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  • Asianet to launch new soap in the 8:30 pm slot

    Asianet to launch new soap in the 8:30 pm slot

    MUMBAI: Malayalam channel Asianet has brought in a new soap, Minnaaram, to strengthen its daily prime time band. Minnaaram will launch on 10 July in the 8:30 pm slot.

    Featuring popular Malayalam tube stars incluyding Suresh Krishna, Sharat and Praveena, Minnaaram is directed by Kannan T.

    Minnaaram revolves around the story of two sisters and the unexpected events that rock their lives. As per an official release, the soap has got all the essential ingredients to woo the family audience to the channel during the prime time.

  • Eternal Dreams to foray into TV & film production; UTV’s Jain to head

    Eternal Dreams to foray into TV & film production; UTV’s Jain to head

    MUMBAI: Entertainment and event management company Eternal Dreams Pvt Ltd is making renewed efforts to get into television production after its initial experiment to turn around an ailing Marathi channel proved futile.

    Floated by ex-Sony hand Sapna Chaturvedi, the company plans to foray into Hindi film production as well. UTV non-conventional revenues general manager Bonnie Jain has rejoined the company as CEO to take up the task of finding buyers for TV content.

    In 2002, Eternal Dreams had found captive content for its production activities since it took up the management of Rathikant Basu-promoted Tara Marathi. But the channel had to shut operations due to losses.

    The company will now be looking at producing shows for the likes of Star, Zee and Sony in the Hindi general entertainment space and will also be looking at tapping opportunities with Doordarshan.

    Eternal Dreams managing director Sapna Chaturvedi said, “We are in talks with people in the industry for our venture but is too premature to talk to about it at present.”

    Jain was with Eternal Dreams till 2004, post which he joined UTV as channel director – television content. Later, Jain was made general manager of non-conventional revenues at UTV.

    He began his career with the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI), and has also worked with Amitabh Bachchan’s ABCL, the K Balachander promoted Cuecom Entertainment Pvt Ltd and Kerry Packer’s Channel Nine India.

  • South African broadcaster SABC signs TV rights deal with Fifa

    South African broadcaster SABC signs TV rights deal with Fifa

    MUMBAI: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has been awarded the broadcasting rights for all Fifa competitions between 2007 and 2014, which include the two Fifa World Cup final competitions and the two Fifa Confederations Cups that are due to take place during this period.

    The next edition of the Fifa World Cup takes place in 2010 in Africa.

    The agreement consists of all main audiovisual rights for both free and pay TV as well as radio. In addition, SABC is committed to ensuring wide access for the entire South African media industry including potential sub-licensees.

    Fifa president Joseph S. Blatter says, “We are convinced that we have found in SABC a partner that can deliver the beautiful game to South African viewers in an excellent manner. Importantly, its coverage will go far beyond Fifa World Cup broadcasts since it comprises guaranteed coverage of all other Fifa tournaments for men and women and at senior and youth levels so as to promote all of the different facets of the game and strengthen women’s and youth development particularly in South Africa. SABC is joining our alliance to use football to build a better future. I am extremely happy with this momentous deal.”

    SABC says that it is committed to playing its part in ensuring that the radio and television broadcasts of the 2010 Fifa World Cup reach the largest possible audience. This contributes to its goal of national building and total empowerment of all African citizens.

  • Zee Café to launch comedy ‘Joey’ on 12 July

    Zee Café to launch comedy ‘Joey’ on 12 July

    MUMBAI: Zee Cafe has announced the launch of a sitcom Joey. The comedy kicks off on 12 July Wednesday at 9:30 pm.

    Joey says good-bye to a time when his friends were his family and welcomes the chance to turn his family into his friends. After reuniting with his high-strung sister Gina (de Matteo), a strong and sexy hairdresser, Joey shares an apartment with her genius 20-year-old son, graduate student Michael (Costanzo), who literally is a rocket scientist. What Joey lacks in book smarts; he more than makes up for with his people skills, making him the best new friend his nephew could ask for. Joey quickly befriends his hot married neighbour, uptight lawyer Alex Garrett (Anders) who is also the apartment superintendent. All he needs now is for his tough-talking, old school agent, the tact-challenged Bobbie (Coolidge), to get off the casting couch and get him some acting work.

    Created by Shana Goldberg-Meehan (Friends) & Scott Silveri (Friends), Joey is executive produced by Kevin S. Bright (Friends), Goldberg-Meehan and Silveri.

  • FIA World Motor Sports Council directs FMSCI and MAI

    FIA World Motor Sports Council directs FMSCI and MAI

    MUMBAI: The World Motor Sports Council of the FIA which met in Paris on 5 July 2006, to adjudicate on the conflict between the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and the Motor Sports Association of India (MAI), directed representatives of both organisations to merge under the chairmanship of Dr. Vijay Mallya by 1 September 2006.

    Failing this the FIA might be constrained to de-recognise both organisations and seek a third alternative. 

    Nazir Hussain and Counsel C.D.Mehta, represented MAI whilst Rajat Mazumdar and Counsel Y. Bharadwaj represented FMSCI. Dr. Vijay Mallya, who is the chairman of both organisations was also present.

    Following the meeting of the World Motor Sports Council Dr. Mallya and Hussain met and agreed to find a satisfactory solution for a merger, keeping in mind the interests of all parties. FMSCI president Rajat Mazumdar stated before the World Motor Sports Council that the FMSCI would comply with the directions of Dr. Mallya, its chairman. Recently, the Government of India, Ministry of Sports confirmed their recognition of the FMSCI as the National Sports Federation. Earlier, the FIA had given it’s recognition to the MAI as its ASN for India.

    Dr. Vijay Mallya stated, “The unfortunate disagreements between the FMSCI and the MAI have affected the standing and reputation of our country in the eyes of the international motor sport fraternity. As desired by the World Motor Sports Council of the FIA I am committed to finding an acceptable and permanent solution and I hope that all previously conflicting parties cooperate in the interest of Indian motor sport. It is my dream to bring Formula 1 to India and this will not be possible if conflicts continue.”

    Merger talks between the FMSCI and MAI are expected to commence within the next two weeks.

  • Insat-4C satellite launch fails; Sun’s DTH plans hit

    Insat-4C satellite launch fails; Sun’s DTH plans hit

    MUMBAI: India’s attempt to enter the elite “space club” has received a setback. The launch of the country’s first commercial communications satellite from home soil has ended in failure. The GSLV-F02, carrying the state-of-the-art communication satellite Insat-4C, crashed into the Bay of Bengal a short while after lift-off at 5:38 pm from its launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

    The launch of the completely indigenous Insat-4C communications satellite on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was delayed twice before its final failed attempt due to unspecified technical reasons. The launch was originally scheduled for 4:30 pm this evening. 

    The three-stage 414-tonne launch vehicle of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), started under-performing right from the start and veered off its path after travelling a few kilometers into the sky.

    Isro chairman Madhavan Nair admitted the failure of the satellite. “The mishap happened in the first stage of the separation. We have activated and analysed the data and we will get to the bottom of it,” Nair said, adding, “today’s happening is a setback, especially after we had 11 continuous successful launches.”

    Insat-4C, which cost Rs 4 billion, was the second satellite in the Insat-4 series. The first, Insat-4A, was launched in December last year, from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana by an Ariane5 vehicle.

    It was for the first time that India’s space agency was putting into orbit a two-tonne class satellite. Equipped with 12 high-powered Ku band transponders (like the earlier Insat-4A), the 2,180 kg spacecraft is designed for a mission life of 10 years. Insat-4C was designed with the capability to broadcast 150 TV channels through the DTH platform.

    If succesful, this mission would have taken India to being one of the five major satellite launch countries in the world. With this failure, Isro’s strategy of taking satellite contracts from other countries has also received a setback.

    As regards the Insat-4 mission, Isro will now have to look ahead to the launch of the third satellite in the series – Insat-4B. The GSLV’s failure will in no way influence that launch however, because Isro will be using the services of Arianespace to launch Insat-4B from Kouru next year.

    The failure of this mission is not just about the challenge it throws up to India’s space ambitions though. Immediately hit will also be Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Group, which had booked space on Insat 4C for its DTH venture Sun Direct.

    At present, DD Direct Plus managed by the pubcaster Prasar Bharati and the Subhash Chandra owned Dish TV are the two operators offering DTH services in the country.

    All the Ku-band transponders on the Insat 4A satellite, meanwhile, have been leased to the Tata-Star consortium, which will soon be launching the Tata Sky DTH service.

    Other than Tata Sky and Sun Direct, there is also Anil Ambani’s DTH venture Reliance Bluemagic, which will be rolling out in due course.

  • Radio City 105.8 FM launches in Chennai

    Radio City 105.8 FM launches in Chennai

    MUMBAI: After making its entry in Hyderabad in April this year, Music Broadcast Pvt. Ltd (MBPL)-promoted Radio City 105.8 FM has debuted in Chennai today.

    The station was launched by popular Kollywood actor Surya who lit an auspicious lamp at the Radio City studio.Radio City 105.8 FM programming attempts to reflect the ‘true sound of Chennai’, claims an official release. Radio City 105.8 FM will cater to the tastes of discerning music lovers cutting across a diverse population of students, housewives, working men which will ultimately give advertisers a great value for their money spent, the release adds.

    To start with, Radio City has lined up shows such as Namma City Special, Balbaje Shikrika Bilba, Chennai Chat, Idiya Trivindia and Iyugul Olividili.

    “We are thrilled and proud to launch in the city of Chennai. Our research helped us to understand the minds of the traditional and Kollywood inclined Chennai listeners and confirmed that Chennai-ites will love the Radio City kind of music and intellectually stimulating programming content. Chennai is an extremely important market for us and we are eagerly looking forward to engage with our listeners,” says Radio City CEO Apurva Purohit.

    As a prelude to the launch, Radio City had organized a RJ Hunt in the city of Chennai. The selected RJs were provided rigorous training to hone their skills to develop them into all-round professionals.

    Radio City 105.8 FM will kick off the day with the Morning Raaga, the early morning show by RJ Aarti, followed by RJ Sulaba who will bring to you the essence of Chennai with Namma City Special, RJ UV treating with Reel Time, RJ Archana with Love Beat by playing English and Tamil romantic songs and RJ Sharmili will bring in the spicy show Chennai Chat. The evening drive time with RJ Nandu and RJ Gobi, which will certainly lead Chennai to a laughter riot. The station is also backed by an enthusiastic and highly experienced team of technicians and other professionals, informs the official release.

    The launch of Radio City 105.8 FM is supported by a 360 marketing campaign, as per the company. Some of the off-air initiatives to connect with the listener include road shows, human inflates at high density areas, Radio City booths at malls and multiplexes, on-ground contests and events.

  • IPTV survey reveals limited initial revenue expectations

    MUMBAI: Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 302 technology and media firm executives. All of them are involved in or close to the IPTV business—network operators, equipment vendors, consumer electronics firms, broadcasters/studios and content providers.


    Key Findings:


    There is long-term optimism in IPTV: 34 per cent of the executives we surveyed believe IPTV will generate “significant revenue” by 2009 and another 57 per cent are at least “somewhat confident” that this will be the case.


    But, few companies expect a substantial IPTV impact on their bottom line. Rather, most see the larger impact being on top-line growth. Network operators also hope IPTV will drive the take-up of broadband access connections and help reduce customer churn.


    Content is critical to network operators‘ business model. They are currently acquiring it however they can, and the largest proportion of respondents say distribution without rights of ownership will be the primary means of sourcing IPTV content over the next year, according to an official release.


    Video-on-demand is expected to be the chief money-maker among different IPTV services, both today and over the longer term. There is little consensus on other likely revenue sources. Respondents did not see advertising as a potential money-earner.
    The chief hurdles to IPTV consumer adoption: a dearth of compelling content and lingering quality-of-service problems. Not a single respondent from this group is very confident that IPTV will spur significant revenue growth within a year of launch and no more than half are fairly or very confident of generating substantial revenue by 2009.


    Despite respondents‘ pessimism that IPTV will spur growth in the near-term, major players are in various stages of testing IPTV. These include Verizon, AT&T, Telecom Italia, France Telecom and China Netcom, the release adds.

  • IPTV survey reveals limited initial revenue expectations

    IPTV survey reveals limited initial revenue expectations

    MUMBAI: Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 302 technology and media firm executives. All of them are involved in or close to the IPTV business—network operators, equipment vendors, consumer electronics firms, broadcasters/studios and content providers.

    Key Findings:

    There is long-term optimism in IPTV: 34 per cent of the executives we surveyed believe IPTV will generate “significant revenue” by 2009 and another 57 per cent are at least “somewhat confident” that this will be the case.

    But, few companies expect a substantial IPTV impact on their bottom line. Rather, most see the larger impact being on top-line growth. Network operators also hope IPTV will drive the take-up of broadband access connections and help reduce customer churn.

    Content is critical to network operators’ business model. They are currently acquiring it however they can, and the largest proportion of respondents say distribution without rights of ownership will be the primary means of sourcing IPTV content over the next year, according to an official release.

    Video-on-demand is expected to be the chief money-maker among different IPTV services, both today and over the longer term. There is little consensus on other likely revenue sources. Respondents did not see advertising as a potential money-earner.

    The chief hurdles to IPTV consumer adoption: a dearth of compelling content and lingering quality-of-service problems. Not a single respondent from this group is very confident that IPTV will spur significant revenue growth within a year of launch and no more than half are fairly or very confident of generating substantial revenue by 2009.

    Despite respondents’ pessimism that IPTV will spur growth in the near-term, major players are in various stages of testing IPTV. These include Verizon, AT&T, Telecom Italia, France Telecom and China Netcom, the release adds.

  • Global mobile games market to reach $17 bn by 2011

    MUMBAI: The evolution in mobile games – involving subscription and downloads – is set to continue in the next five years, with a growth in global revenues from $3.1 bn in 2006 to approaching $17.6 bn by 2011, according to Juniper Research. A rise producing a cumulative revenue stream of nearly $57 bn over the next six years has been predicted.


    According to Juniper, the Asia Pacific region has dominated the market since its inception, with Japanese and South Korean markets in the vanguard. Asia Pacific is forecast to contribute 38 per cent of cumulative revenues from 2006 to 2011, with Europe contributing 31 per cent, North America 22 per cent and the rest of the world 9 per cent.


    The Juniper report reveals that Mobile Games have come of age – no longer the poor relation of console and PC games. Mobile Games provide a different family with their own characteristics – satisfying an increasing need courtesy of evolving technology.


    The growth trend is set to continue, with the broader electronic games and entertainment industry acknowledging the rise in popularity of the mobile games industry according to its new status.


    Whilst the leading edge games technology will focus on 3D and multiplayer games, the greatest growth will come from the casual game sector. Female games players will also grow as a proportion of the market with a more even balance of genders using mobile games in the future.


    Juniper Research research director Bruce Gibson says, “I think the mobile games industry has at last found its identity, and it is a strong one. There is a real demand for mobile entertainment and games are at the very heart of it.


    The casual games sector is going to be the market driver, even though it may not be at the leading edge of mobile games technology. Casual games make most use of the inherent advantages of the mobile platform. People want to fill ‘dead time’ with easy to use, but fun games. This is the same in just about every culture.”