ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • ABC, Fox up on Upfront, CBS flat, NBC to drop: Merrill Lynch report

    ABC, Fox up on Upfront, CBS flat, NBC to drop: Merrill Lynch report

    MUMBAI: Will it stay flat or will there be another fall? And how much longer will the annual highpoint event for television networks in the US – the broadcast upfront presentations – even matter to executives taking the call on where to put their advertising buck?

    As new digital media options open up, these are issues that TV execs in the US are having to grapple with increasingly in the upfront season but a report just out from investment firm Merrill Lynch does offer a window into what the future could hold. At least in the near to medium term. And contrary to the doomsayers, it is not all gloom for the networks in an age where a new generation of consumers are increasingly getting their entertainment fix outside of the TV screen.

    To quote from the report: “Generally speaking, we believe that traditional broadcasters may be better positioned for this market than credited given their multiple touch points with consumers, experience in content production, already large inventory of much sought after video content and strong relationships with advertisers.”

    The report further said that if advertisers opted to shift their spends to new digital platforms like broadband or mobile, “broadcasters are primed to attract a significant share of that spending with their offerings in the new arenas”.

    On the dollars gained front, the report predicts the major networks should wind up about flat or slightly lower than the $9.1 billion booked in 2005, when upfront spending fell 2 percent from the previous year. Among the networks, ABC again leads its rivals on the continued momentum delivered by its three big hit shows – Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy. Upfront commitments are predicted to increase 7 per cent to $2.23 billion. News Corp’s Fox meanwhile, shows the biggest projected growth of 12 per cent to reach $1.78 billion.

    Though CBS will only be up 1 per cent this year, by virtue of its having the largest ad pie share among the top four US networks means it will rack up $2.63 billion from the upfront.

    NBC continues the slide after seeing its prime-time ratings drop 14 per cent over the last year. Merrill Lynch predicts that NBC will decline 3 per cent this year, to touch $1.84 billion. Some consolation for the ratings challenged former numero uno network is that it has somewhat bottomed out from the disastrous 33 percent free fall it suffered last year.

  • MTV Movie Awards 2006 to exploit various screens

    MTV Movie Awards 2006 to exploit various screens

    MUMBAI: Aiming to tap any screen, MTV Networks launches 2006 MTV Movie Awards through various interactive platforms.

    The network has set up an interactive hub www.movieawards.mtv.com, viewers will be able to access every aspect of the Movies awards.
    In addition, the network will unveil My Movie Awards on MTV Overdrive, creating opportunity to watch and customize the entire movie awards ceremony, plus experience exclusive content not seen during the show.

    There users can re-experience the awards in their own unique, customized way through MTV Overdrive which will have the entire show in bite-size on-demand segments.

    By creating a personalized highlight reel of the show, or simply watch it in its entirety on demand — it’s all up to the fans. Viewers will also be able to access exclusive footage not seen on-air including, revealing backstage diaries from the night’s celebrities, an in-depth look at the hottest red carpet fashions, interviews with the big winners, and much more.

    My Movie Awards will debut immediately following the on-air premiere of the 2006 MTV Movie Awards on 8 June.
    “Watch the show in its entirety, or mix and customize your favorite moments, My Movie Awards is unlimited access for fans to experience the show exactly as they demand it,” said MTV president Christina Norman.

    “It speaks to our mission — give our audience the opportunity to tap into MTV on any screen they want to — and the Movie Awards promises to be another standout MTV multiplatform event.”

    Jessica Alba will be hosting the 2006 MTV Movie Awards in California. Taking the stage to debut new music and deliver eagerly awaited live performances at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards are Christina Aguilera and punk rockers, AFI.

    Kate Beckinsale, Jamie Foxx, Owen Wilson, Justin Timberlake, Matt Dillon, Will Ferrell, T.I., Kate Hudson, Ludacris, Rebecca Romijn, Kate Bosworth, Famke Janssen, John C. Reilly and Brandon Routh are the first to be announced in the growing list of stars presenting at this year’s ceremony, which promises to be more than an award show, but a movie unto itself, informs an official release.

    Up for starring roles at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards are the 40-Year Old Virgin and Wedding Crashers, each receiving five nominations. Also vying for the spotlight are Batman Begins, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hustle & Flow, Sin City and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith with three nominations each.

    MTV will also celebrate the all new categories of Best Hero, Sexiest Performance and the ‘mtvU Student Filmmaker Award’ for the first time ever.

    Tenth Planet Productions will once again join MTV to produce the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Joel Gallen will executive produce the show for the 12th consecutive year, and will also direct the show. Salli Frattini is executive producer for MTV. Rick Austin is Producer and Kathy Flynn will serve as event producer.

    The 2006 MTV Movie Awards will be seen in 171 countries /territories via 50 music programming services, and in 23 languages in more than 479.5 million households, informs the official release.

  • BBC newsreaders overpaid; Jack Straw

    BBC newsreaders overpaid; Jack Straw

    MUMBAI: House of Commons leader Jack Straw said that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) newsreaders are paid too much. He mocked those journalists who ‘prance’ around TV studios. At the same time, Labour MP Chris Mullin alleged that the tabloid virus is beginning to infect BBC television news.

    Straw became the leader of the House of Commons earlier in May. During a debate at the House of Commons, he preferred presenters to actually sit at a desk and read the news.

    As reported by BBC News, BBC newsreaders are overpaid and should not ‘prance around studios’, Commons leader Jack Straw has said.

    The former foreign secretary said he thought that was what newsreaders were paid for – “and too much”.

    A spokesman for BBC News said: “We welcome feedback from all quarters of our audience.”

    Straw was responding to Labour MP Chris Mullin, who complained that BBC newscasters “walk around the studio like a couple of ham actors emoting”.

    Mullin said: “Can we find time to debate the extent to which the tabloid virus is beginning to infect BBC television news? “Have you noticed that newscasters increasingly no longer read news to camera, but they walk around the studio like a couple of ham actors emoting?

    “I think it is called news with attitude.”

    Mullin also said the Six O’Clock News was “cynically edited” to delete the fact that the prime minister had quoted former Conservative leader Michael Howard during prime minister’s question time.

    “Do you agree with me that if the BBC can’t do better than this it is going to have difficulty justifying its licence fee?” he asked. Straw said he would pass his remarks on but editorial decisions were a matter for the BBC, not for MPs.

    “On the issue of accuracy, all journalists, including the BBC, have a responsibility to ensure that quotations are attributed accurately,” he said.

  • Media stocks plunge as Sensex sheds 452 points

    Media stocks plunge as Sensex sheds 452 points

    MUMBAI: Media stocks crashed along with the benchmark Sensex Index which shed 452.80 points to close the day at 10,938. Pulled down by brokers who sold heavily to cover margin requirements and foreign funds to reduce their exposure in the derivatives market, the negative sentiment was also visible in the Nifty Index which ended at 3279, down 109 to previous close.

    The major media scrips which recorded a two figure drop include HTMT, Adlabs, Zee Telefilms, Sun TV Ltd, NDTV, Saregama, TV18, Galaxy Entertainment, Gemini Communications and Navneet Publications.

    HTMT took the deepest plunge, going down by Rs 48.30 to close at Rs Rs.701.75 at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Sun TV also stood weaker, recording a fall of Rs 38.25 to close at Rs.1192.35. Adlabs went down by Rs 26 to close at Rs 271.45 while NDTV ended the week at Rs 220.00, falling by Rs 21.10. Gemini Communications recorded a drop of Rs 22.8 to touch Rs Rs.433.30.

    TV 18 went down by Rs 19 .35 to close at Rs 636.15, while the Zee TV stock dropped by Rs 15 to end the week at Rs 229.60. Navneet Publications recorded a fall of Rs 15, to close the week at Rs 304.30. The Saregama scrip shed Rs 11.35 to touch Rs 250. Galaxy Entertainment went down by Rs 13.55 to end the week at Rs 268.

    Other important media scrips which saw the red at the week’s close included UTV, BAG Films, Mid Day Multimedia, K Sera Sera, Pritish Nandy Communications and ETC Networks.

    Stock analysts feel the Sensex is undergoing an overall valuation adjustment. “The correction in the valuation of media stocks is in line with the stock market crash which fell around 11 per cent in the week. There is no unusual reason to worry about the media stocks,” says ING Vysya fund manager Manish Bhandari.

    So will the fall continue? “The sensex has already lost heavily. It may further dip by about 3 per cent. But a heavy fall like this is definitely ruled out,” says Bhandari.

    The media scrips which bucked the trend are TV Today Ltd and Balaji Telefilms. Both recorded minimal gains of Rs 1.35 and Rs 0.75 respectively. “Balaji’s strong fourth quarter result has protected the scrip’s fall,” adds Bhandari.

  • Star Plus & BR Films announce prime time serial ‘Viraasat’ launch

    Star Plus & BR Films announce prime time serial ‘Viraasat’ launch

    MUMBAI: Star Plus has slotted the BR Films production Viraasat in its 9 pm weekday primetime slot. The serial features Sangita Ghosh and Rohit Roy in the title roles.

    “Our currently running 9 pm soap Miilee had reached its logical conclusion, so it is imperative for us to launch a show which could fit well into the bigness of primetime 9 pm band and be a through and through entertainer, too. With Viraasat that’s exactly what we are getting for the viewers,” says Star India Content EVP Deepak Segal.

    “Our endeavor is to dole out a classic family entertainer as it goes on to set its own mark, one which has no precedence, and thereby expect Viraasat to help us consolidate the channel’s supremacy in the primetime slot after having already done so, successfully in the weekend band” he elaborated further.

    Viraasat, would be a multi-starrer family drama that will have a strong line-up of television’s popular faces including Kiran Kumar, Deepak Quazir, Aman Verma, Amarr Upadhyay, Jayati Bhatia and Pooja Raval Ghai.

    The serial will tell the story of two people Rahul Lamba- played by Rohit Roy & Priyanka Kharbanda – played by Sangita Ghosh, who are madly in love with each other, however are bound by an age old enmity between their warring families, the release adds.

  • Nokia wins GSM expansion deal with Sichuan Unicom in China

    Nokia wins GSM expansion deal with Sichuan Unicom in China

    MUMBAI: Nokia has won a GSM network expansion deal with Sichuan Unicom, a subsidiary of China Unicom.

    Under the agreement, Nokia will deploy its GSM radio and core networks, including the Nokia MSC Server mobile softswitch, in four cities in the Sichuan Province.

    Deliveries have started and the network expansion will be fully operational by August 2006, informs an official release.

    The is Nokia’s first agreement with Sichuan Unicom and is a milestone for Nokia, entering the GSM market in Sichuan and West China.

    The deal also highlights Nokia’s position in mobile softswitch systems deployment in the China area. The Nokia MSC Server mobile softswitch is a circuit core network architecture fully compatible with GSM/Edge and WCDMA 3G.

    “We are extremely delighted with our progress in the GSM business and deepening cooperation with mobile operators in China. The mobile market and the number of subscribers in China are growing fast and steadily. With our global experience and strong end-to-end localization commitment, we support mobile operators in bringing state-of-the-art mobile services to their customers,” said China Area Networks Nokia vice president Yuan Wei.

  • China plans nationwide launch of digital cable

    China plans nationwide launch of digital cable

    MUMBAI: China is planning to launch digital cable television across the country this year. The country had tested the switch from analogue to digital through a three-year pilot programme and the positive result has inspired the government to go ahead with the expansion plan.

    The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television administration vice director Zhang Gaitao said at a national conference on cable TV that the right time had come for China to popularize digital cable TV, as the country now has the technology and hardware following the three-year trial program.

    Reportedly, the pilot program has been testing the switch from analog cable television to digital cable television in 49 areas since 2003. The digital switch has already taken place in the cities of Qingdao, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Mianyang and now the process has moved to municipalities including Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong and Guangxi.

    China has more than 120 pay television channels licensed by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, with over one million digital cable TV users.

  • ABC online shows record 3mn viewers

    ABC online shows record 3mn viewers

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Co. Networks, ABC today claimed that over three million viewers have watched their online television shows, launched in May 2006. As part of a two month internet trial, the company offered full episode streaming of four of its most popular shows Desperate Housewives, Lost, Alias and Commander in Chief.

    Reuters reports that the numbers provide an early sign of demand for television content on the Web and challenge the “ad-free”, but paid content available via Apple’s iTunes.

    “The evolution of ABC.com is just one piece of our comprehensive, digital media multi-platform business initiative,” said Disney Media Networks co-chair and Disney-ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney.

    These episodes are available online the day after they are broadcast on TV and only the last aired episode is currently available for streaming. Each online episode includes a 10-second sponsorship message from a single advertiser, followed by three commercials that air during breaks in the program.

    This allows users to rewind, fast-forward and pause shows, however, they can not skip advertisements, which automatically play at certain segments. The same shows are also available to download through iTunes for $1.99 an episode without commercials.

  • RVBS launches online Fifa game for Philips

    RVBS launches online Fifa game for Philips

    MUMBAI: Rolland Virtual Business Systems Ltd. (RVBS) has launched an interactive game on the internet for Philips, the official sponsor of the Fifa Club World Championship.

    This promotional game provides online players with the opportunity to win prizes by testing their virtual soccer skills.

    The RVBS’s logo is displayed on the game website. There is also a link from the game to the RVBS website, providing RVBS the opportunity to make its technology better known worldwide.

    The game’s URL is http://www.thegamefoot.com.

  • Subhash Chandra meets US senators on Capitol Hill

    Subhash Chandra meets US senators on Capitol Hill

    MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra has said that, the passing of the US-India civil nuclear deal is pivotal to sustain India’s burgeoning economy and its special energy needs.

    Addressing lawmakers from both houses of the US Congress at a reception held on the Capitol Hill, Chandra made a “compelling” case as to why the nuclear deal was important in the larger economic interests of both the countries and to furthering bilateral relations.

    The reception, hosted by New York hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, was held on 17 May. The guest list included Hillary Clinton and Atlanta hotelier Mike Patel.

    According to an official release from Zee, Chandra pointed out that if India continues to consume traditional energy resources at current pace, it could soon adversely impact international oil and energy prices and cripple the economies of many developing countries. Such a scenario could hit the US economy as well global economic growth and result in the US having to spend an additional $500 billion annually in sustaining higher energy costs. The US-India civil nuclear deal, he said, would also spawn many business opportunities in India for several US energy companies.

    While the presence of large numbers of senators and representatives reaffirmed wide bi-partisan support for the civil nuclear deal in both houses of the Congress, the lobbying efforts are far from over. Some lawmakers said they were watching the developments closely and hoped whatever reservations they had about the deal would be dealt with positively during such interactions with business leaders from both countries and their colleagues on the Capitol, adds the release.

    The lawmakers made their points in support of the deal and largely acknowledged that the civil nuclear deal will help both India and the US prosper, sustaining the global economy its growth. They called on their colleagues, many of whom have traveled to India on several occasions before and after President Bush’s historic India visit, to support the nuclear cooperation agreement.

    Among the notable senators at the reception were: John Kerry, Joe Biden, Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton, John Cornyn and Lamar Alexander. The House of Representatives was represented, among others, by Joseph Crowley, Joe Wilson, Roy Blunt Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and many more.