ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • MTNL selects Time Broadband for IPTV

    MTNL selects Time Broadband for IPTV

    MUMBAI: State-owned telecom major MTNL has selected Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd, India (TBSPL) to develop and handle the content delivery network for its IPTV services.

    TBSPL has signed a seven-year deal which will have IT major HP as its systems integrator. The company will design and deploy the content delivery network, aggregate and repurpose content, and market and promote the services

    “We have signed with Time Broadband as our franchisee for setting up the content delivery network. The first launch of IPTV will be in Delhi and Mumbai will follow. We expect to launch the service commercially by June,” says MTNL executive director, Mumbai, MS Rana.

    Time Broadband will have Israel-based Infogate Online as its middleware vendor while Verimatrix Inc. will provide content protection solutions. The digital headend will be from Optibase. Amino and Softier Inc. set-top boxes are being tested.

    “We are extremely glad to participate with a telecom giant for the IPTV project. While MTNL is investing on the networking technology, we are pumping in money for the content delivery network. HP is our systems integrator and will also be responsible for risk mitigation of the technology. The scalability test is being done in their laboratory at Grenoble in the US,” says Time Broadband managing director Sujata Dev.

    MTNL has invested in deploying a networking platform developed by Ericsson. On this network, MTNL can run its triple play services – voice, data and video.

    The telecom company is employing ADSL 2+ technology that can safely take up to 24 mbps at the origination point, says MTNL general manager broadband Peeyush Agrawal. “For the video part, we are using MPEG-4 compression technology,” he adds.

  • SifyMax launches city-centric broadband portal

    SifyMax launches city-centric broadband portal

    BANGALORE: www.sifymax.in, the broadband portal from Sify Limited, has launched www.bangalorelive.in, the country’s first city-centric broadband website.

    Bangalorelive.in will showcase original Bangalore-centric video content, created exclusively for an online audience. The videos will focus on city news and events, entertainment, celebrities, lifestyle, commerce and politics, anchored by Net Jockeys (NJs), a new concept introduced by Bangalorelive in India. The Net Jockeys will also present daily news bulletins on video, covering the latest happenings in the city extensively.

    The broadband website also features, for the first time in India, live video feeds from traffic web-cams stationed at key junctions of the city including Brigade Road and Hosur Road, states an official release.

    A key aspect of Bangalorelive is the options for users to publish their views, participate in Bangalore-specific discussions and upload their own content in images and videos, the release adds. They can also message greetings through Short Message Service (SMS) to their friends who are using the site that will scroll across the home page on a ticker. The idea is to make Bangalorelive the online resource and home for Bangalore’s citizens, and the perfect way for Banglorian living elsewhere to stay in touch with what’s happening in their home city.

    Nikhil Chinapa, the popular MTV VJ from Bangalore, now based in Mumbai, says, “Considering that people from Bangalore have a really strong emotional bond to what they consider ‘their’ city, a site like Bangalorelive.in is a great way for them to stay in touch with all that’s happening in the city. No matter where they are now, Bombay, Delhi, Canada or the US, every Bangalorean can keep up to date on what’s happening in Bangalore-the clubs, the music, the buzz, news, hot topics, and in recent times, the latest traffic as well.”

    Sify Limited senior VP Surya Mantha says, “This is one of the most exciting web initiatives in recent times, and we believe that the people of Bangalore will embrace it and truly make it come alive! The site is India’s first city-centric broadband website designed to be the Bangalore citizens community media channel for airing their views, discussing hot local topics and building their own personal space online”.

    Mantha added, “With 24×7 live video coverage of the city’s traffic, news & events, reviews, news from around town presented by India’s first Net Jockeys, television-style newscasts and most importantly, video and image galleries for users, Bangalorelive is all set to change the online experience of people from Bangalore, whether they are in the city or elsewhere. The website also features Bangalore-specific classified advertisements for jobs, matrimony, real estate and automobiles which can be posted and viewed by the users free of cost”.

    Bangalore residents who log on to www.bangalorelive.in can take part in the four-week long contest, which ends on March 18th 2006, offering the all-new Scorpio as the mega prize! Users just have to watch three videos, and answer one question on each, to be eligible to win the Scorpio. Contestants also win iPods and World Space Receivers every week!

    The launch of Bangalorelive began with a four week-long event across the city billed the “Battle of the DJs”. Three of Bangalore’s best DJs are competing for the ‘Favourite DJ’ title. Bangaloreans can vote for their choice by sending an SMS to 4545, Sify’s short code for text messages. The DJ with the most popular votes wins! The grand finale starts at 7 pm on 18 March at Freeway 19, Palace Grounds.

  • Star Movies presents Ladder 49

    Mumbai, March 16, 2006… Fire! It’s man’s most ancient friend, but also our most ancient foe. Sure, it might toast our marshmallows and keep us snuggly in the wintertime – but when it starts ravaging our homes the truce is well and truly off. And that’s when we need firefighters! It’s time for adrenaline, overflowing action as Star Movies presents the John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix starrer, ‘Ladder 49’, a gripping film about the life of a fireman, on Friday, March 24th at 9 p.m.

    Ladder 49 is the story of a firefighter- the loves, the losses and of course the roaring flames! Under the watchful eye of his mentor Captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta), probationary firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he’s made have put him in harm’s way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he gets trapped inside a 20-story building. As he reflects on his life, now Assistant Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him.

    This action packed, star-studded film bagged $100,572,044 at the worldwide box office. Catch some spectacular special effects and stunt work and some very impressive performances by actors like Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta in this gripping film which will keep you glued to your seat, right till the very end.
    Experience the life of a firefighter by watching this spectacular action-packed film, Ladder 49 on Friday, March 24th at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.

    About Star
    STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 50 television services in nine languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world’s largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com

    For further information please contact:
    In Mumbai
    Zeenat Khan Shiraz Bhavnani / Aditi Chada
    Asst. Vice President – Publicity Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
    STAR (India) Ltd. Tel: 91-22-5656 8787
    Tel No. 91-22-56305555 Fax: 91-22-5656 8788
    Email:sbhavnani@vccpl.com / achada@vccpl.com

  • Journalist to start news portal

    Journalist to start news portal

    Another print medium journalist bites the dot com bullet. Managing editor of Outlook newsmagazine, Tarun Tejpal, has quit to start tehelka.com, claimed to be India’s first independent news portal.

    Tehelka Communications Ltd, the company that will manage the affairs of tehelka.com, will have majority shareholding by the Tejpals (52.5 per cent), while 25 per cent will be held by adman Suhel Seth.

    “It’s an ambitious project and we are looking at a really comprehensive horizontal portal which will not only provide news, but also information on issues like literature, etc.,” Tehelka Communications’ chief executive Tarun Tejpal said, claiming it will be India’s first independent news portal.

    The board of this new dotcom company will include illustrious personalities like Khushwant Singh, R.K. Laxman, V.S. Naipaul and Russi Mody.

    In the initial phase the investment to be made in tehelka.com project is to the tune of approximately $ 2 million. The project, likely to be up by mid-May, is looking at attracting investments up to $ 10 million by second quarter of this year. According to Suhel Seth, involved in this venture in his personal capacity, tehelka.com will cater to both the high and low brow as it will have the zing necessary to attract hits. Though Seth was unwilling to divulge more financial details, IT industry sources said that venture capital funding will be tapped too. “In the initial phase about 10 per cent is likely to be offloaded to the venture capital fund which invests in the company,” a source close to Tehelka Communications said, adding, “Talks are already on with a Mumbai-based VCF.”

    A certain quantum of the equity stake in the company has been reserved for the employees stock option plan (ESOP), Tejpal said. This has been necessitated as some of the finest brains in journalism will be joining the project, including some from Outlook magazine.

    Tehelka.com is looking at having more than one model for generating revenue. One is the traditional one of making the site and detailed information susbcription-based. Another stream of revenue being looked at is facilitating downloading of magazines and excerpts from yet-to-be-published books for a price.

    But tehelka.com will have to face competition from existing news sites and portals like india-today.com and indiatimes.com and some like GO4i (go for India) which are in the offing and backed by big media houses.

    For example, in a two-pronged Internet strategy, The Hindustan Times Ltd, through an offshore company, based in the United States, has formed a joint venture with Chase Capital Partners with equal equity participation from both for development of a horizontal portal, tentatively called GO4i (go for India).

  • Aditya Shastri quits UTV as motion pictures COO

    Aditya Shastri quits UTV as motion pictures COO

    MUMBAI: Aditya Shastri, who had joined UTV as COO motion pictures production in late 2004, has quit the company. “We mutually agreed to part ways,” a source in UTV said.

    Shastri had moved to UTV from Twentieth Century Fox where he served as managing director. At Fox, he had handled and released several blockbusters such as Moulin Rouge, Die Another Day and The Day After Tomorrow.

    “I have left UTV. I am joining a new company on 15 April,” Shastri told indiantelevision.com.
    UTV has been enjoying major successes on the movie front this year with productions like the Aamir Khan superhit Rang De Basanti and Taxi No 9211 hitting the jackpot.

    The company has also distributed products in various territories including heavyweight titles such as Lagaan, Lakshya, Mission Kashmir, Parineeta and Viruddh.

  • Entertainment industry to be valued at Rs 650 billion

    Entertainment industry to be valued at Rs 650 billion

    A comprehensive report on the entertainment industry, the first of its kind, has been compiled by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) along with Arthur Anderson. The report reveals very positive and optimistic figures projected for the entertainment industry’s growth. The media committee is headed by Lalit Modi and the members include Plus Channel’s CEO Amit Khanna, Sone Entertainment Television’s CEO Kunal Das Gupta and ESPN India Chairman Manu Sawhney along with representatives of film, music and entertaiment industry.

    The report says that the Indian entertainment industry’s turnover will touch Rs 650 billion in the year 2005 from the current Rs 150 billion. The television software industry is slated to grow to Rs 90 billion, music industry to Rs 22 billion from the current Rs 12.54 billion where as the live entertainment sector would be worth Rs 33.65 billion from the current Rs 2 billion.

    The survey suggests private or progressive participation in Doordarshan. Other suggestions are as follows:

    * Creating a special anti-piracy cell with the police department to combat the growing piracy menace.
    * Developing closer association with international cells guarding against piracy and streamlining anti-piracy laws with that of US, UK etc.
    * Bringing the industry in parity with the information technology sector with respect to overseas investment and stock listing norms.
    * Providing stable legislation for the issue of radio broadcasting licences.
    * Reviewing the functioning of the Censor Board in light of the changing scenario and citizens increasingly demanding the right to make their own decisions on entertainment.
    * Issuing board regulations/guidelines for banks and financial institutions to facilitate lending to this intellectual property related industry.
    * Reviewing archaic laws and onerous responsibilities cast on the industry particularly in the film exhibition and live entertainment sectors.

    The Ficci has organised a conference on 30 March and 31 March, 2000 in Mumbai to discuss the problems faced by the entertainment industry. Industry bigwigs and political bigwigs are slated to attend the seminar.

  • ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’leads to ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’

    ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’leads to ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’

    NEW DELHI: Zee TV, the flagship of Zee Telefilms, has announced a brand new show with the same flavor of its successful Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005.

    Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, with double the frenzy will give the viewers an opportunity to see the talent and chemistry between couple contestants. The contestants will feature in duet performances with an aim of enhancing the richness of the show, the channel said.

    Speaking about the new show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa creative director Gajendra Singh offers, “As in all competitions, Challenge 2005 could have only one winner claiming the voice of India title. And the success of the show with solo performers was immense. We thought duet performances would only add more sheen to the already established equity of the show.

    Further reinforcing the point, Zee TV programming head Ashvini Yardi says, “Ek Main Aur Ek Tu is actually for the benefit of millions of viewers worldwide who just cannot get enough of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. As a channel committed to provide desirable entertainment, we were sure that this new version will bring in a fresh new look and a enhance the already existing popularity for the contestants, only this time with added grandeur and fanfare.”

    The series will revolve around the contestants who will be singing in couples. The best of the Challenge 2005 contestants will be selected for this and the viewers will be asked to select their favorite pair. Public voting would eliminate one couple every week and as the tensions mounts, India will get to choose the Ek Main Aur Ek Tu duo.

    The show launches of 16 March 2006 and is scheduled to air every Thursday and Friday at 10 pm.

  • HBO series Six Feet Under to be aired on Bravo

    HBO series Six Feet Under to be aired on Bravo

    MUMBAI: The NBC Universal-owned cable network Bravo has acquired the exclusive rebroadcast rights to 63 one-hour episodes of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series Six Feet Under for the next four years.

    To be telecast on Bravo in the fall of 2006, Six Feet Under is a darkly comedic series about the trials and tribulations of a family of undertakers, played out against the solemn backdrop of an independent funeral home in Los Angeles. The series ran on HBO for five years.

    Six Feet Under was created by Alan Ball, Oscar-winning writer of the film American Beauty. The acclaimed series ended its run on HBO last year. It received 32 Emmy nominations and won seven times, and was nominated for eight Golden Globes, winning three.

    Bravo’s president Lauren Zalaznick said, “Six Feet Under represents the artistic, creative and critically acclaimed series that defines Bravo’s programming. The phenomenon that hooked so many HBO viewers will be brought back to ‘life’ on our air, now available to more than 80 million households, with its signature dark situational humor and dramatic irony.”

    Earlier, Bravo had acquired the rights to and aired HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show, as well as NBC’s The West Wing.

  • CDF to increase stake in USL

    CDF to increase stake in USL

    Century Direct Fund (CDF) of Mauritius LLC, which currently holds 18.42 per cent equity stakes in United Studios Ltd, will be increasing its stake by another one percent as TCFC Finance Ltd is selling out its stake in United Studios.

    United Studios Ltd is a company under the umbrella of Unilazer group. Other group companies include United Teleshopping, United TV (UTV), a TV software production organisation, and UTV Interactive which is a wholly-owned susbidiary of UTV.

    TCFC Finance Ltd held 71,000 equity shares constituting 0.77 per cent of the current paid up capital of United Studios. The investmend had been made as co-investor along with CDF to which TCFC was an advisor.

    As a result of a restructuring of the operations of TCFC Finance, it has ceased to be an advisor to CDF and has agreed to sell its investment in United Studios to Century Direct Fund.

    The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approved United Studios proposal recently. The other foreign shareholder in United Studios is Mitsui group of Japan which holds 18,49,990 shares aggregating to 20 per cent of the total paid up equity capital of the company.

    Total foreign equity in United Studios amount to 38.42 per cent amounting to 35,54,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each.

    Earlier, the government had given permission for foreign direct investment in United Studios subject to:

    *All future laws on broadcasting will be applicable to United Studios and it will not claim any privilege or protection by virtue of prior approval.

    *The company will not undertake any broadcasting from Indian soil unless specially permitted to do so by the government.

    * There will be no obligation on the part of Doordarshan to buy TV software from the joint venture company, United Studios.

    Earlier this year, Intel Pacific and GE Capital Mauritius Equity Investment picked up 12.86 and 6.98 per cent, respectively in United Teleshopping & Marketing Co. Ltd. Subsequently, the foreign equity in United Teleshopping has increased from 45.45 to 57.14 per cent amounting to Rs 360 lakh. United Teleshopping is in the process of issuing fresh equity of 13,50,000 shares of Rs 10 each in the revised paid up capital of Rs 630.07 lakh which will be subscribed as follows:

    * Draper India International Mauritius– 17.86 per cent
    * Walden-Nikko Mauritius Company, Mauritius– 19.44 per cent
    * Intel Pacific Incorporation, USA — 12.86 per cent
    * GE Capital Mauritius Equity Investment –6.98 per cent.

    Last year, UTV promoters had decided to buyout Rupert Murdoch-controlled News Corp’s 37 per cent equity stake in the Indian media house. Part of the additional funding for this News Corp shareholding buyback came from FII, Warburg Pincus.

  • Nimbus signs more global broadcasters for India cricket

    Nimbus signs more global broadcasters for India cricket

    MUMBAI: Nimbus Communications Limited, the global media rights partner of the BCCI, has entered into TV licensing agreement for terrestrial broadcast of Indian cricket in Kenya, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    The company has also closed a four year deal with Super Sport, the South African pay TV service.
    Nimbus, in an official release, claimed that it worked out a comprehensive telecast strategy for the Middle East with the signing of the radio rights deal with Hum FM and the TV rights deal with Ten Sports.

    According to the official communiqué, the Sinhala ‘edutainment’ channel Derana has secured the terrestrial TV rights for Sri Lanka for the ongoing England series. The series’ non exclusive pay TV rights for Hong Kong and Sri Lanka have been acquired by Ten Sports.

    Says Nimbus VP International & Syndication Vikram Das, “We are proud to be associated with the phenomenal expansion of the reach of Indian cricket. In a very short space of time we’ve achieved outstanding results in terms of reach, revenues and platforms.”

    With the latest round of deals announced, Indian cricket is now going live onto every continent: America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia and is available on television, radio and internet broadband, the release adds.