ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • Casbaa Convention 2007: It’s all about content

    Casbaa Convention 2007: It’s all about content

    MUMBAI: The Casbaa Convention 2007 will be staged from 30 October to 2 November at Hong Kong’s Academy for Performing Arts. The theme this year has been set to ‘It’s all about content’.

    Casbaa chairman Marcel Fenez said, “Focusing on the most vital market driver for pay-TV services, video content, the Convention 2007 will highlight how the relationship between content, carriage, customers and revenue is indivisible.”

    “There is now a deeper industry-wide recognition that whether the platform is cable, satellite, broadband, mobile or any other delivery mode consumers ultimately pay for the images on screen,” he added.

    According to Casbaa, with the need to maximise viewership and revenues in a world of proliferating channels, the delineation of quality niche products is gaining ever greater relevance. Meanwhile, a more sophisticated understanding of consumer behaviour and the development of related marketing campaigns all flow back to the core product: compelling content.

    The ever-changing technology landscape will also feature strongly during the Casbaa Convention 2007, as will the mega-markets of China and India and the still green-field markets of Indonesia and Vietnam, asserts an official release.

    The annual Casbaa Convention brings together broadcast executives and technology specialists from Asia and around the world to exchange views and information during high-powered interactive debates.

    Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies said, “This is where Asia’s pay-TV decision-makers meet market dynamics head on. First comes carriage, but then you need content.”

  • IPTV subscribers in Asia Pacific expected to reach 27.4 million by 2013: Frost and Sullivan report

    IPTV subscribers in Asia Pacific expected to reach 27.4 million by 2013: Frost and Sullivan report

    MUMBAI: The Frost and Sullivan research service titled Asia Pacific IPTV Market provides an in-depth analysis of IPTV scenario in 12 markets across Asia Pacific.

    The research service identifies the market demand, competitive landscape, key drivers and restraints for the IPTV market.

    Further, the study presents detailed forecast patterns for revenues and ARPU trends for various countries in Asia Pacific. In this research service, Frost and Sullivan’s expert analysts thoroughly examine the markets of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

    Growth of Broadband Spurs IPTV Deployments

    Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is fast making headway across the entire Asia Pacific region. The deployment of IPTV in the region has been further hastened by the explosion of broadband in various high growth markets across Asia Pacific, even as service providers across the region have invested heavily in the network infrastructure required for offering these services.

    IPTV has generated a new revenue stream, amidst dwindling fixed line revenues, and rapid advancements in compression, transmission, and watermarking technologies have enabled more and more service providers to jump onto the IPTV bandwagon. In line with these trends, the Asia Pacific IPTV market is set for considerable growth over the forecast period, with the number of IPTV subscribers expected to increase from the existing 1,47,000 to 27.4 million by 2013.

    However, poor broadband infrastructure in key growth markets such as China, India, and the Philippines coupled with lack of quality content have restrained the growth of IPTV in the region. Furthermore, access to quality content has been a common challenge for service providers.

    The analyst of this research service said, “While partnerships with content providers and broadcasting companies go a long way in securing access rights, the cable TV providers or the IPTV market leaders already have exclusive access to this content. This arrangement makes it difficult for other service providers to scale their service to meet the users’ requirements.”

    China and India expected to be high growth ,arkets

    With respect to individual regional markets, Hong Kong is already a mature market for IPTV services, and is expected to be heading toward saturation by 2009. China and India are perceived as high growth markets for IPTV by 2009. By 2013, China along with Hong Kong is expected to contribute nearly 60 per cent of the total Asia Pacific IPTV revenues. With 47.8 million subscribers, China has the largest broadband subscriber base in Asia Pacific in 2006, out of which nearly 70 per cent are residential subscribers.

    In Australia, IPTV is entering a crucial stage in its development, moving away from a technology under trial, into full commercial deployment. While it could take another three years for IPTV to enter the growth stage, service providers’ early adoption of IPTV services and aggressive pricing strategies are expected to contribute to the success of the technology in Australia.

    Presently, IPTV is deployed in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The service is expected to be introduced in India and the Philippines in 2007, and despite the lack of bandwidth in most markets, the demand for interactive entertainment has lured service providers to offer IPTV-based content in the form of video-on-demand (VoD) and channel-based offerings.

    Analyst further added, “As the service providers take the first few tentative steps, response from IPTV users has been positive in most markets. Service providers need to look beyond immediate revenue opportunities to understand the long-term importance of IPTV as a carrier distribution platform, over which many consumer communication and entertainment services can be offered simultaneously.”

  • Radio One launching in Chennai Wednesday

    Radio One launching in Chennai Wednesday

    MUMBAI: Radio One 94.3 launches operations in Chennai tomorrow after 9 days of test runs in the southern city.

    The past few days have seen the station gearing up for the Chennai launch with promotional activities which included branding its name and logo on tea stalls across Chennai to garner more visibility.

    A Mid Day Multimedia Limited and BBC Worldwide venture, Radio One is already present in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Chennai will be the FM station’s fourth foray.

    Speaking on the issue of how it would take on some of the bigger more established radio stations like Surya and Radio Mirchi, Radio One station head LV Navaneet said, “These are major players and more established as they had the first mover advantage. Radio One will concentrate on 
    content and attitude to position itself. In fact content is at the centre of our universe.”

    The channel is looking at a target group of 20 to 30-year-olds and the content and the feel of the radio station leans towards the youth.

    “The focus will be on fast tempo Tamil music because this is what the youth in Chennai are more interested in. And this fast, racy music will be played throughout the day. Even if you switch on the channel at 6 o’clock in the morning, the music that will greet you will be up tempo not slow spiritual sounds,” according to Navaneet. In fact he goes on to mention that no melodies pre 1990 will be played on the station.

    The sound of the station is also young in keeping with its youth centric theme. Most of the RJs on the station were selected through a RJ hunt and the criteria was to have the right attitude to be part of Radio One.

    On D-day, the station plans to start the day with a celebrity RJ hosting a 2-hour show where the celebrity will talk about issues that affect him in the city and grouses faced by the city’s denizens. “Mumbai and Delhi are perceived as rocking cities by people who live there and even outside.

    Chennai, on the other hand, is not considered cool enough. With this initiative we want to instill a sense of pride within Chennaiites, make 2007 a year to celebrate Chennai.”

    The celebrity RJ concept sure seems to be catching on as the show will be flagged off with television actor Vijay Adhiraj taking on the airwaves and over the weeks 50 other celebrities will host the show. Other stars lined up on the station include film stars like Vikram and Surya.

    Another unique initiative is a team of journalists who will scour the city in search of news, views and opinions focused on the Chennai youth. This will be used as part of regular programming by the various RJs on their shows.

    Radio One will soon launch more stations in Pune, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

  • Bennett Media Worldwide licenses select library programming to Microsoft for Xbox 360

    Bennett Media Worldwide licenses select library programming to Microsoft for Xbox 360

    MUMBAI: Bennett Media Worldwide (BMW) has licensed select productions from its vast library of high-definition programming to Microsoft Corp. for the company’s Xbox 360.

    Included in the programming slate from Bennett are series like Bikini Destinations, The Wild Side, and The Extremists.

    BMW is the latest programming supplier to launch content on the Xbox 360 platform, joining a stellar list of entertainment distributors that includes CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

    Together, the content companies are responsible for delivering an initial line-up of more than 1,000 hours to the vast community of Xbox 360 gamers, asserts an official release.

    Bennett Media Worldwide president Paul Rich said, “With Xbox 360, Microsoft is leading the way in integrated game playing with entertainment and at the same time building a unique bridge for producers to connect directly with this extremely important consumer marketplace. We are delighted to be a part of this exciting new entertainment platform.”

  • Hinduja TMT announces Q3 results

    MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT Limited (HTMT), at its Board Meeting held today, announced its results for the third quarter ended 31st December, 2006.

    HTMT’s total income for the quarter increased year-on-year from Rs. 82.42 crores to Rs. 85.23 crores. The Net Profit for the quarter went up by 68% from Rs 11.07 crs to Rs 18.56 crs. Profit from ITES/BPO operations showed improvement y-o-y and rose by 40% from Rs. 7.04 crores to Rs 10.10 crores, because of continuing efforts on cost control initiatives carried out by the management.

    HTMT globally offers outsourcing solutions in leading verticals viz. Insurance, Healthcare, Telecom, Consumer Electronics. It has a strong 60+ client base served out of 17 centres in 7 countries and employs 9,000 employees worldwide.

    With its new delivery centre in Mysore opened recently, HTMT now has presence in 5 cities in India, apart from 12 internationally viz. 6 in USA, 2 in Canada, 1 each in UK, Europe, Manila and Mauritius, Partha Sarkar, CEO of HTMT said “We are entering exciting times, as the BPO space is undergoing a huge transformation. KPO offers companies like us the opportunity to grow exponentially riding on the back of strong processes and high quality service while consistently delivering Customer Delight. HTMT is on the lookout to acquire capabilities in new areas like F & A, Human Resource Outsourcing, Mortgage, Retail, Travel and Hospitality etc. in the USA-UK market. The Company continues to look out for good opportunities in companies that have developed niche capabilities in new service lines.”

  • Zee’s ‘Ravan’ to get spicier as Interactive Realities Intl. partners production studio

    Zee’s ‘Ravan’ to get spicier as Interactive Realities Intl. partners production studio

    MUMBAI: Films and Shorts the production house for Zee TV’s latest mythological series Ravan has roped in Mumbai based Interactive Realities International Pvt. Ltd. (IRIPL) with the aim to spice up the visual effects on its show and infuse international quality visual and special effects into the serial. Interactive Realities has recently created the illusion of Ravan’s ten heads for the serial.

    Announcing the association, Interactive realities head business development Santy Mendes said “Zee TV’s Ravan offers us a great platform to showcase our work to a wide audience. Our Special Effects Division is backed by state-of-the-art technology, rich experience and in-house expertise to generate international quality motion picture graphics. The use of realistic special effects will help create a true to life and visually delightful experience for the viewers of Ravan.”

    “We have finished work on creating the visual illusion of Ravan’s ten heads, which is actually an effect created by the reflections from a many-faced gemstone on Ravan’s necklace and are currently working on the visual effect requirements of the young Ravan.” added Mendes.

    Film and Shorts producer Gulshan Sachdeva said, “We were really impressed with the kind of work done by Interactive Realities and immediately realized the value they would add to Ravan. Special Effects are a very important element of mythological shows such as Ravan and the quality of work that the Interactive Realities team has demonstrated is world class. All episodes of Ravan will now have the visual and special effects as created by Interactive Realities.”

    In addition to Ravan, Interactive Realities also provides design and animation services for Antariksh a weekly serial on Star Plus. However, this show will soon be taken off the channel.

  • CNN-IBN Indian of the Year awards: nominees for final three categories short-listed

    CNN-IBN Indian of the Year awards: nominees for final three categories short-listed

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN has announced the nominees for the final three categories for CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Awards. The judiciary council in accordance with the TV 18 editorial team has submitted its choice of the final candidates for the Entertainment, Public Service and NRI categories.
    Nominees for the Entertainment category are:

    – Actor Shah Rukh Khan

    – Director Raj Kumar Hirani

    – Singer and Music Director Himesh Reshammiya

    – Producer Gajendra Singh

    – Actor Aamir Khan

    – Actress Priyanka Chopra

    Nominees for the Public Service discipline are:

    – Indian social activist Arvind Kejriwal

    – Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishore Tiwari

    – IOC sales officer Late. S. Manjunath

    – Indian economist and member of Right to Food Campaign Jean Dreze

    – Dr Abhay and Rani Dang

    – Jessica Lall’s sister Sabrina Lall, Priyadarshini Mattoo’s father CL Mattoo and Nitish Katara’s mother Neelam Katara.

    Nominees for the NRI category are:

    – PepsiCo worldwide chief Indira Nooyi

    – Industrialist Laxmi Mittal

    – Author Kiran Desai

    – Fiction and nonfiction author and United Nations diplomat Shashi Tharoor.

    – Filmmaker Deepa Mehta

    – Commander USN, NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “With this we have declared the nominees for all six categories of the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year. Having set the ball rolling it will now be upon the electoral college and the public to decide who are the most deserving of the Indian of the Year title for each of these groups. Regardless of the winner, each of these 36 candidates should be lauded for their efforts and achievements in their respective disciplines.”
     

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 national sales head Sanjay Dua added, “This esteemed title recognises and felicitates the contributions of Indians not only nationally but internationally as well and is therefore something advertisers will take pride in being associated with.”

  • Grouper partners with Sony to put user-generated video on TV

    Grouper partners with Sony to put user-generated video on TV

    MUMBAI: User-generated video community Grouper has announced its role as one of the channels on Sony Electronics’ new TV feature — the Bravia Internet Video Link.

    The optional module will allow the newest Bravia Sony televisions to access a wide array ofpremium Internet video content available through Sony’s Internet video service in the US.

     
    Owners of Sony Internet video-ready HDTVs, available later this year, will be able to view some of the highest quality user-generated content from the Web via a small optional module easily attached and concealed behind the TV. Video on the Grouper channel on Bravia Sony televisions will be higher resolution than video found on Grouper.com and will be appropriate for all ages. Content from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG Music, as well as other providers will also be available.

    Grouper co-founder and co-president Josh Felser says, “This exciting partnership reinforces Grouper’s leadership in distributing video of all types across different platforms. Grouper’s channel on the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link brings enhanced quality user-generated videocontent into the living room and makes it possible for people to have more control over what and where they watch.”

     
    The module links the television set directly to a user’s broadband Internet service provider via an Ethernet connection. Sony Internet video content can then be accessed directly on the TV without use of a personal computer.

    The Bravia Internet Video Link will initially be supported by Sony’s Bravia S-series flat-panel LCD high-definition television line, which was also announced today. The new TV models include the KDL-46S3000, KDL-40S3000, KDL- 32S3000 and KDL-26S3000 units — all shipping this spring.

  • Verizon looks to take convergence between TV, mobile, net to the next level

    Verizon looks to take convergence between TV, mobile, net to the next level

    MUMBAI: “We are the Broadband company.”

    That is the message that US telecom major Verizon wants to send out to consumers and the industry.

     
    At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Verizon’s new president and COO Denny Strigl said that the company is leading the way in the next revolution of television. “With the strength of our powerful wireless and fiber networks, we have transformed our business into one of the world’s greatest content-delivery systems”.

    To prove the point, Strigl, accompanied by two of Verizon’s most senior executives, introduced new products that marry the phone, the Internet and television for consumers in ways not available from any other company.

    Verizon has introduced FiOS digital media new interactive programme guide and a platform that offers the company’s base of FiOS TV customers a myriad of multimedia applications linking television, the Internet, personal computers and phones. Both will be available in the first half of the year.

    At the same time, Verizon Wireless raised the curtain on V Cast Mobile TV which is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007.

    Strigl detailed the two-fold strategy behind these products, which crystallises the changing nature of Verizon’s consumer business. “At Verizon, we build great networks and we offer great content. We have built the nation’s most comprehensive all-digital broadband fiber network that reaches all the way into individual homes, while we offer the most reliable
    wireless voice and data network, period.”

    Verizon FiOS provides homes and businesses in 16 states in the US with up to 50 megabits of Internet speed, and FiOS TV is already available in more than 200 cities in 10 states. Verizon Wireless’ broadband network covers more than 200 million people, offering V Cast Video, V Cast Music and BroadbandAccess for high-speed laptop and PDA connectivity.

    Strigl adds, “Our parallel networks of fiber and wireless create a delivery system for the high-bandwidth content of today, and will meet consumers’ needs for years to come”.

    Verizon says that its fiber and wireless broadband networks, and their reach, quality and speeds, provide the basis for advancing existing partnerships with technology companies such as Qualcomm. In addition, relationships with leading content providers, appearing on FiOS TV, on Verizon Online and in a variety of mobile platforms to package, format and program TV content, will combine to deliver a suprior overall TV experience says the firm.

  • Times Now show ‘The Game’ sports new look

    Times Now show ‘The Game’ sports new look

    MUMBAI: The Game, on Times Now will sport a fresh look and air at prime time from tonight. Cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar will kick off the new series of the season and also take a look at 2007 World Cup on the show.

    Commenting on the new look Times Now editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami said, “Times Now is No. 1 in Sports News. And with this new format of The Game we’ll offer our viewers power-packed news shows driven by journalists who live & breathe sport.”

    The Game in the new format will have two show hosts, with a guest anchor on every show. Starting with a synopsis of the days sporting action the show will delve into the biggest news story from India and the world. The Game will also have international sports capsules from Reuter’s correspondents from across the Europe and other parts of the world.

    A special segment based on a specific theme will be aired during the week. For example Young Turks will look into upcoming sports talent while Gaming reviews the latest sports games from the virtual world; Books will review latest sport related books, DVD’s etc and adventure sports, new sports and games that haven’t been explored.

    The Game is to be aired on Times Now at 10 p.m. starting tonight.