ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • Music industry loses 50% share due to piracy: Dasmunsi

    Music industry loses 50% share due to piracy: Dasmunsi

    MUMBAI: The vicious wave of piracy continues to eat into the revenues of the Indian music industry. According to information and broadcasting minister P R Dasmunsi, the Indian music industry has lost 50 per cent of its share between 1999-2004 primarily due to piracy.

    However, Dasmunsi assured that several steps have been taken and will be taken in the future by the government to curb piracy.

    According to a report by PTI, the Indian Music Industry (IMI) pegs the size of the industry at Rs 5 billion in 2004 as compared to Rs 10 billion in 1999.

    Dwelling also on the much talked about issue of CAS (conditional access system) in the Lok Sabha today, Dasmunsi further said that the government has held meetings with broadcasters, cable operators, consumer organisations and other stake holders with regard to the implementation of the CAS.

    “There was a broad consensus that nine-month time is required to take preparatory steps and to implement CAS smoothly and as such no exact time-frame can be indicated,” he was reported as saying.

  • Vh1 brings music festival ‘Vh1 Rock Rules’ from 18 May

    Vh1 brings music festival ‘Vh1 Rock Rules’ from 18 May

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks’ international music and lifestyle channel – Vh1, will be rolling out an international music fiesta with Vh1 Rock Rules, featuring three international bands and 12 local bands.

    The music fiesta will begin 18 May and culminate on 3 June in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
    Apart from the who’s who of Indian rock, the 15-band line-up stars three international bands – Haven (UK), Empire Dogs (Sweden) and a finale from the Aussie band Taxiride.

    While, on the national front, the rock acts includes – Pentagram, Parikrama, Helga’s Fun Castle, Them Clones, Oritus, Nakshatra, Synaps, Parousia, Lounge Piranha, Vayu, Level 9 and Messiah.

    On 18 May, Haven and Helga’s Fun Castle will perform, followed by Empire Dogs and Vayu on 25 May and finally Taxiride and Pentagram will perform on 1 June in Mumbai at Velocity.
    In Delhi, Haven, Nakshatra and Them Clones will perform on 20 May, followed by Empire Dogs, Parikrama and Oritus on 27 May and finally on 3 June Taxiride, Level 9 and Messiah will perform at Elevate.

    On 2 June, Taxiride, Synaps, Parousia and Lounge Piranha will perform in Bangalore at Palace Grounds.

    Last year, Vh1 held Vh1 Hip Hop Hustle, wherein the channel brought in hip hop band Flipsyde as well as two international DJs Noname and Mentat. While the event was restricted to Delhi and Mumbai, Vh1 has now added Bangalore to the tour rock map.

    Vh1 India VP and general manager Keertan Adyanthaya said, “Vh1 Rock Rules is slated to delight rock fanatics in India. We are not only bringing fresh new international talent to India but also providing a platform for Indian rock bands to reach their fans. It’s a clear indication that India is now on the world tour map and Vh1 is playing a major role in fostering this phenomenon.”

  • Miditech wins two Rapa awards for ‘Deal…’ and ‘M.A.D’

    Miditech wins two Rapa awards for ‘Deal…’ and ‘M.A.D’

    MUMBAI: Miditech has won two awards in the 31st All India Radio & TV Advertising practitioners’ Association (Rapa) Awards 2005. The first one is for Sony’s Deal Ya No Deal, which won in the game show category in Hindi and the second for Pogo’s Music Art Dance (M.A.D) in the children’s serial category.

    Deal Ya No Deal, which is in its third season is a show that tests a contestant’s ability to make the right choices and survive in a game of luck, risk and tension, given a choice of 22 cash boxes, which might have anything up to Rs 10 million. Rajeev Khandelwal now hosts the show, which was earlier being hosted by R Madhavan and then Mandira Bedi.

    International versions of Deal Ya No Deal have enjoyed high viewership worldwide including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Mexico, the Middle East, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey and Thailand.

    M.A.D. is a unique, refreshingly original and exciting series for pre-adolescent children. Each week, with the help of a couple of mini M.A.D. kids, our hosts, explore a theme through music, art and dance. Whether it be using familiar items to create innovative and engaging things, trying stunts like using their whole bodies as paintbrushes, creating musical acrobatics and rhythmic dancing or looking through the viewers gallery, we always take our audience with us, encouraging kids to re-evaluate the things they see and hear every day.

    The Rapa is one of India’s oldest associations of media professionals. It came into existence over 31 years ago and has contributed significantly towards promoting audio visual works of excellence. Every year the awards function recognises and honours outstanding radio and television productions and the people who create them.

  • Prasar Bharati financial rejig near completion

    Prasar Bharati financial rejig near completion

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government is close to taking a final decision on the financial restructuring of pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which manages Doordarshan and All India Radio.

    A group of ministers (GoM) set up to look into the issue has finalised its report, which now will be vetted by the information and broadcast ministry before being put up at a cabinet meeting.

    A government official, while confirming that the restructuring report is complete, said, “The GoM and I&B ministry will have to finalise the format in which it will be put up before the Cabinet as the broad contours have been thrashed out.”

    Though the matter is likely to go to the Cabinet after the present session of Parliament gets over in a couple of weeks’ time, the official refrained from giving a time frame for a formal announcement in this regard.

    One of the options mentioned in the report, according to sources, is the government holding an equity stake in Prasar Bharati Corporation in lieu of the assets (including real estate and infrastructure), which would be transferred from government books to the Corporation.

    However, the GoM has attempted to tread carefully on the issue of the sensitive status of employees of Prasar Bharati.

    Almost 99 per cent of the over 45,000 employee base of Prasar Bharati is treated as part of the government and enjoy various perks as government servants.

    Transferring the employees to Prasar Bharati, an autonomous body created under an Act of Parliament, will make them lose some of the privileges like low-cost housing facility.

    The government official said the cabinet will have to take a final view on such matters.

    Employee status has been a ticklish issue within and outside Prasar Bharati with various employees’ unions of the Corporation opposing any change in their status, least of all being categorized as private sector employees.

    The workers’ unions had even petitioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year to scrap the Prasar Bharati Act and revert DD and AIR to full government control.

    A committee, headed by I&B secretary SK Arora, was appointed by the government on 30 March, 2005 with the mandate to suggest a viable capital and financial structure for the cash-strapped Prasar Bharati to facilitate the strengthening of its functioning.

    The terms of reference of the panel was to propose a viable capital and financial structure for Prasar Bharati, while taking into account the broadcaster’s role as a pubcaster and the need to maximise revenue-earning potential through commercial operations.

    This panel was to submit its report to a GoM that was to add its own perspective.

    Though Prasar Bharati closed the last financial year ended 31 March 2006 with a record revenue mop up of Rs 12.47 billion, the gap between expenditure and income is still huge.

    For FY07, Prasar Bharati has set itself a revenue target of Rs 15 billion.

  • Broadband applications in the US put networked homes on a strong growth trajectory

    Broadband applications in the US put networked homes on a strong growth trajectory

    MUMBAI: As the networked home market in the US reaches the mass-market adoption stage, multimedia and entertainment-centric networking solutions are likely to drive the demand for home networking and become strong revenue generators.

    Moreover, increasing broadband penetration and expanding range of applications and services are ushering in new growth opportunities for all stakeholders in this nascent market.

    Research firm Frost and Sullivan finds that spurred by the increase in multiple PC households, falling hardware prices, increasing number of IP applications and rise in broadband adoption; the number of networked homes in North America is likely to increase from 22.5 million in 2005 to 63.8 million in 2012.

    Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Piyush Arora notes, “Entertainment-based home networks and emerging broadband services and applications such as IPTV and personal video recording are likely to be key contributors to future growth of home networking. The growth in network-enabled consumer electronic devices and the burgeoning online and offline digital content, will also fuel this trend.”

    Last year only five per cent of total networked homes had a multimedia network with at least one non-PC networked device such as a television, DVD player or set-top box. However, by 2012, multimedia networks are likely to post a stronger growth and increase their share to 25 per cent of total networked homes.

    The increasing penetration of broadband is also expanding the range of potential applications of home networks — from sharing broadband access between computers to streaming multimedia content between networked consumer electronic devices. Networked storage, home automation and home security are also likely to become strong contributors to home networking growth.

    Furthermore, networked homes will be ideal for service providers to deliver triple-play services and other service bundles to attract new customers. In fact, service providers are becoming an important component of the distribution channel for networking products and solutions.

    Last year, around 15 per cent of total home networking equipment revenues in North America came from the service provider channel. This share is likely to increase to 37 per cent by 2012 as service providers — including cable companies, telcos, and other broadband ISPs — increase their service bundling initiatives and start playing a more active role in offering home networking solutions.

    In the long term, it is essential for service providers, networking equipment vendors, and other stakeholders to forge more effective partnerships and develop networking solutions that provide a simpler set-up experience for consumers and reduce ongoing maintenance issues.

    “Given the complexity of setup, installation, and troubleshooting, developing a more lucid support management framework and new customer support tools are crucial for the widespread adoption of home networks,” concludes Arora.

  • Cartoon Network’s Beyblade Championship in Mumbai sees more than 1500 kids participate

    Cartoon Network’s Beyblade Championship in Mumbai sees more than 1500 kids participate

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network’s Hojaye Shuru Beyblade Championship that was held in Mumbai on 14 May saw a participation from more than 1500 kids.

    Tarun Shenoy from Podar International School, Santacruz won the title of the Mumbai champion, while Prathamesh Mistry of St. Thomas School, Goregaon was the runner up of the championship.

    Tarun took home a Beybalde medal along with a digital camera and Prathamesh received a BMX cycle. Besides Tarun and Prathamesh, Kartikeya Upasane and Manas Pawar were the lucky ones to reach the final four to win Magnadomes.

    The final four were judged on their ability to spin the Beyblade and assemble the same. Beyblade goodies were distributed amongst all those who participated.

    Tarun will be flown to New Delhi on 21 May to compete with the Delhi champion for the title of National Beyblade Champion. The final winner will receive a Beyblade trophy and a personal computer, while the runner up will take home a Sony Play Station2.

  • US IPTV company Kasenna appoints Kumar Shah as CEO

    US IPTV company Kasenna appoints Kumar Shah as CEO

    MUMBAI: The California-based IPTV firm Kasenna has appointed Kumar Shah as CEO. Shah succeeds Mark Gray, who will continue to serve on the Kasenna Board as its Chairman and also continue to drive strategic partnerships across the globe.

    Kasenna provides video-on-demand (VOD) content and MPEG-4 ready IPTV applications for Triple Play services over broadband networks.

    “With our rock-solid and battle-tested VOD Server, innovative LivingRoom Middleware Platform, and industry leading ViewNow Content Aggregation and Management business, Kasenna has clearly established a demonstrable technology and product leadership in the IPTV market,” said Kumar. “I am excited about joining Kasenna at this crucial inflection point for Kasenna and for the IPTV market. I am looking forward to leveraging our product and technology leadership into a global leadership position in the IPTV market.”

    An industry veteran with more than 20 years of business, marketing, and sales management experience, Shah was recruited by the Kasenna board members from US Venture Partners, where he was an Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR).

    Prior to that, Shah was involved with a number of venture capital funded start-up companies, most recently as President & CEO of Occam Networks (OTC: OCNW) and prior to that as Chief Marketing Officer of AccessLan Communications, which was acquired by Advanced Fibre Communications, which in turn was acquired recently by Tellabs.

  • Chandra to pump in Rs 7.5 billion into WWIL, Dish

    Chandra to pump in Rs 7.5 billion into WWIL, Dish

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra has big investment plans for the two de-merged entities of Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL). Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd. and Dish TV, engaged in the cable TV and direct-to-home (DTH) businesses respectively, will together be pumping in Rs 7.5 billion to fund their expansion plans.

    WWIL will have an investment requirement of Rs 5 billion over the next three years to give a big push to digitisation of cable TV, broadband and voice services. The cable company also expects to rope in an investor. “WWIL has a business plan which would take in an investment of Rs 5 billion over three years. The strategic thrust will be on rollout of digital cable. We are also looking at triple play offerings. We have a network which can be made available to telecom operators for voice,” Essel Group chief executive officer of corporate strategy and finance Rajiv Garg tells indiantelevision.com.

    WWIL is looking at a debt-equity ratio of 1:1. “The net worth of the company currently is not that strong to support that sort of debt. We would like a 1:1 debt-equity ratio,” Garg says.

    Operating revenues from ZTL’s cable line of business stood at Rs 1.5 billion for the fiscal ended 31 March 2006 while net profit was at Rs 7 million.

    For Dish TV, the DTH outfit, there is a Rs 2.5 billion investmen plan over the next two years. The net expenses for DTH operations thus far is Rs 3.8 billion, says Garg. “We project a gross revenue of Rs 3.2 billion from our DTH business in FY07. We aim to have 2.4 million DTH subscribers in the fiscal while the average revenue per user (ARPU) should go up from Rs 190 to Rs 250 a month because of the launch of value-added services,” he adds.

    The operating revenues for the DTH business stood at Rs 818 million in FY06. On the back of subsidies and marketing expenses, the DTH operations incurred a loss of Rs 790 million during this period.

    The de-merged DTH and cable companies are likely to opt for an initial dilution of up to 26 per cent to investors. They are open to both private equity and strategic investors.

  • BBC. HBO to collaborate on ‘Tsunami’ drama

    BBC. HBO to collaborate on ‘Tsunami’ drama

    MUMBAI: Following the success of Rome, the BBC and HBO will collaborate on a two part drama that deals with the tsunami tragedy and the events that followed.

    Tim Roth, Toni Collette, Sophie Okonedo are among the actors that will star. The drama will focus on the aftermath of the cataclysmic natural disaster.

    Developed and written by Abi Morgan, Tsunami is a Kudos production for BBC Two and HBO Films and will air later this year.

    A tale of personal loss, Tsunami follows a group of fictitious characters whose lives are irrevocably transformed by the natural disaster. Based on extensive research and interviews, the drama explores how governments, the media and aid agencies respond, when without warning, they are tested by a natural disaster of this scale.

    The drama will also tackle the relationship between mankind and nature.

    Kudos has been collaborating with local communities and the piece will feature a variety of locations and landmarks affected by the tsunami. Filming on location in Phuket and Khao Lak has commenced.

    BBC controller of drama commissioning Jane Tranter says, “A thought provoking drama of loss, survival and hope, Tsunami is another example of BBC Drama’s commitment to deliver ambitious and distinctive projects that reflect the world in which we live by delving into the headlines and revealing the stories behind them.”

    Kudos executive producer and joint MD Jane Featherstone says, “The catastrophic events of Boxing day 2004 had a profound and lasting effect on people across the globe. Through meticulously researching real life events, real people and working closely with the survivor groups Abi has written a wonderful, powerful drama that purposely asks what mankind can learn from the event, as well as reflecting on the far reaching emotional and political repercussions of that fateful day.”

    BBC Two controller Roly Keating says, “It is a tribute to the power of Abi’s writing that such an extraordinary cast has come together for this important TV event.”

  • Weume Infosys bags mobile rights for Fifa World Cup

    Weume Infosys bags mobile rights for Fifa World Cup

    MUMBAI: Swiss sports event marketing major Infront Sports & Media AG has sold the India territory mobile broadcast rights for this year’s Fifa World Cup to Weume Infosys Private Limited, a Chennai-headquartered provider of mobile content and Internet services.

    Infront made the announcement as part of four agreements it has signed for its World Cup new media rights package; the other three territories being France, Canada and Sweden.

    The agreements enable the licensees to transmit up to four minutes of key match footage for “near-live” and/or delayed coverage over the Internet and/or via mobile networks to mobile phones, geo-blocked for user access only within each territory.

    The exclusive mobile broadcast rights Weume Infosys has acquired, covers English and Hindi languages and applies also to archive video material of the 2002 event, which took place in Korea and Japan.

    Weume (pronounced as We-U-Me) will distribute the content through Weume’s portal as well as mobile networks and mobile portals within the territory. The company’s target is to reach approximately 85 million subscribers, the announcement states.

    Meanwhile, telecommunications operator France Telecom has secured the non-exclusive French-language rights for Internet highlight coverage of all World Cup matches for the territory of France. France Telecom will offer the match footage via its Internet platform.

    In Canada is Rogers Communications Ltd, a diversified Canadian communications and media company, that is exclusively licensing the English-language Internet and mobile telephony rights in Canada to all 64 matches of the World Cup as well as archive material from the 2002 edition of the tournament. Rogers will leverage the rights acquired on its multiple platforms including Rogers Wireless, Rogers Cable and Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet. Rogers Sportsnet, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications, is already a World Cup television rights holder.

    Swedish territory rights have gone to the Scandinavian nation’s largest commercial television broadcaster TV4 AB, which has acquired the Internet and mobile telephony rights to all 64 matches and archive access to 2002 tournament’s matches in Swedish and English languages. TV4 is already a television rights holder.

    Infront has so far concluded new media agreements for almost 100 countries worldwide. With more such deals in the pipeline, Infront asserts that the 2006 Fifa World Cup will be the most diversified of any international sports event to date.