ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • BBC kicks off Big Screen World Cup Tour in the UK

    BBC kicks off Big Screen World Cup Tour in the UK

    MUMBAI: To mark the start of the World Cup on Friday UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that its Big Screen World Cup Tour in the UK is heading to the David Beckham Academy in Greenwich, East London for a special children’s ‘Welcome to the World Cup’ party.

    Around 500 local young players and their families will be invited to the academy to watch the opening ceremony and the first game from Munich on the big screen hosted by BBC Radio Five Live as Germany take on Costa Rica on Friday 9 June.

    The big screen will be in the car park and open from 3.30 pm with an Opening Ceremony of children from the academy parading flags from all countries taking part.

    There will also be a range of on-site entertainment including giant table football, football street theatre, an interactive virtual penalty shoot-out, the BBC Sport Academy ‘Keepy Uppy’ competition as well as face painters and cheerleaders.

    BBC Live Events project director Bill Morris said, “This promises to be an exciting start to the BBC Big Screen World Cup Tour which is part of the BBC’s offering for the World Cup.

    “The screens will appear in towns and cities across the country every single day of the World Cup providing live coverage of the top match that day.”

    BBC Big Screen World Cup Tour sees two giant screens touring a range of sites from Guernsey to Glasgow and Preston to Peterborough and will set up in town squares, festival grounds and even a service station.

    Radio Five Live’s man Mark Clemmit will be in place to host screen one. Mark will link into Five Live as well as local radio stations giving fans an opportunity to voice their thoughts on the forthcoming match. BBC Sport will relay scenes from the big screens to fans watching at home

    As well as catching all the action on a huge screen, there’ll be family friendly entertainment including interactive games, crowd cams and the chance to text in comments and even give player ratings.

  • Nick US touches a ratings high in May

    Nick US touches a ratings high in May

    MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Nickelodeon has managed its best peformance for last month since 2002.

    It managed a 3.8 rating and got 1.2 million viewers among the 2-11 age bracket. This marks a rise of seven per cent in rating and an eight per cent growth in impressions above May 2005.

    Nick adds that it dominated among kid-targeted networks among the core 2-11 demo, besting Disney (2.3 kid 2-11 rating/742,000 viewers) by 65 per cent and Cartoon (1.9 kid 2-11 rating/628,000 viewers) by 97 per cent within Nick Total Day.

    Online Nick.com recorded its second most visited month ever to the site, logging nearly 14.5 million monthly unique visitors in May. This marked an increase of 86 per cent compared to May 2005 and a nine per cent rise from April 2006. TurboNick, Nickelodeon’s broadband video service on Nick.com, had its best month ever with over 21 million video streams, beating the previous highest month, March by 23 per cent.

    The number one stream for the month was vignettes for The Fairly Odd Parents’ special Fairy Idol, which captured nearly 2 million streams. In addition, the Fairly Idol – Fast Fame! game was the number one game on Nick.com with over 5.1 game plays, contributing to the nearly 77 million total game plays on Nick.com in May.

  • BBC makes formal complaint to Egyptian authorities following assaults on journalists

    BBC makes formal complaint to Egyptian authorities following assaults on journalists

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has made a formal complaint to Egyptian Minister of the Interior, Habib Al-Adly, following assaults by members of the Egyptian security services on four journalists, two of whom work for the BBC.

    The assault was made in full view of uniformed Egyptian security service officers who did not intervene. The attack occurred a few days ago in the Egyptian capital Cairo. It followed the meeting of the General Assembly of the Journalists’ Syndicate. The meeting was being covered by the BBC.

    In the unprovoked incident, a car containing four journalists – including BBC staff journalists Dina Samak and Denna Gameel – was deliberately blocked by a taxi. Five men in civilian clothes left the taxi and surrounded the car. They were joined immediately by at least another 10 attackers who were waiting in the street.

    The attackers broke the front windscreen and a side window while verbally abusing the occupants. Two of the party were then dragged from the car and subjected to an assault. The attack took place in full view of uniformed security service officers who did not intervene. One of the victims, journalist Karim Al Shaer, was badly beaten. He was subsequently taken away in a police car and is still in detention.

    The journalists filed a complaint with the local police. A complaint has also been made by the Journalists’ Syndicate to the Attorney General but, so far, there has been no response or indication that an investigation has been launched.

    This incident follows another assault by a uniformed member of the security services on BBC journalist Mohamed Taha in November last year. In that case the BBC received a formal apology from the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK, Gehad Madi.

    The BBC runs a major production centre in Cairo because of its eminent position in the Arab world as a diplomatic centre and cosmopolitan centre of culture and learning.

    BBC World Service head Middle East, Africa jerry Timmins has called on the Interior Minister to investigate the incident and to give his assurance that the BBC can continue its legitimate business of journalism.

    He writes, “Over the past decades the BBC has been made to feel welcome in Egypt and we truly value the presence and the relationships we have established in your country. Incidents like these recent attacks sit uncomfortably against this backdrop and I have to be concerned at the level of hostility some of our journalists have encountered recently.

    “I would like your assurance that you will investigate this latest incident and that the BBC has your support in going about our legitimate business of journalism.”

    This incident comes in the same week as the detention by police of freelance journalist Larmine Chaim in The Gambia. Chaim, who contributes regularly to the BBC’s programmes for Africa, is being held without charge in the Gambian capital of Banjul.

  • Zee News presents ‘Badi Khabar’

    Zee News presents ‘Badi Khabar’

    ……Rahiye na bekhabar, Dekhiye Badi Khabar

     

     

    New Delhi, June 21,2006 – Badi Khabar, every night at 10 is the latest news show from the nation’s pioneer news channel, Zee News. Badi Khabar, as the name suggests, highlights the Top Story of the day that concerns and affects the man on the street. It aims to throw light on the hidden aspects behind the top story of the day. It attempts to go beyond the ‘headline value’ of news and ‘connects’ with the audience by highlighting those elements at work in a news development that affect us all. ‘Badi Khabar ka Bada Sawaal’ invites views of the audience that are displayed On-Screen On-line. In addition, the premier hour-long nightly news broadcast provides detailed analysis of major national and international issues as well as the day’s events. Stories selected for Badi Khabar are the headlines of newspapers the next morning.

     

    The largest nationwide network of reporters connected through advanced communication links supports Badi Khabar, state of the art advanced automation system, advanced graphics station. Badi Khabar launched along with the new ‘bold’ look of the channel will use the latest technology in presenting news. Ab rahiye na bekhabar, dekhiye Badi Khabar every night at 10 pm.

     

     

    Tune into ZEE NEWS every night at 10 pm.

  • A special series on ‘Bell the Cat’ on CNN-IBN

    A special series on ‘Bell the Cat’ on CNN-IBN

    MUMBAI : The gates to the dream of the flower of Indian youth will open up through the CAT this November 19th. In the endeavor to help more and more of its viewers and readers to clear this first step CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times are offering content that would help tackle the CAT. On Print Hindustan Times through HT Horizons and CNN-IBN through its special programme “Bell the CAT” is providing invaluable advice to the candidates.

     

    Bell the Cat’ is a daily segment that will be aired in ‘Breakfast with India’ at 8:00am on CNN-IBN. In this series the candidate’s specific queries are being answered. The series will culminate with a half-an-hour special on 18th November, 2006 at 9:30 am with a repeat at 6:00 pm the same day. CNN-IBN is bringing the services of old CAT toppers, teachers and heads of various coaching institutes to give the last mile support so much required by the students just before they take on the gruel of the CAT.

     

    Introducing the series, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN and IBN 7 said, “ As CAT is on the anvil, this happens to be a very crucial period for the MBA aspirants. We are confident that our endeavor along with Hindustan Times is worthwhile and fruitful for all “.

     

    “Hindustan Times is very glad to be associated with CNN-IBN for this property as empowering students through information on education is a key focus area for us.” said Anand Bhardawaj, Head of Marketing, HT Media Limited.

     

    “We categorize our programming initiatives by understanding the preferences of our viewers. Our agenda is also to create integrated quality content for the channel. This time we decided to offer something for the viewers that will help them during CAT ” Added Dilip Venkatraman, Director Marketing and Online Projects, CNN-IBN & IBN 7.

  • Relaunch brings new shows on Channel7

    Relaunch brings new shows on Channel7

    MUMBAI: The management of Channel7 changed hands earlier this year. And the industry was watching what wonders the CNN-IBN editorial team led by Rajdeep Sardesai would work with its programming lineup when it was relaunched. News buffs will not have to wait too long as the channel is relaunching on 5 June with a new on-air look and a tag line to boot – Khabar, Har Keemat par (News, No matter what the cost).

    The new shows it is touting include News Centre, Sports Zone, Bombay Dreams and Hot Seat.

    An hour long show, News Centre will be anchored by managing editor Ashutosh and will encompass all major news from across the country and abroad providing on-ground reportage, studio interviews and in-depth analysis.

    Sports Zone will give a wrapup of key sports stories of the day. Bombay Dreams will zoom in on news from tinsel town and the world of glitz – films and entertainment. Hot Seat’s format will be the talking heads one – with those in the news being grilled one-on-one. Talk shows, debates, crime updates, breakfast shows are also part of the programming mix.

    Says Ashutosh:”We have ambitious programming plans for Channel7 including original content designed to appeal to viewers. The focus will be on building a channel that reflects the moment and engages with viewers over important issues of the day. Hard news will be our core offering as we feel sharpness in news has vanished from Hindi news channels.”

    “Channel7 and CNN-IBN will complement each other in serving robust and high quality news from every region of the country and relevant global news. Both channels share common values where, CNN-IBN’s baseline; “Whatever it takes” is balanced by Channel7’s “Khabar, Har Keemat Par.” added Channel7 & CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

    Channel7’s editorial team comprises of executive editor assignment Mrityunjay Kumar Jha; executive editor – input Prabal Pratap Singh; senior executive producer – output Sanjeev Paliwal; senior editor, bureau chief national Sumit Awasthi; chief of bureau Mumbai Sanjay Prabhakar; deputy editor, programming Rohit Lal and senior editor Prashant Tandon.

    Says Director marketing Dilip Venkatraman:“The Hindi News market is not only cluttered but challenging too. We have put in considerable effort in identifying the channel’s positioning,”Khabar, Har Keemat Par” and developed a new logo, look, programming mix that will work in tandem with the positioning to deliver a holistic world class news experience.”

    “The synergy shared between CNN-IBN and Channel7 on the positioning platform of hard news will be the key differentiating factor in breaking through the clutter. The advertiser who comes on board of TV18 will enjoy the benefits of being present in all the channels from the Group. This gives them the option of reaching various target groups across the country at the same time. We feel positive that this offering will help us accomplish our sales targets, ” director sales Rajnath Kamath concluded.

  • News channels look at scoring goals

    Soccer mania is in the air! With the Fifa World Cup scheduled to kick off 9 June in Germany, news channels in India, both domestic and international, have lined up extensive plans to capture the soccer fever.

    At the moment, most news channels are running a countdown show and profiling the teams and players in various news segment of the day.

    The scenario was quite different four years back. Then the news space was predominantly ruled by the bi-lingual Star News and the Hindi-language Zee News, besides the two international news channels, BBC World and CNN International.

    But today, the same space has more players and is far more competitive. No surprise, therefore, that all the news channels are gung ho about the football fever.
     
    THE ECONOMICS OF COVERAGE

    Industry observers say that an event of such magnitude can cost a news channel between Rs 5 million to Rs 10 million. If the annual operating expenses of news channels are taken into account, then the expenditure on Fifa World Cup might not look big, though it’s an important part of a news channel’s life.

    For example, NDTV Ltd’s operating expenses round up to approximately RS 1.78 billion annually, while TV18’s touches RS 700 million. TV Today with its three channels — the fourth one started just a few days back — incurred an annual operating cost of about RS 1.07 billion. The operating cost primarily includes expenditure on marketing, personnel, administration and uplinking.
     

    Since all news channels have respective long term tie-ups with global wire agencies like Reuters and APTN, part coverage of events like the World Cup come at a slightly incremental cost.

    “Generally, news channels have a long term agreement with a global news agency and for events like Fifa no extra fee is charged. News channels also inks deal with the sports channel that holds the telecast rights to access various other footage,” Zee News director Laxmi Goel says.

    According to Goel, news channels are also likely to tie-up with ESPN Star Sports as it holds the rights to Fifa World Cup for this region. “At our end, the negotiations are on with ESS and we are also talking to other agencies for acquiring additional footage. Apart from that we will use extensively footage provided by Reuters and APTN,” he added.

    With the soccer fever spreading in India though the country has never qualified for playing in the tournament, ESS is literally on a high. The sports channel is charging $100,000 for 60 seconds footage per match.

    ESS’ euphoria is not shared by all the news channels though they want to provide extensive coverage of Fifa World Cup. The high cost of accessing footage from the rights holder is still an impediment in concluding deals.

    Times Now channels’ parent Times Global Broadcasting vice-president and business head Partho Das Gupta points out that the company is in the process of “closing alliances” with ESS and others.
  • BBC World debuts in the US market

    BBC World debuts in the US market

    MUMBAI: In a bid to target a wider audience, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has launched BBC World in the US market. Though the news channel started broadcasting at the end of April, it was officially launched on 1 June. The channel can now be seen in New York. The BBC is also looking at striking deals with cable and satellite providers elsewhere in the US soon. 

    The launch coincided with the unveiling of an outdoor advertising campaign in New York to promote the service to viewers.

    In July, BBC World will launch a new breakfast programme presented by George Alagiah. “What we’re not setting out to do is carve a niche that reflects America back to the Americans. What we’re trying to do is reflect the world back to Americans,” Alagiah was quoted as saying in BBC News.

    The show, which will be based in London, will also be carried on the cable channel BBC America.

    BBC World was launched in 1995, and is funded by advertising and subscription. Apart from news bulletins, it also broadcasts the interview programme Hardtalk, motoring show Top Gear and film guide Talking Movies, amongst others.

    Although it can be seen in more than 200 countries, the channel has found it difficult to get a foothold in the US. “The American TV market is the most crowded market in the world. For cable operators to find a space for another news network has been quite difficult,” said the station’s editor Richard Porter.

    Porter also said that the channel’s coverage of global affairs has been their key selling point.

    The launch of BBC World in New York comes just four months after the station signed a distribution deal with Discovery. The channel’s main competitor in the US will be CNN International.

  • Raj TV to air Visswarupam from 5 June

    Raj TV to air Visswarupam from 5 June

    MUMBAI: Mediaone Global Entertainment Ltd., is launching the mega Tamil serial Visswarupam on Raj TV and also in Telugu on Vissa TV- a unit of Raj TV network.

    The series will commence telecast on 5 June on RAJ TV at 8 30 pm and air every Monday through Thrusday.

    The story and direction of this tele serial is by Bombay Chankya – a director from the K. Balachander school and stars leading Tamil artists like Bombay Gnanam, Deepa Narayanan, Poovizhangu Mohan, Kaushik, Siva Kavitha, Preethi, Sairam and others.

    Visswarupam is a period drama in a village hamlet dating back to thirties, that progresses to the current period. The serial is about what happens when a man begins to think he is ‘Lord Incarnate’ and seeks to meddle with the process of creation. It shows a Vedic Scholar with a scientific mind who begins to dream of cloning as early as 1930s and lives a hundred years spanning four generations to see his dream come true.

    Mediaone Global Entertainment Limited is among South India’s media companies headquartered in Chennai with its subsidiary in London. It has made a beginning in production of popular TV serials for leading TV Channels like ‘Swabhimana’ and ‘Geethanjali’ in ZEE Kannada which air primetime from Monday to Thursday at 915pm and 10 00 pm respectively.

  • B.A.G plans to invest Rs 500 million in radio biz

    B.A.G plans to invest Rs 500 million in radio biz

    MUMBAI: B.A.G Infotainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of B.A.G. Films Ltd, plans to invest over Rs 500 million for its FM radio business spread over 10 towns.

    The investment includes expenses towards infrastructure, equipments and studio facilities. The company will also have to contribute to the common transmission infrastructure. “We have bid successfully at very low costs. This has given us an edge and our outgo towards license fee is just 10 per cent of our project cost,” says B.A.G Intotainment CEO Rajiv Mishra.

    B.A.G is also trying to work out an equity arrangement among a consortium of small and regional radio operators who are in the process of being formed for collectively tapping advertising. “Our feeling is that there should be a common bonding for the consortium that will make it last. This will be best served by an equity arrangement among the partners. We are in talks towards this,” says Mishra.

    The consortium of radio operators for ad sales is in the process of being finalised. B.A.G will lead this combination which will have a national footprint to present before advertisers. Besides pressuring on higher ad rates, the partnership arrangement can help drive down operating costs for these FM broadcasting companies.
    B.A.G expects to rope in 40 radio companies as members of this consortium. The idea is to counter the bigger players like Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Sun TV group and Anil Ambani-controlled Adlabs. “We hope to form the consortium by 15 July. We have already signed up with six companies including Renecka Fincon and Gwalior Farms. We are also in advanced talks with many others,” says Mishra.

    B.A.G has bagged licenses to operate stations in Shimla, Patiala, Karnal, Hissar, Ahmednagar, Jabalpur, Dhule, Jalgaon, Muzzaffarpur and Ranchi. “We expect the second phase of FM stations to be active by December. The marketing efforts should start somewhere in September-October. As for selecting radio companies who would form the consortium, we are careful that in each locality no competing operator is selected. We are selecting geographical blocks,” says Mishra.