ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • STAR News presents ‘STAR Budget 2007’

    MUMBAI: The mood is palpable for its nervousness and the whole nation seems to be reaching into their pockets, wondering whether they will have more to spare this time round. But there is only one man who can tell us so… he is the Union Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram who will play pied piper to a nation of a billion souls on Budget Day. A close second is the Union Rail Minister, the unflappable Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav, who will decide whether our daily and seasonal commutes get any easier.

    But fear not, STAR Budget 2007 presented by STAR News will unravel the mysteries of this most elaborate of annual exercises with half-a-dozen unique programmes, which make plain the intricacies and impact of the Budget on the people.

    STAR News rolls out riveting programming which promises to offer the viewer a voice, while unraveling the implications of Budget 2006-07 for the common man. Under the umbrella brand, ‘STAR Budget 2007′, starting 27 January the specials will continue to air until 28 February and will conclude with the LIVE telecast of the Union Budget 2006-07. STAR News’ budget specials will present the essence of the budget while translating it into the impact on the common man. The lavish spread includes:

    Fund Ka Funda Aapke Shahar Mein: STAR News’ financial experts will traverse the length and breadth of the country to answer people’s queries on investments and offer financial advice. This series will air between 12th and 25th February and feature in segments throughout the day.

    Kyunki Yeh Meri Jeb Hai: This is a unique programme wherein the aam junta of the country gets a platform to voice their concerns, expectations and suggestions to the Finance Minister and the Rail Minister on the Budget. Viewers can post their suggestions through emails to budget@starnews.co.in or by SMSing their wish list to 7827 by typing BGT, followed by a space and then the message. This segment will air four times a day and feature between the 27th January and 9th February.

    Budget Batein: Leading up to the formidable Budget D-day, STAR News will capture the buzz surrounding the Budget with this feature, which will air between the 5th and the 24th of February

    Jaag Uthe Armaan: Airing between the 5th and 24th of February, this brief segment will air thrice a day and will look at Budget expectations and reactions through the eyes of personalities from the business world to the film and tele world and other head honchos of the corporate world.

    Hassi Par Tax Nahi: Because every serious discussion must necessarily have a lighter side to it, STAR Budget 2007 will also feature the take of the top comedians of India on the Union Budget. Given the fast expanding inclusion of services and products in the tax bracket, we are not expecting a cess on laughter however this year, so laugh aplenty with us! This too will air between the 5th and 24th of February

    North Block Ka Rahasya: Because the Budget-day speech is merely the final presentation of an elaborate process, STAR News will go behind the scenes into the making of the Union Budget – the procedures, preparations, security cordon – and present it as 2 half-hour features airing it in the first week of February.

    Karlo Duniya Muthi Mein: STAR News will offer a unique LIVE translation of the Finance minister’s Budget speech over the duration of the entire speech on the 28th of February.

    STAR Budget 2007 presented by STAR News will be your guide through the twists and turns of a busy Budget season, so that the mystery is removed and facts made plain, because the people of this country deserve to know! To stay ahead of the game with comprehensive coverage of Budget 2006-07 and an opportunity to voice your opinion and make it heard, watch ‘STAR Budget 2007’, an exclusive STAR News presentation, from 1st to 28th of Feb.

  • CNBC-TV18, ICICI Bank to present Emerging India 2007

    MUMBAI: CNBC TV 18 will present The Emerging India Series 2007 at an interactive panel discussion in Bangalore.

    The awards instituted to recognize excellence in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME awards) is in its third year. The discussion will address ‘Keys to success for Indian Software SME’s at a global level.’

    The Emerging India forum will bring together experts from the IT and ITES field and leaders like ICICI bank chief technology officer Praveen Vohra, Crisil corporate ratings head Sudip Sural, Mindtree Consultancy president and CEO Krishna Kumar Natrajan, RSM company partner Rajesh Gupta to help SMEs leverage market knowledge, learn through internal and external networks and utilize relationships appropriately to keep themselves alive in this competitive sector. The discussion will be moderated by Vivek Law, Consumer Affairs Editor, CNBC-TV18.

    ‘Emerging India Forum 2007’ in Bangalore

    Date: 23rd January 2007

    Time: 7pm

    Venue: Regency 1, ITC Hotel Windsor Sheraton & Towers, Bangalore

  • TV Today plans Rs 230 million buy back of shares

    TV Today plans Rs 230 million buy back of shares

    MUMBAI:TV Today Network plans to buy back shares up to five per cent and free reserves aggregating approximately Rs 230 million.

    The board of directors of TV Today Network will meet on January 29 to consider this as well as the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended 31 December 2006.

    The scrip hit a high of Rs 110.45 and a low of Rs 98 on Wednesday. It gained 4.88 per cent to close the day at Rs 103.20.
     

  • Chess Grandmasters now on Zapak.com

    Chess Grandmasters now on Zapak.com

    BANGALORE: Zapak Digital Entertainment (Zapak) a Reliance ADA Group venture, announced the launch of India’s first full-feature online ‘Multiplayer Chess’.

    The Multiplayer Option provides the advantage of playing against your friend who could be anywhere across the world, and also has three difficulty levels; for beginners, advanced players and experts. Zapak.com also launched ‘Multiplayer Speed Chess’, where the player has only ten seconds to make a move.

    Koneru Humpy, the Reigning World Junior Champion, only 33 ELO points away from being called ‘Super Grandmaster Champion’ and Tania Sachdeva, the Reigning Asian Junior Girls Champion, unveiled the game and showcased the gameplay.

    Speaking about the performance of the portal on this occasion, Zapak COO Rohit Sharma, said, “We have become the fastest growing portal in less than two months from launch reaching 5,00,000 registrations and crossing 5,00,00,000 page views.

    The performance of the portal has surely exceeded our expectations and we are continuously adding new features on our website so that we exceed our players’ expectations. In fact we have even witnessed registrations from Vishakhapatnam, Siliguri, Jabalpur, Ludhiana, etc besides the Metros and even International Locations.

    Computer gaming the world over is dominated by males – almost 85% of the gamers are male, however according to Sharma, Zapak has around 25-30% female subscribers, a swing from the norm, while discussing the current three TVC’s on air which focus on males. The TVCs’ have been created by Marketing Ants, while the Reliance internal team handles the media part. Over the last two months since the launch of the gaming site around Rs.45 million have been spent on the media campaign according to Reliance Entertainment president Rajesh Sawhney.

    Currently on offer is a bouquet of 160 plus games on the site with plans to ramp this number up to 500 games by the end of March this year. Zapak also announced an online chess championship for the Zapak Grandmaster starting February 01 this year with a prize purse of Rs.100,000/- for the Grandmaster.

    According to Reliance estimates, the global gaming industry is worth around US$45 billion and is expected to grow to US$53 billion (which would make it larger than the Hollywood film industry), while that of the Indian industry is expected to grow to US$424 million by 2010.

  • DD to host new green series

    DD to host new green series

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan will telecast a new series titled Earth Matters, from 4 February. The series will be telecast on Sundays at 11 am on DD National (DD-1), a press statement from the national broadcaster said today.

    Earth Matters is a series made by internationally renowned film maker and conservationist Mike Pandey (the only Indian to have won three Green Oscars in addition to a host of prestigious international and national awards).

    The series will take the viewer on a journey across India, looking at some of the biggest issues that are facing the planet, and the human race at the same time looking at the many wonders that nature has.

    The series brings the viewer closer to nature increasing their understanding of delicate balance that exists within it, it looks at the recent destruction and also looks at ways to help protect and conserve our natural world for future generations.

    In an attempt to make the programming informative and educational, Earth Matters focuses on contemporary issues and covers a wide range of subjects.

    From the underwater world of corals and exploring the marine life to a look at the endangered species, including the tiger, the series takes a broad view at public interest programmes on health issues, environment and wildlife, and sensitising people at the grassroots levels, and how their actions can make a positive difference.

    Earth Matters has been shot using the latest specialty equipments and after extensive research across India. 

    The prime objective of the series is to alert the individuals and create awareness about the threats that our world is facing today and encourage each one of us to make an effort towards conservation of our natural environment.

  • Former Intelsat chairman inducted into satellite pros hall of fame

    Former Intelsat chairman inducted into satellite pros hall of fame

    MUMBAI: Global satellite services provider Intelsat has announced today its former chairman Conny Kullman is a 2007 inductee to the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Satellite Hall of Fame.

    Kullman led Intelsat and its global employee base through its privatisation, and its metamorphosis into a highly competitive operator. In addition, he was a driving force behind commercial, operational and engineering changes during his tenure as Intelsat’s Chief Executive Officer from 1998-2005.

    Under his leadership, Kullman implemented a terrestrial strategy resulting in the development of Intelsat’s Global Connex portfolio suite of services, which now represents approximately $130 million in annual revenues. In addition, Kullman led a $2.5 billion, three-year fleet replenishment campaign that increased available capacity in growth markets.

    In 2003, Kullman was at the helm when Intelsat announced its acquisition of the North American satellites of Loral Space and Communications, providing Intelsat with access to the North American market and completing Intelsat’s global system.

    In 2004, Kullman recognised the opportunity to achieve the goals of the Orbit Act while at the same time obtaining premium shareholder returns, by conducting an LBO process which resulted in the acquisition of Intelsat by a consortium of private equity firms at a competitive price. Kullman capped his career in 2005 as Intelsat chairman playing a role in the completion of Intelsat’s acquisition of Panamsat.

    Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade says, “Conny led Intelsat through its privatisation and began the challenging task of transforming the company from an intergovernmental organisation to a commercial company, positioning Intelsat to become the leading global satellite operator. His many achievements throughout his career shaped Intelsat and the industry.”

  • Star plans radio re-entry, to pick up 20 per cent in Radio City

    Star plans radio re-entry, to pick up 20 per cent in Radio City

    MUMBAI: Star Group plans to pick up 20 per cent in Music Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. (MBPL), marking a re-entry into the private FM radio business.

    Star is buying the stake from India Value Fund, (earlier GW Capital) a venture capital fund. With this, India Value Fund’s holding will drop from 75 per cent to 55 per cent.

    In early 2005, Star had sold its stake in MBPL, the company which operates its FM radio stations under the Radio City brand, for Rs 300 million. India Value Fund had acquired a controlling stake in MBPL.

    “Star is buying back the 20 per cent it had sold earlier in MBPL. The radio business is set to explode with the government changing its policy and opening up the second phase of private FM expansion,” says a source close to the company. He, however, could not confirm the price Star is paying to acquire the stake.

    MBPL chief executive officer Apurva Purohit was not available for comment. Star officials also could not be reached. The government regulations permit only 20 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the FM radio business.

    In May 2005, Star had discontinued its arrangement of supplying content to MBPL. Later in the year the country’s biggest television network in terms of revenue also ceased doing air time sales for Radio City.

    Since the inception of Radio City, MBPL had contracted Star to provide its expertise in the areas of programming, ad sales and marketing. The operations were handled through DigiWave, a 50:50 joint venture between Star and the PK Mittal-promoted Ispat group.

    Radio City is already operational in seven cities comprising Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Jaipur. The plan is to launch in 13 more cities including Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Sangli, Akola and Nagpur.

  • Fremantle inks deal for Martha Stewart show globally

    Fremantle inks deal for Martha Stewart show globally

    MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor Fremantle Media (FME) has sold its daytime show The Martha Stewart Show featuring US television icon Martha Stewart to global broadcasters.

    The first season has been newly acquired by Mediacorp, Singapore; African Business Channel, Africa; Ananey, Israel; Show TV, Turkey; TV3/8TV Malaysia and UBC, Thailand.

    The show has been renewed by Vitaya, Belgium; OnMedia, Korea; SBS, Sweden; TVNZ, New Zealand and ABS CBN, Philippines.

    The one hour 180 episode show puts the spotlight on Stewart’s sense of humour and love of fun, with each episode featuring movers and shakers, headline makers, A-list celebrities plus everyday people who’ve accomplished extraordinary things. With guests including Russell Crowe, Jamie Oliver, Olivia Newton-John, Jessica Alba, Harrison Ford, Sharon Stone, Jason Biggs, Paul Walker and the cast of Desperate Housewives, The Martha Stewart Show has received five Emmy nominations and scooped one award.

    The brainchild of lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and reality television svengali Mark Burnett, The Martha Stewart Show aims to offer something different; from cooking, crafting and cavorting with celebrity friends, to entertaining, decorating and home renovating, Martha has all the answers.

    Commenting from the television trade event Natpe in Las Vegas FME CEO David Ellender said, “We are delighted to report on these new sales and renewals of The Martha Stewart Show, now happily at home in schedules in a growing number of territories worldwide. Martha is already an integral part of daytime television across the globe, with these further additions cementing her role as everybody’s favourite daytime host.”

  • CNBC Asia Pacific appoints director, news and programming

    CNBC Asia Pacific appoints director, news and programming

    MUMBAI: CNBC announced the appointment of John Casey to its Asia Pacific team, as the Director, news and programming. Casey reports to Jeremy Pink, president and managing director of CNBC Asia Pacific. Casey, based in Singapore, heads the news and programming division of the network in this region.

    In his capacity, Casey will oversee CNBC’s efforts to enhance the network’s programming. His responsi-bilities include supervising the development of content, talent and program schedule for CNBC Asia Pacific, ensuring the high quality of CNBC’s daily output, and developing new, compelling content for CNBC’s broadcast, mobile and broadband platforms.

    Casey joins CNBC in Asia Pacific, from CNBC Europe, based in London. He was the deputy head of news and the executive producer, Worldwide Exchange and Power Lunch. Casey has had more than a decade of experience in the production of business and financial news programs, and the management of news networks.

    He was instrumental in launching Worldwide Exchange, the world’s first global, tri-anchored, live newscast, simultaneously broadcast from Asia, Europe and the United States. He had also developed CNBC Europe’s rolling, volume-driven ticker, and the FTSE CNBC Global 300 Index, in collaboration with FTSE. He helped establish CNBC Nordic, in Denmark, and CNBCe in Turkey. He had also designed and built the CNBC Europe newsroom system.

    “John’s tremendous experience in the production of business and financial news content, his superior ability in managing a news room and his keen instinct for stories, coupled with his unwavering sense of editorial integrity, makes him a valuable member of our editorial and management team,” Pink said. “We’re delighted to have John head our news and programming division in Asia Pacific.”

  • Intelsat board of directors chairman Conny Kullman to be inducted into SSPI Hall of Fame

    Intelsat board of directors chairman Conny Kullman to be inducted into SSPI Hall of Fame

    MUMBAI: Intelsat has announced that Intelsat Ltd., Board of Directors chairman (retired) Conny Kullman, is a 2007 inductee to the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Satellite Hall of Fame.

     
    SSPI will induct its new Hall of Fame members at an invitational ceremony on 20 February, immediately before the start of the annual SSPI Gala, held on the opening day of the Satellite 2007 Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., informs an official release.

    “Conny led Intelsat through its privatization and began the challenging task of transforming the company from an intergovernmental organization to a commercial company, positioning Intelsat to become the leading global satellite operator,” said Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade. “His many achievements throughout his career shaped Intelsat and the industry.”

     
    The release adds that Kullman led Intelsat and its global employee base through its privatization, and its metamorphosis into a highly competitive operator. In addition, he was a driving force behind commercial, operational and engineering changes during his tenure as Intelsat’s chief executive officer from 1998-2005. Under his leadership, Kullman implemented a terrestrial strategy resulting in the development of Intelsat’s GlobalConnex portfolio suite of services, which now represents approximately $130 million in annual revenues.

    In addition, Kullman led a $2.5 billion, three year fleet replenishment campaign that increased available capacity in growth markets. In 2003, Kullman was at the helm when Intelsat announced its acquisition of the North American satellites of Loral Space and Communications, providing Intelsat with access to the North American market and completing Intelsat’s global system.

    In 2004, Kullman recognized the opportunity to achieve the goals of the Orbit Act while at the same time obtaining premium shareholder returns, by conducting an LBO process which resulted in the acquisition of Intelsat by a consortium of private equity firms at a competitive price. Kullman capped his career in 2005 as chairman of Intelsat, playing a critical role in the completion of Intelsat’s acquisition of PanAmSat.