Category: TV Channels

Ten Sports bags telecast rights for Uefa Champions League

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has won exclusive telecast rights to the Uefa Champions League for the next three years.

Telecast of matches will start in September 2006 and will include 1,000 hours of Europe’s leading football action, the Dubai-headquartered channel said in a press release.

Ten’s acquisition for the next three seasons of one of the marquee events of the world football calendar marks the first time that Champions League soccer will not be seen on ESPN Star Sports in the Indian subcontinent.

The Uefa Champions League 2006-07 will be the 52nd edition of the club tournament. The final will be played at Olympic Stadium, Athens, on 23rd May 2007. The live coverage of the Champions League matches on Ten Sports starts from 12 September till the final on 23 May 2007.

There will also be daily special programs for the Champions League, bringing goals and action for every game played, states an official release.

The release quotes Uefa CEO Lars-Christer Olsson as saying, “We are delighted to welcome Ten Sports as a new broadcast partner for the Uefa Champions League from next season. This agreement will undoubtedly benefit football fans throughout the entire Indian subcontinent. We look forward to working with Ten Sports to build up the Uefa Champions League in this important region.”

Ten Sports CEO Chris McDonald offers, “This is a great step forward for us and further improves an amazing year for Ten Sports… We have now added the best club football in the world to our sporting line-up.”

Adds vice-president programming Peter Hutton, “We will have our own live studio shows around each day of Champions League football, bringing goals and action from every game played that day, further enhancing the viewing experience for a tournament that is growing in stature every year and is by far the most competitive club football in the world.”

July 12, 2006
Innovative content & localisation a must to catch the ‘tough crowd’

MUMBAI: Kids have been gaining the mind space of more and more broadcasters across the globe. And why not? These tech babies who are the fastest to adopt any new technology are also contributing to core family decisions and have a large chunk of spending power at their disposal.

In such a scenario, kids broadcasters have to be that much more vigilant to cater to their needs unremittingly. At the second day of the Promax&BDA conference, kids programming took center stage.

While Nickelodeon UK vice president and creative director Peter Drake spoke on how to cater to the “Tough Crowd” i.e. the kids; whereas Walt Disney Television International (India) director programming Nachiket Pantvaidya touched upon the issue of how to localize international brands.

“Kids have changed the way they consume media. More and more kids now feel the need to be in control with all the gadgets that they are exposed to. Moreover, with parents being busy in their work, the need for a digital nanny has also become prevalent now. In such a scenario, we, as broadcasters have to make viewers see us as more than just a TV channel,” Drake said.

He spoke about an interactive show – Me:TV! on Nickelodeon UK, wherein kids who have a webcam can host the show from their homes. “The aim was to utilise new technology to deepen the kids‘ experience of our brand. User generated content can be tapped to a great extent in the near future,” Drake said.

Another point which came out was that there was a need for broadcasters to develop evolving communication so that it can work on all delivery platforms rather than just television, which in turn would throw up new revenue opportunities too.

“In the end, it‘s still about having great content but it‘s just about how you present it that matter the most,” Drake concluded.

Disney‘s Pantvaidya, on the other hand, dwelled on the various reasons why an international brand should localize itself to suit local sensibilities. “Localisation is cost effective and at the same time it is essential for building cultural relevance. As far as what needs to be localized in a channel to create relevance, it would be language, local faces, formats, narrative content and graphics,” he said.

July 12, 2006
Disneyland Resort debuts first-ever video podcast
MUMBAI: Following the precedent of its popular monthly audio podcasts, the Disneyland Resort in Southern California has now introduced a new monthly series of video podcasts that will bring all the magic and fun of “The Happiest Place on Earth” to fans around the world via their desktop computer or video iPod.

As one of the first organisations to successfully venture into audio podcasting (launching its first podcast in May 2005), Disneyland Resort has now debuted the first episode of its all-new Disneyland Resort Video Podcast series.

In the video episode, available now on the internet, viewers will witness the official world premiere of the new Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man‘s Chest and the re-opening of the classic attraction Pirates of the Caribbean, which has recently been enhanced. All the excitement of getting ready for this amazing event is captured in this mini-documentary.

Viewers will walk the red carpet with the film‘s stars Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, plus meet many of the die-hard Pirates fans. It‘s a fast-paced look (six minutes, four seconds) behind-the-magic at one of the memorable nights in Disneyland history.

Like the Official Disneyland Resort Audio Podcast, the new video podcast is a free monthly internet-based show accessible to a global audience via a “Disneyland” search on the iTunes Podcast Directory. Listeners can also subscribe to both podcast versions (audio and video) through the iTunes Podcast Directory to receive new episodes automatically each month.

The monthly video podcast takes viewers behind-the-scenes of what‘s new and exciting at the resort plus showcases stories from the resort‘s 50-year legacy of creating magical moments for guests from around the world. Similar to its initial entry into audio podcasting, the Disneyland Resort enters the emerging world of video podcasting in its infancy — there are currently only 150 free video podcasts available on the iTunes Podcast Directory but interest in, and use of, the medium is rapidly increasing.

Additionally, the newest episode of the Official Disneyland Resort Audio Podcast is now available online and takes listeners to all the excitement of the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man‘s Chest, which had its official bow at Disneyland on 24 June. Recorded live on the world‘s longest red-carpet (2,000 feet from the beginning of Main Street, USA to the riverfront in New Orleans Square) this podcast (38 minutes, 50 seconds) features an array of segments, including:
- Interviews on the red carpet with Pirates film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actor Bill Nighy (Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man‘s Chest) and Disney CEO Bob Iger.
- Actor Johnny Depp encounters the newly added Captain Jack Sparrow for the first time inside the recently enhanced Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.
- Walt Disney himself in a very rare clip from a 1965 press conference at WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) where he describes his vision for Pirates of the Caribbean, the use of models in the creation of the attraction and his description of Imagineering.
- A new interview with Jason Surrell, Disney Imagineer and author of the book Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies.
- An encounter with one of the fans of the Official Disneyland Resort Podcast.
- A meeting with two diehard Pirates fans who traveled all the way from Atlanta, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama, to visit Disneyland and participate in the premiere.
- Meet a Disneyland Cast Member who was so enthralled with the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl that she has become a bona fide Pirate historian.
- A five-year old Pirate fan gives the newly enhanced attraction a “Thumbs-Up!”
- Premiere recap and attraction overview from author and Disney historian Tim O‘Day.
Achieving a rating of four-and-a half stars out of a possible perfect five on the iTunes Podcast Directory, the Official Disneyland Resort Audio Podcast continues to be a hit with listeners. Each episode features an engaging mix of original programming recorded live throughout the resort including locations in Disneyland, Disney‘s California Adventure Park, the Downtown Disney District and the resort‘s three hotels — Disney‘s Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland Hotel and Disney‘s Paradise Pier Hotel — creating a “you are there” audio experience.
July 12, 2006
MobiTV receives $70 million investment led by Oak Investment Partners

MUMBAI: MobiTV Inc., a global player in television and digital radio services for cellular, WiFi and broadband-enabled devices, has announced the successful first close of the company’s Series C financing. Oak Investment Partners’ Bandel Carano will join MobiTV’s board of directors as part of this investment.

The $70 million investment led by Oak Investment Partners will fuel the Company’s expansion in response to the overwhelming demand for its mobile television and radio service across international markets, states an official release.

MobiTV’s products already reach more than one million paying subscribers across the globe who can now watch top news, sports, entertainment and music videos on their mobile devices. The Company recently expanded its product line to deliver the MobiTV service to personal computers across WiFi and other broadband networks and announced the commercial availability of the MobiTV service in Latin America, adds the release.

“We have taken tremendous strides to develop this rapidly emerging market across three continents over the last few years,” says MobiTV CEO & chairman Phillip Alvelda. “These rather substantial funds will help us capitalize on MobiTV’s head start and position as the premiere brand in mobile television. We plan to use these funds to provide even more television content on more devices, across more networks, and in more countries around the world.”

“MobiTV has a unique position in the mobile television market, serving as the leading content aggregator, delivery system and technology expert for carriers,” says Oak Investment Partners managing partner Bandel Carano. “This investment underscores our belief in the future of media delivery through handheld devices and PCs, and MobiTV is at the center of this change in both media delivery and consumer behavior.”

MobiTV, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, first launched its mobile TV service in November of 2003. Since that time, MobiTV has expanded to serve major domestic carriers including Sprint, Cingular and Alltel and has also grown internationally. The MobiTV service reaches mobile subscribers through more than 20 carriers around the globe including Bell Canada, Rogers and TELUS in Canada,

July 12, 2006
Disneyland Resort debuts first-ever video podcast

MUMBAI: Following the precedent of its popular monthly audio podcasts, the Disneyland Resort in Southern California has now introduced a new monthly series of video podcasts that will bring all the magic and fun of “The Happiest Place on Earth” to fans around the world via their desktop computer or video iPod.

As one of the first organisations to successfully venture into audio podcasting (launching its first podcast in May 2005), Disneyland Resort has now debuted the first episode of its all-new Disneyland Resort Video Podcast series.

In the video episode, available now on the internet, viewers will witness the official world premiere of the new Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and the re-opening of the classic attraction Pirates of the Caribbean, which has recently been enhanced. All the excitement of getting ready for this amazing event is captured in this mini-documentary.

Viewers will walk the red carpet with the film’s stars Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, plus meet many of the die-hard Pirates fans. It’s a fast-paced look (six minutes, four seconds) behind-the-magic at one of the memorable nights in Disneyland history.

Like the Official Disneyland Resort Audio Podcast, the new video podcast is a free monthly internet-based show accessible to a global audience via a “Disneyland” search on the iTunes Podcast Directory. Listeners can also subscribe to both podcast versions (audio and video) through the iTunes Podcast Directory to receive new episodes automatically each month.

The monthly video podcast takes viewers behind-the-scenes of what’s new and exciting at the resort plus showcases stories from the resort’s 50-year legacy of creating magical moments for guests from around the world. Similar to its initial entry into audio podcasting, the Disneyland Resort enters the emerging world of video podcasting in its infancy — there are currently only 150 free video podcasts available on the iTunes Podcast Directory but interest in, and use of, the medium is rapidly increasing.

Additionally, the newest episode of the Official Disneyland Resort Audio Podcast is now available online and takes listeners to all the excitement of the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which had its official bow at Disneyland on 24 June. Recorded live on the world’s longest red-carpet (2,000 feet from the beginning of Main Street, USA to the riverfront in New Orleans Square) this podcast (38 minutes, 50 seconds) features an array of segments, including:

Interviews on the red carpet with Pirates film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actor Bill Nighy (Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man’s Chest) and Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Actor Johnny Depp encounters the newly added Captain Jack Sparrow for the first time inside the recently enhanced Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

Walt Disney himself in a very rare clip from a 1965 press conference at WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) where he describes his vision for Pirates of the Caribbean, the use of models in the creation of the attraction and his description of Imagineering.

A new interview with Jason Surrell, Disney Imagineer and author of the book Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies.

An encounter with one of the fans of the Official Disneyland Resort Podcast.

A meeting with two diehard Pirates fans who traveled all the way from Atlanta, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama, to visit Disneyland and participate in the premiere.

Meet a Disneyland Cast Member who was so enthralled with the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl that she has become a bona fide Pirate historian.

A five-year old Pirate fan gives the newly enhanced attraction a “Thumbs-Up!”

Premiere recap and attraction overview from author and Disney historian Tim O’Day.

Achieving a rating of four-and-a half stars out of a possible perfect five on the iTunes Podcast Directory, the Official Disneyland Resort Audio Podcast continues to be a hit with listeners. Each episode features an engaging mix of original programming recorded live throughout the resort including locations in Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure Park, the Downtown Disney District and the resort’s three hotels — Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel — creating a “you are there” audio experience.

July 12, 2006
Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja to deliver keynote address as Mobile TV takes centre stage at Mipcom 2006

MUMBAI: Mobile TV is being touted as one of the biggest trends in the world of technology and as the future service to subscribers by telecom operators. Kicking off on 11 October, the Mipcom’s Mobile TV will see an exclusive keynote address given by Europe’s integrated operator Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, and will conclude with Mipcom’s second annual Mobile TV screenings and awards.

Ahuja will discuss the content initiatives at Orange, a division of France Telecom. and will share his vision of the tremendous potential for mobile entertainment and explore the opportunities offered by mobile broadband in the always-on, anytime, any-place era. He will also outline the most recent initiatives taken by Orange through service and network convergence to provide a pocket-sized entertainment centre, informs an official release.

“Orange is evolving into a one-stop-shop for our customers’ communication and entertainment needs. Television and TV content is central to our strategy,” says Ahuja. “I am delighted to have the opportunity of discussing the possibilities of converging technologies with Mipcom delegates. Everything we thought we knew about this industry is changing. With new ways to create, consume and pay for content, only players with open eyes and open minds can win.”

Ahuja joined Orange in April 2003 as COO, and was appointed CEO in March 2004. Prior to Orange, he was CEO of California-based technology company, Comstellar Technologies and was president of Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore). Previously, he spent fifteen years at IBM in various executive roles.

In addition to Ahuja’s keynote and the Mobile Awards programme, this year’s conference programme entitled Reshaping Media, will feature 30 sessions with over 100 speakers in addition to four other prestigious keynotes, from Disney Media Networks co-chair and president Disney-ABC Television Group Anne Sweeney, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. chairman and CEO Harry Sloan, NBC Universal president digital media and market development Beth Comstock and ESPN Inc. president and ABC Sports co-chairman George Bodenheimer.

An integral part of Mipcom 2006’s mobile focus are the Mobile TV screenings and awards. Cutting-edge made-for-mobile content from around the globe will be showcased during the screenings and the prizes will be awarded in the evening of the same day.

Last year’s programme attracted 220 entries, from 110 companies and 28 countries. For the second consecutive year, the contest will recognise and reward innovation and creativity in made-for-mobile formats.

Reed Midem director of television Paul Johnson comments, “Our markets continue to attract the best players in the mobile entertainment industry from all over the world. Our commitment is to help the creative industry move forward on this new medium for entertainment content. Last year’s awards already generated great business opportunities for the companies who entered the competition. We expect a growing and thriving mobile content market, and therefore even more entries this year. And naturally, the Ahuja keynote reflects the importance the mobile industry places on content within their future strategy.”

The award categories continue to emphasize made for mobile film, TV and animation content and also recognize the growing importance of user generated content. The award categories are: Best original made-for-mobile film or video content; Best repurposed content from existing Film or TV property; Best made-for-mobile TV channel; Best format for interactive mobile TV and best mobile format for user-generated content. In addition to these five categories,there will also be The Jury’s Grand Prize for Innovation, given to the most innovative company.

The deadline for entries for the Mobile Awards is 4 September. A pre-screening jury will nominate a selection of projects to be invited to Cannes for the Grand Jury judging on 9 October.

July 12, 2006
BSkyB bags Mobile TV broadcast rights to Premiere League soccer

MUMBAI: Overcoming fierce competition from a consortium fronted by sports agency TWI and backed by the UK’s five mobile phone networks – Orange, Vodafone, 3, T-Mobile and O2, UK pay TV broadcaster BSkyB won the rights to telecast Premier League football matches on mobile phones.

The rights will permit BSkyB to broadcast highlights on mobiles from the start of the 2007/8 season. With this property, BSkyB now has a share of all three types of domestic rights auctioned by the Premier League: Television, online and mobile.

Earlier this year BSkyB won four of the six live TV rights packages and BSkyB and BT won the right to carry 242 “near-live” league matches each season online.

July 12, 2006
XIC associates with RadioActive to launch Radio Broadcast Training courses

MUMBAI: RadioActive Pvt Ltd, the newly established independent radio consultancy company has tied up with Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) to launch two radio training courses – Certificate in Radio Programming Management and Certificate in Radio Announcing and Presentation – at the XIC campus, Mumbai.

The introduction of these courses is the first of many endeavors by the RadioActive – XIC alliance. The association aims to create a single radio identity that will be recognized by the industry through out India, states an official release.

Lectures will be conducted thrice a week: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 pm – 9 pm at XIC. Priced at Rs. 50,000 per course, a Certificate in Radio Programming- Management is available to graduate and postgraduate students. Creative potential, high motivation and organization skills are also required. The Certificate in Radio Presentation and Announcing is open to all with effective communication skills. There will be a mandatory screening interview for all candidates.

The certificate course in Radio Programming and Management will delve more specifically into modules such as the role of programming in radio, designing the station, music and its relationship to programming, management in programming, methodologies and use of research tools and programming tools.

The Certificate course in Radio Presentation and Announcing will emphasize on giving its students a comprehensive understanding of the role of radio jocks, developing on air communication and presentation, writing for radio and mastering on air broadcast systems among others and finally culminate with the development of a demo tape.

Each course has been designed to equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge along with the necessary skill sets and best practices needed to excel in this industry. The courses conduced over a period of four months (150 hours) are scheduled to commence on September 1st, 2006. Comprising a total of 50 lectures each, the first 24 lectures will be common to both batches and then followed by specialisation, the release adds.

“The underlying rationale behind such an alliance is to design commercial broadcast training courses and place course contents that will equip people with the necessary skills needed to meet the talent demand that the industry is likely to face”, says RadioActive Pvt. Ltd. founding partner Erica D’Souza.

July 12, 2006
KyLinTV signs Woman TV to provide Chinese fare via IPTV

MUMBAI: KyLinTV, which provides Chinese programming in North America, has signed on Woman TV via IPTV to give viewers a taste of the largest selection of Chinese entertainment in North America: 26 live broadcast channels and a vast video library that offers subscribers more than 20,000 hours of choice. Woman TV is the first channel in China catered specifically to women.

Woman TV was launched in March of 1999, and is the only broadcast channel in China completely devoted to women. With content that covers topics from education, occupation, fashion and family to stories about famous female figures, Woman TV has programs for all types of women. It serves as a platform to let the public know what women need, states an official release.

Prominent programs include a talk show program that tackles everyday issues that men and women face in their relationships, Formula-E is hosted by Li Jing and Dai Jun. Other shows are Pretty Women, a show devoted to the latest fashion styles and trends with up-to-date information from fashion experts, Stories of Women, an in-depth documentary program featuring stories on the lives of women who have persisted and fought to overcome hardships, coming out stronger on the other end.

KyLinTV subscribers will have direct access to the most popular broadcasts from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In addition, KyLinTV will broadcast US Chinese channels with programs produced exclusively for North American consumers.

Viewers can tune in to live broadcast channels on KyLinTV and watch the programs as they air. If they miss the program they wanted to watch, subscribers have the option of using the broadcast channel companion which preserves the lineup of news and entertainment programs for 24 hours, and is a feature that is unique to KyLinTV. In addition, KyLinTV subscribers can take advantage of the broadcast channel on demand, an exclusive library of the most popular programs from that channel.

July 12, 2006
Innovative content & localisation a must to catch the ‘tough crowd’

MUMBAI: Kids have been gaining the mind space of more and more broadcasters across the globe. And why not? These tech babies who are the fastest to adopt any new technology are also contributing to core family decisions and have a large chunk of spending power at their disposal.

In such a scenario, kids broadcasters have to be that much more vigilant to cater to their needs unremittingly. At the second day of the Promax&BDA conference, kids programming took center stage.

While Nickelodeon UK vice president and creative director Peter Drake spoke on how to cater to the “Tough Crowd” i.e. the kids; whereas Walt Disney Television International (India) director programming Nachiket Pantvaidya touched upon the issue of how to localize international brands.

“Kids have changed the way they consume media. More and more kids now feel the need to be in control with all the gadgets that they are exposed to. Moreover, with parents being busy in their work, the need for a digital nanny has also become prevalent now. In such a scenario, we, as broadcasters have to make viewers see us as more than just a TV channel,” Drake said.

He spoke about an interactive show – Me:TV! on Nickelodeon UK, wherein kids who have a webcam can host the show from their homes. “The aim was to utilise new technology to deepen the kids’ experience of our brand. User generated content can be tapped to a great extent in the near future,” Drake said.

Another point which came out was that there was a need for broadcasters to develop evolving communication so that it can work on all delivery platforms rather than just television, which in turn would throw up new revenue opportunities too.

“In the end, it’s still about having great content but it’s just about how you present it that matter the most,” Drake concluded.

Disney’s Pantvaidya, on the other hand, dwelled on the various reasons why an international brand should localize itself to suit local sensibilities. “Localisation is cost effective and at the same time it is essential for building cultural relevance. As far as what needs to be localized in a channel to create relevance, it would be language, local faces, formats, narrative content and graphics,” he said.

July 12, 2006