ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • MyNetworkTV’s nine new affiliates help expand coverage to 65 per cent in U.S.

    MyNetworkTV’s nine new affiliates help expand coverage to 65 per cent in U.S.

    MUMBAI: Fox Television Stations’ new prime-time network MyNetworkTV announced that it has signed on nine more affiliates, expanding its coverage to 65 percent of the U.S.

    Four of the additional stations are owned by Pappas Telecasting Companies. They include KDMI-DT in Des Moines, Iowa; KKAZ-KPTM-DT in Omaha, Nebraska; KDBC-DT in El Paso, Texas; and KPTH-DT in Sioux City, Iowa.

    The remaining five new affiliates are WZDX in Huntsville-Decatur, Alabama; WFXI in Greenville, North Carolina; KZOU in Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri; KIDZ in Abilene-Sweetwater, Texas; and KGJT in Grand Junction-Montrose, Colorado.

    Pappas Telecasting Companies chairman and CEO Harry J. Pappas said of the deal, “17 years ago, we took a gamble on a fledgling enterprise, the FOX Network. We affiliated the three TV stations we then owned with FOX, despite the fact that many pundits said a fourth network couldn’t possibly succeed. Were they ever wrong! Our relationship with FOX has been mutually-beneficial. Now, we are affiliating four of our TV stations with FOX’s newest enterprise, MyNetworkTV. When you consider Rupert Murdoch’s consistent track record of success, it’s easy to understand why we’re betting on News Corp. again with MyNetworkTV-a bet that Pappas Telecasting expects to pay off handsomely for all involved.”

    MyNetworkTV launches on 5 September with the new scripted primetime drama strips Desire and Secret Obsessions.

  • LMOs And The CAS Conundrum

    LMOs And The CAS Conundrum

    Nothing can get more complex than this. It is not only the pay-TV broadcasters and the government who are wanting to take time out for implementation of conditional access system (CAS). Opposition is coming from within the value chain of the cable TV industry itself with the distributors and the last mile operators (LMOs) expressing concern over CAS.

    “CAS is not good for consumers, distributors and last mile operators. It will lead to too much of confusion in the market. Besides, broadcasters are not providing a la carte rates,” says Cable Operators and Distributors Association (Coda) vice president Ravi Singh.

    Clearly, the mood among the cable operators is not to rush with CAS. They would rather wait to see if direct-to-home (DTH) picks up once Tata Sky launches its service later in the year. Their fear of CAS is grounded in the fact that they will lose control of their subscribers to the multi-system operators (MSOs). And in the transparent system of digital cable, they will have to open up the unreported subscribers to the MSOs.

    Cable operators’ fear of CAS is grounded in the fact that they will lose control of their subscribers to the multi-system operators
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    To counter this “two-way defeat,” the distributors and last mile operators are willing to vote CAS out. So how do they plan to compete with DTH? By dropping prices of analogue cable while throwing the offer open for digital service without CAS.

    Quite a miserable situation to be in if you are a MSO as you will be hurt both ways. In the scenario of a price drop, the MSOs will have to absorb the slippage. And in case of digital cable without CAS, they will have to invest while facing the uphill task of luring subscribers away from analogue. Particularly in a market that has grown a spoilt breed of over 52 million (NRS says its 61 million) cable TV consumers who are used to a large menu of channels on a comparatively low monthly subscription fee.

    The LMOs, in fact, have an open-ended strategy. If DTH starts pocketing cable TV subscribers, the gameplan is up for change. They will bend and cooperate with the MSOs, becoming a part of an organised distribution system with margins well-defined and structured.

    Yes, broadcasters have been dilly-dallying on CAS. But MSOs have not made it any easier for them with such statements as “the true value of pay channels has come to the surface in Chennai where consumers have thrown them out.”
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    But wait. Having enjoyed the spoils of a long grown unorganised industry, the distributors and LMOs do not want to let go so soon. Coda, an association of cable operators and distributors in Mumbai, is even talking of setting up a digital headend in a CAS regime. This is nothing new. In 2003, when the CAS topic was hot, Coda made similar rumblings that threatened but sounded empty. But this time, there is a significant change. There are around 50 distributors in Mumbai and they have invested in fibre. What this means is that they are connected by fibre with each other, except in small patches where work is going on, and have the infrastructure to put up a digital network.

    “We will jointly invest in a headend and run it as partners,” says Coda president Ganesh Naidu.

    Talk is easier than action. Investments on setting up a digital infrastructure is not all; a sizeable chunk of money needs to be set aside for subsidising set-top boxes (STBs). Then there is the issue of professionalising customer care services like a call centre and technical team for maintenance. Besides, negotiations with broadcasters can be a tedious process. And who can forget management issues between as wide a body as the distributors and the LMOs?

    Behind the garb of an entrepreneurial spirit may lie the hidden agenda of bargaining for a “pound of flesh.” The distributors, who feel insecure of their role in a CAS system, want to ensure that their place is protected as a bridge between the MSOs and the LMOs. They, along with the MSOs, have been asking for more, as share in terms of commission from conversions into digital consumers.

    The MSOs can take the blame for not ironing out differences with their distributors and LMOs. Even as the time frame for implementation of CAS is set for delay, there is no effort to fix the margins. The argument on offer: such margins can be settled only after the broadcasters come out with their proposals.

    Yes, broadcasters have been dilly-dallying on CAS. But MSOs have not made it any easier for them with such statements as “the true value of pay channels has come to the surface in Chennai where consumers have thrown them out.” Perhaps, MSOs went overboard thinking that this would win them support from the consumers and, hence, the government as it would imply cheaper cable subscription fees. The sad fate of CAS is that consumers didn’t quite agree with this.

  • Plus is all India ‘star’ in GECs, while Sun shines brightest among regional channels: IRS 2006

    Plus is all India ‘star’ in GECs, while Sun shines brightest among regional channels: IRS 2006

    MUMBAI: While in the regional space, Star Plus has managed to rise up on the charts more than any other Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) in the last five years; the story is no different as far as the Top 10 television channels in the country are concerned.

    Since 2000, Star’s flagship channel has managed to topple DD2/Metro, Sony, Zee TV and Zee Cinema to claim the second position with a viewership share of nine per cent in 2006. DD1 (National Network) has maintained its top position over the years.

    DD1’s viewership in the Top 10 TV channels in the All India market in 2006 is 27.4 per cent as compared to its share of 43.2 per cent in 2000 according to the findings of IRS Round I done by Hansa Research and Media Research Users Council (MRUC). Going by these numbers, DD1 viewership on an all India basis has dropped by almost half in the last five years.

    DD2/Metro, which was second in line in 2000 with a share of 11 per cent has completely gone off the Top 10 television channels list in 2006.

    Sony Entertainment Television, on the other hand, which was the number three channel in 2000 with a viewership share of 9.4 per cent, has fallen to the seventh position in 2006 and currently has a share of 4.6 per cent. Rival channel Zee TV saw an even steeper fall over the years, but all the same has maintained its place in the Top 10 television channels list. From its third position in 2000 with a share of 9.2 per cent, Zee TV lost 5.6 per cent share to other channels and fell straight to the tenth position this year with a share of 3.6 per cent.

    The reason for the drop in Sony and Zee’s channel shares, which were the third and fourth best viewed channels after the national channels in 2000, could be because of the change in the program genre of these channels. Both channels focused more on music shows and game shows to garner viewership, reasons Hansa Research marketing and client servicing India head V Sudarshan.

    Going by the data thrown up, the fact remains that viewers are still hooked to the soaps and serials, which is clearly indicated by Star Plus viewership numbers, predominantly garnered by the ‘K’ serials. However, now both Sony and Zee have a robust line up of dramas like Thodi Khushi Thode Gham, Aisa Desh Hai Mera, Saath Phere and Jabb Love Hua in the primetime. Hence it remains to be seen whether the channels’ popularity soars on the charts riding on these shows. Zee TV’s Saath Phere, for one, has been consistently delivering for the channel in terms of ratings.

    While three channels from the Top 10 All India list have disappeared from the charts in 2006, three other channels have made their entry. DD2/Metro (second position), Star Sports (seventh position) and DD10 Marathi (eighth position), which were on the charts in 2000 seem to have made way for DD News (third position), Aaj Tak (fourth position) and Sun TV (fifth position) in 2006.

    One of the interesting trend that is seen in the current Top 10 and the Top 10 five years back is that in 2000, no news channel made its way to the Top 10 list. Whereas in 2006, DD News and Aaj Tak have been featured.

    “This explains a very big phenomenon, that there are possibilities that these news channels are now eating into the share of the print medium, and it could be that people are now preferring to tune rather than turn, for their news requirement. Viewers are interested in current news, and not yesterday’s news and this also reiterates the fact, why magazine readership has come down so dramatically over the period,” said Sudarshan.

    One channel that has maintained a consistent performance on the charts since 2000 is Zee Cinema. In term of viewership share, the channel has dropped only marginally from 6 per cent in 2000 to 5.3 per cent in 2006 and is now placed in the sixth position as opposed to its fifth position in 2000.

    Among the regional channels, apart from Sun TV, that have made a mark in the Top 10 channels in the All India market in 2006, are ETV (4.4 per cent) and Gemini TV (4.1 per cent) in the eighth and ninth position respectively.

  • Banff TV Festival to honour ‘Crash’ director Paul Haggis

    Banff TV Festival to honour ‘Crash’ director Paul Haggis

    MUMBAI: Recognising an individual who exemplifies achievement and advancement in the Canadian entertainment industry, the Banff World Television Festival has announced that director and writer Paul Haggis will be honoured with the first-ever “NBC Universal Canada Award of Distinction.”

    This award, presented by NBC Universal Canada, will be bestowed during a special luncheon at the Banff World Television Festival on 12 June. Haggis directed Crash which earlier this year had won the best picture Oscar. Haggis also won an Oscar for his screenplay.

    Haggis joins the growing list of esteemed guest speakers confirmed for Banff’s In Conversation With series. In these special one-hour forums, speakers are interviewed one-on-one in front of the Festival audience. The informal conversations draw unique insights from participants and are among the most popular with Banff delegates. Haggis will be at Banff to discuss The Black Donnellys, a show he is currently developing for US broadcaster NBC.

    Haggis says, “Banff is a very prestigious event in the entertainment industry and I am truly honoured to be the first recipient of the NBC Universal Canada Award of Distinction.”

    Haggis also wrote and produced last year’s best picture Oscar winner Million Dollar Baby becoming the only person in Oscar history to write back-to-back best picture Oscar winning films. He also recently completed writing the next James Bond movie Casino Royale and Clint Eastwood’s next film Flags of Our Fathers. In addition, a small screen version of Crash is being developed for FX.

    Banff CEO Robert Montgomery says, “Paul Haggis’ achievements in the industry are remarkable. He is an accomplished filmmaker who is proudly Canadian; he has raised the bar and set industry standards for others to follow. I could not think of anyone else more deserving than him to receive this inaugural award.”

    NBC Universal Studios Canada senior VP says, “NBC Universal Canada is especially proud to support and partner with BANFF to honour Mr. Haggis. He exemplifies excellence in our industry and it is a true honour to bestow our first award to him at the Festival.”

    The Banff World Television Festival takes place from 11 to 14 June in Banff, Alberta.

  • Zee Sports adds special features to enhance cricket viewing experience

    Zee Sports adds special features to enhance cricket viewing experience

    MUMBAI: After quite a wait Zee Sports has finally got some serious cricket. It is currently telecasting the Abu Dhabi series between India and Pakistan. The channel is pulling out all the stops to make sure that the viewer experience is complete.

    Speaking on this, Zee Sports marketing VP Gaurav Seth says, “TWI is doing the production for us. Our aim is to ensure that the viewer gets a complete experience. There have been reports about how too many ads on other channels (read Sahara) are spoiling the cricket experience. We wanted to avoid that at all costs. Therefore, our senior management got together to work out a way by which the breaks were sequenced so that not a single moment on the field is missed.

    “One new technical feature we introduced was the ball meter. This graphic on the top right hand corner of the screen tracks the movement and pace of the ball from the time it leaves the bowlers hand. So, you will see it slowing down and then picking up pace again.”

    Zee Sports also has the usual Hawkeye and other features. As Seth says, “We wanted to put our best foot forward. One way to do this is putting together an expert panel of commentators on our pre and post special Cricket Cafe. We have among others Navjot Siddhu, Ajay Jadeja, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan.”

    The channel is using Kapil Dev in an innovative way through the segment Kapil’s Corner. Here, the former Indian captain who helped India win the World Cup in 1983, talks from different venues like a golf course, swimming pool on how the game has changed over the years and how he views it today.

    The channel has also roped in Bollywood actress Tara Sharma who sends postcards. She visits different parts of the city to give the viewer at home a flavour of what it offers. Face Off is an irreverent, funny section featuring former cricketers Arun Lal and Rameez Raja. While Lal talks about why he thinks Pakistan will win, Raja talks about India’s chances.

    Another segment in the first match saw Band Of Boys singer Verghese who is a VJ for the broadcaster talking to television stars, film actors about how cricket compares to Bollywood and to television serials. The question was whether an India-Pakistan match is bigger than a Saas-bahu serial and a major blockbuster featuring the likes of Amitabh Bachchan. The consensus was that India-Pakistan was bigger.

    The question remains as to whether fatigue will happen since India and Pakistan are playing each other with greater frequency. To this, Seth points out that a fan is always a fan. While there might be some fatigue, an India-Pakistan match will always have good viewership as it generates passion. “The attitude is that it is more painful for India to lose to Pakistan than it is to lose the World Cup final. So you can imagine the level of interest when these two teams meet.”

    In terms of advertising, Seth says that both Pepsi and Coke are on board. “We also roped in Motorola, BSNL, DLF among others. We were initially apprehensive about co-marketing the event with DD. But, the result has been very good and DD brought its experience of marketing cricket for the past several years to the table.

    “In addition to being careful about the number of spots aired we also made sure that our pop ups were non intrusive. Often on other channels ads pop up in such a way that it blocks the view and thus compromise the experience. We had pop ups that came and disappeared quickly. They were also relatively smaller compared to what one can see elsewhere.”

    On the distribution front, Seth concedes that carriage fees have been paid to some operators. “However one objective of cricket is to show the cable fraternity that we are in the game for the long term. We are not just looking to make a quick buck. Our aim is to reach 60 to 70 per cent of cable & satellite homes by the end of the month.

    “We are aware that it is difficult for a sports channel to be present if there is no cricket on account of bandwith shortage. However, our aim for the next 12 months is to achieve a 60 to 70 per cent penetration level, regardless of whether we have cricket or not. I would say that we have already achieved that level of penetration. in the East and North where football is followed.

    “Also, it will not take more than two to three years for tennis and football to act as some sort of a driver for sports channels. I do not think that hockey can be a driver. If you go to any school you will see kids playing football in addition to cricket.

    “The elite play tennis. Indians, I think, have some degree of difficulty relating to hockey. Football, of course, is the most global sport played by 182 countries compared to cricket where only 10 countries participate and hockey which has around 10 participating countries. If the Indian national football team can improve its performance, the sport will go places,” says Seth.

  • Britain’s television exports growing from strength to strength

    Britain’s television exports growing from strength to strength

    MUMBAI: British trade body Pact has put out a report on the state of Britain’s television industry.

    Revenues from the export of British television programs rose 21 per cent in 2005 to £632 million. The business was particularly strong in western Europe.
    The top British shows that found acceptance abroad were the Bafta Awards which aired in India on Star World, and Granada natural history documentaries Chimps – The Dark Side and Wild Sex.

    Other British hits include Midsomer Murders, Wild At Heart – the ITV drama starring Amanda Holden – and the business based reality show The Apprentice. Television sales to the US rose by 10 per cent , while there was an 85 per cent growth in western Europe. Agatha Christie’s Marple also featured in the Top 20.

    There was a 31 per cent increase in exports to Germany following a 14 per cent decrease in 2004, while sales to Spain rose by four per cent. The sale of TV formats rose by a healthy 60 per cent to £42 million last year.

    Straight television sales accounted for the bulk of the revenues, with £275 million, a 25 percent increase. Licensing revenues brought in £159 million, a 20 percent gain. Home video/DVD revenues were up 14 percent to £99 million. However, revenues from co-productions fell by four per cent to £52 million.

  • Nick Intl acquires show from an Irish animation firm

    Nick Intl acquires show from an Irish animation firm

    MUMBAI: Irish animation house Jam Media has licensed its interactive kids’ series Picme to Nickelodeon across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

    The five-year deal will see all 104, five-minute long episodes of the series rolled out to Nickelodeon channels around the world .

    The series launched on RTE in September 2004 and also airs on Nick UK. The animated preschool series allows kids to be star of the cartoon alongside a group of animal friends. JAM Media has developed a broadcast-ready software package that allows broadcasters to superimpose a child’s face onto an animated body and place them into the PICME environment.

  • Former Disney honcho Eisner turns his attention to IPTV

    Former Disney honcho Eisner turns his attention to IPTV

    MUMBAI: Former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner and media conglomerate Time Warner have invested in a startup that aims to build a delivery platform for IPTV.

    Media reports indicate that Eisner’s venture capital group Tornante Company together with Spark Capital and Time Warner will be investing a total of $12.5 billion in the company. How much Eisner is exactly pumping into the venture is another unknown.

    The San Diego based Veoh Networks is building a system for delivering broadcast-quality entertainment and informational content via the Internet, using distribution technology, the firm says will allow for unlimited capacity. Veoh envisions marketing its platform to everyone from independent video producers and hobbyists to large studios.

    In a statement Eisner said, “Cable and satellite fundamentally changed the way television was distributed by creating the capacity for greater choice in programming. Veoh revolutionises television again by leveraging the Internet to expand broadcast capacity to the point that every single user, whether an individual or a media company, can create their own `channel` and every `channel` can be supported by its own business model.

    “In the past, distributing television programming required an enormous broadcast infrastructure. Veoh enables anyone with an Internet connection to distribute and receive programming in the highest quality.”

    Eisner will be a member of the board of directors of Veoh Networks.Under Veoh’s model, TV networks and individuals will be able to programme their own channels on the service. At the moment, it shows programming already in the public domain and content sent by users.

    Veoh founder and CEO Dmitry Shapiro says, “Having Michael involved in the company gives us incredible credibility, experience and knowledge, not to mention the contacts”.

  • Radio Mirchi 95 FM launches in Hyderabad

    Radio Mirchi 95 FM launches in Hyderabad

    MUMBAI: Entertainment Network (India) Limited has launched its Radio Mirchi 95 FM radio station in Hyderabad. The station went on-air at 6 am today, with the voice of Southern superstar Chiranjeevi being the first voice on the station.

    Radio Mirchi 95 FM Hyderabad is the 10th station of ENIL to start operations. Radio Mirchi 105 FM Jaipur and Radio Mirchi 93.3 FM Bangalore went on air on 17 April, making them the first private FM radio stations to go on-air under the Phase II of radio privatization.

    In the Phase II bidding process, over 250 frequencies across 90 cities were successfully auctioned in a process that lasted 5 weeks in January and February 2006. ENIL was successful in winning 25 licenses in addition to the 7 stations it already operates.

    Speaking on the occasion, ENIL MD & CEO A P Parigi said that with these back to back launches, ENIL had managed to demonstrate its project management capabilities. He added that in all three stations detailed market research was carried out to provide inputs to programming – so that the station reflected the tastes and aspirations of each city.

    Under the Phase II rules, radio stations are permitted to commence broadcasting by way of interim transmission facilities in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur.

  • Mike Phillips returns to BBC Worldwide

    Mike Phillips returns to BBC Worldwide

    MUMBAI: Mike Phillips will to return to UK pubcaster BBC’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide in a consultative capacity.

    He will work as an executive producer, theatrical films, on projects such as Earth, the feature film produced in parallel with the series Planet Earth and other factually based theatrical titles that BBC Worldwide plans to develop in the future. Before relinquishing corporate duties, Mike was deputy CEO at BBC Worldwide, responsible for managing the relationships with BBC production departments and with independent producers; for rights acquisition and investment in programmes; for marketing and communications and for exploiting programme formats through the international production business.

    BBC Worldwide director of content and production Wayne Garvie said, “Mike has an incredible passion for films and is also very well connected in the industry. There’s no-one better to work with producer, Alastair Fothergill and our partners in Greenlight Media to ensure that Earth is an outstanding production and to develop other ideas for the international market.”

    Phillips said, “The success of our oceans movie, Deep Blue, alongside other factually based films like Fahrenheit 9/11, Touching The Void and March Of The Penguins has created tremendous international interest in the genre. With Earth we have a uniquely ambitious project, already pre-sold in key territories. In addition, we are developing a number of other strong stories both with BBC producers and with UK independent firms.”