ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • DQ Entertainment in JV with French firm; plans to invest Rs 2.5 billion over 3 yrs

    DQ Entertainment in JV with French firm; plans to invest Rs 2.5 billion over 3 yrs

    MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based DQ Entertainment (DQE) is eyeing joint venture deals with international animation companies that would assure it of a product pipeline. As a step in this direction, the company has entered into a 51:49 per cent joint venture with France’s animation powerhouse Onyx Films to produce high-end CGI feature films.

    “We are looking at more such deals with other companies which would boost our product pipeline. That will form a part of our expansion strategy,” says DQ Entertainment MD and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti.

    The JV with Onyx Films, in which DQE will make an initial investment of Euro 1.5 million (around Rs 90 million), has identified three feature films valued at $89.5 million including Skyland (budget of $31.5 million), Night of the Child King ($30 million) and The Enchanted Boy ($28 million). While Skyland is funded fully, the process of arranging money is on for Night of the Child King. “Besides these three movies, the aim of the JV is to launch one feature film every year from 2008 onwards,” says Chakravarti.

    DQE is also buying a 20 per cent strategic stake in TV production company Method Films, a sister concern of Onyx, for Euro 2.5 million (around Rs 150 million). Already lined up is a slate of nine TV series for major broadcasters in the US, Canada and Europe, six of which are currently under production. “The strategic stake in Method Films will help us access global revenue and overseas funds for the entire production. It will also provide DQE a huge order pipeline in the area of animation, VFX and post production work in the years to come,” says Chakravarti.

    DQE is planning to invest Rs 2.5 billion over three years while ramping up its 3,000-seater capacity to a strength of 5,000. The company is currently capitalised to the extent of $12 million and has private equity investors including International Finance Corporation (IFC), India Value Fund, IL&FS Investment Managers Ltd and TDA Capital Partners.

    The company clocked $12 million in FY06 and is projecting a turnover of $25 million this fiscal. The target will be much higher once DQE has established itself in the value chain game. The JV will help it leap into the status of feature film producers while guaranteeing utilisation of production facilities and additional streams of revenue.

    “Strategic alliances are extremely important and will bring about strong presence of creativity, powered by massive production capabilities,” says Onyx Films chairman and Method Films CEO Aton Soumache.

    The private equity investors in DQE are bullish about the growth prospects of the company. “DQE is beginning to work on the content side of the animation business rather than being a pure outsourcing player. By entering into this joint venture, the company has shown that it is keen to participate in the financial risk of the animation business. This way there can be substantial upsides,” says Rajeev Agrawal, fund manager at India Value Fund.

  • Dopfner elected to join Time Warner Board of Directors

    Dopfner elected to join Time Warner Board of Directors

    MUMBAI: Time Warner Inc. has announced that Mathias Dopfner has been elected to join its Board of directors. Dopfner is chairman, CEO and head of the Newspapers Division of German publishing giant Axel Springer AG.

    Dopfner becomes the 12th member of Time Warner’s Board. His election is part of the company’s previously announced plan to add two new independent directors to its Board. Under the leadership of the Nominating and Governance Committee, the company is continuing the process of recruiting an additional independent director, informs an official release.

    Robert C. Clark, who chairs the Time Warner Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee, said, “We’re delighted that Dopfner has joined Time Warner’s Board. He’s an energetic and widely respected executive, with a solid record of leadership in the media industry. Dopfner not only brings the personal qualities that we seek in directors, but also enhances our Board’s independence and geographic diversity.”

    Time Warner Chairman and CEO Dick Parsons said, “Mathias Dopfner has done a terrific job of running one of the leading media companies in Europe, which is a key region of growth and opportunity for our company. In doing so, he has emerged at the top of a new generation of media industry leaders. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing media businesses around the world as well as the intelligence and character to enable him to serve the interests of our shareholders effectively.”

    Dopfner added, “I’m honoured to join Time Warner’s Board of Directors. I look forward to the opportunity to work with my fellow Board members and management in helping this great company achieve its strategic objectives and provide superior returns for its shareholders.”

    Since 2002, Dopfner has been CEO of Axel Springer which publishes more than 150 newspapers and magazines in 32 countries. He joined Axel Springer in 1998, as editor-in-chief of Die Welt. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the member of Axel Springer’s Management Board responsible for the company’s Multimedia and Newspapers Divisions. Before joining Axel Springer, Dopfner waseEditor-in-chief of Hamburger Morgenpost (1996-1998) and Wochenpost (1994-1996), adds the release.

    The other members of Time Warner’s Board are Richard D. Parsons, James L. Barksdale, Stephen F. Bollenbach, Frank J. Caufield, Robert C. Clark, Jessica P. Einhorn, Reuben Mark, Michael A. Miles, Kenneth J. Novack, Francis T. Vincent, Jr. and Deborah C. Wright.

  • Bollywood Fashion Awards recognise Indo-American talents

    Bollywood Fashion Awards recognise Indo-American talents

    MUMBAI: The Bollywood Fashion Awards were held in New York on 29 July 2006, with Broadway’s Bombay Dreams’ lead Manu Narayan as host.

    Kamal Dandona, who launched the Awards, has instituted an event that has become beacon for generations of designers drawing inspiration from both Indian and American traditions.

    Supermodel Iman, presented Rachel Roy with the award for “Outstanding Contribution to American Fashion” for her couture which is a celebrity-favourite in Hollywood.

    Another top honour was given to theater legend Ben Vereen who was felicitated with the specially instituted “Sammy Davis Jr. Award” for combining style and talent. The audience broke into loud applause when he spoke of his desire to go to Bollywood.

    Rouge, the girl-band toppping of the charts in the U.K. and India, was honoured with the award for “Most Stylish International Group.” Later in the evening, they captivated the crowd a performance including their hit song including “Don’t Be Shy.”

    Other awards were taken home by Aryan Vaid for “Model of the Year – Male”, Nethra for “Model of the Year – Female”, Manish Malhotra for “Designer of the Year – Film”, Sabyasachi for “Haute Couture” and Black for “Most Stylish Film.”

    Other performers included DJ Sanj, Sourabh Jain, Narayan and Amir Jamal.

    Among the designers to showcase their collections were Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra, Sushma Patel and Sabyasachi.

  • Hinduja TMT Q1 records profit at Rs 1670.53 million

    Hinduja TMT Q1 records profit at Rs 1670.53 million

    MUMBAI: Hinduja TMT Ltd has posted a profit of Rs 1670.53 million for the quarter ended 30 June, as against Rs 105.40 million for the same period a year ago.

    Total income is Rs 2850.10 million for the quarter, as against Rs 411.48 million a year ago.

    The figures related to the quarter ended 30 June, are not comparable to the corresponding previous quarter, since the company’s Manila Branch commenced operations with effect from 1 October, 2005.

    HTMT provides information technology (IT), business process outsourcing (BPO) and contact center services.

  • Radio One kicks off in Bangalore on 1 August

    Radio One kicks off in Bangalore on 1 August

    MUMBAI: The third FM radio station to officially launch in the city of gardens –Bangalore is Radio One FM 94.3 on 1 August.

    Radio One is a Mid-Day Multimedia and BBC Worldwide venture. The radio station will offer a mix of hit Kannada and Hindi music. The entire programming package is designed to celebrate the spirit of young Bangalore with Kannada roots.

    Radio City was the first Fm radio station to launch, but under the Phase I of FM privatization. The Phase II saw the launch of Radio Mirchi.

    “We are very excited with our launch in Bangalore as we believe we are the first private FM station targeted at the majority local population. Given the huge potential gap the latent need of the market we are very confident of a leadership position in Bangalore,” Radio One CEO Rajesh Tahil says.

    “Radio One has been testing its signal in Bangalore for over two weeks now and has already caught the imagination of the city. “We have already started receiving over 1000 responses a day over SMS, email and on the phone. Listeners have welcomed this Hit radio station with a lot of enthusiasm.

    “Radio One has advertisers on-board from the day one of its launch. Clients like Hindustan Levers, Purvankara Builders and Coke reposed great faith in the station on the basis of our product offering and have over 10 clients signed up since launch day.” adds Tahil.

    Early June, Radio Midday Go 92.5 FM underwent a change in its brand identity as well as positioning of the FM channel. From a niche player, Go 92.5 FM entered to a mass player as Radio One.

  • Radio Mirchi to be on common frequency 98.3 FM from 1 Aug

    Radio Mirchi to be on common frequency 98.3 FM from 1 Aug

    MUMBAI: The Mumbai based Entertainment Network Ltd, which runs radio stations under the brand name Radio Mirchi will be available on a common frequency 98.3 FM, with effect from 1 August.

    At present, the brand which operates in Pune, Indore and Ahmedabad are not yet part of the common frequency network.With this, Radio Mirchi, which launched its radio operations on different frequency in Hyderabad 95 FM, Bangalore 93.3 FM and Jaipur 105 FM, will all shift on 98.3 FM, according to a press statement.

    Radio Mirchi, which is heard in metro cities; Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are already running on 98.3 FM.

    Earlier this year, the private radio FM operators had made a presentation to the information & broadcasting ministry seeking permission to switch over to a common frequency, per operator, across markets.

    According to Entertainment Network (India) LTD MD and CEO, “Operating from a common frequency will provide us with the benefit of building the brand in a consistent manner and help make our communication more effective, across cities.

    “Moreover, listeners frequently on the move too can get their daily dose of Radio Mirchi while travelling inter city (between Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata).”

    Radio Mirchi airs hits in contemporary music, city happenings, Bollywood gossip, special interviews, exclusive film promotional tie-ups and lots more.

  • Trai rejects MSO plea for a la carte rates for new pay channels

    Trai rejects MSO plea for a la carte rates for new pay channels

    MUMBAI: The cable and broadcast regulator has rejected a proposal from the MSO Alliance that would have required broadcasters to offer new pay channels only as individual channels (a la carte).

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), in its order issued today, noted that “there have been developments in the area of DTH in terms of likelihood of a competing operator and the decision of the Delhi High Court on implementation of CAS in the Metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.” In the light of these developments Trai has come to the conclusion that the proposal to provide for new pay channels only as individual channel WOULD NOT lead to better consumer choice in the absence of addressability at the consumer end. Trai has decided that the only amendment that is required in the Tariff Order of 1 October 2004, is to provide for a framework to benchmark the prices of new pay channels.

    Accordingly, Trai has added a new section 3B to the 1 october 2004 order stating that in determining the similarity of rates of similar channels while benchmarking the price of a new pay channel, the factors such as the genre and language of the new pay channel /converted FTA to pay channel, range of prices ascribed to the channel of similar genre and language in the price of bouquets that existed on 26.12.2003, range of prices of individual channels of similar 
    genre and language as existing in CAS areas would be taken into account.

  • Crest Animation Q1 FY07 revenues slips at Rs 51 million

    Crest Animation Q1 FY07 revenues slips at Rs 51 million

    MUMBAI: Crest Animation Studios Ltd, has revenues, which stood at Rs 51 million for the qarter ended 30 June as against Rs 72 million in the same period of last fiscal.

    The net Loss after tax and before has been recorded at Rs 33 million as against Rs 6 million for the corresponding period.

    During the quarter, the company shifted its entire operations into a state of art studio at Ghatkopar, Mumbai. Consequently, this transition resulted in a downtime of three to four weeks in several processes, due to which there was a significant impact in the current quarter’s revenue billings, though all expenses relating thereto and the expenses of shifting have been charged to the accounts, according to an official release.

    The results of the quarter, to the above extent have to be treated as exceptional and may not be comparable consistently with the same quarter for the previous year or with the succeeding quarters.

    The above transition will not impact the planned annual revenues of the company for the year. The company continues to have a healthy outstanding order book position. During the quarter, the Company has signed and begun work on two new DVD/TV projects, aggregating to approximately Rs 210 million with leading international studios for delivery over the next twelve to eighteen months, in addition to the existing projects under execution.

  • Voom HD Networks & UK’s Electric Sky to create niche programming

    Voom HD Networks & UK’s Electric Sky to create niche programming

    MUMBAI: Voom HD Networks has announced that two co-productions with UK production company Electric Sky to create original niche programming for its high definition channels – Gallery HD with Art of the Heist and Ultra HD with season three of Fashion Avenue.

    Dedicated to imagery and stories from the front line of the art world, Gallery HD will premiere a six part documentary series Art of the Heist uncovering the world’s biggest art thefts in recent history. The show will follow the trail of police, FBI agents and their dubious informants, and provides insights into just how this world operates, from sting to recovery, informs an official release.

    Ultra HD, devoted to the worlds of fashion, beauty and style, will premiere season three of Fashion Avenue. The six half hour episodes will feature supermodel Jodie Kidd shopping at boutiques on the most stylish streets of the world. Currently in production, the show is slated to premiere in first quarter of 2007. Each week, Kidd is joined by a local fashion expert and each sets a shopping mission for themselves within a set budget. They visit shops, boutiques, hot restaurants hotels and nightclubs. Avenues visited in past include Barcelona, Rome, Cape Town, Sydney and Prague.

    Voom HD Networks first worked with Electric Sky in August of 2004, co-producing season one of Fashion Avenue, adds the release.

    “Voom HD Networks is creating original niche programming that is truly maximising the medium of HD. With both of these series we are afforded the opportunity to work again with Electric Sky, a company that has a strong reputation within the international broadcast industry,” said Voom HD Networks GM Greg Moyer. “Art of the Heist and Fashion Avenue contribute to our vast library of compelling HD content while fulfilling a void in a marketplace that is in need of quality high definition original programming.”

    Both series continue Voom HD Networks’ commitment to investing in original niche programming, working with top production companies both domestically and internationally. Gallery HD and Ultra HD are part of the Voom HD Networks, currently available on Dish Network.

  • Channel NewsAsia announces new weekend shows

    Channel NewsAsia announces new weekend shows

    MUMBAI: Asian news channel Channel NewsAsia has announced new shows for the weekend. A persentation was made a few days ago for advertisers and sponsors. Over 300 people from the advertising industry and business community attended the event.

    The channel says that the attendees included the network’s key customers who were treated to a grand opening performance of drums and dance featuring a combination of instruments from the East and West.

    Add to that, there were trailers of things to come at the channel in the months ahead. All these were to complement the theme of the event “Influencing the Influential”.

    MediaCorp News MD Woon Tai Ho said, “We have aggressive plans to pursue the potentially immense market in India and China. As we ride the waves, we hope you will come onboard to see how we can add value to your products with a regional reach.”

    Among the new items will be a special coverage of the IMF-World Bank Meetings in Singapore in September and a programme for Internet bloggers to air their views.

    MediaCorp News’ programming managerHaryaty Abdul Rahman said, “The weekend line-up is going to be revamped soon and what viewers will get to see is fresh lifestyle programming and specifically targeted at the PMEBs. We’ll have lots of new genres such as travel, fashion and design and even talk shows for the weekend.”