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  • Ted Turner bids adieu to Time Warner

    Ted Turner bids adieu to Time Warner

    MUMBAI: For one so flamboyantly outspoken – he once famously challenged nemesis Rupert Murdoch to a face-off in the boxing ring – Ted Turner’s departure from the network he founded was pretty low key.

    There were none of the usual verbal fisticuffs, just a relatively quiet fading away for the maverick “former” media mogul as he bid goodbye on Friday to Time Warner inc, the media behemoth that had swallowed the network he created – CNN.

    The severing of all direct ties to Time Warner was made official Friday after Turner chose not to stand for re-election at the company’s annual meeting.

    Expectedly, the two-hour meeting, held in Atlanta instead of the Time Warner’s headquarters in New York, was underpinned by the recurring theme of Turner’s legacy, which saw more than one senior executive, including chairman and CEO Richard Parsons, giving their eulogies to the now ex-vice chairman.

    The fact that all the paens sung about his “legacy” had nothing more than sentimental value was not lost on anyone, including Turner, who chose not to stay till the end of the meeting and left mid-way through it and headed for his home in upscale Atlanta.

    And he did throw in a not-so-gentle parting shot before he left saying, “I have been with the company and its successors for 35 years now. I just wished that the last five years, I could have made a bigger contribution. I didn’t have that opportunity, unfortunately, but I hung in there as long as the company, I felt, needed me — until the class-action lawsuits and the antitrust problems were resolved.”

    That about summed up the regret that Turner, 67, now officially part of Time Warner’s past, will always carry with him – not to have any say in the world’s first truely global news network CNN. Well maybe he still might. After all he remains the company’s largest individual shareholder.

    But that’s not on his mind at the moment anyway. He has his philanthropic work and he has his restaurant chain – Ted’s Montana Grill that serves bison meat – as his main priorities. Turner is chairman of the United Nations Foundation, which he started with a $1 billion pledge to the agency in 1997, and co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative with former US senator Sam Nunn of Georgia.

    His final words to Time Warner shareholders: “I’ve done my best and, like (famed newsman) Edward R. Murrow said in that great Warner Bros. movie that was just released a month ago, good night and good luck.”

    CNN certainly could use some of that luck as it tries desperately to catch up with Murdoch’s news ratings leader Fox News, which has left Turner’s former network in its wake these past few years.

  • Sony, Star One bid to get back on narrative track

    It was in early October 2005 that we last had a close look at the Hindi entertainment space. What did we see then?

    The top programmes on Star Plus were witnessing a ratings erosion of between 10-12 per cent on an average. But the key point then was that though Star Plus‘ top shows had dropped on the TRP scale, the channel share had dropped by only 5 per cent due to the expansion of the performing time bands to the weekend — thanks to KBC 2 and its effect on the weekend line up on the channel.

     

    KBC 2‘s unexpected exit and Star Plus‘ failure to present a fitting substitute exposed the channel‘s overdependency on the property

    Add to that was the huge success sibling Star One enjoyed on the back of two talent shows Nach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. So, Star as a network ended the year on a super high note with Star Plus managing to hold steady its grip on Hindi entertainment and the added bonus of Star One‘s meteoric rise in the reckoning.

    Going into the month of April 2006 though, the picture is looking a whole lot different. What has been extensively reported on is Zee TV‘s overtaking of Sony Entertainment Television India’s flagship channel SET to ensconce itself firmly as the clear number two in the Hindi entertainment space.

    What not many seem to have taken note of though is the way Star Plus’ flanker channel, which Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair had hoped would make a serious assault on the number two position, has plummeted hugely from a high of 15.1 channel share in the second week of December to a lowly 5.5 for the week ended 30 April (see charts).

    This brings us to a posit that has been made earlier, but with specific reference to SET — that the recipe of relying on format shows to deliver would prove difficult to sustain as a long term proposition.

    In a sense, the trajectory of both SET and Star One has been similar. While the format shows have offered them temporary spikes, the lack of strong wraparound drama content has meant that overall there has only been a downward spiral witnessed.

     

    Star Plus has finally zeroed in on the period drama Prithviraj Chauhan to fill the void created by KBC2‘s exit

    Comparing the two is not exactly warranted, though except to draw attention to the inability of the format shows to drive up the channel as a whole without solid dramas (or as Nair terms it narrative fiction) as the main menu proposition.

    Why is it incorrect to compare? The format shows worked brilliantly for Star One in the sense that if one looks at where the channel was before these shows “did the trick” it was far lower than where it is now. So basically, Star One is now in direct competition with Sahara One (which has improved on the ratings reckoner). It would appear that the only way ahead from Star One is up, which should be good news as a lot of hope and money is riding on the channel.

    For Sony, a lot depends on how the strategy that the channel is charting on the narrative fiction front takes off. The results haven‘t been too encouraging so far though with the two new prime time shows launched simultaneously on 24 April (Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham) yet to make an impact. This stands out in stark relief when compared to Zee TV‘s new prime time show Jabb Love Hua, which launched the same day and is doing far better.

     

    Channel
    Key properties
    April-May average ratings combined
    Star Plus Kyunki…, Kahaani…, Kasauti… 12.64 TVR
    Star One Laughter Challenge, Mano Ya Na.., Kya Hoga.. 2.61 TVR
    Zee TV Saath Phere, Kasamh Se 4.44 TVR
    Sony Idol final & Idol Muqabla, Fear Factor, CID 3.36 TVR
    Sahara One Cricket, Woh Rehne Wali.., Hanuman (film) 2.76 TVR
    Sab TV Caravan (film), Idol Takka Tak, Wah Wah, Lo Kal.. 0.52 TVR

     

     

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System TG: CS 4 years + Markets: Hindi Speaking Markets
    Period: 2/4/06 to 6/5/06

     

     

    After Saath Phere and Kasamh Se, Zee‘s latest prime time property Jabb Love Hua is now ringing the alarm bells for rival channels

    If one were to look at Zee, Saath Phere at 9:30 pm delivered and that has given the channel a huge boost. The good show from Kasamh Se, coming at 9 pm, has doubled the channel‘s excitement. According to Tam, the latest prime time offering Jabb Love Hua has also achieved a strong opening. Zee also has strong properties in its afternoon soaps, Paalki and Mamta. Zee is presently strategising its moves to strengthen the afternoon band further.

    What gave Zee the momentum was of course Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005, which has been a solid home grown quality format property which has pretty much chugged along without too much media noise all these years. When Zee made substantial investments in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, it got the dividends.

     

    Sony’s format overkill and the resultant viewer fatigue worked against ‘Indian Idol 2‘ in viewership charts

    While speaking of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, the case of Sony’s Indian Idol 2 immediately comes into the frame. We remain convinced that Idol is an intrinsically a strong property. So frankly, we are surprised at the low (comparatively) ratings it delivered. About the only reason that makes sense is that Sony’s format overkill led to viewer fatigue.

    After the first edition of Indian Idol signed off on such a high note, in came Fame Gurukul, which also took the music talent route. From a viewer’s perspective, it was one into the next and before gathering breath as it were, there was Idol 2 back again.

    There was a lot of “format noise” on the rival channels as well so that also has to be factored in. Music talent hunt Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has already been discussed. Then there was the celebrity dance contest Nach Baliye and the Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star One and of course the big daddy of them all KBC 2 on Star Plus.

     

    Will the new soaps such as Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham see Sony pulling its viewers back to the drawing room?

    How do the coming months look for Sony? Well it depends on what are the narrative fiction shows that the channel has launched as well as those in the pipeline fare. Drawing from the example of the US, NBC has slid because it has found nothing to replace cult hits like Friends, Seinfeld and Frasier while ABC’s surge has filled the “vacuum” with hits like Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.

    Coming back to Sony, Jassi has bid its long overdue adieu and the channel has tapped the horror genre (Khauffnak) as its replacement. The show is expected to conclude by June end. What shows the channel throws up next in the time band and how Aisa Des Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham ultimately fare in the ratings reckoning could well determine whether the coming months see SET’s ratings curve travelling north or further south.

  • Amaru inks deal with Sony Pics TV International for VOD rights in Singapore

    Amaru inks deal with Sony Pics TV International for VOD rights in Singapore

    MUMBAI: The US-headquartered Amaru Inc., a global player in broadband media entertainment business, has secured a multi-year deal with Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) for video-on-demand rights on film titles from both Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for M2B viewers. The agreement has been done through Amaru’s Hollywood-based company M2B World Inc.

    The distribution deal, initiated at the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) conference held in Las Vegas in January 2006, allows for first-run films to be available, on-demand, to subscribers of Amaru’s Global Broadband TV service (M2BTV), accessible through the company’s soon to be launched Set-Top Box, informs an official release.

    In addition, a selection of films will be available via pay-per-view on Dimension88 — a Singaporean premium movie channel offered at www.Dimension88.com that can be accessed via a broadband Internet connection. This deal will give M2B viewers access to SPTI product in the window after local video release.

    The deal reflects the rapidly developing interest by consumers worldwide in the at-home on-demand entertainment market. An independent study commissioned last month by the M2B brand on consumer attitudes towards broadband entertainment found that 72 per cent of domestic respondents alone were interested in accessing first-run Hollywood films online. Through distinctive content and distribution agreements over the last few years, including this agreement with SPTI, the M2B brand has been a visionary leader at the forefront of the transforming entertainment market, the release adds.

    “This agreement is a result of the unique synergy that traditional Hollywood entertainment companies are looking towards. It is essentially the melding of the highly recognizable content that viewers are looking for with easily accessible distribution vehicles, such as our broadband channels, that offer consumers the highest quality feeds in a way that fits within their limited schedules,” says Amaru Inc. CEO Colin Binny. “Our philosophy has always been to offer wide-ranging content as our viewing demographic continues to broaden — and partnering with Sony Pictures Television International is reflective of that intention. We look forward to working with SPTI, and expect that the addition of these titles will be extremely well-received by our viewers.”

    “Viewers worldwide have been receptive to VOD and we’re pleased to make our extensive library available to M2B viewers”, adds SPTI’s vice president pay television Paul Littmann.

  • Star Group Q3 revenue up 14% to $123 mn

    Star Group Q3 revenue up 14% to $123 mn

    NEW DELHI: The Rupert Murdoch-controlled News Corp.’s pan-Asian venture, Star Group, operating income grew 28 per cent year-on-year to reach almost $30 million, propelled by ad revenue growth largely emanating from India.

    While the Hong Kong-based Star Group turnover grew 14 per cent to reach $123 million for the third quarter ended march 2006, parent News Corp. continued to maintain strong operating momentum with its Q3 FY 06 (March 2006 quarter) result with an increase in operating income to $889 million.

    According to the Hong Kong-based media research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA), Star Group’s Indian operations grew on the back of weekend programming initiatives at Star Plus and Star One.

    However, MPA states that Star’s revenue growth of 14 per cent in Q3 was below previous quarters (20 per cent – 30 per cent in Q1 and Q2) due to an earlier-than-expected-closure on Star Plus of the second season of the Amitabh Bachchan-hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), which is an Indianised version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

    KBC had to be taken off the air earlier this year after its star host, Bachchan, fell ill midway into the second season and expressed his inability to continue shooting for the television programme, which was showing signs of capturing the fancy of the nation once again.

    For nine-month FY 06, Star Group’s turnover tracked up 22 per cent to approximately $400 million, while operating income climbed 16 per cent $86 million with margins down a notch to 22 per cent (versus 23 per cent in 9M FY 05) due to higher investments in programming, marketing and distribution largely in India.

    MPA forecasts indicate that Star could see $141 million in operating income by the end of the present financial year in June 2006 with total revenue at $551 mil. (+24 per cent Y/Y).

    Going forward, Star will be heavily focused on its July 2006 launch of DTH services in India via its 20 per cent-owned $500 million joint venture with the Tatas (80 per cent shareholder) along with a ramp up of programming at its 20 per cent-owned Indonesian terrestrial broadcaster ANTV.

    Tata Sky aims to add up to one million pay-TV subs per annum as it looks to drive digital-led addressability in the Indian market.

    As of March 2006, India’s first DTH pay-TV provider Dish TV (owned by Zee Telefilms boss Subhash Chandra) had close to a million subscribers.

  • RAPA awards to be held on 20 May

    RAPA awards to be held on 20 May

    MUMBAI: Radio and Television Advertising Practitioners’ Association of India (RAPA) is all set to stage its 31st Annual awards for excellence on 20 May at St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra, Mumbai.
    RAPA has been honouring and encouraging creative excellence for over 30 years. This is the only association in the country which encompasses all Indian languages and English and gives as much importance to radio as television.

    Entries have come in from all over the country and judging has been completed. The panel of judges include Ameen Sayani, Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Rinki Bhattacharya, Karuna Samtani, Ramesh Deo, Manjul Sinha, Javed Siddiqi, Pushpa Bharati, Sandesh Shandilya Anil Ganguli, Jyoti Venkatesh, Gufi Paintal and Nandita Puri to name a few.
    The winners list does not compromise of work from metros only, people from small towns have also made a mark, informs an official release.

    This year also happens to be the 100 year of Radio coming into existence. RAPA says that it salutes those who had faith in radio and did not desert it when boom in the television industry made most people comment that radio was dying and it was a matter of time before radio would be forgotten.

    The association states that all the who’s who of the entertainment industry will be there to felicitate and be felicitated.

  • Trai’s Open House to discuss commercial tariff for broadcasting and cable TV

    Trai’s Open House to discuss commercial tariff for broadcasting and cable TV

    Subject: Open House Discussion and posting of Gist of Comments on issues relating to Commercial Tariff for Broadcasting and Cable Television Services.

    The TRAI will be holding Open House Discussion (OHD) on issues relating to Commercial Tariff for Broadcasting and Cable Television Services. The OHD will be held on 25.5.2006 at the Banquet Hall, 3rd Floor, Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri from 11.00 Hrs to 13.30 Hrs.

    2. The consultation paper issued on 21.4.2006 on the issue and gist of comments received from stakeholders on the consultation paper are available on TRAI’s website www.trai.gov.in. The consultation paper can be seen by using the link
    http://www.trai.gov.in/trai/upload/
    ConsultationPapers/71/consult21apr06.pdf.
    The gist of Comments can be seen using the link
    http://www.trai.gov.in/whatnew.asp and
    http://www.trai.gov.in/pressreleases_list_year.asp .

    3. The Issues posed for consultation will also be available at the venue of the Open House Discussion. All interested agencies /individuals are invited to participate. For any clarification, please contact Shri Rakesh Kacker, Advisor (B&CS), Ph 011-26713291, Fax no 011-26713442, E-mail:
    rkacker@trai.gov.in

  • Delhi Aaj Tak sets 29 May as launch date

    Delhi Aaj Tak sets 29 May as launch date

    MUMBAI: Finally the launch date of the proposed national capital region (NCR) channel from the Aroon Purie-promoted TV Today Network has been firmed up (at least targeted). The company has zeroed in on 29 May as the date for the channel’s debut.

    This has been confirmed to indiantelevision.com by senior sources from within the company.

    Targeting Delhi as well as the neighbouring satellite towns of Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana and Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the fourth sibling from the stable will encompass various local issues of the regions aimed at attracting Hindi speaking audiences.

    While the sources refused to divulge any details on the programming front, offering only that while the channel would be a different product from market leader Aaj Tak, nonetheless it would maintain the essence of its established sibling.

    As reported earlier, the uplinking clearance for Delhi Aaj Tak came through last year. The channel’s tag line is ‘Delhi Aaj Tak’: aapka sehar, aap tak (Delhi Aaj Tak: your city, up close), it will be beamed off Insat 2E.

    The other news channels from the TV Today stable are however, likely to shift their beaming base from Insat-2E to Pas-10.

    Last year, the network has launched its second Hindi news channel Tez tracing the format of English sibling Headlines Today (pacy news format). The channel focuses on quick delivery of news.

    What needs to be seen is whether the company will also consider in its offering, other metro-centric products?

    The NCR region already has a few existing players including Sahara NCR, S1 and Total TV servicing the viewers’ news appetite. Meanwhile, NDTV is also proposing a new product to service the metros, including Delhi.

  • ABC, Fox up on Upfront, CBS flat, NBC to drop: Merrill Lynch report

    ABC, Fox up on Upfront, CBS flat, NBC to drop: Merrill Lynch report

    MUMBAI: Will it stay flat or will there be another fall? And how much longer will the annual highpoint event for television networks in the US – the broadcast upfront presentations – even matter to executives taking the call on where to put their advertising buck?

    As new digital media options open up, these are issues that TV execs in the US are having to grapple with increasingly in the upfront season but a report just out from investment firm Merrill Lynch does offer a window into what the future could hold. At least in the near to medium term. And contrary to the doomsayers, it is not all gloom for the networks in an age where a new generation of consumers are increasingly getting their entertainment fix outside of the TV screen.

    To quote from the report: “Generally speaking, we believe that traditional broadcasters may be better positioned for this market than credited given their multiple touch points with consumers, experience in content production, already large inventory of much sought after video content and strong relationships with advertisers.”

    The report further said that if advertisers opted to shift their spends to new digital platforms like broadband or mobile, “broadcasters are primed to attract a significant share of that spending with their offerings in the new arenas”.

    On the dollars gained front, the report predicts the major networks should wind up about flat or slightly lower than the $9.1 billion booked in 2005, when upfront spending fell 2 percent from the previous year. Among the networks, ABC again leads its rivals on the continued momentum delivered by its three big hit shows – Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy. Upfront commitments are predicted to increase 7 per cent to $2.23 billion. News Corp’s Fox meanwhile, shows the biggest projected growth of 12 per cent to reach $1.78 billion.

    Though CBS will only be up 1 per cent this year, by virtue of its having the largest ad pie share among the top four US networks means it will rack up $2.63 billion from the upfront.

    NBC continues the slide after seeing its prime-time ratings drop 14 per cent over the last year. Merrill Lynch predicts that NBC will decline 3 per cent this year, to touch $1.84 billion. Some consolation for the ratings challenged former numero uno network is that it has somewhat bottomed out from the disastrous 33 percent free fall it suffered last year.

  • Nokia wins GSM expansion deal with Sichuan Unicom in China













    MUMBAI: Nokia has won a GSM network expansion deal with Sichuan Unicom, a subsidiary of China Unicom.


    Under the agreement, Nokia will deploy its GSM radio and core networks, including the Nokia MSC Server mobile softswitch, in four cities in the Sichuan Province.


    Deliveries have started and the network expansion will be fully operational by August 2006, informs an official release.

     

    The is Nokia‘s first agreement with Sichuan Unicom and is a milestone for Nokia, entering the GSM market in Sichuan and West China.


    The deal also highlights Nokia‘s position in mobile softswitch systems deployment in the China area. The Nokia MSC Server mobile softswitch is a circuit core network architecture fully compatible with GSM/Edge and WCDMA 3G.

     

    “We are extremely delighted with our progress in the GSM business and deepening cooperation with mobile operators in China. The mobile market and the number of subscribers in China are growing fast and steadily. With our global experience and strong end-to-end localization commitment, we support mobile operators in bringing state-of-the-art mobile services to their customers,” said China Area Networks Nokia vice president Yuan Wei

  • MTV Movie Awards 2006 to exploit various screens

    MTV Movie Awards 2006 to exploit various screens

    MUMBAI: Aiming to tap any screen, MTV Networks launches 2006 MTV Movie Awards through various interactive platforms.

    The network has set up an interactive hub www.movieawards.mtv.com, viewers will be able to access every aspect of the Movies awards.
    In addition, the network will unveil My Movie Awards on MTV Overdrive, creating opportunity to watch and customize the entire movie awards ceremony, plus experience exclusive content not seen during the show.

    There users can re-experience the awards in their own unique, customized way through MTV Overdrive which will have the entire show in bite-size on-demand segments.

    By creating a personalized highlight reel of the show, or simply watch it in its entirety on demand — it’s all up to the fans. Viewers will also be able to access exclusive footage not seen on-air including, revealing backstage diaries from the night’s celebrities, an in-depth look at the hottest red carpet fashions, interviews with the big winners, and much more.

    My Movie Awards will debut immediately following the on-air premiere of the 2006 MTV Movie Awards on 8 June.
    “Watch the show in its entirety, or mix and customize your favorite moments, My Movie Awards is unlimited access for fans to experience the show exactly as they demand it,” said MTV president Christina Norman.

    “It speaks to our mission — give our audience the opportunity to tap into MTV on any screen they want to — and the Movie Awards promises to be another standout MTV multiplatform event.”

    Jessica Alba will be hosting the 2006 MTV Movie Awards in California. Taking the stage to debut new music and deliver eagerly awaited live performances at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards are Christina Aguilera and punk rockers, AFI.

    Kate Beckinsale, Jamie Foxx, Owen Wilson, Justin Timberlake, Matt Dillon, Will Ferrell, T.I., Kate Hudson, Ludacris, Rebecca Romijn, Kate Bosworth, Famke Janssen, John C. Reilly and Brandon Routh are the first to be announced in the growing list of stars presenting at this year’s ceremony, which promises to be more than an award show, but a movie unto itself, informs an official release.

    Up for starring roles at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards are the 40-Year Old Virgin and Wedding Crashers, each receiving five nominations. Also vying for the spotlight are Batman Begins, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hustle & Flow, Sin City and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith with three nominations each.

    MTV will also celebrate the all new categories of Best Hero, Sexiest Performance and the ‘mtvU Student Filmmaker Award’ for the first time ever.

    Tenth Planet Productions will once again join MTV to produce the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Joel Gallen will executive produce the show for the 12th consecutive year, and will also direct the show. Salli Frattini is executive producer for MTV. Rick Austin is Producer and Kathy Flynn will serve as event producer.

    The 2006 MTV Movie Awards will be seen in 171 countries /territories via 50 music programming services, and in 23 languages in more than 479.5 million households, informs the official release.