ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • Nick Jr. debuts original mini pilots on wireless carriers

    MUMBAI: Nick Jr. has launched three original mini pilots across multiple platforms with the first window kicking off on wireless carriers starting 6 June.


    The mini pilots, originated from Nick Jr.‘s Institute of Applied Play, premiered on wireless carriers marking the network‘s first-ever launch of original short-form content on a wireless platform.


    Nick Jr. will continue the multi-platform roll-out of the mini pilots — Pass the Pinha, Jinny Starfly and All Aboard — on Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.‘s broadband video service available on Nickjr.com and on-air on Nick Jr. television. Each of the mini pilots range in length from one to three minutes.


    The Institute of Applied Play is Nick Jr.‘s creative lab, where the network partners with new talent including illustrators and writers on a variety of projects. The Institute explores a fantastic array of production techniques to produce innovative interstitials for multiple platforms. On an average, Nick Jr. produces over 15 shorts per year.


    “The Institute of Applied Play is Nick Jr.‘s playground for meeting new creators and artists. We‘re excited to showcase their handiwork across all of these platforms,” said Nickelodeon Preschool Television executive creative director Brown Johnson.


    The multi-platform schedule for the launch of the three mini pilots is as follows:


    “It‘s not magic — it‘s science!” In the live-action and animated short Jinny Starfly, produced, written and directed by Syr-Ivan Bennett, two kids patiently wait for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly. But their patience begins to wane. Is it make-believe? Nick Jr.‘s animated science expert Jinny Starfly flies in to show them how the caterpillar changes and that it‘s not magic — it‘s science!


    In the animated short Pass the Pinha, created and directed by Elanna Allen, Bing the musical bird and her siblings find a Brazilian fruit called a pinha which makes a super samba Brazilian sound when shaken. But little Bing rocks out so much that she drops the pinha, which shatters. They sadly gather around the broken fruit, until Bing nibbles on a piece and sings her conga sound. The others join in, munching and dancing to their samba song.


    In the animated short All Aboard, created by Nancy Wolff, a billy goat and a raccoon turn a boring morning in to a choo-choo train game. They discover that all you need are some friends and imagination to turn a seemingly boring day into an exciting ride.


    The shorts that come out of The Institute of Applied Play have a history of being used as back-door pilots. Nick Jr.‘s original hit series The Wonder Pets! which premiered in March 2006 started out as a series of interstitials called Linny the Guinea Pig. Ni Hao, Kai-lan an upcoming new animated series slated to premiere in fall 2007 began as a series of shorts called Downward Doghouse. Additionally, Nick Jr.‘s short-form series Mighty Bug 5, started out as an interstitial called The Grumpy Bug. All these are available on Nickjr.com.

  • Nick Jr. debuts original mini pilots on wireless carriers

    Nick Jr. debuts original mini pilots on wireless carriers

    MUMBAI: Nick Jr. has launched three original mini pilots across multiple platforms with the first window kicking off on wireless carriers starting 6 June.

    The mini pilots, originated from Nick Jr.’s Institute of Applied Play, premiered on wireless carriers marking the network’s first-ever launch of original short-form content on a wireless platform.

    Nick Jr. will continue the multi-platform roll-out of the mini pilots — Pass the Pinha, Jinny Starfly and All Aboard — on Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.’s broadband video service available on Nickjr.com and on-air on Nick Jr. television. Each of the mini pilots range in length from one to three minutes.

    The Institute of Applied Play is Nick Jr.’s creative lab, where the network partners with new talent including illustrators and writers on a variety of projects. The Institute explores a fantastic array of production techniques to produce innovative interstitials for multiple platforms. On an average, Nick Jr. produces over 15 shorts per year.

    “The Institute of Applied Play is Nick Jr.’s playground for meeting new creators and artists. We’re excited to showcase their handiwork across all of these platforms,” said Nickelodeon Preschool Television executive creative director Brown Johnson.

    The multi-platform schedule for the launch of the three mini pilots is as follows:

    “It’s not magic — it’s science!” In the live-action and animated short Jinny Starfly, produced, written and directed by Syr-Ivan Bennett, two kids patiently wait for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly. But their patience begins to wane. Is it make-believe? Nick Jr.’s animated science expert Jinny Starfly flies in to show them how the caterpillar changes and that it’s not magic — it’s science!

    In the animated short Pass the Pinha, created and directed by Elanna Allen, Bing the musical bird and her siblings find a Brazilian fruit called a pinha which makes a super samba Brazilian sound when shaken. But little Bing rocks out so much that she drops the pinha, which shatters. They sadly gather around the broken fruit, until Bing nibbles on a piece and sings her conga sound. The others join in, munching and dancing to their samba song.

    In the animated short All Aboard, created by Nancy Wolff, a billy goat and a raccoon turn a boring morning in to a choo-choo train game. They discover that all you need are some friends and imagination to turn a seemingly boring day into an exciting ride.

    The shorts that come out of The Institute of Applied Play have a history of being used as back-door pilots. Nick Jr.’s original hit series The Wonder Pets! which premiered in March 2006 started out as a series of interstitials called Linny the Guinea Pig. Ni Hao, Kai-lan an upcoming new animated series slated to premiere in fall 2007 began as a series of shorts called Downward Doghouse. Additionally, Nick Jr.’s short-form series Mighty Bug 5, started out as an interstitial called The Grumpy Bug. All these are available on Nickjr.com.

  • BBC World launches ad campaign to generate buzz in New York City

    MUMBAI: BBC World launched in the US on 1 June 2006. To support the launch, the channel is running an ad campaign in New York City. The outdoor campaign created by BBDO New York communicates ‘unbiased international news’, through three thought-provoking and impactful creative approaches.

    The first –Develop a Point of View- is an interactive digital billboard situated on the corner of Broadway and 50th Street. The first-of-its-kind billboard displays dramatic news photographs and invites people to text in their votes on key news issues. New Yorkers and visitors can vote whether illegal immigrants should be considered ‘citizens’ or ‘criminals’; US soldiers, ‘occupiers’ or ‘liberators’; bird flu, ‘imminent’ or ‘preventable’ and China ‘befriend’ or ‘beware’.

    The votes will appear on the billboard in real-time and the updated tallies will be broadcast twice daily on WFAN’s “Imus in the Morning” show, as part of the BBC World radio promotion.

    The second approach -See Both Sides of the Story- uses poster sites featuring photographs creatively wrapped around building corners, with the entire story becoming clear only when the viewer sees both sides of the image.

    The poster site imagery takes an impartial look at a Jewish settler struggling against Israeli security officers during a West Bank settlement evacuation; an American soldier guarding a burning oil well in Iraq; French protestors fighting the Paris police force; U.S. border patrol facing Mexican immigrants and an Iraqi family following President Bush’s interview in front of a television set.

    Whilst the first and second creative approaches communicate BBC World’s core strength of impartiality, the third focuses on the truly global content the channel will bring to US viewers. News Beyond Your Borders is about reminding Americans that there is news outside America and that BBC World gives its viewers that global perspective. It has been appearing from 5 June onwards, via posters and interior cards on commuter rail network.

    Each ad is a puzzle, which at first glance appears to be a vaguely familiar map, but on further examination reveals a new and arresting image – a soldier with a gun; a health worker holding an infected bird; a hostage being detained and a city under water. The execution will also appear as an insert in the Financial Times and Newsday in June.

    BBC World head of marketing Seema Kotecha said: “BBC World has decided to develop an unprecedented, bold and interactive campaign to generate buzz around New York and spark debate around some of the key global news issues that affect all of us. These powerful images highlight the global perspective and the impartiality of coverage, for which BBC World is known around the world.

    “Research shows us that American viewers are increasingly interested in international news, yet most U.S. news networks are spending less airtime on international news stories. We hope to fill this gap in the market and are delighted to have the opportunity to bring our 24-hour global coverage and analysis to North American shores for the first time.”

    George Alagiah, a BAFTA award-winning journalist and one of the BBC’s most respected and well-known news anchors, is in New York this week to help officially launch BBC World channel in the U.S. Mr. Alagiah will also be hosting a media breakfast to launch BBC World News Today, a new hour long news programme to be broadcast globally from 3 July.

    The 24-hour BBC World channel is available to all iO: Interactive Optimum digital cable customers throughout Cablevision’s New York metropolitan service area on channel 104.

  • Shemaroo celebrates Fifa WC with release of Beckham video

    Shemaroo celebrates Fifa WC with release of Beckham video

    MUMBAI: Home video maker Shemaroo has released a video Really Bend it like Beckham this football season.

    The video has the inside details and is the definitive video of his soccer skills. Fans can now have a never-before-seen view of his various skill sets, on technology that manages to capture and dissect his every move like never before. The video also features Beckham’s football highlights of matches like an England versus Argentina match.

    Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada said, “It is baffling that in a nation of a billion people, young talents aren’t making it to the international arena. Really Bend it like Beckham is an excellent video for two reasons. First, it will be a great learning opportunity for emerging players, almost like learning from the legend himself, and prove to be a great encouragement. Second, it is an excellent video that will be enjoyed by all Soccer fans.”

    The DVD has been sot on High Definition. It features multi camera angles, super slow motion and time slice footage. 

    It has been broken into easy to use sections – control, space making skills, passing and working for space, turning skills, forward play, crossing, closing down and defending, finishing and free kicks and much more.

    The DVD also has behind the scenes with David Beckham, Kids Q&A with Beckham and a Kids Football game with Beckham.

  • Fox Sports Intl inks mobile content distribution deal with Media Gateway

    Fox Sports Intl inks mobile content distribution deal with Media Gateway

    MUMBAI: Media Gateway, an international digital rights content aggregator for premium content has announced a deal with Fox Sports International.

    Media Gateway will distribute sports programming on mobile phones and via the Internet in the UAE, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Estonia and Latvia.

    The programming provided by Fox Sports International includes motor sports programs Raceworld and Moto+ as well as action sports shows such as Sports Unlimited, a weekly magazine program featuring action sports from snowboarding and freeskiing to ironman and adventuring racing, and Watersports World, covering major watersports events and activities such as premier international sailing events, windsurfing, kite surfing, power boating and beach sports.

    Media Gateway CEO Karri Zaremba says, “Through mobile phones and the Internet, we’re now able to offer your favourite sports events and programs, as seen on Fox Sports, right into the palm of your hand or desktop. This makes the experience more personal and up-close for the millions of sports fans across these regions.”

    Fox Sports International sales manager Bruce Wolfowitz said, “We work hard to ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of new developments for how people can enjoy their favourite sports. We are delighted to be extending our stake by sealing this digital distribution deal with Media Gateway, which will ensure that sports fans have more ways to access programs aired on Fox Sports channels.”

    Media Gateway is an international content clearing house for digital media license rights of regional and international TV, film, music, radio and games content. The company ensures these rights are fully exploited by securing alternative modes of distribution, with a focus on live signal streaming or server-based video on demand play-out via IPTV, PC Broadband, Video on Demand, Mobile Telephony, and PDAs

  • The 2006 New York TV Festival announces MSN as the official online sponsor

    The 2006 New York TV Festival announces MSN as the official online sponsor

    MUMBAI: The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) has announced that MSN will provide online support and awareness as an official signature sponsor for the 2006 NYTVF scheduled to be held from 12-17 September 2006, in Manhattan.

    Currently in its second year, the festival provides an opportunity to artists to showcase original, independently produced TV pilots directly to network executives and industry officials.

    Commenting on the same, NYTVF founder and executive director Terence Gray said, “The goal of the NYTVF is to provide independent artists with a platform for getting their work seen by the decision-makers in the TV industry.”

    According to an official release, the Festival’s alliance with MSN is one component of a larger initiative the NYTVF is launching to unite independent artists from TV, music and film in the NYTVF Online Community. NYTVF will collaborate with MSN integrated services, MSN TV and MSN Spaces to create a resource to pilot-makers looking to interact or collaborate with other creative people locally and globally, where anyone with an original script can receive the guidance and support necessary to get an independent pilot off the ground.

    As the official online sponsor, MSN will provide the following services:

    MSN Video will have exclusive online rights to stream all NYTVF pilots submitted to the Festival’s Independent Pilot Competition at http://tv.msn.com/NYTVF, beginning in July.

    MSN Video will deliver an Internet webcast of the Festival and on-demand video content of panel discussions and special events featured at the 2006 Festival.

    MSN Spaces will be the official blogging platform for NYTVF participants for the organization’s Online Community.

    In an attempt to present independent pilots to a worldwide audience, MSN GM Entertainment and Video Services Rob Bennett said, “Through the MSN relationship with NYTVF, consumers have the unique opportunity to see new television concepts and pilots in their purest form.”

    The release states that officially selected pilots featured at the 2006 NYTVF will be placed in one of the following five categories: comedy, drama, reality, educational or animation. To be considered for competition, pilots in all categories except animation must have a running time of between 15 and 22 minutes. Animation pilots must have a running time of between two and 20 minutes.

    The date of submission for the 2006 Independent Pilot Competition is 7 July. There is no fee for students with a valid ID.

    In its inaugural year, the 2005 NYTVF received more than 230 original independent pilots produced by artists from 24 states and seven foreign countries. The 2005 NYTVF was presented in association with TV Guide. The Festival worked in partnership with the William Morris Agency and in conjunction with the mayor’s office of New York City. Official network sponsors included NBC Universal, FOX, Comedy Central, VH1, VH1 Classic, Spike TV, A&E Networks, Rainbow Media, TV Land and Court TV, adds the release.

  • India a key TV market for Fifa: Blatter

    India a key TV market for Fifa: Blatter

    MUMBAI: With the football World Cup scheduled to kick off in Germany on Friday Fifa president Sepp Blatter has called India a key market with regards to soccer viewership and following as the nation gears up to witness the event on ESPN Star Sports (ESS).

    Blatter stated that the soccer’s world governing body expected to overshoot the reach of 28.8 billion globally.

    Blatter who is known for his endeavour to enhance the global image of the game also lauded ESS’ initiatives to promote the game in the country.

    Blatter said, “I am very pleasantly surprised with the huge interest in soccer in a cricket crazy nation like India. It is the glory of the soccer world cup, which has transcended, like in other countries, over the language and sports barriers. In addition, ESPN Star Sports’ programming initiatives and the special effort to telecast the 2006 Fifa World Cup in the national language, Hindi will further increase the viewer-ship. I congratulate ESPN Star Sports on all its plans to grow the popularity of soccer in India.”

    ESS India MD R C Venkateish said, “A phenomenal awareness has already been created around the Fifa World Cup in Germany. ESPN Star Sports continues to make efforts to excite and involve consumers for the FIFA World Cup. We have been building the football fever and would have showcased more than 200 hours of the 2006 Fifa World Cup related programming by the time we reach June 09.

    “Our interactive marketing campaign continues to roll out to involve the viewers. We are confident that our telecast of the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Hindi will entertain viewers and help us in penetrating new markets for soccer. We expect to transfer and retain viewers to our Hindi telecast of the English Premier League after the 2006 Fifa World Cup”.

  • 30 billion viewers expected to watch World Cup

    30 billion viewers expected to watch World Cup

    MUMBAI: More than 30 billion people around the world are expected to tune in to watch the 2006 Fifa World Cup in the course of the month-long tournament.

    A report in Sapa-AFP indicates that channels across Asia are eagerly awaiting the opportunity. The television ratings forecast expect a huge boost as compared to the event four years ago.

    While the boost is probably due to the tournament being in Europe, where soccer is akin to a religion, a lot of Asians will tune in this time.

    Meanwhile a report in the Financial Times indicates that a radical plan to restructure international football has been prepared for top European clubs. This envisages the World Cup being held every two years.

    The proposal, called Grand Slam World, is part of a presentation commissioned by the G-14 grouping of European clubs – a collection of the 18 richest sides in Europe – by Hypercube, a Dutch consultancy.

    Another option called Grand Slam Euro will see continental tournaments, such as the European championship, also held every two years, while a possible World Cup for clubs would be contested every four years.

    Making the World Cup, which starts in Germany on Friday, a biennial event is the most radical of four options outlined in a 36-page presentation.

  • BBC looks to enhance content diversity in the UK with new appointment

    BBC looks to enhance content diversity in the UK with new appointment

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC’s director of television, Jana Bennett, has announced that Mary FitzPatrick is the editorial executive of diversity to oversee the way BBC channels represent the audiences they serve.

    Bennett said, “The creation of this important new role reflects our commitment to putting audiences at the heart of what we do at the BBC. To deliver the ambition of Creative Future and meet audiences’ expectations in a changing world, we need our programmes to reflect fully and accurately the diversity of the UK population.”

    FitzPatrick used to be a BBC programme maker. She was most recently Channel 4’s editorial manager of cultural diversity.

    FitzPatrick will work closely with channel controllers, commissioners, in-house and independent production companies to improve on-screen portrayal and diversity on BBC Television, including offering valuable advice to programme makers during the course of the development and production of programmes. She will take overall responsibility for reviewing and tracking on-screen content including the portrayal of black and minority ethnic and disabled people.

    Part of her role will be to ensure that programmes are culturally authentic and accurate, but also challenging and authoritative. She will aim to set up the industry’s definitive database for locating diverse on and off-screen talent for use by in-house production and Indies.

    Bennett adds “Mary FitzPatrick has a formidable track record in marrying outstanding diverse talent with a range of genres and great productions. This, combined with her fantastic relationship with internal and external producers and PACT, makes her the perfect person to drive this new role. I look forward to welcoming her back to the BBC.”

    FitzPatrick said, “I see my role as enhancing the BBC’s programming by opening it up to diverse talents and voices in a way that will deepen its relationship with all its audiences. The emphasis will not be on quotas or box-ticking, but on focusing minds on the fact that television audiences are hugely diverse and they rightly expect to see themselves and their life experiences reflected on TV.”

  • How not to break news

    How not to break news

    our news television medium seems to have finally begun to distinguish between truth-telling and ideological discourse. Indeed, this seems to be an increasing trend among most news channels today. Take the tagline for Zee News, for example: Haqeeqat jaisi, waisi khabar. Seemingly holding a defiant mirror to society and policymakers in the wake of post-Gujarat criticism, news channels in India have created truths far beyond the imagination of pre-liberalisation policymakers. Rising ratings for news are perhaps the closest endorsements to this trend. Why, then, do we see all around us a growing scepticism about our news channels?

    The reasons have to do with audiences themselves: the question is, do audiences expect news to tell them what’s happening, or what editors think they should know? News television channels would do well to overhaul their thinking, because the technology they use provides them with the inherent power to democratize news. For example, many channels are still experimenting with “breaking news”. An editor even spoke on a platform recently (an event, hosted by another channel), and said that breaking news was passe. Even as he was doing so, his channel was flashing “Breaking News”. Gone are the days when news was just news. Today, the delivery of news has the capacity to attract new eyeballs. A cognitive research done in the US in January 2005 showed that the attention span of a television channel-surfer is so low that his/her decision whether to switch channels is made in the first 0.15 seconds. So what’s on the screen is what either sells or doesn’t.

    Gone are the days when news was just news. Today, the delivery of news has the capacity to attract new eyeballs
    _____****_____

    Research conducted in the US last year concluded after a nationwide survey that news channels regularly use hard, unplanned news to mean breaking news – not something that necessarily takes the newsroom by surprise. The problem with this trend has to do with viewer credibility. It’s simple: ever heard of the “crying wolf” story? Breaking news can work the same way. (Actual example: “Breaking News: Salman reaches court for hearing”) If, for story after story, the attention-grabbing flash continues to disappoint the viewer, breaking news ends up breaking TRP dreams. The Salman Khan “breaking news” is based on the age-old “late news” or “just in” principle: it conveys to the viewer that the story just got in. But with live news now, the concept must undergo a change in our editors’ minds: news stories every half hour should be “just in”.

    News channels only need to stick to their own agenda in order to score: if their claim is to present investigative stories, do so without diluting the definition of an investigative story
    _____****_____

    So how can channels break through the viewer’s attention-span problem? By using a judicious mix of emotive and rational approaches. The pace of news stories is important, and many of our channels are inept at this skill. Because VT editors are armed with the latest techniques and gadgets that allow them to cut rapidly, they often forget basics like establishing scene, sequence and story. Channels seldom depend on visual richness, but too often on anchor branding. News anchors gain credibility and brand strength over time and after much sweat. Merely marketing them like an FMCG product will rarely rake in the returns. And on that note, 57 students of journalism who conducted a comparative content analysis of television channels in 2005 said that the excessive amount of advertising on many news channels is enough to lead away audiences from news.

    Clearly, therefore, news channels only need to stick to their own agenda in order to score: if their claim is to present investigative stories, do so without diluting the definition of an investigative story. However, my prediction is that news channels cannot afford to distinguish their product so clearly, and must present a mix of reportage and discussion. The writing is on the wall: our nascent TV news audiences have been hoping that the news media are an answer to pull up a failing administration. In many ways, our media have lived up to that expectation. However, that may soon change if news channels do not settle down to understanding that news audiences invariably grow more knowledgeable over time, and expect more from their television.

    (The writer heads a media institute in Pune, and is a former news channel employee.)

    (The views expressed here are those of the author and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to the same)