Category: News Broadcasting

  • SC ruling gives FM lifeline to Millenium Broadcasting

    SC ruling gives FM lifeline to Millenium Broadcasting

    MUMBAI: There’s hope yet for Millenium Broadcasting, one of the early entrants into the FM scene in Mumbai with its Win 94.6 station, but which has been off air since May 2004.

    The Supreme Court has thrown a lifeline to the Gautam Radia promoted private radio venture in its long drawn battle with the government, initially fought through the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

    The apex court, which heard the case last week, has ruled in Millenium Broadcasting’s favour, concurring with TDSAT’s judgment in the matter. TDSAT had earlier ruled that the government shall not auction the frequency 94.6 MHz and that the company was entitled to broadcast FM radio within the territory of Mumbai.

    In its ruling, TDSAT had also ordered that Millenium Broadcasting was entitled to the benefit of migration from fixed licence fee regime to revenue sharing regime under the second phase of the FM radio policy, which grants this benefit to the existing license holders.

    For the record, the licence of Millenium Broadcast Pvt Ltd was revoked in May 2003 for non-payment of licence fee. Subsequently, in September 2005, the government had invited pre-qualification bids for 338 FM channels in 91 cities across the country, including five FM stations in Mumbai.

    After hearing Millenium Broadcast’s plea in the matter, TDSAT issued an order in October 2005 stating that the frequency shall be excluded from the ambit of the five FM channels in Mumbai that were up for bidding.

  • Al Jazeera International gears for Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre

    Al Jazeera International gears for Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre

    MUMBAI: Doha based — Al Jazeera International, the yet-to launch 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel has roped in Divya Gopalan and Hamish MacDonald have joined the channel’s team of on-screen talent.

    Divya and Hamish will be the channel’s weekend news anchors for Al Jazeera International’s Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre, one of four regional broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC. They join the weekday news anchors Veronica Pedrosa and Teymoor Nabili, formerly of CNN International and CNBC Asia respectively.

    Gopalan brings the channel over 10 year’s experience in international journalism including roles with BBC News, CNN and American networks NBC and CNBC. MacDonald meanwhile joins Al Jazeera International from the UK’s Channel 4 News where he built a career as a news producer and reporter covering a range of international stories.

    Al Jazeera International MD Nigel Parsons said, “I am pleased to confirm our weekend presenters who bring a dynamic approach to news reporting in keeping with the channel’s aim of bringing a fresh perspective on world news while maintaining the highest journalistic standards.”

    Already on the board, are name likes of Sir David Frost, Veronica Pedrosa and Riz Khan.

    At the BBC Gopalan worked on daily news and current affairs programmes such as Hard Talk. Her portfolio included major news stories such as the Iraq war, the Asian Tsunami, the Bali and London bombings. She also covered the 1997 Hong Kong handover for NBC and at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival interviewed Palm D’or winner for best actress Maggie Cheung and best director nominee Wong Kar Wai. Gopalan was the first ethnic Indian newsreader on Hong Kong television.

    Starting her on-air career as a sports reporter, Gopalan interviewed some of the biggest names in the sporting world like tennis stars Steffi Graf, the Williams sisters, Anna Kournikova, F1 star Jensen Button, and International soccer players including Gianfranco Zola and Andy Cole.

    Gopalan has a truly global background, she is of Indian origin and was born in Hong Kong. She was also brought up in the Philippines, educated in North America and spent five years living and working in London and is fluent in four languages.

    MacDonald has covered major stories at Channel 4 including the Asian Tsunami and the London bombings. He reported live for Channel 4 and ITV news and reported as an eyewitness for Australian Networks 9, 7 and ABC.

    He began his TV career with WIN television in Canberra as a politics reporter and presenter. From there he moved to the UK and freelanced for a short period, before joining the Channel 4 news team as a producer.

    MacDonald trained in journalism at Charles University in Australia and began his career as a Talk Radio presenter and newsreader on Radio 2BS Gold. He is the first Australian news anchor to join the Al Jazeera International news line-up of on-screen talent.

  • PWC releases nominations for Idea IIFA Awards 2006

    PWC releases nominations for Idea IIFA Awards 2006

    MUMBAI: PriceWaterhouseCoopers has released the nominations for the Idea IIFA Awards 2006 as per the results of voting by the film industry. The nominations were derived from the IIFA Voting Weekend held in the first week of April.

    During the course of the week, the best talent from Indian cinema including producers, actors, film directors, music directors, scriptwriters and singers cast their votes for the Popular and Technical awards. The nominations for the Popular Awards are now open for public voting, using the globally accessible www.msn.com/iifa and www.indya.com platforms. The voting process is monitored and audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who are also the audit firm for the Oscars, informs an official release.

    The nominees for the best picture are Black, Bunty aur Babli, Iqbal, No Entry, Page 3 and Parineeta. In the best director category, Madhur Bhandarkar, Nagesh Kukunoor, Pradeep Sarkar, Prakash Jha and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have made it to the final list.

    In the best actor category, the nominees are Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. In the actress category, the final nominee list includes Konkana Sen Sharma, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan.

    This year’s IIFA Awards ceremony will be held on 17 June in Dubai.

  • Buena Vista Games to create and publish video game property Spectrobes

    Buena Vista Games to create and publish video game property Spectrobes

    MUMBAI: Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company has announced that it is creating and publishing the company’s first video game based on an original property, Spectrobes.

    Set to release exclusively for the Nintendo DS, Spectrobes is an anime-inspired action/role playing game that is being developed by Jupiter Corporation in Kyoto. The announcement was made this morning from BVG’s local offices in Tokyo.

    Spectrobes is an anime-inspired action/role playing game created by Japanese developer Jupiter and published by Buena Vista Games.

    “We’ve experienced tremendous success developing new intellectual properties such as Kingdome Hearts in Japan, and the innovation and style of Spectrobes are a perfect fit for the expertise of renowned developer Jupiter Corporation,” said Buena Vista Games senior VP and GM Graham Hopper.

    “Spectrobes is a new and unique property with endless potential for a dynamic entertainment company such as The Walt Disney Company. There is tremendous interest in this franchise from other divisions such as media networks, online and consumer products.”

    “Based on BVG’s original concept and utilizing the creative style of Japanese anime, manga and traditional Japanese art, Spectrobes is an innovative game developed by the outstanding team at Jupiter,” said BVG Japan producer Kentaro Hisai. “The game’s intense real-time battle and unique excavation features should enthrall gamers throughout the world.”

    Spectrobes introduces two junior Interplanetary Patrol officers named Rallen and Jeena who learn of strange, prehistoric creatures called Spectrobes that possess special powers. These fossilized Spectrobes hold the key to defeating a vicious and merciless force, known only as the Krawl that threatens to destroy the galaxy. The two heroes embark on a mission to save their galaxy – to do so they must excavate, awaken, train and collect all the Spectrobes they can and battle to defeat the Krawl, informs an official release.

    Spectrobes is infused with the edgy, highly stylized look and feel of Japanese anime and manga, and uniquely combines original characters, a compelling story and breakthrough gameplay. Spectrobes allows players to excavate, train and battle with nearly 500 unique creatures, utilizing every interactive feature of the Nintendo DS.

    Once the creature is excavated using the touch screen portion of the Nintendo DS, the Spectrobe is then awakened and can be utilized in real-time battles with enemies. Players must collect, train and help their Spectrobes evolve in order to progress and succeed in the game. With highly customizable elements and powers, each Spectrobe is unique to individual game players.

    The release date for Spectrobes will be announced later.

  • Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft to build integrated broadcast system for MediaCorp

    Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft to build integrated broadcast system for MediaCorp

    MUMBAI: Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft Corp. have been selected to design and build an integrated broadcast system to support MediaCorp Pte Ltd., Singapore’s largest broadcaster and a leading media company in Asia.

    Accenture, which is leading the project, is teaming up with Avanade to design and deploy a scalable and open-standard-based solution featuring the Microsoft Connected Services Framework, a software solution that enables broadcast companies and film studios to create, deploy, integrate and manage services.

    The work at MediaCorp will streamline many of the company’s core business processes, including program planning, scheduling, airtime sales and finance processes, into one integrated system, which will support all of MediaCorp’s television businesses. The system will support nine channels and be used by more than 1,200 employees.

    The new system will include a unified grid for programs, ads and automated workflow. Once the system is in place, MediaCorp users within different groups and departments will be able to share information, work together more effectively and react more quickly to the changing needs of the business, giving the company a competitive advantage in how it does business.

    “As one of the region’s most established broadcasters, we need to be prepared to take advantage of new opportunities. By working with Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft and our internal IT teams, we are building a solution that will leverage our capabilities to support the current and future needs of our television businesses,” said MediaCorp deputy group CEO Group Services Henry Lim.;

    “We have been working with MediaCorp to develop a solution that effectively migrates its core business processes onto one unified platform. We evaluated multiple options to implement the system and development platforms. Based on that assessment we designed an application blueprint founded on Microsoft .NET. The platform will be highly scalable, giving MediaCorp the flexibility and control to integrate other, future processes such as digital asset management, editing services and new content delivery channels,” said Accenture partner in the media and entertainment practice Robert Chew.

    “We chose a service-oriented architecture to manage MediaCorp’s investment in technology. The media industry is transforming. Digitization is rapidly changing the business dynamics of yesterday’s television. A strong and scalable information system becomes a requirement for MediaCorp to embrace digital media and benefit from its growth in the future,” said MediaCorp chief information officer Jack Chiam.

    To deliver the integrated broadcast system, Accenture will team up with Avanade, combining its business and industry acumen with Avanade’s technical expertise in Microsoft technologies. Accenture and Avanade will build the system using Microsoft .NET and the Microsoft Connected Services Framework.

    “MediaCorp’s business lies in the successful management, distribution and consumption of content. As the world’s first terrestrial broadcaster to adopt the Connected Services Framework, MediaCorp is helping to demonstrate Microsoft’s knowledge of the key business drivers in the broadcast industry and, more important, how to translate that knowledge into solutions that enable broadcasters to work efficiently, increase revenues, and expand and retain audiences,” said Microsoft corporate vice president communications sector Maria Martinez.

  • Animax Asia to target youth with new image

    Animax Asia to target youth with new image

    MUMBAI: Animax Asia is all set to refresh its image in order to target youth aged 15 to 24, and mature viewers with a youthful attitude. The new look Animax will hit television screens on 1 June.

    The channel announced today that as part of the its new look, it will be streamlining its programme structure to target this market segment, as well as introducing a creative campaign, Imagine-Nation, to capture the imaginative minds of the youth market.

    “Like all entertainment genres, animation continues to evolve, and we have noticed that the animation from Japan is moving towards a more youth-driven demographic. Animax too must move ahead with current trends to provide viewers with the coolest entertainment,” said SPE Networks – Asia vice president Animax, programming and production Betty Tsui.

    In line with the channel’s commitment to bringing the latest, hottest animation from Japan to its target audiences, helming the refresh programme this summer are two blockbuster animations, God Save Our King and Trinity Blood. Viewers can also expect unique programme content covering a wide variety of themes and styles in the next few months, including the latest Inuyasha: Fire on the Mystic Island, Paradise Kiss, Honey & Clover, Black Cat and Girl from Hell amongst others.

    The new initiative Imagine-Nation will roll out together with the channel refreshment. The Imagine-Nation project is Animax’s showcase of successful or famous people from the region who are connected to the creative world of games, film, anime and design. This project also features those who dared to let their imagination lead them to success and fame.

    A host of talent, including local animation guru Nickson Fong and StickFas Toys founder Bany J from Singapore, and India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan will share their visions and inspirations with viewers in a series of candid interviews.

    Fong said, “I am excited to be able to share my passion with youth through the Imagine-Nation project. Hopefully, this will inspire some local talent to go into designing, animation or film-making as a career choice, and take the burgeoning animation industry in Singapore to new heights.”

    Tsui added, “Like imagination and creativity, Anime is more than an art form. Anime is inspiring, innovative, unique and always on the edge. It is a lifestyle. We hope that the new Animax will inspire our youths to live out their dreams.”

    She further said that with the refreshed look of the channel, viewers will now be able to enjoy more edgy anime programmes that are most suited to their lifestyles, and viewers can certainly look forward to greater ‘out-of-the-box’ activities and off-air offerings to experience the ultimate animation lifestyle Animax presents.

  • NBC, Tommy Mottola looking for internet band in the US

    NBC, Tommy Mottola looking for internet band in the US

    MUMBAI: In what could be seen as a take off on US broadcaster Fox’s very successful music based reality show American Idol, rival NBC has announced that its new, exclusively online music competition StarTomorrow is conducting a search for the first Internet superstar band or singing group across the US.

    Solo artists, bands, singing groups or duo’s in America who are at least 18 years of age are encouraged to submit auditions to StarTomorrow producers. The top 100 submissions will be invited to audition.

    Group members will secure a record deal with the Casablanca label (a division of the Universal Music Group) who will also offer career guidance.

    StarTomorrow is expected to debut this July on NBC.com with a search that will ultimately narrow the field down to 100 of America’s best groups and bands that have been screened for entry into the competition. Approximately twenty band auditions will be released each week for the first half of the sixteen week series.

    Viewers will then evaluate them and have a week to vote on which groups and bands will move on to the next round. The finalists will then compete in the second half of the series. The format will include covers of pop, rock and country favourites and original material, but as the series goes deeper into the competition, the focus will shift more to original songs.

  • 3G operator in UK to launch mobile World Cup TV show

    3G operator in UK to launch mobile World Cup TV show

    MUMBAI: 3G, the UK-based mobile media company, is set to launch the first commissioned sports programming for Mobile TV. Berlin or Bust, which airs on 5 June, will be an irreverent and entertaining look at the tournament, providing fans with previews and reviews of every day’s action throughout the year’s most important event.

    Fronted by presenter Sam Delaney and with a host of footy-loving celebrities on the guest list, from the Kaiser Chiefs to Ray Winstone, Berlin or Bust will be a riotous magazine show, in contrast to the BBC and ITV suited and booted studio commentary teams. Football legend Ray Wilkins will join Sam to analyse the day’s play and news from the tournament, states an official release.

    3 customers will be able to tune in to two daily editions of Berlin or Bust’s flagship show, timed to ensure fans are kept entertained while on their way to watch games or on their way back from the pub.

    The show will be available free to all 3 customers throughout the tournament. 3’s World Cup related mobile TV programming also includes free 4-minute highlight packages of all 64 matches just five minutes after each match ends, adds the release.

    The preview show does what it says on the tin – previewing what could happen during the day’s matches, players to watch out for and refs that could prove tricky. The show will also include special reports from Ally McCoist “Man in Germany”, reporting on the latest gossip from the England camp and updates on what is happening on the ground in Germany. Preview Show special features include:

    * The Jock Report – 3’s embittered Scottish correspondent gives his unashamedly biased and abusive assessment of the day’s England news.
    * Ref Watch – A potted biog of the referees of the day’s key matches as the presenters pick holes in their performance so far.
    * Face-Off – The worst pre-match painted faces and comedy hats.
    * Journo-balls- Sam’s pick of the strange stuff, outrageous predictions and general news from the morning’s papers.
    * Flashpoint – The two players in the game most likely to clash.
    * Fan Updates – Video rants, messages, crazy celebrations; a round-up of the best amusing World Cup related content sent in by 3 customers.

    Fans will be able to access further updates throughout the day until the Review Show airs after the final match with more features and frank opinions on the day’s action. Features include:

    * Seven Faces of Sven – A gallery of the seven separate facial expressions of the England manager as he manages the team in his last major tournament.
    * The Furniture Store – A quick look at the World Cup tables to see who’s on the up, who’s struggling and who’s already heading home.
    * Ref Rant – The fans get their say about the refs of the day, with prizes for the best.
    * Table top analysis – pub-style tactical analysis featuring pint pots and ashtrays as the key players.
    * The Sub Plot – The hidden theme of the match, noticed by “the 3 sofa” whilst everyone else was focusing on the main action.

    3G UK marketing director Graeme Oxby says, “This is the first World Cup since the launch of 3G and we expect to see a massive difference in the way fans keep up with the action when compared to 2002. 3 has been keeping football fans up-to-date for the last three seasons with Premiership highlights, match updates and news and now its time to take this expertise into the World’s biggest sporting tournament. The launch of Berlin or Bust means that fans can now enjoy their best ever World Cup by making sure they are never out of touch with the action.”

    3’s free World Cup content will also include match highlights made available following every game, five minutes after the final whistle. A new match centre application for the 2006 Fifa World Cup will also offer minute-by-minute text commentary and in-match statistics from every game.

  • DD Sahyadri announces Navratna Awards

    DD Sahyadri announces Navratna Awards

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan’s Marathi channel Sahyadri has announced the winners of the Navratna Awards. The awards honour Maharashtrians, who have excelled in a particular field of interest.

    This year the awards will be presented to eleven prominent personalities in their field of interest namely music, films, drama, sports, social work, journalism, women, industrialist and literature.

    This year the Godrej No.1 Sahyadri Awards would be presented to Ulhas Kashalkar for music, Amol Palekar for films, Mohan Wagh for drama, Sachin Tendulkar for sports, Ms Madakini and Prakash Amte for social work, Pratapsingh Jadhav for journalism. Ms Nasima Hurzul in the woman’s category. Ajit Gulabchand for industrialist and Mangesh Padgaonkar for literature.

    The jury members included Chandrashekhar Dharmadhikari, Kiran Shantaram, Prabhakar Panshikar, Dr Prabha Atre, Madhukar Bhave, Ms Rupa Shah, V.V. Karmarkar, Vijaya Rajadhyaksha and Chandrakant Salunkhe.

  • Imaginasian TV acquires anime series ‘Hikarun No Go’ from Viz Media

    Imaginasian TV acquires anime series ‘Hikarun No Go’ from Viz Media

    MUMBAI: ImaginAsian TV, America’s 24-hour Asian American network, has acquired the hit anime series Shonen Jump’s Hikarun No Go from animation, publishing and licensing, company Viz Media, LLC.

    Based on the best-selling manga written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Hikarun No Go is scheduled to premiere on iaTV on 2 May, 2006 at 8 pm.

    “With its unique storyline and fantastic animation, Hikarun No Go is possibly one of the most compelling anime ever produced,” said ImaginAsian TV SVP of production and programming David Chu . “We couldn’t be more excited about adding this series to our line-up.”

    In Japan, Hikarun No Go has enjoyed tremendous success as a manga and anime series since its debut in 1998 in the weekly Shonen Jump comic anthology magazine. Twenty-three volumes of the manga were published, and the creation of the 75-episode animated series later followed.

    The popularity of Hikarun No Go spurred a massive interest in the ancient strategy Go game among the youth in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. North America has also seen a similar resurgence in the game’s popularity since Viz Media began publishing the manga series in its monthly Shonen Jump magazine in 2004, states an official release.

    Hikarun No Go tells the story of Hikaru Shindo, a young student who stumbles across a dusty old Go board while exploring his grandfather’s attic. Trapped inside is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master that enters Hikaru’s consciousness, allowing him to communicate with the spirit. Sai, newly awakened, wishes for nothing more than to play Go again. Urged on by Sai, Hikaru reluctantly begins playing Go. As he begins to appreciate the complexities of the game, Hikaru makes it his quest to become the ultimate Go champion, the release adds.

    Both subtitled and dubbed airings of Hikarun No Go on ImaginAsian TV will also feature a live-action “How to Play Go” segment, originally aired on Japanese television.