ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • 2007 version of BBC World Challenge announced

    2007 version of BBC World Challenge announced

    NEW DELHI: BBC World today announced the forthcoming opening of nominations for one of the world’s most exciting business and community project awards.

    World Challenge 2007 seeks to identify and reward people that bring economic, social and environmental benefits to their local communities, a release from the broadcaster says.

    The 24-hour international news and information television channel, BBC World, Newsweek and Shell have teamed up again for World Challenge 2007 and are searching for individuals or groups that have implemented grassroots solutions to the toughest problems of our age, from poverty to pollution.

    Nominations for the competition open on February 5 and companies, communities and enterprising individuals around the globe with projects are encouraged to enter by registering on the World Challenge 2007 website at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk.

    Once nominations close at the end of April, a panel of expert judges will shortlist the 12 entries that they consider are the best in terms of showing innovation and bringing economic, social and environmental benefits to their local community.

    After voting has closed, the winner of World Challenge 2007 will be announced at an awards ceremony in The Hague in December 2007.

    The winner will again receive a US$20,000 grant from Shell to invest in their project, plus the two runners-up will each receive US$10,000. The Awards Ceremony will be shown on BBC World in December.

    BBC World will produce six 30-minute programmes profiling the 12 finalists showing how their projects and businesses are changing lives. These programmes will be broadcast to BBC World’s global audience in October and November 2007, and the channel’s viewers will be invited to vote online for their favourite project or business.

    World Challenge, which began in 2005, has already inspired passion and commitment throughout the world and propelled enterprising projects and businesses into the spotlight. Since its inception, financial grants have been given to six projects from across the world and the competition has experienced phenomenal growth.

    In 2006, the World Challenge received 816 nominations compared with 500 nominations the year before.

    Maximus, a firm in Sri Lanka which supports a local elephant orphanage and provides sustainable employment by making paper out of elephant dung, won World Challenge 2006.

    Coconets from the Philippines, had won the 2005 competition for its landslide prevention system using waste coconut husks.

    Richard Sambrook, CEO BBC World, says: “The enthusiastic response to the World Challenge and the increase in the number of nominations each year is testament to this successful and inspirational project. We are delighted to again be working with Shell and Newsweek on World Challenge 2007.”

    Roxanne Decyk, Director, Corporate Affairs, Shell says: “Shell is proud to continue its association with this exciting and inspirational event. It is rewarding to witness the benefits that the World Challenge has brought to previous finalists, whether through profile-raising or through our financial assistance.”

    Newsweek will mirror the programmes’ content in a six-part series of advertorials on the 12 nominees, aimed at driving its readers to the online voting site. The campaign will reach 1.5 million weekly readers across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

    Gregory J. Osberg, Executive Vice President and Worldwide Publisher of Newsweek, adds: “Now in its third successful year, World Challenge rewards innovators who are implementing community-based solutions to some of the toughest problems of our age, from poverty to pollution. Along with partners Shell and BBC World, we are honoured to use Newsweek’s global reach to seek out inspiring projects that are helping people and the planet.”

  • RATINGS: Narrowing divide in the English news space

    RATINGS: Narrowing divide in the English news space

    MUMBAI: If the last six months’ TAM ratings in the English news space could tell a story this is what they would reveal:

    What started as a one horse market with NDTV 24×7 garnering the lion’s share of the pie saw two new entrants with CNN IBN and Times Now. Headlines Today, the English news channel from the TV Today Network continued to be in the shadows of Aaj Tak.

    But has the market dynamics changed with Cas in place? Certainly a better picture so far as the niche channels are concerned has appeared post Cas. NDTV 24×7, CNN IBN and Headlines Today have gone pay while Times Now has chosen to stay free-to-air (FTA) at least for the time being.

    CNN IBN, which started on a high note and even managed to equal market share with NDTV 24×7 (See table 15 Nov- 15 Dec) has stabilized at the end of one year and occupies the third position with a 20 per cent relative channel share (TG:CS AB 15+ years- 1 January to 13 January/ Market :HSM ). CNN IBN director marketing Dilip Venkatraman would only say that as far as CNN IBN was concerned, despite the numbers, he was confident that the “content quotient” of their channel was bound to bring in viewership. Also the “stickiness of viewership with the channel” is higher, he asserts.

    GENRE / CHANNEL 15 JULY – 15 AUG 15 AUG – 15 SEP 15 SEP – 15 OCT 15OCT-15NOV 15NOV-15DEC 15DEC-30DEC 01JAN – 13JAN 07
    ENG NEWS – TG: CS AB 15 Years + Market: HSM  
    BBC World 0 0 0 0 0 9 5
    CNN 8 0 0 0 0 0 5
    CNN IBN 23 30 30 27 33 18 20
    Headlines Today 15 10 10 9 11 9 15
    NDTV 24×7 38 40 40 36 33 36 30
    Times Now 15 20 20 27 22 27 25

    (Courtesy: TAM Peoplemeter System)

    Mindshare managing director Gautaman Raghotama believes that the increase in news channel shares is not so much a reflection of eating into each other’s share but eating into the channel shares of GEC. Mindshare is also the media agency for CNN IBN.

    Says Raghotama, “There is a definite movement of viewership from general entertainment channels to niche channels and especially news channels. The news genre is increasingly becoming a space for ‘infotainemt’. Look at how the Shilpa Shetty controversy was played out across news channels. It was as good as watching Celebrity Big Brother on a news channel.”

    “Another problem with the English news space is that at present there are no clear differentiatiors. So while the audience is slowly building a loyalty to certain news channels, the tendency is also to watch news on one channel and then breeze through the others for a different point of view.”

    “With Times Now and Headlines Today there is a connectivity concern.”

    Despite that concern, it is these two channels that one must watch out for in 2007. Times Now weathered a stormy year, to stabilize at the number two spot with a channel share of 25 per cent (See Table 01 January-13 January 2007). The channel achieved better clarity on its personality as a general news channel by slimming down the business band segment and focusing on what it called the ‘Big Story’ in the day, mentioned Times Now CEO Sunil Lulla in an interview to Indiantelevision earlier in the week. Times Now also led the pack in the TAM Elite Panel ratings.

    It is the minnow of the pack Headlines Today, however, that has switched gears into the fast mode with some good programming. TV Today CEO G Krishnan says, “Unlike General Entertainment Channels that get viewership spikes on tent pole programming – News Channels get a spike during big stories. Headlines Today has been able to effectively look at innovative wrap around content around big stories whether it is cricket, the Shilpa Shetty controversy or Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding to engage the viewers. In addition, shows like Entertainment Quarter, Sports Quarter are doing well for us. This week the time spent and the reach of the channel has increased by 50 per cent. We are definitely on the growth path and it’s heartening to note that more viewers are consuming our content for a longer duration.”

    Assuming that there is a potential clutter in this space would it be easier for network channels to woo the advertiser? Says Krishnan, “Headlines Today as a product caters to the metro-urbanite. Thus an advertiser is able to reach out to the younger metro audiences. From a sales strategy – we are able to optimize revenues by looking at a network approach. Now with the increase in viewership – we are also working on a stand alone strategy to maximize on the revenue opportunity.”

    What is noteworthy is that the market share for these channels is now more evenly divided. But does a 4-player market spell a cannibalization of the market share?

    “I don’t think there is a clutter in the news space with four channels in the fray. But is there space for a fifth channel? I would assume not. I don’t know if they will be able to garner channel share but what is certain is that the existing players will definitely find it tough,” says Gautaman.

    Madison Media Group CEO Punita Arumugam looks at the scenario optimistically as far as the ad pie is concerned?

    “Yes, the ER and growth rate will get affected but the genre itself will grow. Take a look at what’s happened in the kid’s channels market or the Hindi movies market. The market also grew as the players increased.”

    It’s anybody’s story so far as English news goes and each one of them must be looking at increasing channel share. But isn’t the English news channel market a niche within a niche segment.

    Counters Arumugam, “As far as the viewers are concerned what would happen is that as more and more choices are available within a particular genre, fragmentation is inevitable. But personally I don’t think this will affect any of the channels adversely.”

    “If you consider the profile of new advertisers that is already happening as the market sees an explosion. The FMCG sector is looking at this genre more aggressively. Also a healthy competition between the four channels would see advertising rates become more competitive.”

    Gautaman agrees that FMCG players are moving out of the GEC bracket and looking at niche channels.”The English news channels targeted at the affluent, metro consumers will certainly benefit from this shift. Local operators and retail clients will also look at this genre closely. Besides much of this money will have to come from GEC’s and other media options. There will be a rearrangement of revenue to various genres,” he says.

    Krishnan surely speaks for all channels when he says, “The operating principle for all advertisers is – “Have viewership – Will advertise”. He further adds, “With Headlines Today being on a growth path in terms of viewership, advertisers wanting to reach out out to the younger affluent metro audiences will look at Headlines Today as an ideal platform.”

     

  • Channel 4 postpones sex shows after Shetty controversy

    Channel 4 postpones sex shows after Shetty controversy

    MUMBAI: Following the criticism of racism on its show Celebrity Big Brother which saw Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty win, UK broadcaster Channel 4 has decided to postpone a series of shows on sex.

    The series of programmes were to be themed around masturbation. One show media reports state was a documentary about a charity ‘masturbate-athon’. Another programme called Virgin School, was to feature a 40-year-old former vicar being taught sex techniques in Amsterdam

    A spokesperson for the channel though was quoted saying that they will evenutually air. Clearly the channel does not want to air content that has the potential to lead to more negative publicity.

    Meanwhile the row over Celebrity Big Brother continues to make headlines.

    Reports state that one of Shetty’s three alleged tormentors, glamour model Danielle Lloyd, has met police for a three-hour discussion about the race row.

  • NDTV wins at the New York Festival

    NDTV wins at the New York Festival

    MUMBAI: The special episode on farmers’ suicide in Vidarbha region on NDTV’s ‘Witness’ has bagged the prestigious World Silver Medal at the New York Festival, 2007. The award winning episode travelled to Vidarbha in eastern Maharashtra, where more than 600 debt-driven cotton farmers have killed themselves since June 2005.

    Timed to coincide with the visit of the Prime Minister to Vidarbha, this episode attempted to discover a new way of reporting the tragedy – a way that would jolt both the TV audience and policymakers into reacting – and they did.

    Over the 30 minutes, the show interviewed the men who track the daily highs and lows of these deaths, almost like a suicide stock market.

    Speaking on the occasion, NDTV Chairman Dr Prannoy Roy said, “The NDTV team is proud to bag this award at the New York Festival 2007. I take this opportunity to congratulate Sreenivasan Jain and the entire team for this very special award.

    We believe in credible and responsible journalism that address issues of the people, and the nation. With its experienced and talented team, both on and off camera, cutting edge technology and connect with itss viewers, NDTV is all set for an exciting year ahead.”

    The New York Festival, established 35 years ago recognises excellence in “The World’s Best Work” in news, documentary, information and entertainment programming.

    The New York Festival 2007 award was declared on February 2, at the Downtown Auditorium located in the heart of Lower Manhattan’s Financial District.

    The ‘Witness’ episode on ‘Farmers Suicides’ won the prestigious award competing against 686 entries from across the world.

  • NDTV Media appointed airtime sales rep for Mi Marathi

    NDTV Media appointed airtime sales rep for Mi Marathi

    MUMBAI: NDTV Media has been appointed as the exclusive airtime sales representative for the soon-to-be-launched Marathi channel, “Mi Marathi” from the Adhikari stable. It will be responsible for all revenue generating efforts for the channel.

    “This venture is the first step towards our entry into the regional space. With more and more niche and special interest channels taking market share, regional markets will witness an exponential growth. We believe that with the majority of the population speaking Marathi, the size of the Marathi regional market advertising pie will cross the Rs 120-crore mark by the year end. We are delighted and proud to be associated with Mi Marathi channel”, said NDTV Media CEO Raj Nayak.

    Markand Adhikari in an earlier interview to Indiantelevision.com had revealed that the channel which has been in the docks for a while would be launched in February.

    The baseline of MI MARATHI is “Aaplya Manasachi Aapli Vahini”, a channel by the Son of the Soil. Sri Adhikari Brothers have in the last 20 years, produced more than 2000 hours of Marathi programming for DD Sahyadri and Doordarshan’s national network.

  • TV18 to raise Rs 2 billion, open to print entry

    TV18 to raise Rs 2 billion, open to print entry

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl-promoted TV18 is raising Rs 2 billion through a fresh equity issue to fund its organic and inorganic expansion plans.

    The company is keen to acquire a business newspaper, completing the chain across television channels, internet and print. Sources say TV18 is eyeing financial daily Business Standard where Uday Kotak is the largest shareholder and the others include Financial Times and Great Eastern Shipping.

    TV18 has mandated HSBC and will raise Rs 2 billion through a qualified institutional placement (QIP). The funds are being kept ready as the company plans to expand its business and is also hunting for opportunities in new areas.

    “We are going for a QIP issue of Rs 2 billion,” confirms TV18 Group managing director Bahl. “We have several expansion plans. We are also looking at an opportunity in the business print space but nothing has come up,” he adds, while defending against any suggestion of pursuing talks with Business Standard.

    The QIP issue will involve a small dilution as regulations make it mandatory for Network 18, the holding company for TV18 and Global Broadcast News (GBN), to own at least 51 per cent in the news ventures. The current holding of Network 18 in TV18 is 53 per cent while in GBN it is 57 per cent (post-IPO).

    Network 18 also has non core TV businesses in Studio 18 and Shop 18. The company expects Studio 18, which is engaged in movie business, to rake in a revenue of Rs 1 billion in the first full year of operations. The plan is to produce a movie every month. In Shop 18, the 24-hour television network dedicated to home shopping, trial runs have been conducted and the call centres are coming into place.

    Network 18 has already raised a debt of Rs 700 million which will take care of its current funding needs, the source says while not ruling out further fund raising exercises in future.

    TV18 houses two business channels, CNBC TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, a clutch of internet properties, financial wire service Crisil Marketwire (which was recently acquired and renamed Newswire 18) and an e-broking venture with partners.

  • FremantleMedia takes ‘Project Runway’ to Canada

    FremantleMedia takes ‘Project Runway’ to Canada

    MUMBAI: Television format cerator and distributor FremantleMedia has signed a deal with Canadian firm Alliance Atlantis Communications and Insight Production.

    The deal is for the fashion based reality show Project Runway Canada will premiere on the newly-branded network Slice.

    The Canadian version format of the US series which was developed by Miramax and The Weinstein Company will find Canadian fashion designers competing in a number of head-to-head challenges for the chance to be discovered as the next ‘It’ Canadian designer, and is set to debutlater this year.
    Slice also airs the US and UK versions of the series. In addition to Project Runway Canada, Slice will debut the second season of Project Catwalk, the UK version of the show from March 2007.

    Alliance Atlantis Communications senior VP, content, lifestyle channels Karen Gelbart says, “Our viewers have become addicted to the U.S. and U.K versions of the Project Runway series, and it’s truly a thrill to partner with Insight and FremantleMedia Enterprises to welcome Project Runway Canada to Slice.

    “We see this as a tremendous opportunity to shine a spotlight on the wealth of talented designers working in Canada’s unique and successful fashion industry. And, given that the world of fashion is competitive, catty and amazingly glamorous, we have no doubt the series will create memorable personalities that will have people talking week after week.”

  • DD, Mike Pandey launch a brave green series

    DD, Mike Pandey launch a brave green series

    NEW DELHI: Three-time “Green Oscar” winner environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey says there is a great scope for a film like “Al Gore” which seems to have transformed the American environmental conscience leading up to massive pressure on the retrogressive Bush administration, but says Bollywood has not grown up and there is no money for that kind of endeavour.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com ahead of the launching his latest series for Doordarshan, “Earth Matters” in its second avatar, Pandey said: “I’d love to do that kind of a film, but where is the money? Bollywood still spends money only on crass commercial ventures and ignores real issues.”
    Pandey added: “I still make these films though there is very little money in it.”The series will be telecast from February 4, and Director General LD Mandloi told indiantelevision.com: “We have paid Rs six lakh per episode, but the cost could have been higher for the filmmaker,” corroborating Pandey’s version.

    Interestingly, he said, “This is the first time an environmental series is being made in India in Hindi.” The earlier series of the same title was in English.

    Mandloi said: “We had received major appreciation for the first series and thus decided to do this new series. Unfortunately, everything nowadays is seen in terms of ‘marketability’, but as a public broadcaster have a different agenda.”

    The second series will be of 26 episodes and shown every Sunday at 11 am on DD. Mandloi said that DD is committed to such environmental programmes, despite the fact that consciousness on such issues in the country is not as high as it is in the west.

    He quoted fabled Hindi poet Muktibodh: the world must become much better and cleaner that it is today and for that we need a good sweeper.

    Mandloi said that the last figures for DD viewership was 800 million (realistically put, around 350 million) and for this new venture, 321 AIR radio centres and 30 channels of DD would be pressed into service for a massive awareness campaign, and also that billboards would be put up at all DD and AIR stations.

    The series – shown in snippets as a preview at the Indian Habitat Centre today – has captured a wide range of sensitive issues and veers right away from the rather puerile attempts to indulge in jargonistic poster-films that mark novice enterprises in the field. From the unseen Andamanese tribes and their lives – they actually seem straight out of Africa and make the audience feel they are seeing something foreign – to dances of Manipur and the relationship of such dances and rituals with the inherent lifestyle of the native people who live amidst nature, the series has some major surprises.

    There are episodes also on other countries like places in Africa and Sri Lanka. Pandey said there is need for people across the share their experiences and help coexist. Pandey, addressing the media later, Pandey said that people in India should be aware of issue such as the ones he has filmed on. There is need for understanding and thatcomes from education.

    He revealed that as a comparison, at a recent film festival on environment abroad each 40-minute film cost Rs 22 crore. That is the kind of investment people make abroad on such issues.

    “We do not realise that our lives depend on just two insects: the butterfly and honeybee, which pollinate 87 per cent of the plants and give us the food and fruits we survive on. Long ago, education was taken away from us. The emphasis was on how to survive. But that has changed and now we need to take heed of how to keep the earth green.” This is the message that Pandey feels should go out to the Indian vernacular audience needs to see.

    Pandey has also delved on issues like stem cell research and on our scientists and their IPR related progress.

    Mandloi, however, said that the series will also be dubbed in English and shown across the country where Hindi is not understood and across various places in the world at a later date. Pandey said that these are archival series that can be played again and again and will ever remain important, though the making was extremely tough. On the impact of such films in India, Pandy gave one stark example, of how a film on destruction of the vulture population in India was seen by the Prime Minister and only then a decision was taken to stop production of a drug that had wiped out 87 million vultures in the country.

  • Trai happy with Cas rollout, needs to look into customer choice

    Trai happy with Cas rollout, needs to look into customer choice

    NEW DELHI: With 178,000 STBs seeded in the South Delhi Cas area, and an overall of just a little under 450,000 STBs seeded in the three metros as of date (Mumbai 210,000 and Kolkata 48,000-plus), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is happy with the physical roll out of Cas, Trai Advisor Rakesh Kacker tells indiantelevision.com.

    However, there still remains the issue of implementation of the consumer choices, which has not been done so far, he informed.
    Explaining the surprisingly small number of STBs that south-Kolkatans have opted for, Kacker said: “I am told that the area chosen is the problem. That (Behala and other places) is not typically the area where people would opt for the boxes.”

    He explained that though people there could afford the boxes, since the initial deposit is as little as Rs 250, “I believe that people in these areas have a monthly billing of as low as Rs 70 or 80 at the most, so they feel that the FTAs is good enough for them.”

    But why has the “pay-for-watching” system not been implemented so far?

    “The main problem, of course, is human resources available with the cable operators to give the connections as per choice expressed by the customer. That being limited, it is taking time because of bunching of applications,” he explained.

    In fact, it is a complex problem, he admitted.

    “In some cases, the operators tell us that the customers have yet not filled up the form because they cannot decide. In other cases, there is the lack of manpower.”

    Interestingly, one of the practices that MSOs resorted to during the transition period has further caused delay in the implementation of customer choice, or what is usually termed as “watch what you pay for”.

    In the beginning, whoever paid for either renting or buying an STB had been given access by MSOs to all the available channels, and the latter had said that once the customers filed their choices – a la carte or bouquets – the bill for the first month would reflect that alone and not the entire package being shown initially.

    “But customers may have started feeling that they are getting everything for the same amount of money, so why should they fill forms for specific choice? So they too are not submitting their forms,” Kacker explained.

    Wasn’t there a cut off date for implementation. Some of the MSOs had told indiantelevision.com that the system of receiving all the channels would stop from January 20. Kacker, however, differed: “I am not aware of any such order by us at Trai.”

    “Actually, seeding the boxes was the first priority, so now that has stabilised and now we have to implement the customer choice. I am more than happy with the number of boxes seeded, which goes a little beyond my original calculations. There was a shortage in the beginning of January because of the sudden spurt in demand, but the situation has stabilised,” Kacker added.

    But what about the problem of frequent signal loss? And the fact that when there is signal box, there are no helpline numbers available on the TV screen, where it should be? Isn’t that an issue of ‘quality of service’?

    Kacker dismissed the issue of signal loss and pixelisation of images, saying that the number of complaints are insignificant, and they could occur for a variety of reasons. And in any case, the helpline is always available with the customer. “Don’t tell me the customers do not know the telephone numbers of their cable operators!” he said.

    Is there a decision to extend Cas to other areas in the three metros? It is too premature to say, he opined. Instead, he wants the system to stabilise.

    There is no way of knowing the actual number of sets seeded by the DTH operators. But as far as controlling tariff for DTH is concerned, Kacker said Trai’s position has been expressed in an affidavit placed with TDSAT and he could not further comment on that.

    Earlier last month, during a hearing of TDSAT, it was read out in the court by a lawyer for a DTH player that Trai had said it has been considering the issue of DTH tariff fixation and a consultation paper would be distributed. Trai counsels present at the hearing, but had not objected to the lawyer’s statement.

    A news agency had reported that Tra has said it is too premature to consider tariff fixation for DTH, but Kacker dismissed the issue: “The agency can say what it wants to, how does it make a difference to me. We have told TDSAT what we had to.”

    However, today Kacker still refused to comment, saying that the matter was in the court.

    And would Trai – futuristically speaking – have any role to play in regulating Mobile TV?

    “It is not clear. People speak of mobile TV as if it is one system, but this can happen through telecom through Internet, through terrestrial lines and so forth. Maybe there could be issues of quality of service or tariff fixing, but it all depends on who is providing the service and through which platform,” Kacker concluded.

  • bbcnews.com to hold mobile photo contest for South Asia

    bbcnews.com to hold mobile photo contest for South Asia

    MUMBAI: BBC News website has launched its first Mobile Photo Contest for South Asia.

    Themed My Changing World’, the contest will be open till 31 March 2007, with prizes to be won every week. Details of the contest are available on bbcnews.com/contest.

    BBC News Interactive head Steve Herrmann said, “The pictures we receive every day from our audience are changing the way we report the world. This contest is specifically for our South Asian audience. We think this will be a good way to engage with younger audiences across the region, and hope it will be fun to take part in.”

    The contest invites mobile photos from people across South Asia, and offers participants a chance to win BBC merchandise every week. This is in addition to prizes such as an iPod Video, Digital Camera, and Worldspace radio at the end of the contest. Every week, the website will feature some of the best and most interesting picture entries.

    The BBC News website offers a selection of news, entertainment, business, science, technology, and sport news.

    The BBC News website claims to receive over 900 million page impressions every month, and has around 40 million unique users a month.