this year, also attended by Ofcom chairman Lord Curry, Swarup had said after discussions with him that the ministry was considering how to take lessons from Ofcom to set up an independent regulator.

    She reiterated that she had no hesitation with the media bringing in its own code, reminding the audience that the Advertising Services Council of India is an independent body and had brought in their own code “which the government adopted”, saying the same could be possible with the NBA code.

    She accepted the suggestion of Ashok Mansukhani, president, Hinduja Ventures Ltd, that in the current situation, legislation should be facilitative and light and added that taking into consideration the converged environment, the government could look at a converged bill as well for the media to include all platforms under one regulator.

    She said that she has talked individually to many top broadcasters and they have said they will draft their own code, but nothing has happened.

    “Now they have said they will do that by January 31, and we hope they will do so,” Swarup said.

  • IBN 7 to be merged with GBN; 5:1 stock split announced

    MUMBAI: Global Broadcast News Ltd today announced the merger of Hindi news channel IBN-7 within itself after acquiring the balance stake in the holding company and a 5-for-1 stock split.

    The balance stake in Jagran TV Pvt LTD, the joint venture holding company, is presently with the Gupta family, IBN 7’s original promoters and owners of Hindi print major Dainik Jagran.

    GBN will issue 1,467,390 shares of Rs 10 each (4. 45 per cent of GBN’s capital after dilution and exercise of 3,000,000 warrants) to the Gupta family for the balance stake in Jagran TV. A further 1,793,478 equity shares of RS 10 each of GBN will be held in a Trust.

    “The Board also accorded approval for sub-division of the nominal value of its equity share from the present RS 10 per share to RS 2 per share resulting in a 5-for-1 stock split,” according to an official statement.

    The announcement follows GBN’s acquisition earlier this week of a 10 per cent direct stake in Jagran TV from New Vernon Pvt Equity LTD for RS 200 million. Prior to that transaction, GBN held a 49 per cent stake in the joint venture holding company BK Fincap, which held 90 per cent stake of Jagran TV (the remainder being with New Vernon).

    Besides, IBN 7, GBN also owns CNN IBN. It is also entering the regional news space with the launch of a Marathi news channel with Lokmat Group.

    Through GBN, Network18 operates a joint venture with Viacom called Viacom18. The JV operates the MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon channels in India – as also Studio18, the Group’s filmed entertainment operation and will be launching a Hindi general entertainment channel.

  • BBC Trust sets strategic priorities for UK pubcaster

    MUMBAI: The BBC Trust has published final remits to guide the BBC in meeting each of the six public purposes laid down in the Charter.

    In a letter from the BBC Trust Chairman to BBC DG Mark Thompson, Sir Michael Lyons said, “As we discussed on several occasions… the BBC faces a complex set of demands. It is therefore important for the Trust to set clear priorities and realistic expectations informed by our research.”

    The six public purposes, which the BBC is required to promote through all its output, are:

    – Sustaining citizenship and civil society 
    – Promoting education and learning 
    – Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence 
    – Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities 
    – Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK 
    – Emerging communications 

    Earlier this year, after consulting widely on draft priorities in each of these areas, the Trust highlighted “innovation and distinctiveness” as the single biggest issue for all audiences and published research showing there was demand for more new programmes and fresh ideas from BBC television. This remains the Trust’s top priority and, to ensure a proper understanding of what people want in response, they commissioned some in-depth analysis, a summary of which is also published today.

    Lyons said, “What we have learned is that audiences do not want a radical change of direction from the BBC: there is support for programming in every genre, and they value the familiar BBC classics that no one else offers. It seems that, although there is more choice of channels across UK television as a whole, people nonetheless perceive there to be less choice of programmes and they are keen to see the BBC give greater prominence to the range of its high quality work. That said, this is not just about perception. People do expect the BBC to avoid well-trodden paths, and they are clear that their expectations of the BBC are different from other broadcasters.”

    Among several priorities singled out by different audience groups as important and not necessarily in need of improved BBC performance, the Trust also highlighted news and current affairs, formal education for children, and serving audiences in the devolved nations and those in areas further away from the South-East, as top priorities for the BBC.