ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • TV18 to pick up 50 per cent stake in JobStreet.com India

    TV18 to pick up 50 per cent stake in JobStreet.com India

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bhal promoted Television Eighteen Group is picking up a 50 per cent stake in JobStreet.com India Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of the Malaysia based listed online recruitment company JobStreet Corporation Berhad.

    As per the memorandum of understanding between the two companies, TV18 will initially infuse $ 2 million in cash and provide on-going media support to the business of the JobStreet.com.

    With this investment into JobStreet.com India, TV18 is making an aggressive entry into the e-recruiting market. The move is in line with the group’s increasing focus on the growing Internet opportunities in India.

    To JobStreet, this partnership meets its objective of combining its e-recruitment solution with a strategic local leader with media assets, which has proven to be a winning formula.

    TV18 CEO Haresh Chawla said, “We expect to strengthen our presence in the consumer Internet space with this acquisition – this is part of our strategy to expand our offering to Indian consumers by exploiting the growing power and reach of the Internet. Over the last five years, TV18 has consistently invested in and built successful Internet franchises in India.

    The group already owns well established online platforms – moneycontrol.com, commoditiescontrol.com, poweryourtrade.com and ibnlive.com.

    The group has also recently seeded yatra.in with Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) – Promod Haque’s venture capital firm, which aims to revolutionise the travel services space in India. With JobStreet.com India, we will bring value to millions of job seekers in India. We are delighted to partner with JobStreet in this exciting venture.”

  • ‘Kappa Mikey’ acquired by Nicktoons Network in the US

    ‘Kappa Mikey’ acquired by Nicktoons Network in the US

    CANNES: Nicktoons Network and MTV Networks International announced plans to secure 26 additional episodes of Animation Collective’s property Kappa Mikey, which became the Networks’ first-ever global acquisition when it was originally commissioned in 2005.

    The announcement was made at MipTV television market in Cannes by Nicktoons Network vice president and general manager Keith Dawkins and Animation Collective CEO and Kappa Mikey’s creator Larry Schwarz.

    The animated comedy series has posted strong ratings on Nicktoons Network in the US since its launch on 25 February and has been gaining momentum across key demos.

    The new deal comprises 26 half hour episodes and will bring the total number of episodes available for the series to 52. MTV Networks International, as per the original deal, secures international distribution rights for third-party broadcast sales for the new episodes.

    Kappa Mikey is the first anime series created and produced entirely in the US and beginning in May 2006, the first season of the series is set to launch across all of Nickelodeon’s international channels, including Nick Asia, Nick UK, Nick Spain, Nick France and Nick Europe.

    “We are so excited to be picking up a second season of Kappa Mikey, which further demonstrates our commitment to bring new, original and distinct content to our audience. Kids have lots of choices and the brands that connect themselves to the freshest ideas win. We believe that Kappa Mikey, the characters, the story and the funny, prove to be the kind of idea that kids fall in love with,” said Nicktoons Network general manager Keith Dawkins.

    “In Nicktoons Network we were fortunate to find the perfect home in which to introduce Kappa Mikey. The Network’s enthusiastic support and love for the property has led to its success. The speed with which they renewed the show, less than a week after its first airing, demonstrates the commitment they have made to building Kappa Mikey as a brand and how supportive they are of independent creator-producers. We feel very lucky to be able to continue to bring to life the world of Kappa Mikey, its characters and its stories,” said Schwarz.

    “Anime is an extremely popular genre around the world and we are delighted that the success of the first season of Kappa Mikey is being extended across 26 new episodes. Broadcasters have tremendous confidence in MTV Networks International’s ability to provide cutting edge, unrivalled hit properties and Kappa Mikey is certainly delivering,” MTV Networks International senior vice president international program sales Debbie Back.

  • Star News to enter Japan via SKY PerfecTV

    Star News to enter Japan via SKY PerfecTV

    NEW DELHI: Star News is all set to storm the Japan market by launching its services there later this month.

    Confirming the development, Star News CEO Uday Shankar told Indiantelevision.com, “The news channel will be available in Japan from this month and would be on a pay platform.”

    According to Shankar, international distribution of the channel is being handled by News Corp, one of the shareholders in MCCS that is the managing company for Star News and its present Bengali sibling Star Ananda.

    News Corp feels that the Hindi news channel would have viewership in Japan, though limited. Star News, one of the most widely distributed Indian news channel, has international footprints in South East Asia, Central Asia,
    Middle East, the UK, the USA and Australia.

    In Japan, Star News is likely to be on SKY PerfecTV, a leading multi-channel digital satellite television platform.

    Meanwhile MCCS, a 74:26 joint venture between Kolkata-based ABP TV and Hong Kong-headquartered Star Group, continues to explore the possibilities of expanding its portfolio base in India.

    Pointing out that talks on launching new products is an “ongoing process” between the two shareholders of the company, Shankar said, “Both ABP and Star are committed to make the requisite investment as and when the needs arise.”

    Asked whether MCCS would make more Indian language forays in 2006, Shankar did not rule out the possibility. “Some projects are being actively discussed and such ventures take time to materialise. But I am also not saying we would not launch any channel (in 2006).”

    A few days ago, Star News completed three years of operation under a new regime after the divorce from its long-standing content partner, NDTV, which has gone ahead since then to launch its own news channels.

    In February this year, Shankar completed two years at MCCS. Prior to this assignment, he was news director of Aaj Tak, the country’s most successful Hindi news channel in terms of market share.

  • FremantleMedia goes global with Jamie Oliver

    FremantleMedia goes global with Jamie Oliver

    CANNES: The distribution arm of global production company FremantleMedia, Fremantle International Distribution (FID), announced at MipTV a raft of international sales for a number of series starring celebrity British chef Jamie Oliver, including Jamie’s School Dinners, Jamie’s Great Italian Escape and Jamie’s Kitchen.

    Jamie’s School Dinners is currently planned to premiere in the US on TLC while Jamie’s Great Italian Escape will make its American debut on theTravel Channel.The launch of Jamie’s Kitchen, also on TLC, will mark the first time the show will air on one of the Discovery Communication Inc.’s cable networks.

    Both Jamie’s Kitchen and Jamie’s School Dinners have received tremendous praise from viewers and critics alike. Jamie’s Kitchen has recieved many awards like Indie Award, C4 Documentary Award (UK), Grierson, Most Entertaining Documentary(UK); Jamie’s School Dinners has won the National Television Award, Most Popular Factual Programme (UK).
    Fremantle International Distribution managing director David Ellender commenting on the raft of international sales said, “Jamie Oliver’s accessibility and culinary creativity have allowed him to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers to create a great demand for his programming around the world. As we introduce Jamie to a wider audience in the United States, Discovery Communications Inc.’s unique array of networks provide the perfect venue for these premieres and make them the ideal partner.”

    Jamie’s Great Italian Escape follows Jamie’s impulsive trip to Italy where he searches for new sources of inspiration in order to reignite his passion for cooking. Driving from town to town in his trusty camper, Jamie’s adventures take him across the country as he learns about street food in Palermo, dines with monks in Farfa and hunts wild boar in the mountains of Le Marche.

    25 territories have to date snapped up Jamie’s latest series, Jamie’sGreat Italian Escape including RaiSat, Italy; TV Norge, Norway; TV Danmark, Denmark; SABC, South Africa; Kanal 5 Sweden; Discovery Asia; Network Ten, Australia; TVB, Hong Kong; TVNZ, New Zealand; RTL2, Germany; Food Network; Canada, WOWOW, Japan; GloboSat, Brazil; VMMA, Belgium; Ren-TV, Russia and CP 2000 and Ceska, Czech Republic.

    In Jamie’s School Dinners, Jamie embarks on a monumental undertaking: take charge of 20,000 school dinners a day in one of London’s most demanding areas. If he succeeds in transforming the way kids eat, Jamie will try to create a blueprint for school meals across the United Kingdom. But will Jamie’s efforts put him at the top of the class or will his quest to create a healthy eating curriculum prove too daunting a task?

    An impressive 33 territories have ordered Jamie’s School Dinners including ORF, Austria; OK-Nova TV, Croatia; Cuisine TV, France; RaiSat, Italy; SIC, Portugal and Kanal 5, Sweden, among others.

    Jamie’s Kitchen chronicles Jamie’s effort to open a brand new restaurant in London’s East End. Not only is this his first restaurant, but Jamie gives himself an additional challenge by selecting 15 unemployed and inexperienced Londoners to train as his chefs. A busy schedule, delays in construction, increasingly troublesome trainees and the birth of his child gradually make the process more difficult for Jamie as he seeks to prove that it’s a passion for food, not academic qualifications, that make a great chef.

    Jamie’s Kitchen has also proved to be a phenomenal globe-trotting series for FID, which has secured sales in over 40 territories, including RTL2 Germany; SBS, Denmark; TV Norge, Norway; Mico, Japan and TVB, Hong Kong.

    Also, FID has also sold Oliver’s Twist to TV Azteca,(Channel 7), in Mexico, which is the 50th market to have bought the series. Fronted by Oliver, Oliver’s Twist blends the culture and style of London street life with interesting people and delectable food. From the markets, to house parties and of course to Jamie’s new kitchen, Jamie cooks up fresh, simple food for good times with family and friends.

  • AL Jazeera International ropes in ABC Richard Gizbert to present ‘Listening Post’

    AL Jazeera International ropes in ABC Richard Gizbert to present ‘Listening Post’

    MUMBAI: The soon to launch 24- hour English news and current affairs channel Al Jazeera International has designed a news show Listening Post. The show will be presented by the former ABC news journalist, Richard Gizbert.

    A weekly insight Listening Post will bring news from around the world into how the news is handled by the world’s media and assess how news reporting changes depending on where it is coming from. It will monitor and examine all forms of media, all over the world. From the biggest network to the most obscure web bloggers Listening Post will report critically on what they cover – and what they don’t. It will examine the big stories and explain how and why coverage of them differs in different parts of the world, informs an official release.

    Listening Post is a fully commissioned jointly owned programme with Moonbeam Films Ltd. As a commissioning house, Al Jazeera International’s programmes will include material gathered from freelancers and independent companies all across the globe through a unique commissioning site: www.ajicommissioning.net

    Gizbert joins Al Jazeera International’s line-up of on-screen talent from ABC News where he worked since 1993. Starting as a correspondent in their London bureau, he has reported abroad on many of the major international stories such as the conflicts in Iraq and the continuing unrest in the Middle East.

    Al Jazeera International programme director Paul Gibbs said, “Listening Post is Al Jazeera International’s eyes and ears on the world’s electronic media. It’s a fantastic addition to our line-up of extensive programmes.”

    Graduated from Algonquin College in Ontario, Gizbert, previously worked as a correspondent-producer for CJOH-TV in Ottawa, where he produced in-depth features for Sunday Edition, the national current affairs programme. Prior to that, Gizbert was CJOH’s parliamentary correspondent for five years, responsible for national political coverage. For his reporting of a bus hostage situation on Parliament Hill, he received the National Award for Breaking News Coverage.

    From 1983 to 1985, he was a correspondent and political editor for CFTO-TV in Toronto, covering federal politics and co-anchoring special events coverage.

  • DIC looks to acquire & co-produce at MipTV

    DIC looks to acquire & co-produce at MipTV

    CANNES: DIC Entertainment is at MipTV with an aim to acquire and/or co-produce programming for its new Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party on CBS, in addition to sealing deals on its library of kids’ properties.

    DIC has a five-year deal to broadcast 30 series on the three-hour CBS kids’ block. It is looking for both animated and live-action properties that can air on the block and can be extended across new media and merchandising platforms.

    DIC Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward said, “MIP and MIPCOM have always served as key markets to initiate major media deals for our business, and we are thrilled to once again utilize them to launch a significant strategy for the Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party programming block. We always welcome the opportunity to work with leading international broadcasters to create quality programs, and we look forward to meeting with producers and distributors to find stellar series to air on the block.”

  • E! signs Asian licensing deals

    E! signs Asian licensing deals

    CANNES: The world’s largest producer and distributor of entertainment news and lifestyle-related programming, E! Networks has secured a range of Asian licensing deals in the first quarter of this year, selling 600 hours of entertainment and lifestyle programming to broadcasters across the region.In India, Zoom Channel took a range of E! titles, including Girls of The Playboy Mansion, Gastineau Girls, and Gone Bad.

    AXN (India) has meanwhile, also licensed E! and Style programming.

    South Korea’s On Style opted for E! News Weekend, 101 Entertainment Countdown Series, Dr. 90210 and Style Star, while CJ Media took Isaac, 50 Most Specials, Gastineau Girls, Girls of The Playboy Mansion, The E! True Hollywood Story, and Gone Bad for O’live Channel.

    CJ Media has also picked up select titles for ZTM and Home CGV. Japan’s Reality TV licensed Gastineau Girls and 101 Most Shocking Moments, while Superchannel acquired Live from the Red Carpet specials, including the 2006 Emmy Awards.

    Shanghai Media Group (China), UBC Inside (Thailand), Lifestyle and Studio 23 (Philippines), Channel 9 (Thailand), Sun Media and Story On Channel (South Korea) have also licensed E! and Style programming.

    E! Networks managing director for Asia Christine Fellowes noted, “The Asian television market is booming and we look forward to unveiling our new slate of entertainment and lifestyle-themed programming at MipTV 2006. E! Networks’ programming continues to have strong international appeal, particularly in the Asia Pacific market, and we’re delighted to deliver our latest offerings including Sexiest, 10 Ways and Instant Beauty Pageant to our partners in Asia.”

  • Fox Reality acquires shows from outside the US

    Fox Reality acquires shows from outside the US

    CANNES: Fox Reality channel has announced a slate of new acquisitions at MipTV, taking on programs from the BBC, Endemol, Sony Pictures Television International and Eyeworks Distribution.

    Fox Reality CEO and GM David Lyle said, “We like to be innovative and introduce some classics and some of the most irreverent and entertaining reality shows from outside the U.S. to domestic audiences for whom these shows are new experiences.”

    From the BBC, the channel has secured five seasons of Castaway, seasons one and two of Driving School and three episodes of The Bronx Crime & Justice. Driving School follows a number of would-be drivers as they prepare to take their driving tests. In Castaway, a number of Britons are stranded on the remote Scottish Island of Taransay in the Hebrides. The Bronx Crime & Justice offers a look into the New York legal system.

    Through Endemol, Fox Reality has secured the rights to the controversial dating show There’s Something About Miriam, and with SPTI, it has taken the broadcast rights to the British (three seasons) and Australian (one season) of Dragon’s Den.
    And from Eyeworks, the channel acquired the ten-episode adventure reality Going Straight.

  • Zone Vision’s Club channel launches in Korea

    Zone Vision’s Club channel launches in Korea

    MUMBAI: Club Channel, owned and operated by Zone Vision Networks Ltd, launched in Korea on 3 April.

    The Club Channel will air 24-hours a day, seven days a week, initially to one million cable subscribers. Series such as the popular Globe Trekker, Saturday Kitchen, Fashion File and the ‘Uncovered’ series, will be among the titles included in the 60 per cent of acquired content for the channel.

    The remaining 40 per cent of content for the channel will be produced locally. One of the MSO’s which Club Channel will launch on is CJ, one of Korea’s leading producers and distributors of entertainment products and services in Korea.

    Zone Vision general manager Asia Pacific Alan Hodges said, “Asia continues to be a key growth area for Zone Vision, and we are delighted that our next channel launch will be in Korea. Club Channel has such an eclectic mix of programming, we are sure that its shows will appeal to the broad spectrum of viewers in Korea.”

    Club Channel Korea managing director of programming and strategy Ki-Myung Kim added, “Club Channel Korea has unlimited potential to fascinate young generations who love clubbing, party, and leading new cultural trends. This channel will build up club maniacs and grow with them to be the best lifestyle channel specializing in Clubbing & Party. Based on this unlimited potential of channel style, we are expecting the number of subscribers to increase considerably over the next 12 months.”

  • Paul Aiello appointed Star Group president

    Paul Aiello appointed Star Group president

    MUMBAI: Star Group has announced the appointment of Paul Aiello as its president. Aiello will report to Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie.

    In this newly created role, Aiello will be responsible for developing strategic and business directions for the company while overseeing corporate functions including business development, strategy and implementation, Star ventures, government affairs and corporate communications, according to an official release.

    Commenting on Aiello’s appointment, Guthrie said, “As Star continues to expand its operations and look towards diversified growth opportunities in Asia, the need for an experienced and gifted executive with Paul’s background became apparent. Together with Steve Askew who oversees our operations across the region, we now have in place a highly formidable team to lead the company into its next phase of robust development.”

    Aiello, 41, joins Star from Morgan Stanley where he worked for more than nine years. He joined the company as VP in 1997 and subsequently advanced his career to executive director, mergers and acquisitions of Asia Pacific; COO of Asia Pacific investment banking and finally, MD and head of telecom, media and technology group, Asia Pacific in 2000.

    He holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.