ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • Essel Group picks up stake in UNI

    NEW DELHI: The Subhash Chandra-promoted Essel Group, which is the co-owner of DNA newspaper along with the Dainik Bhaskar group, has joined the United News of India (UNI) board as a shareholder.

    News agency UNI has shareholding from about nine big media organisations who also form the board of the news organisation formed in 1961.

    Confirming the development, Essel Group senior vice-president Ashish Kaul said, “We are on the board of UNI now as a shareholder, but the quantum of the holding cannot be disclosed at this point of time.”
    Kaul also clarified that Zee Telefilms, also an Essel Group enterprise, has nothing to do with the UNI deal. The other shareholders and board members of UNI include media outfits like HT Media, Times of India group, Ananda Bazar Patrika and The Hindu.

    Chandra has used his investment vehicle, Mediawest, to conclude the UNI agreement.

    Launched in March 1961, UNI has grown into one of the largest news agencies in Asia. today it serves more than 1000 subscribers in more than 100 locations in India and abroad. They include newspapers, radio and television networks, web sites , government offices and private and public sector corporations.
    The agencies communication network stretches over 90,000 kms in India and the Gulf states with bureaux in all major cities and towns of India.

    UNI has collaboration agreements with several foreign news agencies, including Reuters and DPA , whose stories are distributed to media organisations in India.

    Apart from that, UNI has news exchange agreements with Xinhua of China, UNB of Bangladesh, Gulf News Agency of Bahrain, WAM of the United Arab Emirates, KUNA of Kuwait News Agency, ONA of Oman and QNA of Qatar.
    The terrestrial TV area also will include a demonstration of the Harris/Neural Audio MultiMerge for DTV. MultiMerge uses intelligent detection to blend any audio (mono, stereo, matrix encoded stereo (L/R), and 5.1 discrete content) into a seamless, uninterrupted 5.1 surround sound stream.

    Harris began developing terrestrial transmission platforms for mobile TV in 2004 after participating in early demonstrations and the development of the DVB-H standard. The company’s recent acquisition of Leitch Technology adds a range of servers, routers, switchers and processing equipment to Harris® NetVX video encoding and distribution systems, providing the infrastructure for bringing content into the mobile TV headend. Meanwhile, equipment from the Harris Software Systems business unit adds a complement of broadband software and distribution equipment for network management, traffic scheduling, digital asset management and ad insertion, among other applications.
     

     

  • BBC launches a digital version of ‘Top Of The Pops’ magazine

    BBC launches a digital version of ‘Top Of The Pops’ magazine

    MUMBAI: UK publisher BBC Magazines has launched an online edition of its Top Of The Pops magazine in conjunction with Zinio Systems.

    The company says that Top of the Pops is the UK’s number one teen entertainment title selling almost 120,000 copies every four weeks (ABC Jan-Jun 06) and this digital edition marks another significant step in the title’s digital strategy designed to capture teen interest in new media and technology.

    The digital edition will offer an enhanced and more interactive reading experience in tandem with the newsstand version offering extras such as Rich Media exclusives of the Pussycat Dolls and Neyo music videos. As well as offering increased reach, advertisers will be afforded the unique opportunity of enhancing their print creative like never before with live linking to web addresses and auto-play audio/visual content.

    Following the first complimentary edition, readers can sign up for an annual subscription to the digital edition for just £9.99. Subscribers to the digital version will have the unique opportunity of receiving the online version of the magazine five days before it hits the newsstands. In a market where the immediacy of gossip is so crucial, this will be seen as particularly attractive to the average teenager.

    BBC Magazines Teen Group associate publisher Duncan Gray says: “We’re really excited to be the first teen title to enter this side of the digital marketplace. We see this digital edition as a complimentary purchase that offers up a whole new way for readers to enjoy the magazine by incorporating a range of interactive features.

    “Our readers love the celebrity interviews, fashion, gossip, cringes and real life stories and the digital edition enables us to deliver this directly to their inbox and bring elements of them to life with enhanced interactive content such as embedded music videos and film and TV trailers.”

    Readers can also receive details on downloading the digital edition through the magazine’s website and it will also be promoted through its recently launched email newsletter which has already attracted over 3000 members. Zinio will be promoting the magazine on www.zinio.com and through it’s vast digital database aiming at international sales.

  • Bennett Media Worldwide announces programming line up at Mipcom 2006

    Bennett Media Worldwide announces programming line up at Mipcom 2006

    MUMBAI: Bennett Media Worldwide (BMW), the Bennett Group’s global distribution operation, has announced at Mipcom 2006, their programming slate for global broadcasters. It will feature three all-new high-defintion series, including Playing In Paradise, Beyond the List and Oh, No! It’s Kato!

    Said BMW president Paul Rich, “The Bennett Group reflects our company’s new industry positioning as a full-fledged, fully-integrated entertainment studio, with all areas of production and distribution all under one corporate ‘roof.’ Through Bennett Group’s four distinct divisions, we have the capacity to take a project from concept through every phase of production and post-production, as well as domestic and international distribution.”

    “Our new high-def line-up further underscores our company as the production leader in this burgeoning format,” said Bennett Productions president Casey Bennett. “We are recognized as a pioneer in the production of HD programming having created and produced high-def series and specials as far back as 1998. Today, Bennett Productions is widely regarded for our HD productions which are backed by complete surround sound audio.”

    The new-to-Mipcom Bennett Media Worldwide slate includes:

    Playing In Paradise – Viewers experience a new dimension of exotic travel as top bikini models guide the audience through the world’s most desirable locations from the Bahamas to Thailand.
    Beyond the List – It covers the hippest threads, cars, gadgets and what it takes to get a sneak peek into the world’s most exclusive lifestyles where only a recognized face or name on the list gains entrance.

    Oh, No! It’s Kato!- After being rejected by Hollywood, Kato Kaelin takes his quick wit and sharp tongue to hot spots around the world in Oh, No! It’s Kato! From crashing the sidelines for the inside story at the Lingerie Bowl to sneaking into the Spring Break bikini pageant in Cancun, viewers are able to join Kato on his mission-possible journeys where the perfect mix of comedy and adventure drive each episode, informs an official release.

    In addition to Bennett Media Worldwide, the newly established Bennett Group, housed at its West Los Angeles headquarters, encompasses: Bennett Productions, the content development and production division that includes state-of-the-art in-house soundstages; Bennett Music, a newly-created producer and supplier of both production and original music that is also home to complete recording studios as well as recording, mixing and mastering facilities utilizing the most current in digital recording technology; and Bennett HD/LA, one of the few fully-HD post-production facilities in Los Angeles.

  • MPA face-off: ICC reaches out to Indian players

    MPA face-off: ICC reaches out to Indian players

    MUMBAI: The jousting being played out through the media between the ICC and the Indian cricket board shows no signs of any let-up. In a clear attempt to demarcate what it sees as the BCCI’s commercial interests and that of its players, the ICC today explained that the Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA) for ICC events from 2007-2015 will provide greater flexibility for all the players taking part.

    ICC general manager – Cricket, David Richardson, said, “The new MPA will be more flexible for players than previous agreements regulating participation in ICC events.

    “In drafting the player terms that fall within the MPA we have taken on board the views of players, including views expressed from India, to build a framework of agreements that will provide added benefits to players.”

    Richardson’s comments are pertinent if you consider the kind of statements that Indian cricket board officials have been issuing on the subject. The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India vice-president Lalit Modi was quoted by Agence France Presse news service as saying: “The MPA in its existing form affects BCCI’s commercial interests, gives ICC the right to change agreements unilaterally and affects the players’ interests. The MPA would affect the BCCI and the players’ interests for a period ranging from six to nine months. We are very unhappy with the way the MPA has been drafted.”

    Countering Modi’s line, Richardson says, “Players will be faced with fewer restrictions regarding their own endorsement deals and will have greater control over the use of their own player attributes before, during and after ICC events.

    “The formal and informal discussions that we have had with players and their representatives indicate widespread support for these developments. The new system will have the added benefit of incorporating clearer guidelines and opportunities for all.

    “While the ICC is required to deal directly with the Indian board on player issues, I’ve always enjoyed a good relationship with the Indian captain Rahul Dravid and several of their leading players and, should the BCCI permit, I’d welcome an opportunity to answer any queries they may have.”

    India, which hosts the ICC’s Champions Trophy from Saturday, won the right to hold the 2011 World Cup jointly with neighbours Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    The ICC has given the BCCI till next Monday (9 October) to notify it of any and all difficulties it has with the MPA. About the deadline, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah told AFP. “We have been given a deadline till Monday to inform the ICC of our objections and we will meet that date.”

  • Zee Telefilms signs Moving Pictures for Bollywood show

    Zee Telefilms signs Moving Pictures for Bollywood show

    MUMBAI: New Delhi-headquartered production house Moving Pictures India Ltd has bagged a show on Zee Network. The company will do a non-fiction show around the Bollywood industry, titled B News for Zee Music.

    One of the promoters of Moving Pictures India, Sancheta Ganpati Raju said that B News was going to be a key project for the company as Zee Telefilms is there on the other end. The half-an-hour show, which will be telecast twice a week, will run 104 episodes as per the deal.

    “B News is going to be a crucial assignment for us. Our effort is to come up with an innovative non-fiction show around Bollywood. The show will hit the airwaves two months from now. But the final schedule will be announced by the channel later,” says Raju.

    Moving Pictures’ current television projects include the page 3 show Popcorn on Zoom as well as Subah Savere, a breakfast show on Doordarshan.

  • Star Movies to present a recap of ‘Lost’ tomorrow

    Star Movies to present a recap of ‘Lost’ tomorrow

    MUMBAI: Fans of the action adventure show Lost which airs on Star Movies can catch up if they have missed certain episodes.

    On 7 September 7th at 9 pm the channel presents Lost: Revelation. This offers a recap of the first season and what has happened so far in the second season in a one-hour package. This special episode offers viewers a fresh perspective of the show.

    For the uninitiated the show deals with survivors of a plane crash who are stranded on an island. Viewers will discover the complete story of the grueling first 48 days on the island for the fuselage survivors and tailies after the crash of Oceanic flight 815.

    The channel says that since the beginning, Lost has mystified and intrigued viewers with its characters and storytelling. The first season dealt with the fuselage survivors, the hatch and a failed attempt to get off the island. Season two continues these stories and also introduces viewers to the survivors of the tail section.

    Lost: Revelation puts these two seasons together in a linear fashion that provides an illuminating view on one compelling story. See the sequence of the aftermath of the failed raft attempt, the opening of the hatch, how the tail section and fuselage survivors lived separately and the unwitting intersections of their lives, and how both groups ultimately collided in one catastrophic moment.

  • Sunfeast and Hungama TV join hands for ‘The Sunfeast Open Ball boy/Ball Girl Contest 2006’













    MUMBAI: Sunfeast and Hungama TV have announced ‘The Sunfeast Open Ball boy/Ball Girl Contest 2006‘. This contest will give children across the country a chance to be the ball boy/girl in a match played on center court during the Sunfeast Open tournament to kick off in Kolkata from 18 – 24 September 2006.


    To participate in the contest kids will have to answer a
    question that will be aired on Hungama TV till 15 September. It appears that the question will be related to India‘s top woman‘s tennis player. Correct responses will give five lucky winners a chance to participate as ball boys/ ball girls at the tournament.


    What‘s more, these five kids will also be featured on Ten Sports and Hungama TV, in addition to receiving special training for this role at the Jaidip Mukerjea Tennis Academy promoted by former India tennis ace and Tournament director for Sunfeast Open, Jaidip Mukerjea.


     



    Contestants can enter the contest by sending their answers either by SMS to 6767888 or email to sunfeastopen@itc.in.


    Besides providing the kids with an opportunity to rub shoulders with International Tennis Stars, it is also an attempt to promote the game in India.


    ITC Foods Ltd. divisional chief executive Ravi Naware said, “Sunfeast‘s association with sports was to foster love for the game and groom generation next for keener participation in sporting activities. It is our constant endeavor to connect with our audiences by providing constant interface between the tournament and the audiences in order to form a strong connect and create a sense of ownership for the tournament among viewers.”


    Further commenting on the association Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta said, “Hungama TV always believes in empowering, engaging and entertaining kids through various touch points, both on-air and off-air. This unique initiative with Sunfeast is an opportunity to provide a wholesome experience of both our brands by giving our consumers an access to their role models and enabling them to get a step closer to their aspirations.


    Touted as South Asia‘s biggest sporting spectacle, the Sunfeast Open 2006 is Tier III WTA (Women Tennis Association) event with prize money of US$ 170,000. It will be played at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata from 18 to 24 September 2006. The tournament is being brought to Kolkata by Globosport, the sports management company owned by Mahesh Bhupathi, under the auspices of the Government of West Bengal.

  • Zee News exposé ‘Operation Mani’

    Zee News exposé ‘Operation Mani’

    Zee News exposé: Operation Money
    New Delhi, Feb 04: In an exclusive exposé, Zee News has unravelled the reality of prisons and prisoners in Uttar Pradesh. For the first time in the Indian television history, Zee News has successfully captured the unimaginable state of affairs of the U.P jails on the record.

    A prison, as per the dictionary meaning, is a place or condition of confinement or forceful restrains, but not in the Uttar Pradesh. Here, if you are a politician lodged in a jail, especially a close associate of the ruling party, you are not in a forceful imprisonment but in a fiefdom of your own.

    In what seems to be a scene from a Hindi film, U.P.MLA Amarmani Tripathi, officially lodged in the jail, is running his business and serving his constituency freely from it.

    When Zee News correspondent entered the jail premises, he was aghast to see the situation there. Amarmani was not confined to a prison cell along with other fellow prisoners. Instead, the entire barrack, officially designated to host 24 prisoners, was converted as his courtroom. In the barrack, Amarmani held his ‘darbar’ in which all his supporters came with their list of works and complaints.

    When our correspondent sought a favour from Amarmani, he took out his mobile from his pocket- the access of mobile phone to prisoners is officially prohibited- and dialled the concerned official immediately from there in. Not only Amarmani, but also his fellow accomplishes in ‘Madhumita’ murder case had access to everything: mobile sets, liquors and other drugs too. They were also carrying their business as usual
    from there. As a result of Zee News exposé, the Central government has sought explanation from the U.P government in the matter.

  • Filmy launches its gaming property ‘Filmy Stock Exchange’

    MUMBAI: For those who love to play the stock exchanges and are fascinated by Bollywood, Sahara’s Hindi movie channel Filmy has launched Filmy Stock Exchange.

    Beginning 1 October, this game will be played through the internet and mobile and it will give Bollywood fans across India an opportunity to “own” their favourite stars by trading for them. It could be anybody from Sharukh Khan to Aishwarya Rai.

    Actor Arshad Warsi is the brand ambassador for this new show. “The idea of FSE is fascinating. The younger audience will be able to connect with it very well. There can’t be a more engaging way of learning the workings of the stock exchange. It’s simple and fun to play.”

    Registered users will initially get 1000 Filmy Rs (FRs) to create their portfolio of stars. The stock prices of each star will change every hour on the basis of their box office performance, trading trends, industry news and gossip. And in the process players can redeem their filmy Rs for big, exciting prizes.

    Talking about the game, Sahara One Media And Entertainment Limited CEO Shantonu Aditya says, “In today’s media scenario, interactivity and convergence are key to a brand’s growth. FSE is a cutting-edge initiative to take the channel’s brand proposition forward.”

    “It’s a one stop destination for all film buffs if one plays intelligently. And moreover there are prizes every week. We are in the process of tying up with brands for the prizes,” adds Aditya.

    The publicity campaign for the show will begin soon with 30 or 60 second teasers. It will also give the viewers an insight into how to play the game. Once FSE kicks off the channel is planning collaborations with radio stations and trade magazines.

    Filmy business head Ashutosh says, “This is an absolutely new concept. In a way it will be a parameter for the players to check out where their icons stand. It’s just not an engaging property for our viewers, it’s a good brand for our advertisers to associate with. It’s a multimedia property in the true sense of the term.”

    “The response from the film fraternity has also been exciting. There will be 30 stars at the end of every month. And by the end of each month, around three stars will go out and more will be added on the show,” added Shailesh Kapoor, head of marketing and content.
     

  • Sunfeast and Hungama TV join hands for ‘The Sunfeast Open Ball boy/Ball Girl Contest 2006’

    MUMBAI: Sunfeast and Hungama TV have announced ‘The Sunfeast Open Ball boy/Ball Girl Contest 2006’. This contest will give children across the country a chance to be the ball boy/girl in a match played on center court during the Sunfeast Open tournament to kick off in Kolkata from 18 – 24 September 2006.

    To participate in the contest kids will have to answer a
    question that will be aired on Hungama TV till 15 September. It appears that the question will be related to India’s top woman’s tennis player. Correct responses will give five lucky winners a chance to participate as ball boys/ ball girls at the tournament.

    What’s more, these five kids will also be featured on Ten Sports and Hungama TV, in addition to receiving special training for this role at the Jaidip Mukerjea Tennis Academy promoted by former India tennis ace and Tournament director for Sunfeast Open, Jaidip Mukerjea.

    Contestants can enter the contest by sending their answers either by SMS to 6767888 or email to sunfeastopen@itc.in.

    Besides providing the kids with an opportunity to rub shoulders with International Tennis Stars, it is also an attempt to promote the game in India.

    ITC Foods Ltd. divisional chief executive Ravi Naware said, “Sunfeast’s association with sports was to foster love for the game and groom generation next for keener participation in sporting activities. It is our constant endeavor to connect with our audiences by providing constant interface between the tournament and the audiences in order to form a strong connect and create a sense of ownership for the tournament among viewers.”

    Further commenting on the association Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta said, “Hungama TV always believes in empowering, engaging and entertaining kids through various touch points, both on-air and off-air. This unique initiative with Sunfeast is an opportunity to provide a wholesome experience of both our brands by giving our consumers an access to their role models and enabling them to get a step closer to their aspirations.

    Touted as South Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle, the Sunfeast Open 2006 is Tier III WTA (Women Tennis Association) event with prize money of US$ 170,000. It will be played at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata from 18 to 24 September 2006. The tournament is being brought to Kolkata by Globosport, the sports management company owned by Mahesh Bhupathi, under the auspices of the Government of West Bengal.