ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • Balaji Telefilms Q2 net rises at Rs 193 million

    Balaji Telefilms Q2 net rises at Rs 193 million

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms recorded a jump in net profit to Rs 193 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2006. The company’s revenues stood at Rs 837.95 million up from Rs 714.22 million a year ago.

    The operating profit recorded Rs 312.92 million from Rs 295.64 million as against the same corresponding period last year.

    It recorded an expenditure of Rs 525.03 million from Rs 418.58 million a year ago. The company’s expenditure include, cost of production and telecast fees of Rs 434.311 million, staff cost Rs 22.188 million and other expenditure Rs 70.771 million.

    The company has appointed Paul Francis Aiello, nominee of Asian Broadcasting FZ LLC as additional director in place of Michelle Guthrie who has resigned as nominee director of Asian Broadcasting FZ LLC from board of the company, both effective from 20 October.

  • Sony Pictures Entertainment acquires Grouper for $ 65 million

    Sony Pictures Entertainment acquires Grouper for $ 65 million

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has acquired Grouper, the fast-growing user-generated video site on the internet. The announcement was made by SPE chairman and CEO Michael Lynton.

    Grouper.com, which is the second largest independent video community, enables its members to watch, share and create video on the Web. Under the terms of the $65 million deal, the Sausalito-based company will retain its current management, working closely with a team at Sony Pictures.

    “Consumers are spending more and more time on sites like Grouper, and as one of the world’s largest creators of entertainment, we want to be where the audiences are. This acquisition demonstrates the breadth of involvement of Sony Corporation in the field of digital online entertainment. Many people in the Grouper community use Sony cameras to create videos and Sony VAIO computers and mobile devices to store and view them. It makes sense to complete the circle by having Grouper be a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which itself creates so much content for people around the world,” said Lynton.

    “When you pair Grouper’s innovative video sharing platform on the web and the desktop with Sony’s connected devices and copyrighted media you create a dynamic and exciting environment for consumers. We have an opportunity, as part of the Sony family, to bring together user-generated and copyrighted content across platforms and devices for the first time,” said Grouper CEO and co-founder Josh Felser.

    Grouper’s primary mission is to give its users the flexibility to take their videos with them across site and platform. Grouper users can browse videos and easily post them to a wide variety of third-party Web sites, such as their personal pages on MySpace, Blogger and Friendster. Grouper’s portability is anchored by its robust peer-to-peer video sharing network, which facilitates downloads of high quality uncut original video shared by its members. Its users can download from Grouper.com to connected mobile devices like the PSP and iPod. Grouper also provides members with easy-to-use video editing tools so that videos can be quickly uploaded from cameras, camcorders and webcams.

    Lynton said he is impressed by the experience of Grouper’s management team. “Grouper is not only one of the leaders in a new wave of content development, it is also a major innovator in empowering users to participate in a dynamic on-line community,” he said.

    Lynton said the acquisition of Grouper is a strategic initiative in the field of digital entertainment and consistent with Sony Pictures’ vision of making entertainment accessible to consumers whenever, wherever and however they want. No immediate changes are planned for the site. Over time, Lynton said there is potential for development of ad-supported and premium content businesses. “Grouper gives us a strong platform for growth,” Lynton said.

    In addition, he noted that there is value in connecting an enormous amount of imaginative content with a studio that is always interested in finding new ideas and talent for the movies, television shows and games it creates for audiences around the world. “A site like Grouper allows people to showcase their creativity to a vast audience. It’s like a virtual, global audition, and a great source of entertainment,” he added.

  • YouTube deletes Japanese videos

    YouTube deletes Japanese videos

    MUMBAI: Video content sharing site YouTube has deleted nearly 30,000 files over copyright concerns after being asked to do so by a group representing Japan’s entertainment industry,

    Media reports state that the Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers found 29,549 video clips such as television shows, music videos and movies posted on YouTube’s site without permission.

    Yotube now shows more than 100 million video clips per day. YouTube’s worldwide audience was 72.1 million by August, up 2.8 million from a year earlier, according to comScore Media Metrix.

  • TV Today Q2 net up at Rs 33 million

    TV Today Q2 net up at Rs 33 million

    MUMBAI: The Aroon Purie promoted –TV Today Network records net profit of Rs 33 million for the quarter ended 30 September as against Rs 23.4 million for the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

    The company reported its net sales at Rs 381 million for this second quarter from Rs 314 million as compared to the corresponding quarter.

    The company’s expenditure for the quarter closed at RS 320 million. It has largely incurred employee cost at Rs 105.90 million and transmission and production cost RS 43.60 million. On advertisement, marketing and distribution front, the company has recorded expense of Rs 71.70 million.

    The company has informed that of the total Rs 950 million raised through initial public offering (IPO), Rs 685.50 million has already been utilised as of 30 September, 2006.

    The company is a part of the India Today Group, which manages media company across television, radio (yet to launch its station under the second phase of private FM), print, publishing and music distribution.

    The scrips opened at Rs 74.55 and closed the trading day at Rs 76.

  • Global cable TV infrastructure market driven by three-screen quest, fixed mobile convergence

    Global cable TV infrastructure market driven by three-screen quest, fixed mobile convergence

    MUMBAI: The worldwide cable TV industry is in a race to provision a ‘three-screen’service that starts with HDTV sets, maps over to broadband-connected PCs, and follows subscribers around during the day on cell phones or other portable devices.

    A report by In-Stat notes that as a result, the high-tech market research firm expects strong, continued growth in cable TV infrastructure equipment with sales rising from about $925.4 million during 2006 to more than $2.1 billion in 2010.

    In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold says, “The cable TV industry is working diligently to connect all the infrastructure dots in the race to provision a three-screen telecommunications service. System operators are building out Super Headends and upgrading Local Headends to provide the economies of scale needed to provide the greatest number of services, over the greatest geographical reach, at the lowest possible cost. Fixed Mobile Convergence, or FMC, will become a fast-growing market for cable operators, and they will disrupt the cell phone industry.”

    Recent research by In-Stat found the following

    High Definition TV services and Video-on-Demand are expanding, driving plant upgrades for improved Gigabit Ethernet video switches, Switched Digital Video (SDV), more QAM channels, and widening deployments of 1 GHz Final Mile equipment.

    Modular Cable Modem Termination Systems (Modular CMTS) and wide band cable modems are being brought into play to upgrade High Speed Data services to compete against telephone companies’ ADSL, VDSL, and Fiber-to-the-Home.

    Comcast, Cox, Time-Warner and Advance/Newhouse have a joint venture with Sprint Nextel that will begin offering cable-branded cellular phone services later this year in the US. Later on, Fixed Mobile Convergence will add innovative video services and wireless extensions to the Cable TV infrastructure, and disrupt the cell phone market.

    The cable TV industry is rapidly deploying Voice-over-IP services.

  • 22.19 million handheld TV homes in China by 2010

    22.19 million handheld TV homes in China by 2010

    MUMBAI: Analysys International, an advisor of technology, media and telecom (TMT) industries in China, says in its recently released report China’s Handhold TV Annual Report 2006 that China’s total users of handhold TV will reach 22.19 millions in 2010.

    According to Analysys International’s research, China’s handhold TV market is currently at a starting-up phase. Cellular mobile telecommunication network-based handhold TV started in 2004, while wireless digital broadcasting network-based handhold TV is still at a trial phase now. The trial projects are mainly carried on in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong complying with the state-recommended standard of DAB.

    Analysys International analyst Joan Lin says, “China’s domestic handhold TV market will see a rapid developing period. Among which, cellular mobile telecommunication network-based handhold TV users reached 220 thousands in 2005. Limited by factors such as network band width, content and tariff, the market developed comparatively slowly in 2006.

    “In 2007, with the issue of the 3G licenses, China’s streaming media-based mobile TV will enter a rapid developing phase. It’s estimated that the market users will reach 7.45 millions of families in 2010.”

    Analysys International is an leading advisor of technology, media and telecom (TMT) industries in China with the mission to help their clients make better business decisions. They provide data, information and advice to 50,000 clients worldwide, representing 1,500 distinct organizations.

    They also deliver over 150 consulting engagements a year, and hold more than 20 events that draw in over 8,000 attendees. Their clients include executives from companies like technology vendors, vertical information technology users, as well as professionals from professional service companies, the investment community and government agencies.

  • Kudelski to take controlling interest in TV technology firm OpenTV

    Kudelski to take controlling interest in TV technology firm OpenTV

    MUMBAI: US firm OpenTV which provide enabling technologies for advanced digital television services has announced that the Kudelski Group which works in the area of content protection and related digital
    television technologies, has signed a stock purchase agreement with Liberty Media to acquire voting control of OpenTV.

    The transaction aligns two global digital television technology firms who, together, will be able to deliver fully integrated products and
    solutions to the world’s digital TV operators, spanning conditional access software, middleware, interactive applications, and advertising. At the same time, the transaction enables both companies to continue operating
    independently, supporting efforts to serve some customers on a standalone basis as their requirements dictate.

    The Kudelski Group companies, with consolidated 2005 revenues of approximately $550 million, include primarily:
    — Nagravision, a worldwide leader in integrated security software solutions for digital television — Nagra France, NagraStar, Nagra Plus, NagraCard and NagraID
    — Abilis, Quative, and SmarDTV developing new technologies in mobile, IPTV and security
    — SkiData specialising in public access
    OpenTV has historically worked closely with the Kudelski Group to deliver various digital television services, including PVR, VOD and other on-demand services, EPG and content syndication for on-demand services,
    interactive applications, and enabling technologies for enhanced and interactive advertising.

    OpenTV chairman and CEO Jim Chiddix says, “Aligning ourselves with a global leader in the digital television sector like Kudelski will help us immediately extend our product lineup
    into new markets and give us access to customers we haven’t had relationships with before. It will also open up new opportunities that we may not otherwise have had the technical or related resources to address in
    the near term.

    “We think this deal offers us a myriad of new opportunities to bundle solutions, sell products into Kudelski’s existing customer base, save costs through various integration and joint R&D efforts, and collaborate more effectively in several early stage sectors, such as the digital terrestrial market.

    “And, just as importantly, we expect to do that while retaining the requisite degree of independence necessary to satisfy the needs of all of our existing and potential customers and partners, with a continued focus on maximising value for all OpenTV stockholders.”

    Kudelski Group chairman and CEO Andre Kudelski says, “OpenTV’s software has established the global benchmark for set-top box middleware. We also believe it is a company with great potential and very
    talented people, a gold-plated customer list, and market-leading technologies that will offer both OpenTV and the Kudelski Group, working
    side by side, real growth opportunities.

    “This transaction was driven, in large part, by
    recognition of OpenTV’s leadership position in advanced digital television and our desire to work more closely with OpenTV to capture additional market share in the rapidly consolidating digital television industry. With
    digital television households expected to double by 2010, with the landscape for television advertising changing daily, and with the mobile
    and online video sectors now quickly evolving, we see OpenTV as extremely well-positioned to exploit these opportunities — even more so given the complementary nature of our product offerings.”

    Liberty Media senior VP Michael Zeisser says “Over the past four years, through its controlling position in OpenTV, Liberty has helped shape an industry-leading player in digital television. OpenTV has a strong management team, customers, and momentum. As it embarks on its next stage of growth Kudelski will be a formidable strategic partner.”

  • China to start mobile TV trial in 2007

    China to start mobile TV trial in 2007

    MUMBAI: China will begin trial broadcasts of mobile television by mid-2007.

    The digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) technology will be tested next year and a satellite system will be activated in the first half of 2008 so that the Olympic Games can be broadcast to mobile-phone users across the country, China Daily reports.

    The country’s two biggest mobile telecom operators, China Mobile and China Unicom, are expected to sign agreements with phone makers by the end of the month to buy TV handsets.

    Besides mobile phones, big-screen personal digital assistants (PDAs) and MP4 players will also be able to receive TV signals, Yang Qinghua, director of the television division of the SARFT’s Broadcast Science Research Institute, was quoted in the report as saying.

    The mobile-phone TV market in China is estimated to reach $756 million by 2008. China is the world’s biggest mobile phone market with 426 million mobile phone users and in the next five years, about eight per cent of them are expected to subscribe to the mobile TV service, the Chinese government estimates.

  • Sopranos star Gandolfini inks production deal with HBO

    Sopranos star Gandolfini inks production deal with HBO

    MUMBAI: Extending his alliance with HBO beyond next year’s final episodes of The Sopranos, the three-time Emmy winner James Gandolfini has signed a three-year production deal with HBO.

    As per the deal, Gandolfini will develop projects exclusively for HBO and its specialty movie division, Picturehouse.

    The actor has also announced his plans to launch a production company called Attaboy Films with partner Alex Ryanhas.

    The biopic Hemingway will be Gandolfini’s first projects as a producer. Reportedly, Gandolfini and Ryan are also working on a documentary for HBO about US soldiers in Iraq.

    Gandolfini has won three Emmys for playing Tony Soprano. His noted works also include Get Shorty and The Last Castle.

  • AXN goes mobile to spread the buzz

    AXN goes mobile to spread the buzz

    MUMBAI: The mobile is increasingly becoming a way for channels to reach their consumers. A case in point is the action oriented AXN.

    AXN Mobile, a mobile Wap entertainment portal by AXN, is ready to be launched in Asia and will be available to consumers from early November 2006.

    Now viewers acros Asia will not only get to catch high-octane action and adventure programmes on TV; supplement their programme knowledge and have fun with games and contests via the website; live the AXN lifestyle by participating in specially formatted made-for-TV challenge-reality shows… but to top it all off, AXN Mobile is now available to continue providing the AXN buzz while on the move – giving consumers an adrenaline-charged “power snack bar” to get them freshened up for their next appointment.

    Through the mobile AXN is looking to catch viewers whether they are on a lunch or coffee break from work, commuting on public transport to meet friends, or soaking their stress away in the Jacuzzi.

    AXN Mobile offers exclusive streaming video on demand (SVOD) services and downloadable personalisation products such as ringtones and wallpapers from the channel’s flagship programmes that have garnered a huge loyal following around the region.

    In Singapore and Malaysia, AXN has expanded its partnership with affiliates like StarHub to carry the mobile products on their platform and with Astro to distribute AXN mobile to major telcos. In the Philippines, AXN has partnered with Smart Communications. Direct deals with major telcom firms are also in negotiation in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which will be announced at a later date.

    The channel says that a clear differentiation about AXN Mobile, is the exclusive made-for-mobile contents offered to consumers, in an effort to ensure the desirability and relevance of AXN Mobile. Unlike other mobile TV services that are mostly an extension of the TV contents (like news updates or the linear channel service), AXN offers a library of video clips from its stable of signature shows that are specially produced for streaming via mobile.

    AXN Mobile will be available in various Asia markets in early November, in conjunction with the much-awaited premiere of AXN’s biggest original production – The Amazing Race Asia. Special made-for-mobile contents have been created that will allow viewers of The Amazing Race Asia to supplement their knowledge of the show – like host Allan Wu’s Host Video Diary, where he shares his thoughts at the end of each race day; interviews with eliminated teams on their reflection of what may have caused their elimination and their thoughts on which team they believe will emerge victorious.

    In the final stages of the race, viewers can also download clips of interviews with the remaining teams after every episode to see what would be each team’s strategy going into the next leg of the race. These videos will serve to “whet the appetite” of viewers as they wait in anticipation for the next episode. Of course, there will also be the ever-popular “unseen footages” or “behind-the-scene” shots of the funny moments, big arguments or even too-hot-for-TV catfights…

    Similar offerings from other shows like Mondo Magic Singapore and The Contender are also in the pipeline, as well as a special segment known as AXN Moments featuring great moments of fun, courage, and laughter from some of the best daredevil record-breaking challenges from AXN original productions and events.

    SPE Networks Asia GM Ricky Ow says, “AXN has always been a leading trendsetter, being the first action and adventure channel, the first to bring the reality craze to Asia, the first in Asia to take on such a mega scale production like The Amazing Race Asia. And now we will also be the first to provide a true-blue entertainment WAP portal that allows our viewers to have a seamless, well-rounded, enriching entertainment experience that complements their TV viewing.

    “Mobile technology is very much a part of our viewers’ lifestyle, our core audience being the working executives and professionals. With the rapid advancement and pick-up of mobile technology in Asia, we feel that it is the right time to venture into mobile TV, and I am confident that our viewers will appreciate the unique content offerings we have.”