ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • Telugu stars, Matrix Labs promoter to take 60% stake in Maa TV

    Telugu stars, Matrix Labs promoter to take 60% stake in Maa TV

    MUMBAI: The Telugu television market is poised to become the new hot spot with superstars Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi acquiring stake in Maa TV Network Ltd, the company which owns and operates a Telugu general entertainment channel.

    Along with Matrix Laboratories Ltd (a listed company), promoter N Prasad, Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi will hold 60 per cent of Maa TV in a purchase deal worth Rs 400 million, a source close to the deal tells Indiantelevision.com. A formal announcement will be made soon.

    “In the revised capital structure of Maa TV, the three of them will have equal stake. The company will have a fresh infusion of Rs 500 million with the original promoter putting in Rs 100 million,” the source says.

    Maa TV founder-promoter Murali Krishna Raju’s holding will come down to 20 per cent after the restructuring. Raju, along with his associates, held around 80 per cent stake in the company. His individual holding was 50 per cent, the source adds.

    The fresh capital will be used to revamp the channel and fund other expansion programmes. “The whole business plan is being reworked. The company is finalising its strategies,” the source says.

    The restructuring will involve hiring of professionals including a chief executive. While Nagajuna and Chiranjeevi will also provide their creative inputs, Prasad has come in as a financial investor. “This will mark Prasad’s first investment into media,” the source says.

    Maa TV has been in search of funds for a long time and was earlier in talks with Star India and Sun TV. The entertainment channel was banking on movies, events and interactive mobile-based shows to drive in numbers but late last year introduced soaps in its programming lineup.

    Star India is planning to launch a Telugu channel in January, a market which is dominated by Sun Group’s Gemini TV and ETV Telugu. Zee made its entry in the South market with its Telugu entertainment channel in May 2005.

  • Eric Freeman named Walt Disney Internet Group vice president technology

    Eric Freeman named Walt Disney Internet Group vice president technology

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) has appointed Eric Freeman as vice president, technology, with responsibility for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online.

    Freeman will lead the charge in driving technology development of the web properties and new media activities for The Walt Disney company’s theme parks and resort hotel properties, including information websites, e-commerce and online attractions.

    Freeman returns to the Walt Disney Internet Group after a two-year stint with O’Reilly Media Inc., where he co-directed and co-authored the publishing firm’s “Head First” series of technical reference books, including the award-winning Head First Design Patterns and the bestselling Head First HTML.

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Eric back to our team. There are few people with his level of credentials in theoretical and practical technology, and his forward-thinking abilities will be a valuable asset in helping us stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly growing and changing category,” said Walt Disney Internet Group executive vice president and chief technology officer Douglas Parish.

    Freeman originally joined the Walt Disney Internet Group in 2000, where he initially acted as a director in the company’s portal division. He later served as director of engineering, driving development in the areas of broadband, wireless, media content distribution, wireless technology and content syndication. This includes co-inventing WDIG Motion, a proprietary, patent-pending Internet technology allowing broadband users to view high-quality video, embedded in standard Web pages, without impacting narrowband users’ experiences.

  • Keeping identity a challenge for PSBs

    Keeping identity a challenge for PSBs

    MUMBAI: Maintaining competitiveness and universality will be the key issue for public service broadcasters as terrestrial broadcasting loses its audience share and media influence to emerging media.

    This was the message that Min Eun-Kyung, executive director of international relations for KBS-Korea, had for delegates to the annual Public Broadcasting International which opened in Maputo, Mozambique, on Thursday.

    “Amidst the countless number of channels, platforms and content, keeping the identity of public service broadcasting will become increasingly challenging,” Min has been quoted as saying in a report put out on the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) website.

    “The digital revolution will create room for critical voices about the function and role of public service broadcasting,” Min added.

    Min said that public service broadcasting was an essential societal institution in the service of cultural diversity and media pluralism. “We must make every possible effort to remind our viewers of the value of public service broadcasting and every possible effort to keep our function and identity in the future,” she explained.

    Finance is another key issue for public service broadcasters, according to Min. She said that having a stable financial structure is necessary to make progress in the multimedia environment, remain competitive, and to gain independence from political and commercial influences.

    “More importantly, a stable financial system is the only way to fulfill public service broadcasting missions in a highly competitive digital media environment,” she added.

    “Expanding services to multiple platforms is a high-cost business and without a desirable financing model, newly launched media services would have to charge a fee.”

  • HBO joins the English movie channel bandwagon

    HBO joins the English movie channel bandwagon

    Home Box Office (HBO) is all set to launch on 22 March, 2000. The channel which boasts to be the first one on cable television when it started in 1972 claims to be the leader in a lot of areas not only in programming but also technical, promises the viewer a variety of entertainment right from blockbuster hollywood movies to a wide array of entertainment including various shows mini-series and concerts. The channel will follow the self-censorship mode and won’t feature “after dark” films.

    On gathering eyeballs, Anshuman Misra, Managing Director, Turner International India, says “Content and programming will drive the viewers from our competing channels”.

    HBO which reaches over 47 million viewers in 45 countries is confident of creating a bang in India. The channel targets the urban and the semi-urban viewers which amounts to 15 million subscribers though the management is uncertain about the time frame to reach such a vast amount of viewers. The initial target is: five million homes in the next six to seven months. The encrypted channel beaming off PanAmSat-4, will remain advertisement free for around six months and thus is not perturbed about the TRPs its programming generates.

    The average per subscriber rate is Rs 6.00 but that will differ from one cable operator to another. The Sceintific Atlanta PowerVu decoders are being place with cable operators on payment of a deposit of Rs 10,000.

    HBO which lacks distribution network will face a tough task of reaching the desired penetration. A distribution team of 20, along with independent distributors, is working on taking the channel further into urban homes.

    Misra expects HBO to contribute two-thirds of Turner’s subscription revenues when in full steam. It might well get that, but the channel will have a tough battle on its hands what with Star Movies all the rage and Zee Movies being launched yesterday as a free service. The additional advantage that Zee TV has is that it owns the cable TV netowrk Siticable. The third major rival is the local cable channel – airing pirated English movies – operated by the cable operator for his subscribers.

    Misra is not worried however. “Our content will rule,” says Misra.

  • Another webcasting company knocks WWW doors

    Another webcasting company knocks WWW doors

    Mumbai based broadband company Skynet Web TV Ltd is set to tap the Indian bourses with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of the size of Rs 21 billion. Each equity share of the face value of Rs 10 would be priced at a premium of Rs 30 each. Aryaman Financial will be the lead manager for the issue.

    The company headquartered in Mulund, the central suburb of Mumbai plans to offer broadband services through its entertainment portal on the Net and software services. The entertainment portal will be designed to supply rich media content (streaming technology) to netizens utilising both narrow and broadband connections. The site contains free and paid services. The free services consist of chat, e-mail, finance, classifieds, shopping & travel and paid service will consist webcasting movies and television serials.

    The company targets the NRI community interested in viewing Indian movies and those who do not have access to cinema houses or other sources to see latest Hindi or other regional Indian language movies. The company will acquire rights for Hindi movies and television serials for webcasting. The streaming content can be viewed through 28.8 kbps and 56.6 kbps dial-up connections, DSL connections and Internet-over-cable TV.

    The revenue model of the company comprises of a mix of ad revenues and subscription fees. The company will use the reputed international payment gateway Cyber Cash for clearing online transactions through credit cards. The company plans to charge an average US $ 5.00 per movie.

    The Net is being slowly flooded with webcasting portals. How many of them will survive? Where will all the content come from? Skynet Web TV Ltd might face a similar problem of acquiring quality content. But the company seems to be determined to make it big.

  • Ronald D’Mello appointed COO of UTV; Zarina Mehta is COO Hungama TV

    Mumbai: UTV Software Communications, India’s leading and most respected integrated media and entertainment companies announced that Mr. Ronald D’Mello, Director – Operations & Finance, will now take on the responsibilities of Chief Operating Officer of UTV Software Communications Ltd.

    In his new role, Mr. D’Mello will be fully responsible for the day to day operational management of the Company, including running of each of the profit centres as also all aspects of implementation, Finance, HR, Legal, cost management and business servicing. Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, CEO of UTV, will now focus on providing strategic direction in the areas of content development, revenue generation and new opportunities through organic and inorganic growth across all lines of businesses. Mr. Screwvala and Mr. D’Mello will work jointly on corporate strategic initiatives, investor management and business development.

    A professional Chartered Accountant, Mr. D’Mello has more than 15 years of post qualification experience in the manufacturing, hospitality and media industry and enjoys the distinction of being one of the longest serving finance professionals in the media industry. Associated with the industry since 1991, he has played a key role in its evolution and been an active participant in industry initiatives at various levels including State and Central Government. Mr. D’Mello joined UTV in 1992 and has played a crucial role in the Company’s evolution.

    In another development, Ms. Zarina Mehta, Founder Director of UTV and Head of Programming, Hungama TV, will now take on the responsibilities of Chief Operating Officer, Hungama TV. In her new role, Ms. Mehta will oversee all aspects of Channel operations and management.

    A graduate in Economics (Honours) from the Mumbai University, Ms. Mehta is one of the three founding members of the company. Over the last 15 years, she has been responsible for the start-up and creation of some of UTV’s major divisions and has produced over 3500 hours of high TRP, award-winning television programming in multiple languages. A multi-award-winning director of corporate documentaries with a passion for children’s television, her initial training was as a theatre actor, where she performed in several leading productions.

    Commenting on these developments, Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, CEO of UTV, says, “UTV is one of the largest fully integrated media companies in the region, and it is our relentless endeavour to ensure constant focus on our key business areas, with an eye to future opportunities. These new responsibilities for Ronald and Zarina will ensure that our current businesses continue to have a single-minded focus, while I can drive creative development, revenue maximization and new business opportunities.”

    About UTV:-
    Incorporated in 1990, UTV has today emerged as one of India’s leading and most respected integrated media and entertainment companies. From a Television Production house, it has grown into an integrated media house with interests in Television Content and Air-time Sales, Movie Production and Distribution, and Broadcasting through their group company United Home Entertainment, which recently launched Hungama TV. In fact, in the last 15 years UTV has established its presence across Asia for its creativity and professional approach to the business. Website: www.utvnet.com

    For further information please contact:-
    Purnima Subbiah / Pooja Nikam
    Good Relations (India) Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai
    Tel No: 022-23535971 / 77
    Mob: 9833100866
    Fax: (022) 3535980
    Email: purnimas@gri.co.in

  • Al Jazeera hosts international television production festival from 27 March

    Al Jazeera hosts international television production festival from 27 March

    MUMBAI: The second Al Jazeera International Television Production Festival, under the patronage of the chairman of the board of directors, Aljazeera Network H E Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, is to be held from 27 to 30 March at the Doha Sheraton.

    The festival’s aims is to promote better cooperation and understanding among people and cultures, by offering a platform for cross-cultural communication and interaction, as well as bringing the work of independent film makers to the forefront.

    In a press conference Al Jazeera channel’s public relations and media department director Jassim Ibrahim Fakhroo, managing director’s administrative assistant Mohamed B al-Sada, and Al Jazeera Production Centre’s director Abbas Arnaout outlined the networks plans for the festival.

    The competition will cover four categories: Documentaries that portray facts through the use of video tape or cinema technology; Current Affairs including investigative programmes that tackle political or social issues with analysis of their various aspects; and features that convey a clear picture of an event. There is also an opportunity to promote a channel or a programme through promotion category.

    As many as 94 films from various countries will be screened at the festival “This includes 34 films in the competition section, and Chinese, Iranian, French, and Latin American films,” officials told a press conference.

    The competition films are from satellite channels, television stations, production institutions and independent filmmakers. Gold, silver and bronze awards will be provided to the following categories: 3 for non-Arabic documentary films; 3 for non-Arabic investigative reports; 3 for non-Arabic features, 3 for Arabic documentary films; 3 for Arabic investigative reports; 3 for Arabic features and 3 for promotions.

    “A salient feature of the festival is that entry is free to all screenings,” the officials explained. The competition films are being shown in Sheraton’s Majlis hall from 28 to 30 April, whereas others would be screened in Salwa 1, 2 and 3 halls, starting from 10 am and going on up to 10.15 pm.

    Last year’s golden award winning films are to be shown on 28 March. They are ‘Road to a Lesser Sunset,’ ‘El-Tantora,’ and ‘Living Among Us,’ all in Arabic with subtitles in English. There will also be a book fair in which Arabic and non-Arabic books, and documentaries on CDs will be available to the public.

  • Hong Kong Music Fair kicks off

    Hong Kong Music Fair kicks off

    HONG KONG: Another initative has been included for the Hong Kong Festival by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Seeking to provide an ideal business platform for music industry players to network, promote and explore business opportunities, a separate fair has been instituted by the HKTDC, together with IFPI Hong Kong Group, to cater to the earlier ignored sector of the entertainment industry.

    Running concurrently with the tenth anniversary of the Hong Kong Filmart, the the Hong Kong Music fair was inaugurated here at the Hong Kong Convention Centre yesterday .

    Recoginising the importance of the music industry, which is a major component of the entertainment business, The Hong Music fair saw a huge turnout from the music Industry.

    The pace was set by an endearing song sung by Alan Tham followed by speeches by various dignitaries including Dr Patrick CP Ho, the island’s secretary of home affairs.

    Over 65 exhibitors, including record companies, music publishers, mobile phone makers and service providers, portable music device manufacturers and vendors, internet music service providers, technology support companies, artist management and concert promoters industry associations as well as systems providers and Karoke operators.

    Though quite well attended at the launch by media and visitors, the fair saw a poor response on the second day.

  • Decision on CAS appeal after stakeholders meeting 27 March: Arora

    Decision on CAS appeal after stakeholders meeting 27 March: Arora

    MUMBAI: The uncertainty over the implementation of conditional access system (CAS) is not over yet. The government will take a call on whether it should move the Supreme Court only after a meeting with the broadcasters, multi system operators (MSOs), cable TV operators and consumers on 27 March.

    “We have invited all the stakeholders for a meeting on 27 March. We will take into consideration their views before deciding whether we should approach the court,” I&B secretary S K Arora told Indiantelevision.com.

    Early this month, the Delhi High Court had ordered the government to enforce the rollout of addressability in cable pay television (conditional access system or CAS) in India within four weeks. After reserving the judgement for several months, the court had delivered the verdict on a writ petition filed by a bunch of MSOs.

    On being queried whether one month was too short a time to implement CAS, Arora said the government’s argument in the court was that three months would be needed.

    Was the old notification on CAS good enough? “We will discuss all this in the meeting. Only then can we take a stance on whether modifications are necessary,” Arora said.

    The scheme as it was structured in 2003 ran into rough weather with some of the stakeholders opposing it, Arora added. “We need to resolve these issues. Consumers were opposing it because they felt they were forced to buy the set-top box (STB). Broadcasters came out with a pricing that wasn’t serious in intent.”

    Arora also pointed out that the government was yet to receive the Delhi High court judgment. “We believe the implementation of CAS would come into effect one month from the date of receiving the certified judgment,” he said.

  • BBC outlines online strategy

    BBC outlines online strategy

    MUMBAI: Speaking at the MIX06 conference in Las Vegas, the director of the BBC’s new media and technology division Ashley Highfield, outlined the public broadcaster’s online strategy.

    At the Microsoft-organized event for web developers, designers and business professionals, Highfield stressed that the BBC has to be technologically innovative, and key to that strategy is working with partners like Microsoft.

    Highfield said, “We have a duty of universality. So it’s vital that we innovate through a number of strategic partnerships with technology companies and distributors such as Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Homechoice, NTL and Telewest. Both the BBC and Microsoft are ultimately looking for ways to empower our audiences; to put them in control, and in this we have an alignment of strategic objectives.”

    He added, “The challenge is to create an end-to-end infrastructure for all our programming, to deliver content to all our audiences in the most cost-effective, simple and flexible way possible. The last ten yards of railway track-seamless delivery from the PC to the TV-is still to be built within the home.”

    Highfield also used the keynote to showcase BBC’s iMP (Integrated Media Player), which just completed a five-month trial. The technology allows users to download programs onto their PCs and is “aimed at putting our audience in the driving seat,” he said.