ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • Intelsat promotes Linda Kokal to senior VP, treasurer

    Intelsat promotes Linda Kokal to senior VP, treasurer

    MUMBAI: Global satellite service communication provider Intelsat has promoted Linda J. Kokal to senior VP and Treasurer.

    Kokal’s areas of responsibility and oversight include treasury, risk management, and financial planning and analysis. She joined Intelsat’s finance department in April 2006 as Vice President and Treasurer and played an integral role in the capital structuring related to the merger with Panamsat.

    Intelsat executive VP and CFO Jeff Freimark says, “Linda has proven herself to be an invaluable member of Intelsat?s new finance team. With this promotion we are delighted to recognize the solid leadership and integration process expertise she brings to our company.”

  • Times Now VP and business head Partho Das Gupta quits

    Times Now VP and business head Partho Das Gupta quits

    MUMBAI: Times Global Broadcasting vice-president and business head Partho Das Gupta is said to have put in his papers, according to reliable sources. Though Das Gupta’s next destination is yet to be revealed, Indiantelevision.com learns that, Das Gupta will continue to work in the media and entertainment space.

    When contacted, the Times Global Broadcasting spokesperson refused to comment on Das Gupta’s departure. 

    Das Gupta played a key role in the birth of the Times Now and also witnessed the transition of the then proposed business channel to the general English news channel. He was also instrumental in executing the collaboration deal between The Times of India Group and Reuters, the international multimedia news agency. 

    At Times Global Broadcasting, he was responsible for managing the marketing, sales and distribution aspects of the pay channel. He was responsible for setting up the distribution team. 

    A qualified mechanical engineer and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Das Gupta had been associated with the Times Group for last seven and a half years. He had been actively involved with brands including The Economic Times, Times Multimedia and the ET Intelligence Group, the research wing of The Economic Times. He has also worked with companies like Crisil, Union Carbide and Tetra Pak, to name a few.

  • Nick US’ broadband platform TurboNick 2.0 gets 19 million content streams

    Nick US’ broadband platform TurboNick 2.0 gets 19 million content streams

    MUMBAI: US kids channel Nickelodeon has launched an enhanced version of TurboNick its broadband video platform. It has called it TurboNick 2.0.

    It has continuous video streaming, customised play lists, content in multiple languages, the ability to search the broad Nickelodeon content library.

    Since its initial soft launch (20 September to 1 October), TurboNick 2.0 has generated close to 19 million content streams, an increase of 911 per cent versus last year’s equivalent time period, which is almost 10 times the amount of streams for the same time period in 2005.

    TurboNick 2.0 is averaging 236,000 daily unique visitors, a 489 per cent increase over last year. TurboNick is one of several multiplatform experiences that allow kids to access Nickelodeon content, joining its Video on Demand offerings on cable, podcasts, Nick Arcade, and video clips through wireless providers, among others. In third quarter 2006, Nickelodeon television took the lead across all kid and tween demos, and achieved record Video on Demand numbers.

    With turbonick kids now have the opportunity to control their individual entertainment experiences and become ‘programmers’ with mash-up applications, the ability to rate videos, or interactive games. Featuring Flash video technology, TurboNick 2.0 now allows PC and Mac users to access hundreds of Nick long and short form programming videos online, including select new episodes immediately after they air on the network.

    Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group executive VP digital media Stephen Youngwood says, “In keeping with our philosophy of putting kids first in everything we do, we are thrilled to provide these unparalleled features on TurboNick 2.0 that will empower kids to take charge of their internet experience. TurboNick 2.0 not only provides a hub for our vast library of content, but allows kids to become ‘programmers’ and ‘creators’ in their own right.”

    TurboNick premiered as the first broadband player for kids in July 2005 to compliment Nickelodeon’s on-air programming, and initially featured 20 hours of new programming every week organized by channels. TurboNick 2.0 is organised by content channels as well as by property icons. Users are able to search from a library of hundreds of long and short form videos of Nickelodeon favorites. And the video streaming on TurboNick 2.0 never stops, even as users watch, browse, interact with and personalize their experience.

    TurboNick 2.0 is also scheduled to rollout in international territories including Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in late 2006/early 2007.

    Nickelodeon Television executive VP. GM Tom Ascheim says, “With access to a vast library of great Nickelodeon content and unprecedented user flexibility, TurboNick 2.0 is keeping our audience connected with our programming like never before.

    “The applications we are creating for kids on the internet are distinct and age appropriate. Whether it’s creating their favorite Avatar and Mr. Meaty play lists, or mashing up SpongeBob clips to share with their friends, kids rule on TurboNick 2.0. We also plan to use kids’ feedback and user generated content to inform what takes place on our air.”

    TurboNick 2.0 also provides appointment viewing for users with special content features like the Teenick Extra Scoop. This programming block offers extras or behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks at next week’s new Teenick episodes, new games and more, in addition to the latest TEENick episodes immediately after they debut on-air.

    The TurboNick 2.0 features:

    Play lists – This a new option that allows users to drag and drop videos to create play lists, trade play lists with friends and send videos through links via email. With “My TurboNick,” users can save their play lists or other’s favorite play lists or videos.

    Nick Mash-ups – Users create their own mini-movies using clips, stills and audio from videos within TurboNick 2.0, using provided graphics and transitions. These mash-ups can be displayed on TurboNick 2.0 or emailed to friends, or displayed on users’ personalized internet pages. Some content might even be chosen to air on Nickelodeon.

    User ratings – Users are able rate videos and the top rated videos become a category on TurboNick 2.0. Select videos will be highlighted editorially on the site.

    Search function – allows users to search for their favorite videos from hundreds of videos from the Nick library by character or show.

    Games in TurboNick – TurboNick 2.0 offers trivia, quizzes, sliders, memory games and other basic level casual gaming to play while the video player streams content. It will soon feature interactive video-related gaming, which will correlate directly with the property you are viewing.

    New languages – Content is now available in Spanish, German, and French, and will soon roll out in Italian and other languages in the coming months.

    Skinnable designs – the player will, in the future, be customisable with themes and colour.

  • MTNL to expand IPTV service by 74 channels

    MTNL to expand IPTV service by 74 channels

    MUMBAI: State-owned telecom major MTNL has added 74 channels after the initial launch of 26 free-to-air channels, earlier this month as part of its IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service. 

    MTNL had signed a deal with Time Broadband Services and its Israeli partner Optibase to develop and handle the content delivery network for its IPTV services.

    The state-owned telecom provider recently launched IPTV services, through Time Broadband, utilizing Optibase’s IPTV MGW 5100 platforms for its digital IPTV head-end operation at the company’s network operating centre, according to an official statement.

    Time Broadband will have Israel-based Infogate Online as its middleware vendor while Verimatrix Inc will provide content protection solutions. The digital headend will be from Optibase. 
    Together with Time Broadband, Optibase is enabling the launch of the IPTV services in Delhi.

    Service provider, Time Broadband is geared up to deploy IPTV services on both TV & PC delivery, through network and internet service providers across the country. 

    Following the initial deployment of Optibase MGW 5100 IP video head-ends providing 26 channels of Telco-grade streaming, Optibase will now be supplying an additional 74 channels, totaling 100 MPEG-4 Part 10 H.264/AVC channels.

    “During the initial deployment, Optibase demonstrated their extensive IPTV know-how relating to H.264 AVC. We were impressed by the quality of the Optibase solution and the superior level of service. Therefore we decided to select the Optibase MGW 5100 integrated digital head ends for the full-scale commercial launch,” said Time Broadband Services’ MD Sujata Dev.

    Optibase CFO Danny Lustiger stated, “We are delighted with the success of our first installation of Time Broadband at MTNL Delhi Network and look forward to a long-term collaboration with our globally eminent CDN partners, driving the large scale deployment of IPTV in India.”

    IPTV is a system wherein digital quality television service is delivered to consumers using broadband connections.

  • Catvision undergoes restructuring

    Catvision undergoes restructuring

    MUMBAI: Catvision, a provider of cable TV and broadband networking products and services to the cable television and hospitality industry, has initiated a restructuring of its operations into two main divisions: cable television equipment (CATV) and interactive television systems (ITV).

    The two businesses of the company, namely sales of cable television equipment and sales of interactive television systems, are expected to grow with the implementation of the conditional access system (CAS). The CATV division develops manufactures and markets networking equipment used in cable television system wherein the major client base is cable operators.

    In the cable television sphere, the competition from direct-to-home (DTH) is expected to trigger digitalization of cable networks in India. It is expected to provide a huge hardware opportunity since this would require large scale upgradation of all existing networks. This in turn would provide a business opportunity for the company.

    According to a media market analyst, “In case the cable distribution business becomes more organised with the implementation of CAS, the fortunes of the company will turn.” DTH itself is set to create a massive market for dishes, set top boxes and IF distribution system (for multi-dwelling units), all markets the company can address.

    The government’s intention to implement of CAS in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata by 1 January 2007 and also the aggressive launch of DTH services by Dish TV and Tata-Sky, has for the first time provided a serious competitive threat to cable operators. These developments are likely to transform the cable television landscape. The only way forward for cable operators is to digitalize their networks and professionalise their services. Only then they will be in a position to compete with DTH, avers the analyst.

    In the US, cable still maintains 80 per cent of the market share. If digitization were to happen – and there is every reason to believe it will – it will throw up an enormous market for digital cable hardware. In addition, manufactures of cable television equipment are equipped to manufacture DTH products since they are technically similar.

    To address these above business opportunities Catvision has set up a manufacturing facility at Dehra Dun in Uttar Pradesh for digital cable and DTH products and to expand its marketing operations in ITV and CCTV.

    The company has also forayed into security systems, starting with high-end digital CCTV systems targeted at premium hotels and shopping malls, which is driven by the heightened security risk perceived by public institutions from terrorist threat.

    The ITV division installs, operates and maintains cable satellite television and interactive television systems. Major customers are premium hotels in India and the Middle East (where the company operates through distributors).

    US based KoolConnect Technologies, a supplier for in-room entertainment solutions recently picked up a small stake in Catvision through a preferential allotment.

    The tie-up will enable Catvision to offer services like Video On Demand entertainment and information systems, high-speed internet access, virtual concierge services, which has become standard in premium hotels the world over. Interestingly, the company has secured a contract with the Hyatt group of hotels to provide multimedia interactive products and services.
    The company has also joined hands with a UK based firm Dedicated Micros, worldwide provider for CCTV surveillance applications and will be offering their systems in India. With this tie-up, the company believes it can address another emerging segment — shopping malls, which also have concerns of security.

  • BBC focusses on US mid terms elections with ‘USA Direct’

    BBC focusses on US mid terms elections with ‘USA Direct’

    MUMBAI: Next month in the lead-up to the mid-term elections in the US on 7 November, the BBC will have a USA Direct season.

    This will feature news coverage, interviews and documentaries looking at American society, culture, economics, and politics. In addition some of BBC World’s regular programmes such as flagship interview programme HARDtalk, technology weekly Click and the interactive multimedia discussion programme Have Your Say, will offer an assessment of ‘the state of the nation’, asking has the US reached its peak as the world’s only superpower?

    World Business Report will be reporting on the topical issue of immigration and the role of immigrants in the work force. A special It’s My Country Too airs on 21 October at 7:40 pm. It’s five years since 9/11, and the US is a changed country, especially for Muslims. Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions in the US, yet one in four Americans regard Muslims living among them with suspicion. As part of the USA Direct season, It’s My Country Too follows Salman Ahmed, the founding member of successful rock band Junoon, as he explores what it means to be an American Muslim. Salman talks to taxi drivers, students and law reform campaigners, including a mother whose desperate search for her Muslim son after 9/11 turned her into a political activist.

    The World Debate Advancing Sands: Deserts and Migration airs on 14 October at 5:40 pm. A dust bowl the size of the US threatens our world. The UN says that desertification is forcing 100 million people to leave their homes. Marking the UN Year Of Deserts and Desertification, The World Debate comes from the headquarters of the World Conservation Union in Switzerland. Six experts will take questions from viewers on the Internet on why so little has been done to halt the degradation of fertile lands and what can now be done to ensure that tens of millions more are not forced to leave their villages.

    Is A Free Media Essential For Development? airs on 28 October at 5:40 pm. ‘Communications for Development’ is a new and expanding field, which places the media at the heart of international development efforts. At its basic level it’s about using the media, for instance, to encourage people to wash their hands before eating or to use condoms – simple, non-controversial campaigns that can potentially save millions of lives. However increasingly the media’s role in promoting good governance is being recognised by donor countries, and not always welcomed by the governments of some developing countries. Many place restrictions on their domestic media, with actual or self-censorship rife.

  • BBC, Microsoft in content alliance

    BBC, Microsoft in content alliance

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC and software major Microsoft have signed a nonexclusive memorandum of understanding (MoU).

    This will define the framework within which the companies can explore opportunities for the delivery and consumption of BBC content and the evolution of next-generation broadcasting.

    BBC DG Mark Thompson and BBC director of new media and technology Ashley Highfield met Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to officially sign the memorandum of understanding and discuss the BBC’s digital strategy. This includes plans for its online archive, for a radically re-invented Web site in the Web 2.0 world — a second generation of Internet-based services — and for ways to share its online content in the future.

    Thompson said, “We are currently witnessing unprecedented rates of change in technology and audience expectations. To ensure that the BBC is able to embrace the creative challenges of the digital future, we need to forge strategic partnerships with technology companies and distributors for the benefit of licence payers.”

    Gates says, “Microsoft’s strength is in driving digital innovation, and our vision is to open up rich, new consumer experiences that allow people to enjoy digital content anytime, anywhere and on any device.”

    “This vision fits squarely with the BBC’s charter to lead the industry in delivering content that is compelling and accessible. I’m delighted that we’re taking this important step, and I look forward to working together to develop new models for content delivery and consumption.”

    Highfield said, “Microsoft is not just a key supplier to the BBC, it is also a key gateway to audiences that the BBC needs to reach through Web services it runs like MSN and Windows Live(TM) Messenger, and hardware such as Xbox and the Windows Media Center. The BBC needs to work with all players in this space to make sure our programmes and content are enjoyed by the widest possible audience, without always having to come to bbc.co.uk to find it. The learnings from our US visit will very much inform our thinking on the BBC’s creative future.”

    The MoU aims to identify areas of common interest between the BBC and Microsoft on which a strategic alliance could be developed. Areas of potential investigation and collaboration include search and navigation, distribution, and content enablement. Any actual procurements of new technology, or launch of new services by the BBC, would be subject to appropriate regulatory approval.

  • NDTV making ‘CAT’ easy for aspiring students

    NDTV making ‘CAT’ easy for aspiring students

    MUMBAI: If you are worried about admission into the country’s best MBA colleges, then it’s time to forget your worries. An advice for students from NDTV- no need to sweat it.

    Watch NDTV, and find out how to Crack the CAT Code. CAT SCAN on NDTV 24×7 and CAT MANAGER on NDTV INDIA – the 8 part half-hour weekly series starting on 30 September 2006, will provide valuable insights on CAT 2006. 8 episodes, one every week will help the students in preparing for the CAT exam.

    Watch experts like MD of Career Launchers Gautam Puri, senior faculty IIM(A) Ravichandran, Alumnis of IIM (A), Rajul Mahur and Mahesh Natarajan, share their insights, advices and last minute tips on cracking CAT 2006.

    CAT SCAN on NDTV 24X7 and CAT Manager on NDTV India take you from one business School Campus to the next. This program will not only be an informative tool about cracking the CAT exam, but will but will also answer many other queries as to- what is the curriculum like, and what career prospects are on offer here? It will also provide information on financial aid besides how to deal with stress.

  • Century Communication launches 2nd post production studio Pixion II in Mumbai

    Century Communication launches 2nd post production studio Pixion II in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Century Communication Limited (CCL), an integrated media & entertainment company surges ahead with its launch of its second state-of–the-art post production studio, ‘Pixion II’ in Mumbai.

    The Pixion brand of CCL has established itself as a clear market leader in the video space and is one of the dominant industry players in the film post production market.

    The existing Pixion’s state-of-the-art post production facilities provide end to end digital post production solutions to film and video production houses. It provides complete solutions ranging from offline to online Processing, graphics and digital sound.

    With the new launch, Pixion boasts of being the biggest post production facilitator in Mumbai market. It has added two more grading facilities, four more online smokes, one IQ, two EQ, 4-5 offline suites and more than forty visual effects & animation stations. Pixion studios introduces IQ in India making it the holder of the largest concentration of Quantel systems in India.

    Quantel’s generationQ is a radical, all-encompassing, new concept that offers total scalability in both hardware and software across post production, graphics and broadcast for multiple resolutions, team-working production environments.

    Commenting on the launch of Pixion II, CEO Pixion Naresh Malik said, “The post production industry is rapidly growing and the demand for post production, DI and visual effects is increasing at an enormous rate. With the second facility in Mumbai we ensure to meet this demand and also provide world class infrastructure and talent to Indian and international film makers.”

    “With advance technology, state of art infrastructure and a commitment to create international benchmarks Pixion offers the best in both talent and technology “, said Director CCL Anand Tewari.

    “We are very optimistic about the Pixion brand and plan to set up studios in other markets like Hyderabad and Chennai too”, he further added.

  • Zee News launches online game ‘The Prince of Kurukshetra’ on Games2Win

    MUMBAI: The news story on the rescue operation of The Prince of Kurukshetra had gripped the nation’s media and particularly the Zee News. The Hindi news channel has now tied up with the online game portal Games2win (g2w) to launch a game on The Prince of Kurukshetra, with a mission to save Prince.

    The game will be promoted it through its channel. In the near future, in partnership with Games2win, Zee News will offer the Prince of Kurukshetra game on mobile phones soon.

    The game has been templated in a the same setting of Kurukshetra. The game is enveloped on rescuing a boy that has fallen into a deep well. The challenge of the game is to correctly build a completely connected shaft using the varying types of pipe shapes provided and placing them in the correct grids of the underground map.

    According to an official release, upon completion of Level 1, the player is challenged further to complete Level 2 and 3 that increases considerably in complexity and difficulty. Also, a timer measures how fast a player can complete the levels. For consumers who get stuck, they can always ‘reset’ their scores. The game has been conceptualized, created and powered by games2win and will be exclusively premiered and featured on www.zeenews.com for the first three days of launch. It will later also be available on games2win.com.

    Zee News AVP marketing Rohit Kumar said “We are very happy to partner with Games2win.com on this really innovative concept. Zee News is one the most watched Hindi News Channels in the country and ideas like these make our viewers ‘participate’ in the content we show. This is a great synergy between passive and interactive viewer involvement.”

    Games2win founder Alok Kejriwal says, “This is a pioneering concept we have created with Zee News where an Indian thematic and current topic has been converted into a very interactive online game that will be promoted by a news channel to drive participation on their website. We believe that the fusion of TV with interactivity is best represented with ideas like this and g2w is proud to be pioneering this concept”