ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • IPTV to face tough climate: research firms

    IPTV to face tough climate: research firms

    MUMBAI: This is a piece of news that should put a word of caution on telecom firms like Reliance Infocomm and Bharti who are keen on IPTV. While the telcos are keen on leveraging the new media platform to augment revenues, two research reports indicate that they face severe challenges ahead.

    One report from research firm Gartner says IPTV services will struggle for years against the established pay-TV and free-to-air (FTA) platforms. Subscribers for television services over the internet, which hit 1.7 million last year, is expected to grow at a 58.8 percent aggregate rate until 2010, when the service is expected to attract 16.7 million subscribers.

    But despite this robust growth prediction, Gartner says IPTV will struggle over the next five years to become a mainstream revenue opportunity for carriers.

    The other report from Multimedia Research Group (MRG) states that uncertainties in large carriers in the US and Asia holds the forecasts for these regions down. Europe should be the strongest IPTV market through 2009, with Asia catching up by the end of the forecast period. IP TV set-top boxes will dominate the capital spending for IPTV services and account for two-thirds of spending.

    Europe is surging ahead with a large number of strong IPTV deployments that include France Telecom, Free, Neuf in France, Telefonica in Spain, FastWeb in Italy, and a number of strong competitive offerings in Scandinavia.

    Gartner meanwhile notes that while the short- to medium-term profits from IPTV will be modest at best, carriers cannot afford to delay the deployment of the IPTV platform. Those who delay too long will risk undermining their ability to be long-term key players in the consumer ‘infotainment’ communications business.

    There will be 3.3 million subscribers to IPTV services in Western Europe by the end of this year and 16.7 million within four years, according to the report.

    The UK currently has one of the smallest numbers of IPTV subscribers in Western Europe with only 75,000 subscribers predicted in 2006.

    Although this is set to increase fairly rapidly to reach 1.9 million by 2010 with the introduction of services such as BT Vision Gartner predicts that the UK will remain a weaker prospect for IPTV. This is mainly due to the existing pay TV landscape and dominance of Sky TV.

    In contrast Gartner predicts that by the end of 2006, almost half of Western Europe’s IPTV subscribers will be based in France – a total of 1.7 million generating revenues of €141m.

  • Sri Adhikari Brothers appoint M K Aggarwal as additional director

    Sri Adhikari Brothers appoint M K Aggarwal as additional director

    MUMBAI: Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd has appointed Mahendra Kumar Aggarwal as an additional director of the company with effect from 31 March, 2006.

    Aggarwal is a post graduate in commerce and graduate of law. He has more than 38 years of experience with State Bank of India and will hold the office of independent director in the company.

    The decision was taken at the company’s board meeting, which was held on 31 March.

  • Comcast, Sony Pictures to thrill audiences with new horror network

    Comcast, Sony Pictures to thrill audiences with new horror network

    MUMBAI: Comcast and Sony Pictures Entertainment unveiled plans to premiere a new Horror and Thriller multi-platform network on Halloween, 31 October, 2006.

    Plans for the new advertising-supported network were unveiled by Comcast president emerging networks Diane Robina and Sony Pictures Television president Steve Mosko.
    The network will captivate fear seekers and fans of the horror film genre – one of the fastest-growing genres at the box office. It will debut on video on demand and the internet at launch, and will add a wireless platform in the future. The channel is the first multi-platform network that leverages the combined assets of the Sony and MGM libraries, which make up the largest collection of its kind in the world. Comcast and Sony announced their intent to create new distribution platforms for this content when the companies and other investors purchased the MGM library last year.
    Horror and thriller films have emerged on the mainstream film scene in the last several years with box office numbers skyrocketing. Twenty per cent of the feature films released by major studios in 2005 were in this category, and one in three of those debuted at number one at the box office. The genre, which now features top Hollywood stars and grosses more than $1 billion a year, has a growing fan base in the sought-after 18-34 demographic.

    “Horror fans not only like this genre, they are passionate about it. This is the first channel of its kind devoted solely to serving this expanding audience and a great advertising opportunity to reach this demographic. The number of horror fans is growing exponentially, and they are hungry for this kind of multimedia experience. This is the perfect time and the ideal platform to introduce a dedicated horror experience,” said Robina.

    “We are excited to be launching the first of our joint channels with our partners at Comcast. More and more people are looking to a variety of sources for their entertainment, and this new channel will be available on multiple platforms simultaneously, redefining the idea of what a network is,” said Mosko.

    The network will feature film and TV contemporary thrillers, suspense dramas, horror titles and more on Comcast’s On Demand service on 31 October and will launch its multimedia fan website the same day.

    “The depth of offerings available from the Sony and MGM libraries is unparalleled. We have hundreds of titles at our disposal to satisfy every thrill seeker,” added Robina.

    Horror movie fans will get the online experience they want through a video-rich, multimedia online environment that will become the horror destination for the fan community, and will include: exclusive horror outtakes, music downloads, a scream fest, original animation and behind-the- scenes footage. The network will add a wireless component that will feature horror ringtones, sound effects and other features designed specifically for the mobile experience.

    The companies will announce the new network’s name and additional details about the multimedia content in the coming months.

  • FremantleMedia appoints Wong as licensing manager, Americas

    FremantleMedia appoints Wong as licensing manager, Americas

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas (FLW, Americas) has appointed Nora Wong as licensing manager, Americas.

    In this newly created position, Wong will manage the licensing of key FremantleMedia brands such as American Idol, The Price Is Right and Family Feud for the apparel, health and beauty and publishing categories. She will be based in FremantleMedia’s Santa Monica office and will report directly to FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas vice president licensing David Luner.

    “This has been a very active year for FremantleMedia as many of our properties like American Idol, The Price Is Right and Family Feud continue to gain in popularity and perform beyond our expectations. This success has provided us with a great opportunity to build our licensing division in order to meet consumer demand for products based on our brands. Nora will be an excellent addition to our team. Based on her experience with emerging youth trends, consumer publications, fashion and style trends and interactive home DVD gaming, we could not have chosen a better person to round out the licensing team,” said Luner.

    Wong brings a wealth of related experience into her new role at FremantleMedia. Most recently, Wong served as graphic novel editor for Tokyo Pop. Wong also served as a contributing writer to Magic and Women’s Wear Daily Magic where she covered the women’s contemporary wear, street wear, urban wear and accessories beat.

    Her position just prior to joining FremantleMedia was as Imagination Enterprises director marketing where she oversaw licensed DVD games based on Family Feud, Sponge Bob Squarepants, Pirates of the Caribbean and Name That Tune.

  • Mumbai to host ATP tournament in September

    Mumbai to host ATP tournament in September

    MUMBAI: Following a calendar switch, Mumbai is becoming the second city in India after Chennai to host an ATP tournament. Mumbai replaces the $380,000 Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City, tennis’ governing body said in a statement issued Monday.

    The Mumbai Open will take place between 25 September and 1 October and will be held at the The Cricket Club. Ahead of the event, the CCI will be renovated to include a new 3,500-seat Centre Court plus two match courts and two practice courts.

    Globosport India, promoted by doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi, will be responsible for the marketing, management and promotion of the Mumbai Open.

    The big question of course will be who gets the telecast rights for this event. With Zee Sports making its presence felt and even Sahara getting into the sports broadcast game, expect another bidding war.

    The telecast rights of the $400,000 Chennai Open were awarded to Star Sports by IMG, which owns and organizes the tournament. IMG’s television division, TWI, was responsible for producing the programming for the Chennai Open.

    Till now the Chennai Open was India’s and South Asia’s only ATP event. It was hosted at the Nungambakkam Stadium in Chennai from 2 – 8 January and was telecast on Star Sports in the India sub-continent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan.

  • Tandberg Television unveils on-demand interactive ad system at NCTA ’06

    Tandberg Television unveils on-demand interactive ad system at NCTA ’06

    MUMBAI: Tandberg Television will unveil for the first time an on-demand interactive advertising system at the NCTA National Show 2006. The company’s new dynamic ad placement solution integrates advanced video-on-demand (VOD) capabilities with advanced interactive television functionality.

    It enables operators and programmers to engage subscribers with compelling integrated advertising experiences tightly embedded in broadcast and VOD programming.

    “In an era of ad-skipping and fragmented viewership, our next generation technology will play a critical role for advertisers striving to engage their customers. Tandberg Television’s new solution offers advertisers the ability to blend the emotion of television with the precision and measurability of the internet,” said Tandberg Television Inc senior vice president marketing and business development Braxton Jarratt.

    A recent joint survey released by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research found nearly 70 per cent of advertisers are concerned that VOD and digital video recorders (DVR) are rendering traditional TV ads less effective, and confirmed that advertisers will spend less on TV ads in favour of emerging forms of advertising. The new interactive advertising system from Tandberg Television helps cable deliver more effective forms of advertising that complement the evolving and complicated viewing patterns of today’s consumers.

    With the new ad solutions from Tandberg Television, operators can deliver dynamic ad placements, playlists, interactive advertisements, branded portal and t-commerce capabilities to create rich, immersive subscriber interactions. Since the system is platform agnostic, it can be extended to any delivery device where content is consumed, complete with embedded interactive experiences launched with every subscriber inquiry or response.

    The complete solution from Tandberg Television includes:

    On-demand advertising: Global management system for advanced video advertising technologies, including VOD ad placement, long-form VOD delivery and highly targeted ad systems. The AdPoint solution addresses the diverse needs of advertisers and marketers by providing innovative tools for the production, management and placement of advertising and marketing messages across platforms and methods.

    Interactive advertisements: Two-way interactive television (iTV) communication that actively engages viewers, draws them deeper into the programming and creates a unique relationship between the advertiser, the content and the operator.

    Branded entertainment on-demand: By linking from linear video to on-demand content, advertisers can tie branded content areas directly to advertisements. While viewing an ad, users can click for more information to launch on-demand sessions that provide deeper brand interactions.

    T-commerce: Secure transactions from set-top boxes allow viewers to make purchases while watching television. T-commerce is a powerful product placement and direct marketing solution for advertisers, enabling viewers to request additional information or initiate purchases directly from their television screen.

    Mobile messaging solutions: With its end-to-end mobile messaging system, Tandberg Television supports mobile marketing campaigns, including registration management, content creation and scheduling, reporting and analysis, and delivery to subscribers of all major carriers.

    The interactive advertising system delivered by Tandberg Television is based on open interfaces, enabling cable operators to easily deploy on-demand services using existing, preferred and next-generation backend components — such as video servers, access networks, billing systems and client applications — as well as future iTV applications, including gaming and merchandising.

    By enabling multiple video server vendors and complexes to co-exist in the same installation, Tandberg Television allows operators to direct content to specific servers and load balance resources across vendors

  • Endemol extends Barnicoat & Bazalgette’s contracts until April 2011

    Endemol extends Barnicoat & Bazalgette’s contracts until April 2011

    MUMBAI: Endemol has taken some significant steps in terms of retaining its key talent. The company has announced that the contracts of senior management of operating companies in Italy, the UK, the US, the Netherlands and Germany and of Endemol COO Tom Barnicoat and CCO Peter Bazalgette has been extended until April 2011.

    Furthermore, senior management in Spain and other senior management in Italy have extended their contracts until December 2008, with a renewal option year on year after that and until April 2011.

    Additionally, Endemol has introduced a number of incentive schemes to enhance talent retention, foster creativity and deliver financial commitments. For example, there are variable compensation incentives, which are paid based on business performance (mostly for delivering top and bottom line growth). In addition, there is a range of bonuses for Endemol’s creative talent, depending on the market success of formats created.

    Also, at the time of Endemol’s recent IPO, a Long Term Incentive Plan was issued. For the management boards, senior management and the other Top 100 employees, performance shares and/or option plans were granted based on delivering a certain total shareholder’s return. For the rest of the employees a cash-based incentive plan was issued as well (of which 45 per cent was paid in 2005).

    Furthermore, Endemol also promoted senior vice president finance Jan Peter Kerstens as the company’s new chief financial officer.

  • Disney-ABC to offer hit shows online in May and June

    Disney-ABC to offer hit shows online in May and June

    MUMBAI: Get ‘Desperate’ and ‘Lost’ online! With an aim to expand its network and channel brands across multiple platforms and connecting viewers with their favorite shows anytime and anywhere, Disney-ABC Television Group will be offering ad-supported, full-length episodes of four ABC primetime series online at www.abc.go.com.

    However, this offer will be a part of a two-month-long experiment. Current episodes of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Commander In Chief, as well as the entire present season of Alias, will be available for streaming during May and June, marking the first time a broadcast network has made multiple series available for viewing online, free of charge to consumers.

    “The evolution of ABC.com is just one piece of our comprehensive, digital media multiplatform business initiative. This announcement highlights the momentum we’ve achieved both in launching new broadband services and working with strategic partners in the digital media space, to ensure that our high-quality, informative and entertaining content is available to consumers whenever and wherever they choose,” said Disney Media Networks co-chair and Disney-ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney.

    ABC is also exploring ways to work with its local broadcast affiliates on these online offerings as they continue to evolve. “Our ultimate goal is to find an effective online model, one in which our affiliates can take part. To that end, we’ll be sharing information from this two-month test in our discussions going forward, and working on ways for them to participate in this new method of delivering ABC programming,” added ABC Television Network president operations and administration Alex Wallau.

    “Our mission with this trial is to gather key learning about the technology and the consumers who utilize it in order for ABC.com to become the leading broadband digital entertainment experience, packed with innovative, immersive content for our viewers. In the months ahead, ABC.com will not only deliver a high quality, on-demand viewing experience to users, but will also gain valuable knowledge and research to help us better understand and serve our consumers in the rapidly evolving digital world,” said Disney-ABC Television Group executive vice president digital media Albert Cheng.

    As part of the trial, ABC has offered 10 advertisers the opportunity to test possible in-stream broadband advertising models as well as the ability to take advantage of sponsorships. The unique interactive video ads will take many different forms and will be seen within each episode. The advertisers include AT&T, Cingular, Ford, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever’s Suave, Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures, among others.

    “We have said all along that we are dedicated to finding ways to bring our advertiser partners along with us as we embrace new ways of doing business in the world of digital media. This unique project has allowed us to offer our advertisers the ability to deliver increased effectiveness in their messaging through targeted and engaging interactive ads that offer compelling consumer experiences,” said ABC Television Network president sales and marketing Mike Shaw.

    Combining an all-new sleek, modern design with user-friendly functionality, ABC.com will offer episodes the day after they premiere on the linear channel. Consumers will be able to pause and move back and forth between “chapters” within each episode, but will not have the ability to fast-forward through advertisements. Episodes will be streamed in 16×9 formatting which offers a cinema-like feel to the viewing experience.

    Encoded and streamed in Flash 8, which offers the best video quality and allows users on both Mac and PC platforms to watch the video episode, will be offered in two different sizes. The standard viewing size is 500×282 pixels (streamed at 400kbs), and the larger viewing size is 700×394 pixels (streamed 700 kbps).

  • Disney-ABC to offer hit shows online in May and June

    Disney-ABC to offer hit shows online in May and June

    MUMBAI: With an aim to expand its network and channel brands across multiple platforms and connecting viewers with their favorite shows anytime and anywhere, Disney-ABC Television Group will be offering ad-supported, full-length episodes of four ABC primetime series online at www.abc.go.com.

    However, this offer will be a part of a two-month-long experiment. Current episodes of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Commander In Chief, as well as the entire present season of Alias, will be available for streaming during May and June, marking the first time a broadcast network has made multiple series available for viewing online, free of charge to consumers.

    “The evolution of ABC.com is just one piece of our comprehensive, digital media multiplatform business initiative,” said Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group. “This announcement highlights the momentum we’ve achieved both in launching new broadband services and working with strategic partners in the digital media space, to ensure that our high-quality, informative and entertaining content is available to consumers whenever and wherever they choose.”

    ABC is also exploring ways to work with its local broadcast affiliates on these online offerings as they continue to evolve. “Our ultimate goal is to find an effective online model, one in which our affiliates can take part,” stated Alex Wallau,president, Operations and Administration, ABC Television Network. “To that end, we’ll be sharing information from this two-month test in our discussions going forward, and working on ways for them to participate in this new method of delivering ABC programming.”

    “Our mission with this trial is to gather key learning about the technology and the consumers who utilize it in order for ABC.com to become the leading broadband digital entertainment experience, packed with innovative, immersive content for our viewers,” said Albert Cheng, executive vice president, Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television Group. “In the months ahead, ABC.com will not only deliver a high quality, on-demand viewing experience to users, but will also gain valuable knowledge and research to help us better understand and serve our consumers in the rapidly evolving digital world.”

    As part of the trial, ABC has offered ten advertisers the opportunity to test possible in-stream broadband advertising models as well as the ability to take advantage of sponsorships. The unique interactive video ads will take many different forms and will be seen within each episode. Participating advertisers include AT&T, Cingular, Ford, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever’s Suave, Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures, among others.

    “We have said all along that we are dedicated to finding ways to bring our advertiser partners along with us as we embrace new ways of doing business in the world of digital media,” said Mike Shaw, president, Sales and Marketing, ABC Television Network. “This unique project has allowed us to offer our advertisers the ability to deliver increased effectiveness in their messaging through targeted and engaging interactive ads that offer compelling consumer experiences.”

    Combining an all-new sleek, modern design with user-friendly functionality, ABC.com will offer episodes the day after they premiere on the linear channel. Consumers will be able to pause and move back and forth between “chapters” within each episode, but will not have the ability to fast-forward through advertisements. Episodes will be streamed in 16×9 formatting which offers a cinema-like feel to the viewing experience.

    Encoded and streamed in Flash 8, which offers the best video quality and allows users on both Mac and PC platforms to watch the video episode, will be offered in two different sizes. The standard viewing size is 500×282 pixels (streamed at 400kbs), and the larger viewing size is 700×394 pixels (streamed 700 kbps).

    “Lost” was created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof. Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers. “Lost,” which is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii, is from Touchstone Television.

    Marc Cherry is executive producer and creator and Tom Spezialy is executive producer of “Desperate Housewives,” which is from Touchstone Television.

    “Alias” was created by J.J. Abrams, who executive-produces the series along with Ken Olin, Jeff Pinkner, Jesse Alexander and Jeffrey Bell. The series, which is filmed in Los Angeles and premiered on September 30, 2001, is from Touchstone Television.

    “Commander In Chief” was created by Rod Lurie. Steven Bochco, Dee Johnson, Rod Lurie and Marc Frydman serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Touchstone Television in association with Steven Bochco Productions.

  • Raj TV begins non-live telecast of news bulletins

    Raj TV begins non-live telecast of news bulletins

    MUMBAI: With election fever gripping Tamil Nadu media, the Chennai-headquartered Raj Television Network (RTN) has started telecasting news bulletins on its flagship channel Raj TV as non-live.

    Originally the channel is not permitted to telecast news and live programmes, as it is not uplinked from India.
    “Since the last two weeks, Raj TV has been telecasting one-and-a-half hours of news programming — exactly three half-an-hour news bulletins — as deferred live, apart from airing various election-oriented current affairs programmes” says one of the RTN promoters M Ravindran.

    Raj TV had lost the right to telecast news bulletins and live programmes when the information and broadcasting ministry terminated its teleport licence in November 2004. This was preceded by the ministry stopping broadcast of two new RTN channels Vissa TV and Raj Musix for uplinking without the necessary approval.
    Raj TV, along with another RTN channel Raj Digital Plus, were not allowed to uplink from the company’s own facility at Chennai as well as from any alternate commercial uplinking centre in India.

    RTN had no other choice but to move out of the country and uplink from Bangkok late last year. This arrangement, as already mentioned, prevents RTN from broadcasting live programmes and news. Due to this handicap, Raj TV has already lost out on two big events that were drawing in audiences: the Tsunami of 2004 and the controversy over Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi. Now, it seems, the channel is in no mood let another bonanza — the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections — go.

    “Since Raj TV is the only neutral channel in the politics-heavyTamil broadcast arena, our news and current affairs programmes used to rule the ratings before we lost the licence. We enjoy a good support from the advertisers and have decided to charge the best rates in the market. And, elections are something you can’t afford to skip as a broadcaster,” says Ravindran, adding that the channel has been charging advertisers Rs 9,000 per ten seconds for slots in these bulletins.

    The RTN promoters are confident that Raj TV will be able to telecast live news bulletins at the earliest. Having won an approval from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry in 2005 March to uplink its channels from a commercial teleport in India, RTN is presently waiting for the final green signal for the Wireless Protocol Clearance (WPC) from the telecom ministry, which is headed by Dayanidhi Maran, the elder brother of Sun TV supremo Kalanithi Maran.