ITV

Category: News Broadcasting

  • FremantleMedia’s Carter to give keynote at MipTV

    FremantleMedia’s Carter to give keynote at MipTV

    MUMBAI: MipTV will kick off in Cannes on 3 April. Day one will see sessions on interactive TV, the future of branding and product integration in a changing world, strategies for digital media in the world of television. The keynote speech will be delivered by FremantleMedia chief creative officer new platforms Gary Carter.

    In this age of increased democratisation of media, where consumers are getting their hands on both the tools of production and distribution, what does the “digital future” actually mean for content creators and active audiences? Carter, in his keynote address titled ‘Whose TV is it anyway?’ will provide a vision about creating collaborative creative relationships between the consumers and professional producers around content.

    The Digital Media Strategies Workshop, organised with Interactive Rights Management will be held on 3 April and will highlight strategies for digital media in the television arena. The workshop will aim to demonstrate to broadcasters and producers how to embrace digital platforms and interactivity. It will also delve on areas such as the role interactivity and new digital platforms play in programme development, the kind programmes that lend themselves to interactivity and how can one take advantage of them for generating new revenue streams?

    This will be followed by the Digital Distribution Showcase keynote by Microsoft senior director Erik Huggers, who will throw light on how digital media technologies can create new business opportunities for the media industry.

    Post this, World Screen editor Anna Carugati is slated to moderate The Future of Branding and Product Integration in a Changing World. This has been organised with Reveille and the Branded Content Marketing Association. The speakers include ProSiebenSat 1 Media – Germany director corporate development Jan David Frouman, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas – USA executive vice president Olivier Gers, Cisco Systems – UK head of media partnerships Simon Jacobson, Two Degrees Ventures LLC. – USA principal Mitch Kanner, Freud Communications – UK vice chairman Kris Thykier and Ford Motor Company – USA senior advisor – global brand entertainment – Al Uzielli.

    The panel will look at how advertising, product placement and branding must adapt to the world of DVRs.

    Another session titled strategies for digital media in the world of television… or is it the other way around?, will have case studies and audience participation. The speakers include Interactive Rights Management Limited – UK creative and commercial director Valérie Bozzetto, Interactive Rights Management Limited – UK business development director Megan Goodwin-Patel and Interactive Rights Management Limited – UK managing director Bruce Vandenberg.

  • Galaxy Multimedia to tap capital market

    Galaxy Multimedia to tap capital market

    Here’s another player leaping into the television universe. Galaxy Multimedia Ltd, a multimedia and entertainment company, is coming out with an initial public offering (IPO) of Rs 25 million at par to part finance its 5,000 square feet high-tech studio that is currently being set up at Andheri in Mumbai. The studio, offering high-end fully digital post production facilities, is scheduled to commence operations from April. The total project cost to set up the studio is estimated at Rs 120.5 million.

    The company, promoted by Vipin Rai Bhayana, has its main focus on multimedia which includes computer based tutorials (CBTs) for schools and colleges, production of TV software.

    “We intend to provide a one-stop shop for all production, post-production and multimedia requirements ensuring convenience and constant value-addition to customers. The studio we are setting up is totally integrated – both video and audio,” said Galaxy chairman and managing director Vipin Bhayana.

    The company will finance the studio project through an initial equity infusion of Rs 100 million and Rs 25 million through rupee term loans. Out of the Rs 100 million equity, the promoters have already invested Rs 51 million and Rs 24 million has been raised from FIIs (DSP Merill Lynch and Alliance Capital) and associates. The company will raise the further Rs 25 million from the public. The five-year rupee term loan of Rs 25 million has been raised from Bank of India (BoI). The lead manager to the issue is UTI Securities.

    Describing the share holding pattern of the company, Mr Bhayana said that the management (including promoter and board of directors) holds 51 per cent, associates hold 14 per cent, NRIs and OCBs hold six per cent, FIIs hold four per cent and the public will hold 25 per cent.

    The company has pre-empted its present multimedia installed capacity for 18 months. It has entered into a tie-up with Schoolnet India, a company formed by IL&FS, for 18 months and will be providing it with 10 CBT titles for K-10 programmes.

    Galaxy Multimedia is currently working on the development of education aids. The MoU with Schoolnet India was signed in October 1999.

    Galaxy has also entered into a joint venture with another media company for producing the television serial Hotel Hindustani for Zee TV that has been sold to Zee TV through an associate company Buddha Films. The serial is scheduled to be on air from February-end. The company is currently working on four more teleserials slated to be shown on ther channels.

  • Verizon, CBS reach programming deal on FiOS TV

    Verizon, CBS reach programming deal on FiOS TV

    MUMBAI: Verizon and CBS have reached a deal in which Verizon will carry CBS programming on its new television service.

    The companies announced a comprehensive retransmission consent and video-on-demand (VOD) agreement, which includes analog, digital, multicast and HD rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated television stations; local VOD content from those stations; and CBS Television Network VOD content, including such current popular network series as CSI,NCIS and Survivor.

    Verizon will offer the programming on its new fiber-optic TV service FiOS TV, which is now available in parts of seven states of the U.S. All FiOS TV subscribers with a set-top box will receive the CBS Television Network VOD content at no incremental cost, which will also be true for FiOS TV subscribers in CBS owned-and-operated markets with regard to the local VOD content.

    “With each subscriber that Verizon’s FiOS TV adds, CBS will directly benefit, and therefore, we look forward to our partnership as Verizon showcases our programming both in our (owned-and-operated) markets and across the country,” CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves said in a statement.

    Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg said the deal expands the market for both companies.”For us, it means we can offer our customers the tremendously valuable content provided by the CBS Television Network and local broadcast stations,” Seidenberg said.

    CBS locally owned-and-operated stations are in all Verizon TV markets except Washington, D.C.Verizon said its retransmission consent agreement with CBS is its largest such deal. Prior to the deal, Verizon provided programming from the CBS owned-and-operated stations under a special agreement with CBS.

  • CNN once again has its ‘Eye on China’

    CNN once again has its ‘Eye on China’

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN will once again dedicate its global resources to China for incisive debate, programming and insights next month. The network will have its second week-long Eye On China. A 20 member newsgathering team offers analysis, documenting the latest cultural, economic, and social developments in a country rapidly emerging as a pre-eminent global force.

    The week begins with CNN Connects – an hour long debate on The Price of Progress and continues with a blend of live reporting and features from Shanghai in the show CNN Today. Two editions of the talk show Talk Asia also go behind the headlines with China ‘s leading newsmakers.

    Following on from debates in Davos, Beirut , Mumbai, Beijing and New York CNN Connects visits Shanghai for an hour-long round table debate evaluating the issues in balancing double-digit economic growth and the environmental challenges this presents.

    Jim Clancy anchors The Price of Progress with a panel of environmental experts including Jim Harkness of the World Wide Fund for Nature, academics and specialists debating in front of a live audience including students from China’s prestigious and internationally respected Fudan University.

    Throughout the week, Kristie Lu Stout reports live from locations around Shanghai for CNN Today. In addition, Kristie and correspondents Stan Grant, Mike Chinoy and Tara Duffy bring a number of reports charting contemporary China in all its fascinating complexity. Topics cover a wide range of issues including Shanghai ‘s rise as a new business Mecca , preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the nation’s growing environmental challenges, the rise of the blogger and a look at China ‘s new sexual revolution. And, of course, Shanghainese food.

    With the Olympics just two years away, China ‘s political, environmental, and economic outlook is being scrutinised as never before. Eye On China reveals the drive behind modern China, assessing how its inhabitants are adapting to a more affluent economy while also examining efforts to balance modernisation with traditional values.

  • Intelsat appoints Jeffrey P Freimark as CFO

    Intelsat appoints Jeffrey P Freimark as CFO

    MUMBAI: Intelsat, Ltd. has announced the appointment of Jeffrey P Freimark as its executive VP and chief financial officer, effective on the resignation of Robert Medlin.

    Medlin has been serving as acting chief financial officer of Intelsat since June 2005, and is expected to resign from his post in April 2006.

    Jeffrey P Freimark resigned on 15 March as executive vice president, chief financial and information officer of Beverly Enterprises Inc., a provider of healthcare services to the elderly.

    Beverly Enterprises was sold to Pearl Senior Care, Inc. in a transaction that closed on 14 March, 2006. Prior to his role at Beverly, Freimark held senior-level positions at a number of public companies, including serving as chief financial officer of OfficeMax Inc., CEO, president and CFO for Grand Union Company, and chief financial officer of Pueblo International, Inc.

    Freimark, who holds an MBA in accounting and taxation from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a JD degree from New York Law School, is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the New Jersey Bar.

    Intelsat chief executive officer Dave McGlade says, “Jeff’s experience in working with the capital markets and building strong finance and accounting teams will be very valuable as Intelsat completes the PanAmSat merger. Including his work on integrations, Jeff has successfully implemented significant cost reduction and process improvement programs, demonstrating his strong abilities and effectiveness in driving company value. We know that he will be a major contributor at Intelsat.”

    McGlade also noted the role played by Robert Medlin for Intelsat: “Bob Medlin has been very important to Intelsat over the past several months, and he has assisted in maintaining solid financial controls and processes during this period. All of us at Intelsat are appreciative of the efforts of Bob and his team.”

    Medlin, a senior managing director of FTI Consulting, Inc., will continue to support Intelsat’s financial operations for an interim period on a consulting basis.

  • NBC to make webisodes for sitcom ‘The Office’

    NBC to make webisodes for sitcom ‘The Office’

    MUMBAI: In a move to further leverage the internet US broadcaster NBC has announced that its sitcom The Office goes digital with 10 stand-alone webisodes premiering on NBC.com this summer.

    The serialised arc will star the accounting staff of the Dunder Mifflin paper company in a whodunit.

    When the Dunder Mifflin accountants — Angela (Angela Kinsey), Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and Oscar (Oscar Nunez) — discover that $3000 is missing from the Scranton office, no one is above suspicion, as the crack team of numbers crunchers tries to solve the mystery before turning on each other. Rainn Wilson, Melora Hardin, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannigan, Leslie David Baker and David Denman also star.

    Earlier NBC had announced a deal with MSN to stream to stream the entire first two episodes of the upcoming drama series Heist on the Internet. NBC will also provide MSN Video with a 16-minute special sneak-peek presentation of the debut episode from 14 March until the 22 March broadcast premiere

    NBC says that since moving to Thursday nights in January The Office has averaged a 4.5 rating, 11 per cent share in adults 18-49 and 8.7 million viewers overall. That represents a 22 per cent increase over the show’s 18-49 average for Tuesday telecasts earlier this season (3.7/9 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall) and an 80 percent increase over The Office’s average for the 2004-05 season (2.5/6 in 18-49, 5.4 million viewers overall), when it also aired on Tuesday nights.

    The Office takes a funny look at the interactions of the desk jockeys at Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Golden Globe winner Steve Carell The 40-Year-Old Virgin, whom E! Online said, “might be the funniest man alive” stars as unctuous regional manager Michael Scott who hosts the documentary crew on a tour of the workplace. Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson and B.J. Novak star as the employees who tolerate Michael’s inappropriate behaviour only because he signs their pay checks.

  • News channels gear up for Clinton

    News channels gear up for Clinton

    It is that time when cameramen will jostle to get a good angle and TV journalists will hanker for a sound byte from the US President, Bill Clinton, and Indian President and Prime Minister. After all, Clinton’s visit to India is big media event.

    And almost all the satellite channels and Doordarshan are trying to find how they can be different from the others. As managing director of TV Eighteen India Ltd, Raghav Bahl, said about the coverage on CNBC India, “It will be hectic time, but we will be focussing more on the business aspect of Clinton;s visit and what it means for the two countries.”

    What’s more, with the Indian government giving permission to almost all the channels to go live, the channel managements are leaving no cameras unturned to bring to their audience round the world the event which is being billed as one of the the biggest media events of 2000.

    CNN which is not only flying down celebrity anchor Riz Khan to do special interviews with the likes of Yashwant Sinha relating to Clinton’s visit, but the channel’s special event team too is coming (with the US president) to see there are no last minute glitches.

    “CNN has planned a special series of stories on the US President’s visit and the countdown has already begun with some stories already on air,” a senior executive Turner International India, the parent company of CNN, said, adding, most of the programmes will be live.

    Zee News, like Star News, will attempt to be different from the likes of CNNs and BBCs. Beginning with a story on presidential aircraft, put out yesterday, Zee News, as a senior executive of Zee pointed out, “will be hoping to do some value additions on the other aspects of Clinton’s visit too, apart from the political and business angles.”

    Since a major portion of Zee News’ audience are Hindi-speaking, the channel is trying to do a voice over in Hindi for important speeches, etc made by the US president.

    There’ll be every day, beginning Monday, a 30-minute programme on Clinton’s visit from 8.30-9 p.m. till Saturday.

    “This apart, we will be following the Clinton family and the President in Hyderabad, Agra, Rajasthan, Mumbai, etc,” a senior executive of Star News said.

    British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is planning one of its biggest ever series of live broadcasts from South Asia during the Clinton visit to the region.

    Special television and radio programmes will be aired from Delhi and Islamabad anchored by the BBC’s South Asia correspondent and regional bureau chief Mike Wooldridge.

    “This is a historic visit for the region and a crucial news story for BBC. South Asia is and always has been one of the cornerstones of BBC’s international broadcasting and this tour will showcase our unrivaled expertise and resources in broadcast news,” Wooldridge said.

    BBC had covered the last presidential visit to the region by Jimmy Carter when many of the news organisations around today did not even exist, according to Wooldridge.

    The BBC’s deputy bureau chief Satish Jacob, who covered the Carter visit to India for the BBC in 1978, will also be part of the commentary team. India correspondent Daniel Lak who is traveling the country with the Clinton entourage and BBC’s Washington correspondent Richard Lister as part of the White House Press Corp to give the inside information from the Clinton camp.

    The live coverage on BBC World television and BBC World Service radio will start from March 20 evening.

  • CBS’ reality show ‘Rock Star’ returns by looking for a singer for Supernova

    CBS’ reality show ‘Rock Star’ returns by looking for a singer for Supernova

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS and reality TV guru Mark Burnett have announced that musicians from some of the biggest American rock bands have joined forces to form a new band, Supernova.

    They will use CBS’ reality show Rock Star as the competition to determine the new lead singer.

    Supernova will feature drummer Tommy Lee (Motley Crüe), Jason Newsted (Metallica) and Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses). The second edition of Rock Star kicks off later this year. Rock group INXS found their new lead singer in Canadian heartthrob J.D. Fortune.

    Since the show, INXS has taken to the studio and the road, releasing their hit single Pretty Vegas and selling out every concert in their North American tour. Their new CD Switch debuted in the Billboard Top 20, and is currently going gold and platinum in countries around the world.

    Burnett says, “Millions dream of becoming a rock star…our show actually makes that happen. The winner of CBS’ Rock Star will not only play in huge stadiums before sold out crowds, they will do it alongside legendary musicians from three of America’s biggest, all-time rock bands who have sold a combined total of a quarter of a billion albums: Motley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. Fronting Supernova is the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll dream and it’s about to come true.”

    After the winning singer is selected Supernova will record an original album that will be released in the fall before the band embarks on a world tour starting in early 2007. Lee says, “I have toured with both

    Gilby and Jason. They’re incredible musicians and I’ve always wanted to play with them. Starting a new band with old friends on worldwide television is going to be a blast, and we’re going to pull out all the stops to find the most charismatic and musically talented lead singer to front Supernova. I love breaking the rules.”

    Bassist Jason Newsted said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to play with guys I’ve respected for a long time. It gives us a chance to be innovators. This is a new thing. It’s never been done before. We’re going to break new ground musically and on television. The anticipation is building in me every day. This is a supergroup in the truest sense.”

    Lead guitarist and co-writer Gilby Clarke proclaimed, “Rock n’ Roll is so alive and I’m so excited to be a part of CBS’ Rock Star. This is television history. Where else can you raid three historic bands to form
    one great band? I can’t wait for the summer to begin.”

    Butch Walker will join the project as co-writer and producer of the new album. Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke will return as hosts, with Burke returning to the stage for introductions and Navarro returning to the judges’ couch for input and evaluations. He says, “Last year, doing Rock Star: INXS was the greatest summer job of my life. This year, I’m on the couch with my friends Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke and Jason Newstead as they choose Supernova’s lead singer.”

    The second edition of the show will also feature some format twists with a different music celebrity or rock legend each week. Navarro adds, “Friends of mine, like Slash, Macy Gray, Moby and Rob Zombie, will join us and throw in their two cents about who should stay and who should go.”

    In India the first season of Rock Star had aired on Star World.

  • NBC Universal signs deal with UK video on demand firm FilmFlex

    NBC Universal signs deal with UK video on demand firm FilmFlex

    MUMBAI: UK video-on-demand (VOD) service provider FilmFlex has signed a multi-year licensing deal with US media conglomerate NBC Universal to offer the studio’s current and library feature films.

    FilmFlex is a joint venture between Sony, Disney and the pay-TV specialist ON Demand Group.

    The deal covers films like King Kong, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Jarhead, Nanny McPhee and Pride & Prejudice. FilmFlex MD Andrew Keyte says, “The depth and breadth of films on offer is one of the key features that attract users to VOD. We are delighted that NBC Universal is providing some of its great movie classics and new releases for the FilmFlex service which further underpins our objective in creating the pre-eminent movie experience for cable customers in the UK.”

    FilmFlex says the deal makes it the largest movie Vod service provider in Europe, with some 500 films available at any one time.

  • Zee Studio to showcase ‘The Celestial Shaolin Nites’

    Zee Studio to showcase ‘The Celestial Shaolin Nites’

    MUMBAI: Zee Studio is all set to feature all-time favourite films with the The Celestial Shaolin Nites beginning 24 March.

    The festival kicks off with the classic trilogy The 36th Chamber of Shaolin on 24 March, Return to the 36th Chamber of Shaolin on 31 March and Disciples of the 36th Chamber on 7 April. The movies will air at 9 pm onwards every Friday.

    Speaking on this initiative Zee Studio business head Neil Chakravarti says, “We are quite excited to bring these all time favourites to the Indian audience. Kung fu is a highly popular genre and we are certain these films will prove to be quite entertaining for Zee Studio viewers across the country.”

    The trilogy is based on the true history of the origin, the basic learnings and the code of ethics that has permeated Shaolin for hundreds of years. Lau Kar-Leung , a ‘real master’ of kung fu film-making not only explores the depth and meaning of kung fu, but presents it on screen in a clear and entertaining way that any viewer can appreciate.

    The essence of the films however is not complete without mention of Gordon Liu who has the distinction of being one of the most popular martial arts stars.