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  • Disney in merchandising overdrive for new preschooler shows

    MUMBAI: With the trend in licensing moving toward younger ages, The little big Mouse is not one to be left behind. The Walt Disney Company through its merchandise division Disney Consumer Products is gearing up for a marketing blitz to strengthen its preschool portfolio.


    Disney Consumer Products (DCP) merchandise will feature elements of the interactive learning specific to the shows.
    Little Einsteins and My Friends Tigger and Pooh will kick off in spring 2007, focusing on different aspects of early child development and combine to address the needs of the “whole” child. Disney Consumer Products (DCP) merchandise will feature elements of the interactive learning specific to each show.


    “Parents have enjoyed Mickey and Pooh for years, and now a new generation of preschoolers are being introduced to these characters with a fresh CG-animated look. Little Einsteins rounds out a very strong preschool block that blends entertainment with education,” said DCP chairman Andy Mooney. “Retailers are also seeing potential in these shows and clearing shelf space based on the strength of Playhouse Disney as a preschool platform.”


    Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (MMCH), which premiered in May on Playhouse Disney channels and Disney Channels around the world — the first-ever same-day global launch of Disney Channel programming. The show focuses on problem solving and early math curriculum.


    MMCH toys will launch this Fall with all other product categories launching in spring 2007. The toy line from licensee, Character Direct, will feature interactivity and gadgets direct from the television series, as well as new technology and innovation. Name That Song Mickey is a key item in the line – the product features a wireless piano combined with a soft Mickey plush that interactively teaches kids music through numbers.


    Little Einsteins which premiered in October 2005. The show, which fosters creativity through music and art, began debuting around the world, most recently in Australia and New Zealand and will next launch in France, India and Taiwan. DCP will launch a broad cross-category assortment of product in spring 2007.


    My Friends Tigger and Pooh will premiere in spring 2007, wherein the show teaches life lessons, such as friendship, as well as early earth science. Tigger and Pooh are “Super Sleuths” and the audience helps them solve mysteries in the Hundred Acre Wood. A licensing program is currently in development for mass and mid-tier retail distribution for spring 2008.

  • Digital living in Asia, a global perspective

    SINGAPORE: In the second session on global digital living, a Parks Associates survey of 13 nations revealed that Asian countries are leading the way in the digital homes arena.


    The session, which was addressed by Parks Associates, USA director of research, John Barrett, analysed the digital trends within Asia and compared them to other countries. He also touched upon key topics like consumer attitudes, market structure and current practices.


    He said, “Asian consumers express high demand for new digital service but a low willingness to pay.” When queried on what is driving the growth, Barrett said, “There are some notable differences with western countries. One is that there is wide availability of content and deeper broadband penetration have resulted in Asians being more likely to use computers a entertainment platforms.”


    Secondly, Asian CATV providers are weaker than their North American counterparts because the demand for TV services is not as strong in Asia as it is in North American. Also, piracy is a much greater concern in Asia because copyright provisions are more weakly enforced and commercial piracy more common.
     
    Some key points which emerged were:


    * Korea, Taiwan were the top two countries ranked high on the Digital Living index
    *53 per cent of Asian internet households are interested in viewing digital photos on their TV compared top just 43 per cent of European Internet HHs and 28 per cent of North American HHS
    *Asian Internet Households are willing to spend on an average $ 7 per month for a video-on-demand service compared to $11 per month in Europe and North America.

  • Disney in merchandising overdrive for new preschooler shows

    Disney in merchandising overdrive for new preschooler shows

    MUMBAI: With the trend in licensing moving toward younger ages, The little big Mouse is not one to be left behind. The Walt Disney Company through its merchandise division Disney Consumer Products is gearing up for a marketing blitz to strengthen its preschool portfolio.

    Disney Consumer Products (DCP) merchandise will feature elements of the interactive learning specific to the shows. Little Einsteins and My Friends Tigger and Pooh will kick off in spring 2007, focusing on different aspects of early child development and combine to address the needs of the “whole” child. Disney Consumer Products (DCP) merchandise will feature elements of the interactive learning specific to each show.

    “Parents have enjoyed Mickey and Pooh for years, and now a new generation of preschoolers are being introduced to these characters with a fresh CG-animated look. Little Einsteins rounds out a very strong preschool block that blends entertainment with education,” said DCP chairman Andy Mooney. “Retailers are also seeing potential in these shows and clearing shelf space based on the strength of Playhouse Disney as a preschool platform.”

    Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (MMCH), which premiered in May on Playhouse Disney channels and Disney Channels around the world — the first-ever same-day global launch of Disney Channel programming. The show focuses on problem solving and early math curriculum. 

    MMCH toys will launch this Fall with all other product categories launching in spring 2007. The toy line from licensee, Character Direct, will feature interactivity and gadgets direct from the television series, as well as new technology and innovation. Name That Song Mickey is a key item in the line – the product features a wireless piano combined with a soft Mickey plush that interactively teaches kids music through numbers.

    Little Einsteins which premiered in October 2005. The show, which fosters creativity through music and art, began debuting around the world, most recently in Australia and New Zealand and will next launch in France, India and Taiwan. DCP will launch a broad cross-category assortment of product in spring 2007.

    My Friends Tigger and Pooh will premiere in spring 2007, wherein the show teaches life lessons, such as friendship, as well as early earth science. Tigger and Pooh are “Super Sleuths” and the audience helps them solve mysteries in the Hundred Acre Wood. A licensing program is currently in development for mass and mid-tier retail distribution for spring 2008.

  • TVHead inks deal with Hit Entertainment to create games for preschoolers

    MUMBAI: Interactive games-on-demand TV network, TVHead has inked a deal with Hit Entertainment, a provider of preschool entertainment to create games targeting the preschoolers.


    The deal calls for the premier games-on-demand television network to develop the first-ever, specially designed iTV games based on the popular characters Barney, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina.


    Aiming to launch in the last quarter of 2006, the California-based TVHead is developing new interactive games specifically for the preschool audience and unique to each of the London based Hit’s world-class properties, according to an official release.


    Each game will offers children a range of activities; Barney will focus on music and imagination; Thomas will focus on navigation and problem solving; Bob the Builder will focus on teamwork, problem solving and spatial relationships; and Angelina Ballerina will focus on dancing, friendships and determination to make your dreams come true.


    “Children the world over adore Barney, Thomas and Friends, Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina,” said TVHead founder and CEO Sangita Verma. “We are delighted at the opportunity of giving kids a new way to interact with these amazing properties that entertain, captivate and educate the growing preschool segment of our audience.”


    “Hit Entertainment is excited to be working with TVHead to deliver age-appropriate, innovative content for their new gaming platform,” said Hit Entertainment senior VP Jamie Cygielman. “As the Barney & Friends, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina TV series all provide educational entertainment that kids love and parents trust, this new gaming platform will allow children to deepen their relationship with these characters, creating an even more engaging learning experience.”


    Families will be able to play these games using the standard remote controls for their television sets, as TVHead’s proprietary technology simply plugs into existing VOD infrastructures and requires no special set-top boxes. The Hit offerings will join TVHead’s current games-on-demand lineup, which includes titles for casual and enthusiast gamers of all ages.

  • Reliance in mobile content deal with Disney; to offer 3D animation

    MUMBAI: Reliance Communications has announced its tie-up with Disney to offer on Reliance Mobile World what would be India’s first 3D animation on mobile. The deal promises a host of other Disney mobile content offerings as well.


    Reliance customers will be able to access 16 Disney animated video shorts, including ten in 3D, exclusively made for mobile devices and featuring Disney characters They also can download other mobile content with favourite Disney characters in the form of wallpapers, ring-tones, games or comic strips from Disney Zone, created on Reliance Mobile World, states an official release.


    This is not the first deal that Disney has done with a telecom player in India. It is worth recalling that Disney had tied up with AirTel in April to develop mobisodes, games, ringtones, wallpapers and animation in the ‘Disney Mobile Theatre‘ featuring popular cartoons. Airtel was then the third telecom operator Disney had tied up with, the other two being in Asia.


    Meanwhile, with soccer fever gripping the world, wallpapers and animations showing Disney characters in football gear will be an added attraction. Downloads will be priced at: Rs 5 for wallpapers, Rs 10 for video shorts downloads, Rs 5 for animations and Rs 10 for ring-tones on Disney Zone. Games will be charged at Rs 5 per session, adds the release.


    Walt Disney Internet Group EVP & MD Mark Handler says, “The strength of the Disney brand, combined with our rich content library, allows us to create a new and fun mobile experience for families in India. We are pleased to collaborate with Reliance to bring to consumers Disney mobile content, anytime, anywhere.”


    Reliance Communications Applications Solutions and Content Group president Mahesh Prasad adds, “Reliance Mobile has unparalleled reach with over 10 million data-enabled handsets and a countrywide high speed data network covering small and big towns alike. With Kidz World in Reliance Mobile World, Reliance pioneered edutainment on mobile in India. Disney Zone will raise the bar many notches to give a unique experience”.
    “Earlier this year, a game based on Power Rangers, a hit TV show on Toon Disney, was launched on Reliance network, which became one of the highest downloaded games nearing 700,000”. With the launch of a new season of Power Rangers SPD, a completely new game around the show is set to debut on Reliance this month,” added Mr. Prasad.


    The Walt Disney India MD Rajat Jain says, “Our success in these emerging platforms stems from the strengths of Disney’s major brands and franchises, which have been leveraged and brought in through innovative and strategically sound ways – positioning the company as the leading provider of entertainment and information for the wireless and broadband markets. We are happy to bring our best-in-class content to Reliance Mobile.”


    After Star India, it is Walt Disney Television International (India) that is exploring the mobile-enabled episode (mobisode) phenomenon.


    Also read:
    Disney ties up with AirTel for mobisodes

  • Adobe signs multi-year distribution agreement with Google

    MUMBAI: Adobe Systems Inc. has announced the signing of a multi-year agreement with Google Inc. to distribute the Google Toolbar with various Adobe products over the life of the deal. As a part of the agreement, Adobe and Google today will launch availability of the Google Toolbar with downloads of Adobe‘s Macromedia Shockwave Player. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.


    The Google Toolbar will now be offered as part of the Shockwave Player installation process for Internet Explorer on Windows. Under the terms of the agreement, the Google Toolbar will also be offered as part of other Adobe product installations in the future, states an official release.


    With over 200 million downloads to date, the Macromedia Shockwave Player is the Web standard for powerful multimedia playback. Available for free, the Shockwave Player allows users to view interactive Web content such as games, business presentations, entertainment, and advertisements from a Web browser. Hundreds of thousands of Shockwave Players are downloaded every day, and Shockwave Player is installed on more than 55 percent of Internet-enabled desktops. Additional information is available at www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer.


    The Google Toolbar is a free download that adds a Google search box to a Web browser, so users can access Google search capabilities from any Website. The Toolbar also includes innovative features that make browsing more efficient — such as instant suggestions as you type in the search box, a spellchecker, and a pop-up blocker. Users can also personalise the toolbar by adding buttons for their favorite sites.


    “As leaders in our respective market categories, it‘s fitting for Adobe and Google to work together to improve the ways customers engage with ideas and information,” says Adobe president & COO Shantanu Narayen. “Our customers will benefit from the power and convenience of the Google Toolbar, and the popularity and reach of Adobe technology gives Google even broader exposure to a growing base of consumers. We expect the agreement to represent significant revenue to Adobe over a period of years.”


    “Adobe customers are some of the most savvy, enthusiastic consumers of web content, and we think they‘ll love the fact that Google Toolbar will let them take the power of Google search with them anywhere on the Web,” says Google‘s Omid Kordestani . “Adobe and Google are teaming up to help users more easily and quickly find the ever-increasing sources of information that are important to them.”

  • HD and IPTV: Taking television to the next level

    HD and IPTV: Taking television to the next level

    SINGAPORE: High Definition Television (HDTV) has garnered a great deal of interest from early adopters largely because of the dramatic increase in picture quality, which supports the consumers’ demand for ever larger screen sizes. In order to appeal to the wider consumer audience HDTV will need to demonstrate considerable additional value over that of the standard definition incumbent.

    On the other hand, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) offers a foundation for the delivery of such value as it provides the capability to offer truly tailored television services in either a lone viewer or community viewer based environment. The additional resolution afforded by HDTV, enables the compelling visual presentation of the information and controls, which will form a vital part in the translation of HDTV demand from the early adopters to the high value mass market.

    ANT Software Ltd (UK) executive vice president sales and marketing Stephen Reeder said, “For most people, TV today still consists of a small number of channels with little or no information about the programming, which is on offer. Over the past 25 years, the introduction of cable, satellite and digital terrestrial television delivery has seen the addition of many more channels, increased programme information, Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs), and most recently, interactive services. Consumer acceptance of the increase in programming has been positive, with some regions, like the UK, experiencing extremely high take up rates.”

    What HDTV alone can’t provide is the transformation of TV from a singular experience where programming is broadcast to the consumer, to a truly tailored service where customers can see what they want, when they want to see it. Here’s where IPTV steps in.

    What can IPTV deliver that other delivery systems can’t?

    IPTV offers a one-to-one relationship between the viewer and the content they are viewing. It means that the viewer has the capability to pause, rewind or skip through a programme under their direct control without affecting other viewers in different locations. “The flexibility afforded by this one-to-one relationship extends far beyond the control of broadcast programming. Most basic IPTV systems offer on-demand movies, special interest channels and compelling interactive services ranging from gambling and Karaoke on demand to simple gaming for the children. In other words, customers can watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch it,” said Reeder.

    On the other hand, HD is important to IPTV because the latter offers immense flexibility and considerable potential customer value. “HD provides a dramatic increase in screen resolution, which in turn provides the potential for more information to be displayed in a clear and easy to understand form,” Reeder added.

    In conclusion, he said, “HDTV has made an impressive impact amongst the early adopter consumers. Although the value proposition of improved picture quality and the ability to support larger screen sizes is unlikely to be sufficient to ensure mass market success. IPTV and the HTML based technologies associated with it have much to offer in building the value necessary to underpin HDTV mass market adoption. The industry leaders are already putting in place the necessary foundation for a range of products and services, which will enhance the HDTV value proposition and create the required market pull to ensure success.”

  • Adobe signs multi-year distribution agreement with Google

    Adobe signs multi-year distribution agreement with Google

    MUMBAI: Adobe Systems Inc. has announced the signing of a multi-year agreement with Google Inc. to distribute the Google Toolbar with various Adobe products over the life of the deal. As a part of the agreement, Adobe and Google today will launch availability of the Google Toolbar with downloads of Adobe’s Macromedia Shockwave Player. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

    The Google Toolbar will now be offered as part of the Shockwave Player installation process for Internet Explorer on Windows. Under the terms of the agreement, the Google Toolbar will also be offered as part of other Adobe product installations in the future, states an official release.

    With over 200 million downloads to date, the Macromedia Shockwave Player is the Web standard for powerful multimedia playback. Available for free, the Shockwave Player allows users to view interactive Web content such as games, business presentations, entertainment, and advertisements from a Web browser. Hundreds of thousands of Shockwave Players are downloaded every day, and Shockwave Player is installed on more than 55 percent of Internet-enabled desktops. Additional information is available at www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer.

    The Google Toolbar is a free download that adds a Google search box to a Web browser, so users can access Google search capabilities from any Website. The Toolbar also includes innovative features that make browsing more efficient — such as instant suggestions as you type in the search box, a spellchecker, and a pop-up blocker. Users can also personalise the toolbar by adding buttons for their favorite sites.

    “As leaders in our respective market categories, it’s fitting for Adobe and Google to work together to improve the ways customers engage with ideas and information,” says Adobe president & COO Shantanu Narayen. “Our customers will benefit from the power and convenience of the Google Toolbar, and the popularity and reach of Adobe technology gives Google even broader exposure to a growing base of consumers. We expect the agreement to represent significant revenue to Adobe over a period of years.”

    “Adobe customers are some of the most savvy, enthusiastic consumers of web content, and we think they’ll love the fact that Google Toolbar will let them take the power of Google search with them anywhere on the Web,” says Google’s Omid Kordestani . “Adobe and Google are teaming up to help users more easily and quickly find the ever-increasing sources of information that are important to them.”

     

  • HD and IPTV: Taking television to the next level

    SINGAPORE: High Definition Television (HDTV) has garnered a great deal of interest from early adopters largely because of the dramatic increase in picture quality, which supports the consumers‘ demand for ever larger screen sizes. In order to appeal to the wider consumer audience HDTV will need to demonstrate considerable additional value over that of the standard definition incumbent.


    On the other hand, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) offers a foundation for the delivery of such value as it provides the capability to offer truly tailored television services in either a lone viewer or community viewer based environment. The additional resolution afforded by HDTV, enables the compelling visual presentation of the information and controls, which will form a vital part in the translation of HDTV demand from the early adopters to the high value mass market.


    ANT Software Ltd (UK) executive vice president sales and marketing Stephen Reeder said, “For most people, TV today still consists of a small number of channels with little or no information about the programming, which is on offer. Over the past 25 years, the introduction of cable, satellite and digital terrestrial television delivery has seen the addition of many more channels, increased programme information, Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs), and most recently, interactive services. Consumer acceptance of the increase in programming has been positive, with some regions, like the UK, experiencing extremely high take up rates.”


    What HDTV alone can‘t provide is the transformation of TV from a singular experience where programming is broadcast to the consumer, to a truly tailored service where customers can see what they want, when they want to see it. Here‘s where IPTV steps in.


    What can IPTV deliver that other delivery systems can‘t?


    IPTV offers a one-to-one relationship between the viewer and the content they are viewing. It means that the viewer has the capability to pause, rewind or skip through a programme under their direct control without affecting other viewers in different locations. “The flexibility afforded by this one-to-one relationship extends far beyond the control of broadcast programming. Most basic IPTV systems offer on-demand movies, special interest channels and compelling interactive services ranging from gambling and Karaoke on demand to simple gaming for the children. In other words, customers can watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch it,” said Reeder.


    On the other hand, HD is important to IPTV because the latter offers immense flexibility and considerable potential customer value. “HD provides a dramatic increase in screen resolution, which in turn provides the potential for more information to be displayed in a clear and easy to understand form,” Reeder added.


    In conclusion, he said, “HDTV has made an impressive impact amongst the early adopter consumers. Although the value proposition of improved picture quality and the ability to support larger screen sizes is unlikely to be sufficient to ensure mass market success. IPTV and the HTML based technologies associated with it have much to offer in building the value necessary to underpin HDTV mass market adoption. The industry leaders are already putting in place the necessary foundation for a range of products and services, which will enhance the HDTV value proposition and create the required market pull to ensure success.”

  • Satellite interference affects broadcasters & consumers

    Satellite interference affects broadcasters & consumers

    SINGAPORE: We’ve recently seen it happening to Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India during the telecast of a popular film awards ceremony. Star India, too, has faced some minor problems due to this in the past. We’re talking about a growing menace called satellite interference, which affects both satellite operators and the end user.

    Whether deliberate or not, satellite interference means a huge revenue loss for broadcasters, which is eventually recovered from the consumers. 

    With an excess of 300 satellite channels in India and more than 200 in China, satellite interference is becoming an increasing problem as the technical uplinking requirements within these market places are not fully efficiently deployed.

    Satellite interference today are caused by: equipment (40 per cent), unknown (22 per cent), human error (15 per cent), crosspol (13 per cent), antenna (8 per cent), deliberate (1 per cent) and terrestrial (negligible). Apart from this, military interference is also one of the causes.

    “The different types of military interferences are: airborne and ship born radar, which generally affects downlinks; spread spectrum hidden use, which results in higher noise floor and is difficult to identify and transponder hopping. While the military are generally cooperative (except in war zones) as far as airborne and ship born radar is concerned, but in case of transponder hopping, they deny responsibility and hence it is difficult to ensure resolution,” said Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) chair of the board R James Budden.

    ESPN Star Sports director of engineering Andy Rylance pondered over the economic losses caused by satellite interference. “The economic losses caused by satellite interference are very high and run into millions of dollars. At the end of the day, not just the broadcaster but even the consumer pays for it. The types of interference can be intentional (piracy or political), unintentional (faulty kit, misalignment), terrestrial and limited to channel, transponder or multi transponder,” he said. 

    So what are the costs? In terms of commercials, there is a loss of commercial breaks, which means huge revenue loss of the broadcaster. And if the interference is during prime time, the monies can run even deeper. Ratings is the other factor that are affected if the interference is extended. Apart from this, if the interference is extended, the broadcaster stands a chance of losing credibility in the eyes of the consumer, who will eventually switch to other channel, which have an uninterrupted broadcast. 

    “The broadcaster will also have to pay for extra protection and maybe have a diverse feed, which actually doubles the cost or they can use fibre. But, that needs huge care in engineering to ensure availability. Some of the indirect costs of satellite interference are that the unusable space costs satellite operators real money and locating rogue uplinks is not cheap. What’s more, the losses to satellite operators must ultimately be borne by users,” Rylance said. 

    While most interference is out of our hands, the fact is that it is draining cash from everyone’s pocket. “What ever we can do to reduce the risk, we must do. Operational and engineering best practices will help,” he concluded.