ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • BVITV & Tohokushinsha ink TV broadcast agreement

    BVITV & Tohokushinsha ink TV broadcast agreement

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney’s Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) Japan, have closed a multi-year TV broadcast right agreement with Tohokushinsha Film Corporation for the provision of visual entertainment consisting mainly of live action and animated features.

    As announced at the LA Screenings, closure of this contract guarantees the provision of releases such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, National Treasure and Flight Plan. Disney/Pixar animated productions such as Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. will be also available for view through broadcasters distributed by Tohokushinsha.

    From this point on, a huge array of content from the Walt Disney Company will be delivered to a larger audience in Japan.

    BVITV’s main business is the distribution of content owned by The Walt Disney Company, for distribution by domestic broadcasters within Japan and the creation of original programs for distribution by terrestrial/satellite broadcasters.

    While, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation’s main businesses are concerned primarily with advertising production, digital technology, contents production, digital image processing, satellite broadcasting, retail merchandising and professional education.

  • BVITV & WOWOW ink new distribution agreements

    BVITV & WOWOW ink new distribution agreements

    MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) Japan has closed new multiple-year agreements with fee-based broadcasting station WOWOW Inc., for provision of visual entertainment primarily consisting of movies, TV series and animated features.

    Content from The Walt Disney Company will be delivered to WOWOW audiences, as the agreements include the broadcast rights to entertainment including, the Annual Academy Awards. In addition, annual programming events like Japan’s Disney Special and the I Love Disney animated series, are also planned under the new agreement, informs an official release.

    Closure of these multi-year contracts imply that hit releases such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Chicken Little, National Treasure, The Incredibles, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and the award-winning television series Grey’s Anatomy will be available to view in high definition on WOWOW.

    BVITV Japan MD Paul Candland said, “Via this multiple-year contract with WOWOW, a company that holds an extremely important position in the Japanese domestic media industry, I am very happy for the opportunity to further strengthen this strong partnership, and that a variety of BVITV programs will be broadcast in high definition through WOWOW to viewers nationwide over a long period.”

    WOWOW Inc. president Toshio Hirose said, “Thin type high definition TV is on the verge of widespread use. In this environment, the strength of WOWOW is definitely high definition and 5.1ch surround stereo, which means broadcast of high quality images and sound, and we deliver a wide variety of programs, from movies to music to stage performances, original dramas, and animation. Through the multiple-year contract with BVITV and through the digital broadcasting market that is rapidly expanding, we are able to have a great new variety of programs.”

  • Sybase honoured at the 2006 SIIA Codie Awards

    Sybase honoured at the 2006 SIIA Codie Awards

    MUMBAI: Sybase Inc., the UK-based company providing enterprise infrastructure and mobile software, has announced that its database and mobile software solutions received highest honours at the 2006 SIIA Codie Awards.

    Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise(ASE) 15 and AvantGo won as leaders in the Codie Awards’ in the “Best Database Management Solution” and “Best Mobile Solution” categories.

    “Sybase has secured its position as a leading database company and a cutting-edge provider of mobile industry solutions,” said Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) president Ken Wasch. “The company continues to be recognized for its innovative technology.”

    Commenting on this achievement, Sybase senior VP corporate development and marketing Marty Beard said, “We are extremely pleased about the SIIA’s recognition of our database and mobility solutions.”

    “These prestigious awards validate our unique ability to deliver best-of-breed data management and mobility solutions that span both ends of the solutions spectrum from the data center to the device,” he adds.

    The annual Codie awards showcase the software and information industry’s finest products and services, and remains the industry standard for celebrating outstanding achievement and vision. This year’s winners were chosen from a record 1,026 nominations for excellence of products, services, corporate leadership and philanthropy.

  • TiVo launches new Guru Guide recommendations

    TiVo launches new Guru Guide recommendations

    MUMBAI: TiVo is all set to launch the TiVo Guru Guide recommendations. TiVo’s newest feature will allow subscribers to discover exciting programming and automatically record great collections of shows, recommended by editorial experts at some of the nation’s top consumer magazines and news sources.

    Guru Guide recommendations will create a virtual television channel from each of these authorities, while leaving the ultimate selection and choice to the consumer.

    Gurus from Entertainment Weekly, Star, Sports Illustrated, Automobile, Billboard, CNET and others will offer TiVo subscribers program recommendations based on popular television categories including sports, films, music, comedies, drama and more. As an added benefit, TiVo subscribers will be able to automatically record Guru Guide recommendations via the company’s online scheduling feature.

    “TiVo is the proven brand for innovation and personalised home entertainment, making it the perfect partner to bring Star magazine to life on television. Making Star’s editorial experts available to TiVo subscribers is a unique, cutting-edge way for us to reinforce our brand awareness beyond print into a powerful electronic medium,” said American Media chief editorial director and executive vice president Bonnie Fuller.

    For TiVo, Guru Guide recommendations are the latest in a series of innovative offerings like recently announced TiVo KidZone and TiVo Mobile, and is designed to distinguish TiVo’s product and service from any other DVR in the marketplace.

    “Providing our users with a better, smarter way to enjoy their favorite television is at the core of what we do at TiVo and how we transform television viewing for consumers,” said TiVo president and CEO Tom Rogers.

    TiVo vice president and general manager programming Tara Maitra said, “By matching up TiVo technology with engaging Guru Guide recommendations from trusted sources, we are empowering TiVo subscribers with a brand new way to find, organize and view their favorite shows in an increasingly crowded television environment.”

    Each TiVo Guru Guide recommendation will offer between five and 10 programs of television per week and recommendations will be updated at least once per month to ensure that viewers always receive the freshest and most interesting content on television. Using TiVo’s online scheduling feature, subscribers will have the option of recording an entire TiVo Guru Guide selection, or they can pick individual programs from a given category based on their personal interests.

    “Music programming on television and the integration of music into shows has come a long way. Our recommendations are an eclectic assortment of programs aimed at enhancing the music discovery experience. Through Billboard’s Guru Guide recommendations, TiVo subscribers will enjoy some of the freshest new shows out there,” said Billboard Magazine group editorial director Scott McKenzie.

    “With so much sport-related content on television today, it’s easy to overlook some really great shows. Sports Illustrated’s Guru Guide will provide viewers with recommendations compiled by our editorial team which will feature an interesting mix of television programming-everything from the best match-ups of the week, to the history of rugby, to the impact of exercise on childhood obesity,” said Sports Illustrated’s website’s managing editor Paul Fichtenbaum.

    TiVo Guru Guide recommendations help viewers find engaging programming in popular content areas such as sports, music, TV, movies, beauty and fashion, technology, and urban culture. Other key partners to offer the very first TiVo Guru Guide recommendations include CNET, Automobile Magazine, and H20 (Hip Hop On Demand.)

    Additional TiVo Guru Guides categories will become available to subscribers throughout the year at no additional cost.

  • Avaya provides converged communication network for Fifa

    Avaya provides converged communication network for Fifa

    MUMBAI: With 64 matches over 31 days, mobility will be critical to maximise productivity and efficiency for journalists, Fifa employees and volunteers at the World Cup. Avaya is building a converged communication network that will enable the estimated 15,000 media covering the tournament, to provide the most up-to-date information and images to fans, giving those in attendance and at home the closest to real-time Fifa World Cup experience to date.

    It will also give Fifa personnel and volunteers who will be working the event, the mobility they need to make them more productive.

    Avaya head of IT for Fifa Mike Kelly said, “With billions of fans watching around the globe and the media using our networks to transmit photos and information instantly — we cannot compromise on performance. We require our employees to be easily contactable whenever and wherever we need them. Avaya’s solutions will help us to redefine how our employees and stakeholders can work around the World Cup.”

    The media covering the 2006 Fifa World Cup will require up-to-the-minute and accurate information to satisfy the public’s need for near-instantaneous information through online portals, broadcast and other media. A series of wireless local area networks (WLAN) in some of the stadiums, will give the press complete mobility within these environments.

    Photographers capturing game time action and analysts transmitting match statistics can now use their approved devices such as wireless laptops to reach Avaya Wireless Access Points from anywhere in the stadium — without having to move from their match position.

    Photographer John Sibley of London based Action Images said, “I have specialised in football photography since 1991, and one of the great things about covering Fifa competitions is the way that technology has made me much more efficient. Historically, photographers covering the Fifa World Cup used conventional film cameras. The film then had to be taken to the stadium’s media centre, developed, scanned and uploaded — taking up to 45 minutes. Now, with digital cameras I can transfer images straight to my laptop and transmit them directly over Fifa’s network. Now, this can take less than 60 seconds and fans can see photographs in near real time.”

    In addition, the converged communication network that Avaya is supplying for the Fifa World Cup will incorporate key mobility features such as Extension-to-Cellular that will maximise productivity and efficiency of Fifa employees, volunteers and executives working at the World Cup.

    In order to ensure smooth running of the 31 day 2006 Fifa World Cup Germany competition, it is especially critical for members of the Fifa and Avaya staffs to remain in constant contact. In order to reduce the time spent trying to find and contact people, Avaya integrated and installed the Avaya Extension-to-Cellular application which allows individuals to be reached on a single telephone number, wherever they are.

    For example, office calls can be automatically routed to any mobile device along with key capabilities like conferencing and transferring. Furthermore, if the call cannot connect it will return to the office voicemail — meaning it is no longer necessary to have multiple mailboxes.

    Fifa personnel will also have a single interface to access their voicemails, emails, directories and more, allowing them to check, store and manage them from any phone or laptop with Avaya’s Modular Messaging.

    Since becoming a Fifa World Cup partner in 2001, Avaya has worked with Fifa to help bring the excitement of the world’s most popular sport to an estimated accumulated global audience of 30 billion fans. Avaya has already provided converged communication networks for the 2002 Fifa World Cup, 2003 Women’s World Cup and the Fifa Confederations Cup 2005.

  • Ubisoft and Touchstone team up to create ‘Lost’ game

    Ubisoft and Touchstone team up to create ‘Lost’ game

    MUMBAI: Video game publisher Ubisoft has inked a long-term worldwide licensing agreement with Touchstone Television to develop and publish a video game based on Lost.

    Developed by Ubisoft’s Montréal studio and scheduled to hit retail shelves worldwide in 2007, the game will be offered for home and portable consoles as well as PCs.

    “We are delighted to work with Bryan Burk, one of the biggest producers in Hollywood and with Touchstone Television. That they have chosen us for the adaptation of the cult series Lost is the best homage that a producer can make to the creativity of Ubisoft,” said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.

    “This deal is another example of how truly powerful the Lost brand is. We are excited to work together with Ubisoft to create a gaming experience that will allow fans to further immerse themselves into the mysteries and intrigues of the series,” said ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television senior vice president business development Bruce Gersh.

    “The creative appeal of Lost transcends borders with its character driven stories and addictive mysterious mythology. It’s not enough for fans worldwide to just watch Lost, the game is a wonderful opportunity to organically extend this creative phenomenon into an interactive consumer experience,” said Touchstone Television executive vice president Julia Franz.

    “Many of us on Lost have been hardcore gamers for years and the chance to work with Ubisoft, a company behind some of our favorite titles, has excited us to no end. With the ability to tell new interactive stories within the Lost universe, we’re giddy to be developing a game that, once completed, will be as engaging and fun to play as it is to create,” said Lost executive producer Bryan Burk.

  • ON World predicts 100 mn mobile VOIP users by 2011

    ON World predicts 100 mn mobile VOIP users by 2011

    MUMBAI: On the basis of a new study, ON World’s director of research Mareca Hatler says services such as VOIP, video, music, radio, news and instant messaging coupled with mobile devices such as a WiFi enabled iPod and the ubiquity of broadband will result in 100 million consumer mobile VOIP users in 2011.

    “The PC industry has found an ideal services model and this is the ‘real time Internet,’” she says.

    ON World interviewed 100 key technology influencers in several consumer markets as well as electronic retailers and discovered that 35 per cent were interested in VOIP combined with mobile entertainment devices.

    “Convergence between the PC and Telecom industries has been the ‘mantra’ for the last several years. Skype, Google, device makers such as Apple, and municipal mesh infrastructure providers such as Tropos are creating the ‘real time Internet’ without them,” says Hatler.

    The studies conducted reveal that the PC industry will ship more than two times as many mobile VOIP devices per year as the Telecom industry in 2011. Real-Time Internet Services WiFi enabled mobile entertainment devices will make up 36 percent of all mobile VOIP devices sold in 2011. This will be driven by the popularity of Apple’s iPod as well as products such as Nokia’s Internet Tablet 2006 bundled with GoogleTalk.

    These Mobile VOIP devices need infrastructure which Skype provides, with its 100 million PCs using their peer-to-peer telecommunications platform. Peer-to-peer technology not only takes advantage of efficient Internet routing, it saves Skype billions of dollars of infrastructure investment, the study adds.

    Thus, ON World predicts that by 2011 Skype will have 25 per cent of the world’s VOIP users and $1.2 billion in voice service revenues.

  • Mainland China, Taiwan’s exports of broadband products up 55% in 2006

    Mainland China, Taiwan’s exports of broadband products up 55% in 2006

    MUMBAI: Mainland China and Taiwan are expected to export over 54 million broadband communication products in 2006 worth over $2 billion — up 55 per cent year-on-year according to Global Sources’ China Sourcing Report: Broadband Communication.

    Mainland China is expected to ship 22.3 million units in 2006, while Taiwan is projected to export 31.8 million units. Report publisher Mark Saunderson said, “Broadband device manufacturing in mainland China and Taiwan relies heavily on exports. In 2006, sales of broadband products are expected to reach about $2.4 billion, with exports accounting for at least 85 per cent, or more than $2 billion.”

    Despite growing demand, manufacturers say export prices will fall in 2006.

    Among Taiwan makers, 64 per cent expect prices to fall between 10 and 20 per cent. Among mainland China makers, 84 per cent said prices will remain stable or drop by up to five per cent in the months ahead.

    The survey also shows:

    Taipei and Hsinchu are the main manufacturing hubs in Taiwan
    Shenzhen and Dongguan are the key production centers in mainland China

    Taiwan makers are developing voice and multimedia over DSL/cable products, while Mainland suppliers are focusing on faster speed and extended transmission distances

    Makers serve brands and customers worldwide including Dell, Fujitsu, Italy Telecom, LG, Linksys, Lucent, Siemens and Thomson

    China Sourcing Report: Broadband Communication examines manufacturing, technology and pricing trends for cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, gateways, routers, optical networking equipment and related products. It profiles 27 leading suppliers in mainland China and Taiwan, with specifications for 72 best-selling export products.

  • Britannia launches Marie Gold Doubles

    Britannia launches Marie Gold Doubles

    Mumbai: May 23rd, 2006: Britannia Industries Ltd, today announced the launch of ‘Marie Gold Doubles’ – an unique three layered Marie in a delightful double taste of orange and chocolate. This innovative double taste has been created through a unique technology that enables a layer of chocolate to be embedded between two layers of orange

    MarieGold doubles is unique in several other ways too.

    ” An unusual finger shaped biscuit, not round
    ” Attractive sleeve packaging for the first time in the biscuit category

    Its Crisp, Light, Healthy and Delicious!

    Marie Gold, one of Britannia’s oldest and flagship brands, now offers this exciting and new variant targeted at young and old alike. Marie is one of the fastest growing biscuit sub category and Britannia already has significant presence in it with a nearly 50% share of market. Marie Gold has been predominantly eaten with tea. The unique and exciting taste of Marie Gold Doubles will however, make it an ideal snack for non-tea / beverage drinking occasions too.

    Speaking at the launch of Marie Gold Doubles, Ms. Richa Arora, General Manager & Head of Marketing and Innovation, said, “At Britannia, we constantly endeavour to delight our customers with high quality, innovative products. Marie Gold Doubles is the result of extensive efforts of our Marketing and R&D teams. We are confident it will strike a chord with consumers & add significantly to Britannia’s Image”.

    After formally unveiling Marie Gold Doubles, Ms. Mandira Bedi, Actor & TV Host said, “I am delighted to be associated with one of India’s leading companies “Britannia” and the launch of ‘Marie Gold Doubles’. Marie Gold Doubles is light, tasty & a healthy eat and is the perfect snack to munch on for people like me who are constantly on the move, juggling two things at the same time, be it balancing my personal and professional life or hopping from one shoot to the other, entertaining or travelling. I am sure its unique taste & shape will make it a favourite across the country”.

    Marie Gold Doubles, introduced in a 150gms pack of 30 biscuits, is priced competitively at Rs.15/-. The attractive sleeve packaging gives it a premium look and enhances the distinctiveness of the offering

    Marie Gold Doubles will be available in all leading stores across the country and will be supported by an exciting communication programme across all consumer touchpoints.

    About Britannia:

    Britannia is the Market leader in the organized biscuit and bakery product market in India and has always been the pioneer in product innovation. Biscuits contribute to nearly 90 % of Britannia’s total turnover. Britannia is synonymous with ‘biscuits’ and Brands like MarieGold, Good Day, 50-50 and Tiger have become a household name in the country.

    For Further Information:
    Saritha Prem / Amit Gidwani
    Madison PR
    saritha@fort.madisonindia.com
    amit@fort.madisonindia.com

  • Tata Sky begins publicity, trade activities

    Tata Sky begins publicity, trade activities

    MUMBAI: Aasman se seedhe aapke ghar (straight to your home from the sky). This could well be the tag line for Tata Sky’s proposed DTH service, slated to be launched June-July 2006.

    So what’s new? Well, Tata, “India’s most trusted company”, and Star, “India’s No. 1 entertainment company,” feel the people of India should be told that the two entities have “come together to change the way in which television is watched in India.” And, Tata Sky has started the process of telling the tale of world’s “most advanced” DTH service — one must admit quite engagingly so.

    The 40-slide presentation being made by Tata Sky to the trade affiliates, on the other hand, has upset the cable fraternity. At one place, to hammer home the point that cable operators get eliminated in a DTH service, some funny lines have been used (cablewallah to consumer: I don’t have electricity, you can’t watch TV or I fight with the channel for non-payment, you pay the price — here goes the cricket match) that presumably have not gone down well with cable ops of Mumbai.

    The text points out that a consumer need not “suffer a poor quality cable service” as he has the right to choose channels he wants to watch and pay only for those. “Could you ever imagine a choice like?” the text eggs on a consumer, who’s then told after sales service means “problems are no problems.”

    Apart from the high quality programming and DVD-type visual experience, free onsite installation of the hardware and maintenance under warranty are thrown in as added sops.

    For the gaming freaks, Tata Sky promises a personal games parlour where new games will be made available periodically for the whole family at no extra cost.

    The presentation also goes to list step-by-step the installation process and how the digicomp is compatible with most varieties of TV sets.

    Unstated however, are the costs involved for a consumer, which is also an indication that the various packages, probably, are still being worked out.