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EA releases World Cup game, announces renewed partnership with Fifa

MUMBAI: Electronic Arts has started to ship the 2006 Fifa World Cup game to stores around the world.

The event’s only officially licensed videogame has developed enhanced gameplay attributes and graphics.

Along with the release of 2006 Fifa World Cup, EA and Fifa announced the extension of their long-term partnership, making EA the worldwide and exclusive Fifa Licensee for soccer action games across all console platforms, mobile phones and online formats. The on-going partnership will allow EA to continue to bring World Cup gaming experiences to consumers, and includes games for the future World Cups in 2010 and 2014.

“Renewing our strategic partnership with Fifa will enable us to continue to deliver the most authentic football titles to fans who have helped to make our Fifa games the most successful football videogame franchise in the world,” said EA’s Gerhard Florin, Executive Vice President and General Manager for International Publishing.

In 2006 Fifa World Cup, users can step into the heart of the action as they play their favorite team or most loathed opponent. Featuring stunning visual representations of the world’s superstar players, gamers experience the 12 official stadiums as they take their team from qualification to glory. In addition to taking control of one of 127 national teams, players will enjoy groundbreaking new play modes. Global Challenge tests even the biggest soccer fanatic by recreating classic moments in Fifa World Cup history with modern teams. True champions can challenge their friends in eight-way multiplayer matches and take advantage of tremendous in-game un-lockable content such as legendary players and exclusive licensed football apparel.

2006 Fifa World Cup is available in North America, Europe and Asia on PlayStation2, the Xbox and Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy, PC and mobile as well as the PSP (PlayStation Portable). The game is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB and has a PEGI rating of 3+.

In India, the World Cup PC Game is priced at Rs 1,299 and the PlayStation2 and PSP games are priced at Rs 2,499 and Rs 2,999 respectively.

June 24, 2006
Zee to launch dubbed movie channel in Russia

MUMBAI: One area where Zee Telefilms is clearly ahead of rivals Star and Sony is in channel initiatives internationally. Keeping that tradition alive, Zee is launching a 24-hour movie channel in September that will air Indian films dubbed in Russian.

Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra revealed his channel plans to Hindu Business Line on the sidelines of an address he gave to the Madras Management Association in Chennai yesterday.

Considering how well Hindi movies in particular have been received in Russia (the late Raj Kapoor’s films were a rage there), it would surprise no one if Zee has a winner here.It was on 13 March that the Network began beaming Zee in Indonesia. There too the channel was dubbed in the local language Bahasa. Zee is available on the multi-channel satellite pay-television platform Astro Nusantara as a package.

In Indonesia, the channel’s content is sourced from the flagship channel Zee TV library and localised with Bahasa Indonesia dubbing and Bahasa Melayu subtitling, to reflect the different language, lifestyle and viewing habits of audiences in the three countries Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

June 24, 2006
Interactive entertainment marketers form trade body; Microsoft’s Moore to chair

MUMBAI: A new non-profit trade organization, the Association of Electronic Interactive Marketers (AEIM), has been formed in the US.

The intiative has been spurred by the response garnered by MI6: Marketing Interactive ‘06, the special conference that addresses the challenges facing marketers in the interactive entertainment sector. The inaugural MI6 Conference and Awards Show will be be held on 27–28 June in San Francisco.

Peter Moore, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division of Microsoft Corp., has been named to chair the new organization.

Jim Chabin, president and CEO of Promax/BDA, is the MI6/AEIM president/CEO while Dale Hopkins, the COO of G4, is MI6 chairman.

Said Moore, “The AEIM will serve to enhance the professional value of video game marketers and will seek to build strong partnerships between the gaming, entertainment, technology, distribution and retail sectors of this business.”

Looking to increase the effectiveness of interactive marketers by spearheading idea sharing within the sector and encouraging communication with marketers in other entertainment areas, AEIM will provide education and training opportunities for marketers. Moving forward, AEIM will assume full responsibility for organizing subsequent MI conferences and developing additional means for contributing to members‘ professional development and education.
AEIM will also be overseeing the Senet-Muse annual marketing and promotion awards program. AEIM will Operate in collaboration with Promax/BDA and will be housed in the Promax/BDA offices in Los Angeles.

Among the future objectives for AEIM are the development of an online community for educating, inspiring and facilitating idea sharing among its fledgling members; regional seminars and workshops, as well as networking opportunities, and, eventually, a certification program.

June 24, 2006
Interactive entertainment marketers form trade body; Microsoft’s Moore to chair

MUMBAI: A new non-profit trade organization, the Association of Electronic Interactive Marketers (AEIM), has been formed in the US.

The intiative has been spurred by the response garnered by MI6: Marketing Interactive ‘06, the special conference that addresses the challenges facing marketers in the interactive entertainment sector. The inaugural MI6 Conference and Awards Show will be be held on 27–28 June in San Francisco.

Peter Moore, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division of Microsoft Corp., has been named to chair the new organization.

Jim Chabin, president and CEO of Promax/BDA, is the MI6/AEIM president/CEO while Dale Hopkins, the COO of G4, is MI6 chairman.

Said Moore, “The AEIM will serve to enhance the professional value of video game marketers and will seek to build strong partnerships between the gaming, entertainment, technology, distribution and retail sectors of this business.”

Looking to increase the effectiveness of interactive marketers by spearheading idea sharing within the sector and encouraging communication with marketers in other entertainment areas, AEIM will provide education and training opportunities for marketers. Moving forward, AEIM will assume full responsibility for organizing subsequent MI conferences and developing additional means for contributing to members’ professional development and education. AEIM will also be overseeing the Senet-Muse annual marketing and promotion awards program. AEIM will Operate in collaboration with Promax/BDA and will be housed in the Promax/BDA offices in Los Angeles.

Among the future objectives for AEIM are the development of an online community for educating, inspiring and facilitating idea sharing among its fledgling members; regional seminars and workshops, as well as networking opportunities, and, eventually, a certification program.

June 24, 2006
100 million mobile TV broadcast subscribers by 2010: In-Stat study

MUMBAI: Research recently conducted by In-Stat suggest that by 2010 end, mobile TV broadcast subscribers worldwide will reach 102 million, a giant leap from 3.4 million in 2006.

The market research firm stated that for cellular networks to deliver content that millions want to watch simultaneously requires much greater bandwidth than is currently available, thus, carriers are turning to mobile TV broadcast networks, which have a much lower cost per bit for video delivery.

According to an official release, recent research by In-Stat found the following:

– There are positives and negatives to each standard, but each has a vendor eco-system behind it to enable deployment today.
– 2005 was the year of the first deployments, with ongoing trials in many parts of the world.
– Mobile carriers, mobile TV network operators, and content providers will soon be testing business models to determine what mobile phone subscribers are willing to pay to watch and what advertisers are willing to pay to reach them.

In-Stat analyst Michelle Abraham says, “The greatest challenge for mobile TV broadcast operators is to acquire the spectrum necessary to offer services. Spectrum availability may determine which of four standards is chosen, and also impacts the business case for the deployment of a network.”

The research, “Mobile TV Broadcasting Now Out of the Gate” covers the worldwide market for mobile TV services. It includes forecasts for mobile broadcast TV subscribers, average revenue by subscriber and revenues by region through 2010. It also contains analysis of competing mobile broadcast technologies and current deployments and trials, adds the release.

In related research, In-Stat’s January 2005 consumer survey found that over one in eight respondents expressed an interest in purchasing mobile video services even though those services were not yet available. Interest in mobile video outpaced all other applications such as gaming, downloadable music and broadcast music.

This research is part of In-Stat’s Multimedia Broadband Service, which provides a worldwide, comprehensive perspective of multimedia broadband markets, analyzing cable, video-over-DSL, DBS, and IPTV services, and digital terrestrial broadcast. It examines subscribers, business models, industry agendas and key cross-market combatants, the release adds.

June 24, 2006
100 million mobile TV broadcast subscribers by 2010: In-Stat study

MUMBAI: Research recently conducted by In-Stat suggest that by 2010 end, mobile TV broadcast subscribers worldwide will reach 102 million, a giant leap from 3.4 million in 2006.

The market research firm stated that for cellular networks to deliver content that millions want to watch simultaneously requires much greater bandwidth than is currently available, thus, carriers are turning to mobile TV broadcast networks, which have a much lower cost per bit for video delivery.

According to an official release, recent research by In-Stat found the following:

– There are positives and negatives to each standard, but each has a vendor eco-system behind it to enable deployment today.
– 2005 was the year of the first deployments, with ongoing trials in many parts of the world.

– Mobile carriers, mobile TV network operators, and content providers will soon be testing business models to determine what mobile phone subscribers are willing to pay to watch and what advertisers are willing to pay to reach them.

In-Stat analyst Michelle Abraham says, “The greatest challenge for mobile TV broadcast operators is to acquire the spectrum necessary to offer services. Spectrum availability may determine which of four standards is chosen, and also impacts the business case for the deployment of a network.”

The research, “Mobile TV Broadcasting Now Out of the Gate” covers the worldwide market for mobile TV services. It includes forecasts for mobile broadcast TV subscribers, average revenue by subscriber and revenues by region through 2010. It also contains analysis of competing mobile broadcast technologies and current deployments and trials, adds the release.

In related research, In-Stat‘s January 2005 consumer survey found that over one in eight respondents expressed an interest in purchasing mobile video services even though those services were not yet available. Interest in mobile video outpaced all other applications such as gaming, downloadable music and broadcast music.

This research is part of In-Stat‘s Multimedia Broadband Service, which provides a worldwide, comprehensive perspective of multimedia broadband markets, analyzing cable, video-over-DSL, DBS, and IPTV services, and digital terrestrial broadcast. It examines subscribers, business models, industry agendas and key cross-market combatants, the release adds.

June 24, 2006
Zonemedia to Rok in mobile TV deal

MUMBAI: Zone Mobile, the new media division of media firm Zonemedia (formerly known as Zone Vision) has done a deal with UK-based mobile technology and entertainment developer, Rok TV.

Zonemedia will create a series of made for mobile TV programming loops which will consist of 15 minute segments of some of the most popular programme elements from Zonemedia’s licensed programmes. The mobile channel, which will be updated regularly, will be available for download through Rok TV’s mass-market 2.5G mobile TV service, via GPRS throughout the UK.

Shows with large UK fan bases such as Cheaters, Ouch That Had to Hurt and Crash, Bang, Wallop are amongst the first programmes to feature in the deal. The innovative mobile TV channel will be available at the end of June within the UK.

June 24, 2006
Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

MUMBAI: Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz will return for his 12 time as director of the US Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ (Atas) 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live in the US on 27 August on NBC.

In March, Horvitz directed The 78th Annual Academy Awards. This marked his 10th year at the helm of the Oscars.

June 24, 2006
Inox to acquire Calcutta Cine Pvt Ltd

MUMBAI: Leading multiplex operator Inox Leisure Limited is acquiring Calcutta Cinema Private Limited (CCPL) in an all-share-swap deal. This will allow Inox to get a firm foothold in West Bengal, adding up to its presence in Kolkata.

CCPL, which runs its business under the brand 89 Cinemas, plans to commence its second three-screen multiplex at Durgapur in West Bengal within 15 days. The company also runs a four-screen multiplex at Swabhumi in Kolkata.

The two companies are in the process of appointing an independent valuer. “We have agreed that the valuation will be on the basis of a discounted cash flow model over five years. CCPL is merging its operations with Inox,” says Inox Leisure Limited director Deepak Asher.

CCPL will have 8-10 properties over the next two years. “We will be able to enhance our pan-India presence in movie exhibition by gaining a strong foothold in West Bengal,” says Asher. Inox presently operates two multiplexes in Kolkatta (Elgin Road and Salt Lake) and one in Darjeeling (Laden La Road).

Inox also plans to open new multiplexes in Diamond City, Jessore Road with five screens and at Kharagpur with four screens. The agreement with CCPL will take Inox’s tally of multiplexes in West Bengal and Assam up to 13.In addition, CCPL has tied up properties for building and operating six other multiplexes in West Bengal and Assam. CCPL also has an understanding with Bengal Ambuja Housing Development Limited (Bengal Ambuja) – a leading real estate developer in East India – which gives CCPL preferential access as the preferred multiplex operator to all properties being developed by Bengal Ambuja.

According to the press release, Inox also plans to expand its network with new multiplexes in Hyderabad, Chennai, Jodhpur, Lucknow, Raipur, Kolkata and Bangalore. In addition, Inox also has a strategic alliance with the Pantaloon Group of Companies which provides it with preferential access, as a multiplex operator, to all real estate developments which the Pantaloon Group of Companies and funds managed by it, are developing or otherwise associated with.

“89 Cinemas is an emerging multiplex chain with a strong regional focus in Eastern India. The proposed merger will enable Inox to build a very strong presence in the region and the inorganic growth opportunity will create great value for Inox shareholders,” Asher says.

CCPL CEO Debashis Ghosal commented, “We believe that the proposed merger with Inox – India’s most profitable multiplex chain – will create tremendous value for CCPL shareholders, enabling them to partake in the value creation by Inox, as well as enable Inox to build a formidable presence in Eastern India”.

The proposed merger is subject to due diligence, final approval by Shareholders, Creditors and the High Court. Enam Financial Consultants Pvt. Ltd. is acting as Advisor to this Transaction., “We are delighted to have acted as Advisors to this transaction. We think the proposed merger is a great fit with Inox’s national footprint and 89 Cinemas strength in the eastern region. The proposed merger perhaps marks the beginning of the consolidation phase in the multiplex industry,” says Salil Pitale of Enam

June 24, 2006
DTH wins over digital CAS – Starcom study
Will I get fewer eyeballs for my advertising? Do I need to increase my budget to reach the same number of people through Television? Is my media plan going to become inefficient?These are just a few of the questions that a lot of Marketing Managers are asking their media agencies in the face of frequent announcements and subsequent postponements of the much awaited CAS rollout in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

While there has been a lot of debate on how CAS will affect the Cable industry or the Advertiser, no one thought of talking to the consumer

To understand the impact that CAS will have on the TV viewing habits of consumers, Starcom Worldwide commissioned a consumer research in these 3 metros, Chennai having already implemented CAS in 2003. This is the second wave of this research with the first one having been done in the 4 metros in 2003 when CAS was announced for the first time. This research was done among decision makers from SEC A,B & C households and has thrown up quite a few insights that can help marketers in understanding consumer perceptions and responses to CAS. Starcom also followed up with an analysis of ORG retail offtake data to understand what volumes of various categories are likely to get affected by CAS. We present here some of the key findings of the CAS research and a synopsis of the sales analysis.
- A majority of the Consumers not willing to opt for CAS immediately
  In spite of the strength and popularity of Cable TV, only 30% consumers are willing to opt for CAS within 3 months of launch with Mumbai leading the pack at 53%.
  DTH more popular than CAS
  DTH awareness is 70% compared to only 51% for CAS
- We attribute this to the advertising done by Dish TV over the last few months since launch and is likely to go up further with the entry of other players in this segment.
- Most want to buy the Set Top Box outright rather than rent it
  Banks, who may have thought about financing Cable Operators for Set Top might have to shelve their plans since a vast majority (70%) of consumers prefer to buy the STB outright.
- Compared to 2003 consumers willing to pay a higher amount for the STB
  Good news for cable operators is that the amount people are willing to spend for the STB is 30% higher than the amount they were willing to pay in 2003.
  Consumers willing to pay to watch channels of their choice and the perception is that Cable cost will come down post the implementation of CAS
- 60% of consumers believe that they will be able to watch only channels of their choice and are willing to pay for those rather than being charged for 100 channels out of which they watch only 20. They also believe that CAS will actually bring down their monthly subscription from an average of Rs 202 to RS 162 with the drop being highest in Mumbai while Kolkata is not impacted at all.
Most people want to take a wait and watch approach and they will wait till there is enough indication that CAS is here to stay and they see enough of their peers converting in the first few weeks. Once the initial seeding takes place CAS penetration might start growing exponentially.

Finally what is the implication of the CAS rollout on sales. The following chart demonstrates the methodology followed to arrive at the percentage of sales that are likely to get impacted.

The affected volumes likely to be: Soaps targeted at the lower SECs : 1.1%
Metro focused Ketchup : 6% Private Insurance Companies : 10%

While most FMCG marketers can breathe easy, the ones who sell premium products/brands and are dependant on South Mumbai, South Delhi and the Municipal areas of Kolkata should have contingency plans in place But even for most of such marketers, the impact will not be more than 10% to 15%.
June 24, 2006