ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • BCCI, Nimbus look to give domestic cricket a facelift

    BCCI, Nimbus look to give domestic cricket a facelift

    MUMBAI: For many years domestic cricket in India suffered from neglect by the administration (read Board of Control for Cricket in India – BCCI). However, the Indian cricket board, along with its television partner Nimbus, are looking to turn things around. The plan calls for rebranding of domestic cricket events as well as telecast of domestic cricket not just in India, but also abroad.

    The season kicks off from 1 October and runs till April 2007. The matches will air on Neo Sports, which is being positioned as the Home of Indian Cricket on TV. Neo Sports launches on 1 October 2006.

    BCCI VP and marketing subcommittee chairman Lalit Nodi says, “It has been a dream for us to make sure that domestic cricket is given as much importance as international cricket. We have given brand names to domestic events.

    “So the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy will now be known as Challenger Series for the NKP Salve Trophy, the Ranji Trophy – Elite Division is now titled the Super League for the Ranji Trophy, The Ranji Trophy Plate Division is now known as the Plate League, and the Deodhar Trophy is now known as the All Star Series for the Deodhar Trophy.

    “The Inter State One Day Knockout is now known as the Premier Cup. This initiative is the first of a series of exciting plans that we have in store. While we are looking to get players of the Indian national side to play, the aim is to have many stars emerge from domestic cricket. Why should there be only 11 cricket stars? We can easily have 300. We will monitor innovations as we go along. We are also looking at the mobile to promote domestic cricket. Mobile is a viral medium courtesy features like SMS and this is an area that we are looking to tap into. This will provide a value add for fans who want to follow their team.”

    Nimbus Chairman Harish Thawani says, “This has been a three month process of us working with the BCCI so that our goals were aligned. When we telecast the Challenger Trophy last year on a recently launched network (Zee Sports) it managed TRPs of 1.93. This shows that television does bring in an audience for domestic cricket.

    “What we are doing though is not just a branding exercise. We worked with the BCCI on the scheduling. A lot of time went into working on the logistics. The aim is that domestic cricket should not overlap with the days on which the Indian national side is playing. The one day matches will be day/night fixtures. Over 80 per cent of ODI matches will be day/night encounters.

    “We have also managed to persuade licensees globally to air domestic cricket. So domestic cricket will be seen in the UK on Sky Sports, in Australia on Fox Sports, in Malaysia on Astro and in Africa on Super Sport. On the net it will be webcast on www.willow.tv. We are also expecting to announce a deal in the US.”

    Thawani, however, adds that it will take one season to see what impact the push being given to domestic cricket has had.

    BCCI member IS Bindra was frank enough to admit that it was the BCCI’s fault that domestic cricket has languished to the extent that hardly any people come out to watch matches. “There was a time when a Deodhar Trophy match would have 70,000 people in attendance. One of the failings of the BCCI in the past has been the lack of attention given to domestic cricket. We are looking to correct this. Television coverage by Nimbus will attract people to the arena. It will give viewers the feeling that something of importance is happening. Last year when the Challenger Trophy was telecast we had a 70 per cent attendance on the ground. For the final it was 100 per cent full. In Australia often the finals of the domestic season have a better attendance than some international one day matches.

    “In England the tickets for the final matches of the domestic season are booked a year in advance. I don’t see why we cannot approach that level with proper marketing of our product. Aggressive marketing helps and a good example is the BCCI rankings for domestic cricket which will be launched next month. We have managed to raise 10-15 times more than what the ICC has managed for their rankings. We are on the brink of a revolution as far as domestic cricket is concerned.”

    Thawani adds that Nimbus is looking to sell daily news packages of domestic cricket to news channels.

    One important issue is that of advertising. It is no secret that viewers are unhappy about the sheer volume of ads in a match. Often one sees five balls in an over instead of six as the channel has gone for an ad break at the fall of a wicket. Thawani says that an automated playout system is being put in place so that not a ball is lost. There will be no manual override.

    Modi says that this issue is being taken seriously by the BCCI. It has in fact mandated that it cannot happen. “If ads are put in when a wicket falls instead of a channel showing replays of the wicket taken and a ball is lost then it is a breach of contract,” Modi asserted.

  • Sissy Spacek lights up the screen with ‘Inside the Actors Studio’ only on Pix!!

    As a kid, Sissy Spacek climbed trees, rode horses, swam and played in the woods and gave no indication of one day growing up to be an Oscar-winning actress. Catch this tomboy turned Hollywood star this Sunday on Inside the Actors Studio on 10 September on Pix.

     

    Sissy decided on an acting career, having gotten interested in the profession through her cousin, Rip Torn. She relocated to New York, and through him, enrolled in the New York branch of the Actors Studio.

     

    She also tried modeling and singing. The petite Sissy finally broke into films, one of her first being Badlands. Her breakout role was in another film, Carrie, in which she played the humiliated Prom Queen who goes postal with her telekinesis.

     

    Read more to get a quick peek into another exciting episode of Inside the Actors Studio …

    – “Sissy” was a nickname that her brothers used to call her, short for “sister” and it stayed with her ever since

    – During her audition for Carrie (1976), she wore a dress that her mother forced her to wear to a party when she was in the seventh grade

     

    – She released a country LP titled Hangin’ Up My Heart on Atlantic Records in 1983

     

    – Decided to skip college after her older brother, Robbie, died at 18 years of age in 1967 from leukemia during her senior year in high school. She decided life was way too short to waste it in four years of college

    – Lives on 300 acre farmland named “Beau Val” near Charlottesville, Virginia

     

    Watch out for Sissy Spacek and her Tap dance demonstration only for James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio this Sunday 10 September at 7 pm on Pix!!!

  • BBC World again voted the leading TV Channel for travellers

    BBC World again voted the leading TV Channel for travellers

    MUMBAI: BBC World has been named as the Leading TV Channel for Travellers at the 13th Annual World Travel Awards for the second year in a row.

    A total of 110,000 travel agents around the world were invited to nominate their favourite TV channel, as part of an awards ceremony that was established “to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the enormous achievements to be found in all sectors of the global travel industry.”

    BBC World, the BBC’s international news and information channel, received the most votes and was presented the award at a gala ceremony in Turks and Caicos on Wednesday night. The channel also won the same award last year at the Annual World Travel Awards 2005 in London.

    BBC World’s Director of Airtime Sales, Jonathan Howlett said: “This award acknowledges BBC World’s unique appeal to the international traveller and it is a great honour to have received it two years in a row. Through our comprehensive news and business bulletins, and our weekly, award-winning travel news programme, Fasttrack, we keep global travellers fully briefed on the issues that affect them. Travel and tourism is such an integral part of the global economy and this award reinforces BBC World’s commitment to the industry.”

    BBC World’s commitment to travel and tourism has also been recognised in other awards and surveys.

    Fasttrack was voted best television feature of the year in 2005 by the British Guild of Travel Writers. In May 2005, an International Air Travellers Survey [IATS] found that BBC World was the favourite news channel and most trusted international news channel among travellers, who considered it to have greater in-depth analysis than its competitors.

    BBC World reaches nearly half a million frequent flyers per day around the world and has more than 30 tourism board clients across the globe from the Pacific to the Middle East. The channel is also seen in 1.3 million hotel rooms, 36 airlines and 46 cruise liners around the world.

  • Anaida ON Zee Muzic’s ‘Hafta Bandh’

    Anaida ON ZEE MUZIC’S HAFTA BANDH from September 11 – 17

     

    Hold your breath, as Anaida will be the next blast on Zee Muzic’s Hafta Bandh. She will steal your hearts this week on Zee Muzic. The leading Indian pop singer of today made a blazing debut in 1995 with her hit single Hotline. Anaida’s naturally mild looks and vibrant energies made her an icon for the peppy, curious and yet essentially innocent Indian teenager of the day against the more voluptuous variations available all over the music channels. She made a heyday with ‘Oova Oova,’ which has come to symbolize the spirit of a generation.

    Since then, Anaida has moved on experimenting with Indian folk, Arabic pop and more recently, the international progressive forms, most truly represented in her forthcoming album Quest.

    You can catch her all this week on Zee Muzic on:

    Bollywood Tonight on 11 Sept at 8p.m.
    Bollywood This Week on 17 September at 8.30
    Chat with Roshni on Cinemascope on 16 Sept at 8.30 p.m.
    Weekend Countdown with Nina Manuel on 16 Sept at 7.30 p.m.

  • MotoGP live on Ten Sports

    MotoGP live on Ten Sports

    MUMBAI: Ten Sports continues its comprehensive coverage of the 2006 MotoGP series when it brings live coverage of round 15 in Japan this weekend.

    The Championship is hotting up as it heads to the land of the rising sun with five times World Champion, Valentino Rossi just 21 points behind Nicky Hayden who leads this year’s championship race.

    Hayden looked to have an unassailable lead just a few races ago but the reigning champion has been gradually narrowing the gap and has now moved into second place in the standings on 204 points with Hayden on 225 points.

    Both Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa are a further 11 points back and still have an outside chance of claiming the title with three races to go.

    The 4.8KM Motegi circuit in Japan is one of the most modern track in the championship and also one of the most challenging as Rossi found out last year when he crashed out of the race. A repeat of that and he can write off his hopes of claiming a sixth straight World Title.

    The action gets underway at 7:15 am live on Ten Sports.

  • Airtel offers roaming on 3G handsets in Japan, Korea

    Airtel offers roaming on 3G handsets in Japan, Korea

    MUMBAI: Mobile service provider Airtel today announced ‘seamless roaming services’ on 3G networks across the world, including Japan and Korea. This latest initiative is set to benefit more than 25.65 million Airtel mobile customers while roaming to any of the 3G networks worldwide.

    This is particularly a boon for customers visiting Japan and Korea who so far had to change their handsets upon landing in these two countries in order to stay connected. Now with a 3G handset they can use International GSM roaming services.

    Korea and Japan have 3G networks based on WCDMA technology which allows GSM subscribers to connect to their networks on roaming.

    Airtel has been the first to seize this opportunity and has carried out extensive network testing in Korea and Japan to ensure seamless connectivity. As a result, Airtel customers traveling to these countries will be the first to benefit from this initiative. Any Airtel customer on 3G compatible handset will be able to experience seamless connectivity whether on voice or data, while on roaming on WCDMA network and this includes Korea and Japan. Presently Airtel offers roaming facilities on more than 365 mobile networks across 154 countries.

    Announcing the availability of international roaming services also on WCDMA networks, Sanjay Kapoor, joint president – Bharti Airtel Limited, said, “An increasing number of our customers travel overseas and our roaming facility on international networks therefore becomes very important. This latest initiative will undoubtedly add a lot of convenience especially to those Airtel customers who travel to Korea and Japan. We are happy that our innovative services & products provide our customers with supreme convenience and ease wherever in the world they travel.”

  • TV’s popularity continues growing in the US despite new media threat

    TV’s popularity continues growing in the US despite new media threat

    MUMBAI: In its latest analysis Nielsen Media Research reports that average American television viewing continues to increase in spite of growing competition from new media platforms and devices, such as video iPods, cell phones and streaming video.

    During the 2005- 2006 television year, which ended on 17 September, 2006, traditional in-home television viewing continued to hold its own with audiences, and even gained among technology-savvy teenagers.
    These results come at a time when Nielsen is able to provide more granular information on diverse television viewing through its larger national television sample and other investments in research and technology.

    The total average time a household watched television during the 2005-2006 television year was 8 hours and 14 minutes per day, a three minute increase from the 2004-2005 season and a record high. The average amount of television watched by an individual viewer increased 3 minutes per day to 4 hours and 35 minutes, also a record.

    Meanwhile, during primetime, households tuned to an average of 1 hour and 54 minutes of primetime television per night, up 1 minute, and the average viewer watched 1 hour and 11 minutes, which was the same as last year.

    Although teenagers typically drive the consumption and development of new media platforms, teens aged 12-17 viewed three per cent more traditional television during the full day than in the 2004-2005 television year. This increase was driven primarily by teenage girls, who increased their total day viewing by six per cent. Increases among teenage girls were particularly high during early morning (6 am to 9 am) and late night (11:30 pm to 2 am) viewing, which were up 12 per cent and six per cent, respectively.

    Younger children age 2-11 also watched more television during 2005-2006, increasing their total day viewing levels by four per cent. Viewing by children increased three per cent during primetime, five per cent during early morning and six per cent during late night.

    Nielsen Media Research senior VP planning policy and analysis Patricia McDonough says, “These results demonstrate that television still holds its position as the most popular entertainment platform. At this point, consumption of emerging forms of entertainment, including internet television and video on personal devices seem not to be making an impact on traditional television viewing. This is especially true among teenage girls, who have shown significant increases in viewing during the past year.”

    During the 2005-2006 television year, which ended on September 17, 2006, Nielsen Media Research says that it achieved a number of milestones that enabled it to provide even more precise information about television viewing. These milestones, which reflect Nielsen’s commitment to continuous improvement in television measurement, include:

    The 2005-2006 television year was the first one in which Nielsen was able to provide ratings based on a 10,000 household sample. During the season, Nielsen completed the expansion of its National People Meter sample from 5,000 to 10,000 households. As a result, Nielsen’s sample now includes approximately 25,000 people.

    This was the first season in which measurement of digital video recording was included in Nielsen’s estimates. As of September 17, 2006, 8.7% of Nielsen’s sample homes had digital video recorders.

    Nielsen completed the roll-out of Local People Meters (LPMs) in the top ten local markets during the 2005-2006 television season. Nielsen also began to provide ratings based on its National People Meter sample for four Spanish-language national broadcast networks: Azteca America, TeleFutura, Telemundo, and Univision. Prior to this agreement, these networks had been reported solely within the Nielsen Hispanic Television Index (NHTI) service. Now they are being reported in the national ratings along with national general market broadcast networks.
    Based on agreements concluded during the year, Nielsen will now provide ratings for 80 national cable networks, up from 78 a year ago.

    During the 2005-2006 television year, Nielsen released a vastly improved version of NPOWER, Nielsen’s custom research service. It allows clients to analyze ratings on a minute-by-minute level; to determine the reach and frequency of all broadcast network, cable network and syndicated television programs; and to identify the ratings of all commercial minutes. With this new version of NPOWER, the average processing speed on most customized reports is now under a minute, and more complex reports take no longer than 10 minutes.

    Also during the 2005-2006 television season, Nielsen launched its Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative, which will provide integrated, all-electronic ratings for television regardless of the platform on which it is viewed. Through this initiative, Nielsen will provide electronic measurement for video viewed on the Internet and personal media devices, as well as television viewed outside the home.

    Nielsen will also begin reporting the ratings for the average of all commercial minutes in each nationally televised program rated by Nielsen. This step was requested by clients who want more detail on viewing levels of television commercials.

  • Star News launches ‘Benaqab’

    MUMBAI: Star News and Aniruddha Bahal have joined hands to present Benaqab. The investigative bulletin will seek to unmask the ugly face of corruption, whatever the stakes. Launched on September 16, at 9.00 pm and to be aired every Saturday and Sunday at 9.30 pm from September 17 onwards, the investigative bulletin will be anchored by Aniruddha Bahal. Benaqab aims towards a better tomorrow for the people of India by leaving a strong message to the corrupt in our land – you can run, but you can’t hide! Benaqab will be watching…

    World over, investigative journalism has helped imprison the corrupt, trigger legislations and uncover miscarriages of justice. Watergate, the most shining example of investigative journalism was the darkest hour for US presidency and the brightest for media. What started off as a small and insignificant investigation turned out to be the nemesis for Richard Nixon and his allies. Thus establishing that as the champion of public opinion, media serves as a powerful catalyst for positive change, even in the face of the biggest odds.

    Star News has proved its prowess in investigative journalism through its instrumental role in some of the biggest exposés and unearthing scandals – Operation Chakravyuh (the MPLAD funds), Operation Yamraj (corrupt cops of UP), the case of fake Tantriks, the Anti-Bribery campaign etc. Aniruddha Bahal, on the other hand, has been the man behind many significant exposés. His role in Operation Westend – exposé on Indian Defence procurement, and Fallen Heroes – a startling investigation into cricket match fixing has created ripples in the highest corridors of politics and sports.

    Commenting on the launch of Benaqab, Uday Shankar, CEO & Editor, MCCS says, “It’s our endeavor to bring to light the most closely guarded secrets of corrupt practices and corrupt people. Through Benaqab, we aim to help create a better environment and a corruption-free society by taking investigative journalism to the next level.”

    With programmes like Sansani and Red Alert and various path-breaking exposés that have provoked public opinion and forced the corrupt even in the lofty corridors of power to bow to the demands of public interest, Star News has proved its mettle and capabilities in investigation. Through Benaqab, the channel goes a step ahead in launching a stronger challenge in unmasking the face of corruption and its influence in our daily living.

  • BBC celebrates 10th anniversary of Teletubbies with a new JV

    MUMBAI: This year UK pubcaster BBC‘s children‘s show Teletubbies celebrates 10 years. On this occasion the broadcaster has formed a joint venture with UK family and children‘s entertainment firm Ragdoll.


    The new entity Ragdoll Worldwide will look to manage and exploit the Ragdoll catalogue including Teletubbies, In The Night Garden, Brum and Boohbah.



    Ragdoll Worldwide will secure the creativity of Ragdoll as it moves into the next stage of its commercial life alongside its long term and most successful commercial partner, BBC Worldwide.



    As well as exploiting the current catalogue of Ragdoll programming, the joint venture will launch two new properties, In the Night Garden and Tronji, which Ragdoll are now in the final stages of completing. In the Night Garden, a pre-school property, will be launched at the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes next month, and the CG/live-action programme Tronji is scheduled to air on BBC next year.



    BBC Worldwide will manage the international broadcast sales and the UK and international licensing of all Ragdoll properties including: Blips, Boohbah, Brum, Tots TV, Rosie and Jim and the Open a Door series on behalf of the new joint venture.



    Ragdoll retains all UK broadcast rights and Ragdoll USA part of the new joint venture, will manage the Ragdoll portfolio in the US.



    Ragdoll commercial director Mark Hollingsworth says, “Ragdoll is pleased to further strengthen its unique relationship with BBC Worldwide. Creating a vehicle that is equally owned by, and managed with BBC Worldwide allows both organisations to collaborate and capitalise on our respective strengths around the world. I am certain that the creation of Ragdoll Worldwide will result in additional exposure and awareness of the Ragdoll brand globally”.



    BBC Worldwide MD children‘s and global TV sales, Mark Young says, “This is an important development for BBC Worldwide as it secures one of our most important relationships in the Children’s business in advance of the launch of their new slate of fantastic properties. Ragdoll and BBC Worldwide have had a long and successful partnership going back over a decade.”



    Ragdoll which was formed in 1984 has produced more than 1,400 programmes aimed at the youngest viewers. Ragdoll-produced series can be seen in more than 120 countries and territories around the world, and in the UK are screened by the BBC, ITV and Five.

  • MSN India launches Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam portals

    MSN India launches Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam portals

    MUMBAI: With the sixth anniversary celebrations of MSN India under way, MSN India has announced the launch of five new portals, MSN Hindi, MSN Tamil, MSN Telugu, MSN Kannada and MSN Malayalam apart from unveiling Windows Live Messenger in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

    MSN India also unveiled the new MSN India Homepage and Windows Live Domains. Prominent amongst these announcements is the launch of its new language portal homepage on http://in.msn.com along with launching Windows Live Messenger in the Hindi and the other regional languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam).

    This new introduction enables MSN users to now chat in their regional language with their friends and family on MSN Messenger. The MSN Hindi and regional language portals was launched by renowned singer Shubha Mudgal in an event organized recently in the capital.

    The new MSN Hindi other regional languages (MSN Tamil, MSN Telugu, MSN Kannada and MSN Malayalam) feature of Windows Live Messenger is also integrated with the MSN portal and has plenty of content which is of desi flavor such as Movies featuring film previews and interviews with the stars. The MSN Language portals (MSN Hindi, MSN Tamil, MSN Telugu, MSN Kannada and MSN Malayalam) also has the latest news with a special focus on local news, Infotech, Astrology, Sports, Recipes and Humour, informs an official release.