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  • Paul Aiello appointed Star Group president

    Paul Aiello appointed Star Group president

    MUMBAI: Star Group has announced the appointment of Paul Aiello as its president. Aiello will report to Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie.

    In this newly created role, Aiello will be responsible for developing strategic and business directions for the company while overseeing corporate functions including business development, strategy and implementation, Star ventures, government affairs and corporate communications, according to an official release.

    Commenting on Aiello’s appointment, Guthrie said, “As Star continues to expand its operations and look towards diversified growth opportunities in Asia, the need for an experienced and gifted executive with Paul’s background became apparent. Together with Steve Askew who oversees our operations across the region, we now have in place a highly formidable team to lead the company into its next phase of robust development.”

    Aiello, 41, joins Star from Morgan Stanley where he worked for more than nine years. He joined the company as VP in 1997 and subsequently advanced his career to executive director, mergers and acquisitions of Asia Pacific; COO of Asia Pacific investment banking and finally, MD and head of telecom, media and technology group, Asia Pacific in 2000.

    He holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

  • ‘Rendezvous’ with Imran Khan on Star World

    ‘Rendezvous’ with Imran Khan on Star World

    The charismatic Pathan finally opens up on his life, love and dreams
    A very special three part Rendezvous with Imran Khan, kicks off this Sunday Catch the living legend of Pakistan, Imran Khan, on ‘A Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’
    Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm on Star World

    Mumbai, April 4, 2006: Legends do not come any bigger than this. Arguably Pakistan’s greatest ever cricketer, today he is a charismatic politician fighting against injustice and autocracy. While his personal life has seen quite a bit of upheaval in the recent past, he has characteristically maintained a dignified silence till now.
    In a special three part Rendezvous, the legendary Imran Khan opens up like never before, and provides the answers to all the speculation. The first part of this exclusive Rendezvous kicks off this Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm only on Star World.

    In this first episode, the focus is on Imran, the cricketer and Imran, the son. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation…

    Excerpts from the interview:
    Simi: Cricketers entertain, but you always want to do serious things. Does it affect the way people look at you?
    Imran: Actually it depends on your credibility. Fame helps you with name recognition. But ultimately it is the credibility, which counts.

    Simi: You were ambitious, even as a young boy… is it true?
    Imran: Oh yeah, I was always a dreamer. Age of nine onwards, I had no doubts that I would play for Pakistan. It was just the question of when. I thought I’d be the youngest cricketer ever. And then when I started playing at the age of 18, I had this ambition of taking 10 wickets in a match!

    Simi: You discovered new talents, didn’t you?
    Imran: Well, I discovered because I had these scouts who used to tell me which player is doing well. That’s how Inzamam-ul-Haq was discovered. I knew he was a great talent when I saw him play for just 5 minutes.

     

    Simi: What has changed in cricket since your innings?
    Imran: The positive change is the quality of fielding, which has gone way up. The negative side is the quality of fast bowling has gone down a bit. We need more wicket-taking bowlers. Someone like Shoaib Akhtar concentrates more on the bowling speed rather than the wicket taking part.

    Simi: In whom do you see the potential today? Here I am talking about the Indian cricketers.
    Imran: Irfan Pathan. He very much reminds me of young Wasim Akram. You can have all the talent but if you do not have the character to translate that talent into performance then it’s wasted. Irfan has it. He is a lion hearted cricketer.

    Simi: You dated some of the most glamorous woman of those times… movie stars, models, Emma Sergeant, the painter. They were obviously attracted to you. But were you attracted by them because of their glamour?
    Imran: What attracts other people, you will never know. There can be some glamorous people who are unattractive. Because they become quite self-centered, self-obsessed, actually boring. It’s actually the personality, which is the key.

    Always written about and never heard, here is your chance to find out how Imran Khan sees himself. Rendezvous with Simi Garewal on Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm.

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

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

     

  • Britannia Treat’s sales up 40% with Toon Disney’s Jetix Power Your Rangers contest

    MUMBAI: This contest has sure delivered for the channel as well as the sponsor. The Jetix Power Your Rangers contest on Toon Disney, which was presented in association with Britannia received responses from 523,000 from kids across India. What’s more… the contest saw Britannia Treat’s sales increase by 49 per cent.

    The campaign scored a number of firsts receiving exposure unlike anything ever seen in the kids’ space in India through Britannia’s 800,000 retail network, on-pack presence on more than 32 million Britannia Treat packs, on-pack presence on more than 10 million Peppy packs, Power Rangers Premia with every pack of Britannia Treat and Peppy, School Contact Program in 500 schools across six cities establishing contact with 500,000 kids and mobile van activity in Maharashtra.

    Also, for the first time ever, Power Your Rangers, a TV show was recreated as a mobile game for cell phone users – a hitherto untapped target group. The mobile game on R-World was available to 16 million Reliance India Mobile subscribers, and posted the highest number of downloads in the recent past. Britannia also reached out to over 150,000 kids in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore through mobile van and school activities.

    Walt Disney Television International (India) director marketing and communications Tushar Shah said, “In true Disney tradition, Jetix Power Your Rangers campaign boasted of an innovative contest format with a multi-platform push unlike anything ever seen before. We extended the show experience seamlessly and innovatively across media, creating multiple touch points allowing kids to get close to their favourite superheroes while ensuring unprecedented and tangible sponsor benefits.”

    Britannia Industries Ltd general manager and head marketing and innovation Richa Arora said, “The bottom line on the promotion is that it increased sales by 49 per cent. What’s equally important is that the promotion worked well as a package — from very innovative premia to the actual contest to the on ground activation.”

    The winners of the contest are Pawan Kumar from Kolkata, Sahil Ghosh from Bangalore, Andrew D’Souza from Mumbai, Sam Krishnakant from Andhra Pradesh and Prince Dahiya from New Delhi, who have won a trip to New Zealand with their families.

    Also, 55 other kids have won Play Station II Consoles and Power Rangers game. Besides this, “Quick Gun” prizes for the fastest correct entries– the Power Your Ranger Bravery medals have been won by 10,000 kids across the country.

  • Endemol’s game shows sold worldwide

    Endemol’s game shows sold worldwide

    MUMBAI: Endemol International has announced several new deals on hit game show Deal or No Deal, the recently acquired Take It or Leave It property and 1 vs 100.

    Take It or Leave It from Intellygents has been sold to Telecinco in Spain where the first series is due to launch later this year. And in Italy, RAI has renewed the show for a second season following its successful run last summer. The format has also just gone to air on NL2 (TROS) in the Netherlands.

    In the Middle East, Deal or No Deal is heading to LBC following a previous run on MBC. LBC is launching a new prime time daily version this month. The format is also set to air in Denmark later this year on TV2. The format has now been sold to 45 countries worldwide including the U.S.

    In Asia, VTV in Vietnam acquired 1 vs. 100 for launch in May. The show also recently premiered in Norway where it is a prime time hit for TV2. 1 vs. 100 has now been sold to 12 countries with both weekly and daily versions on the air.

  • SBS Broadcasting sees success with first original drama series

    SBS Broadcasting sees success with first original drama series

    CANNES: Capitalising on its successful productions of local formats, SBS Broadcasting has branched out into original scripted drama development. The pan-European broadcaster’s first original dramatic series For Better or Worse runs Monday through Friday 7 pm time slot on host network TV2 Hungary.

    Today, more than a year since its debut, For Better or Worse continues to average 1.35 million viewers for a 14.4 rating/28 share among total viewers nationwide, the company claims in an official release.

    Initially conceived in November 2004 by Interaktiv, the SBS-owned production company, For Better or Worse (Joban Rosszban in Hungarian) is a hospital drama series set in the small town of Csillagkut, near the capital city of Budapest. The hospital, Csillagvirag Clinic, is privately owned by Peter Pongracz (the series’ protagonist) and his sister Reka, both practicing doctors. Focusing on the everyday lives of the town’s three most influential families – the Pongracz, Nemes and Varnagy families – the series explores human relationships as well as medical issues.

    The multi-layered storylines, crafted by the writing team of the scripted division of Interaktiv, involve elements of romance, jealousy, adolescence, comedy, and drama.

    TV2 head of programming Lóránd Poich says: “We are very pleased with the audiences’ response to For Better or Worse. Airing the program as a half-hour daily strip for over a year, we are encouraged by its ability to deliver consistently across all target demographic groups, proving to us that locally produced programming resonates with the viewer and really does provide an advantage to our station.”

    Added SBS Broadcasting VP production Daniela Matei, “This series has been an interesting exploration of developing original scripted drama series for our stations. As you know, our corporate mandate is always to deliver the best programming possible in the most cost effective and efficient manner. And based on the continuing success of this series and the affordability of the production, we are now looking at the possibility of adapting the local Hungarian scripts for other markets.”

  • E-City Films to release Hollywood film ‘The New World’ in India

    E-City Films to release Hollywood film ‘The New World’ in India

    MUMBAI: E-City Films will release this year’s Oscar nominated Hollywood Blockbuster The New World in India on 7 April. Directed by Terence Malick and inspired by the legend of John Smith and Pocahontas, the movie explores the story of love, loss and discovery, both a celebration and an elegy of the America that was and the America that was yet to come.
    The film was nominated for this year’s Oscar Awards for Best Achievement in Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki).

    Speaking on the release of the film, E-City Films chief executive officer Atul Goel said, ” The Multiplex revolution has paved way for the English movie market in India, which can be pegged at Rs.1 billion approx. We are looking at a 30 per cent growth in this business. It is an excellent business arena to broach upon.”

    E-City Films (I) Pvt. Ltd has so far distributed Alexander (December 2004), One Dollar Curry (February 2005), Million Dollar Baby (March 2005) and Sahara (July 2005), Truth about Love, Elvis has left the Building, Five Children and It, Cellular and many such hits in the Indian sub-continent viz. Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. It has also taken the Indian lifestyle shows to the Russian television audience, informs an official release.

  • ESS looks to spread the Fifa fever with production, marketing initiatives

    ESS looks to spread the Fifa fever with production, marketing initiatives

    MUMBAI: One of ESPN Star Sports’ (ESS) biggest properties for the year is the football World cup. While the event is still a few months away and takes place from 9 June to 9 July 2006, the channel has announced a slew of initiatives that it is hoping will build excitement.

    ESS India MD RC Venkateish said, “The Fifa World Cup is one of the most watched sporting spectacles across the globe with last edition having a cumulative audience base of 28.8 billion worldwide. ESPN Star Sports will be unveiling a comprehensive programming around it to give the Indian viewers an experience of a lifetime to build their interest in the FIFA World Cup by creating an appeal.”

    Production values to be given a boost: Venkateish explains that to start with, ESS has established a distinguished and enriched studio panel of presenters for the World Cup. Gerry Armstrong, ex-Irish International and now a soccer expert with ESS; Steve McMahon, ex- England and Liverpool player and ESS presenter Harsha Bhogle for the World Cup. ESS is counting on the three generations of sports expert to provide a new dimension to the telecast of the event to viewers in India.

    The broadcaster will also have Indian soccer experts, Novy Kapadia, Noel Da Kima Leitao, P.K. Bannerjee and Bhaichung Bhutia from India joining the above mentioned studio panel as guests every week during the event. For coverage from the venues, the broadcaster will have two dedicated teams in Germany comprising Anand Narsimhan, Dave Roberts and Jason Dasey, who will capture the World Cup craze live from the host nation. Additionally, a special Indian ESS production team will travel across India to catch the enthusiasm among the Indian soccer fanatics.

    The sports network will also have a special Hindi feed for traditional markets in India during the event. Elaborating on this initiative, Venkateish said, “We are looking to reach the mass Indian market during this World Cup to build soccer as a sport in the country and localisation of content has helped us increase our penetration in traditional markets of India. The special Hindi feed will add a lot of value to our telecast especially for viewers who find it difficult to understand the heavily accented English or for viewers who are not familiar with English at all.”

    Venkateish is confident about the viewership for the event as the matches have convenient timings with some matches starting as early as 6:30 in the evening,. 75 million Indians sampled the telecast of World Cup 2002, with a cumulative audience reach of 804 million in India. He further says that the ratings of the Fifa World Cup have been higher than the ratings of an India cricket test match.

    “Soccer is getting much bigger in India than it was in 2002; with over 55 million people watching the European League this season.” he adds

    A strong marketing push: From this month, the broadcaster will carry out various marketing initiatives to promote and build up the popularity even more.

    ESS will be undertaking a nation wide search for eight school children to be chosen as the Fifa fairplay flag bearers at the World Cup. The contest will be an opportunity for the school children to travel to Germany and stand with their favourite stars during the pre match ceremony.

    McMahon said, “It feels wonderful to be on the panel as an expert covering the World Cup. The Fifa World Cup is the most anticipated event for any sports fan and I am looking forward to covering the mega event from ESPN Star Sports studios. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a footballer and being part of the England squad for Italia ’90. Now I look forward to my new role as an expert analyst for Germany 2006. I will give my best to the fans and play my part to help grow the popularity of this fantastic sport.”

    Bhogle said, “I have always been committed to ESPN Star Sports for programming and am honoured to be part of this special India presentation for the biggest sporting event in the world. We have got an excellent team and look forward to maintaining the presenting standards ESPN Star Sports has set in India.”

    A New Show: To build up hype for the event, the channel will also have Fifa programming to generate viewer interest. From Wednesday 4 April, the channel will telecast FIFA World Cup Stories. This will showcase stories in the World Cup history. Six episodes of half an hour duration will provide angles to chapters of the event. The programmes will feature stories on the most surprising and shocking results in the World Cup, Golden Boot winners of the previous editions, dramatic penalty shoot outs, young stars of the sport and rise to top of some of the underdogs. An extensive programming will follow the Fifa World Cup Stories on Fifa till the World Cup starts.

  • Ericsson to boost mobile TV experience with on-demand services at MipTV

    Ericsson to boost mobile TV experience with on-demand services at MipTV

    MUMBAI: Taking the next evolutionary step in mobile TV, Ericsson will showcase its enhanced program guide for mobile TV at the TV and broadcasting event MipTV/Milia.

    The application integrates television and on-demand mobile television services in one location in one device.

    In an official statement, using the solution, Ericsson will demonstrate how a wide range of TV and on-demand programs can be well structured and easily accessed in one location on the mobile.

    The solution also allows users to easily access stored content for playback, making the mobile TV service even more attractive and personal.

    The enhanced program guide feature provides mobile TV users with comprehensive information on each program, providing users with a rich TV experience.

    Ericsson Mobility World VP Kurt Sillén says that personalization and ease-of-use are essential for mass-market uptake of the service.

    “Adding on-demand TV to the program guide will stimulate consumption and bring new revenues to the whole mobile media industry,” Sillén adds.

    Ericsson Consumer and Enterprise Lab studies show that consumer interest in mobile TV is often based on situation and an attractive option for filling time.

    With on-demand services, users can access recorded programs, yesterday’s highlights and archived material whenever they please. Both TV and on-demand services are necessary to meet the requirements of mobile TV users.

    The enhanced application will be commercially available as part of Ericsson’s Mobile TV and Video solution in the fourth quarter of 2006, informs the release.

    Ericsson provides operators with a true end-to-end solution that utilizes the WCDMA and GSM/EDGE mobile networks for commercial mobile TV and video services.

    Today, existing 3G mobile technology enables service providers to launch high-quality and cost-efficient mobile TV services.

    By the end of 2005, more than 40 operators had commercially launched mobile TV over mobile networks via unicast. As mobile TV becomes a mass-market service, mobile network broadcast technologies, such as MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services) will be added to mobile networks to further boost capacity.

    Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

  • Discovery Travel & Living redefines primetime with new Theme Weeks series

    Discovery Travel & Living redefines primetime with new Theme Weeks series

    MUMBAI: Entertainment via television is competitive and viewer-driven. Last season’s strategy of Theme Week series on weekdays prime time has worked for the lifestyle channel Discovery Travel & Living. The channel’s current quarterly plan for April to June will continue to focus on promoting appointment viewing in the Monday to Friday 9 pm time slot.

    Accepting the truism that weekday viewing differs from weekend viewing, the channel first introduced the concept of Theme Weeks in January this year. During the week, people have more consistent and routine living patterns: They get up, go to work, come home, eat and watch TV. And, tapping these viewers by appointment with its Q1 Theme-Week strategy, Discovery Travel & Living will present thirteen new captivating themes in the next three months.
    Starting today (3 April), the channel will present the best and latest of lifestyle programming, offering viewers a better understanding and control over their television viewing. London Week is the first to be aired as part of the Theme Week series from 3 to 7 April.

    Here, viewers follow the hidden trails into London’s most renowned historic and cultural destinations. Starting with a journey deep inside the world’s most luxurious department store, Harrods, to the never before tour into Madame Tussad’s Wax Museum. Get a glimpse of London as a secret destination for high rollers and big spenders, where millions are won and lost in minutes. It’s London like you’ve never known before.

    Discovery Networks India vice president – Lifestyle Aditya Tripathi said, “Discovery Travel & Living has witnessed a considerable surge in viewership in the first three months of 2006 reflecting viewers’ endorsement of the concept of theme weeks. The strategy has also allowed us to successfully communicate the channel’s diverse programming.”
    Apart from London Week being aired this week, the Theme Weeks line-up from 10 April to 23 June includes the following:

    Miami Ink Week from 10 to 14 April: Miami Ink is a specialised tattoo shop on South Beach, Miami. This reality series showcases the ordeals of four friends and their apprentice as they try to build a thriving business based on their extraordinary art.

    American Casino Week from 17 to 21 April: This series chronicles the high pressure, high stakes world of brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and their crack management staff tasked with running the day-to-day operations of their ultra-exclusive Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Fashion Week from 24 to 28 April: The week is all about high-end designers and models. Filled with attitude and visual treat, this series will have viewers hooked to their television sets.

    Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbour Week from 1 to 5 May: Armed with little more than his prejudices, Jeremy heads off to continental Europe to discover some surprising insights about fellow nationals – as well as his own neighbouring Brits. His liking for some and strong dislike for others is worth watching as he indulges in friendly banters. The series is at its cynical and sarcastic best.

    King of The Road Week from 8 to 12 May: This series is all about the mean beasts on the road. From Harley Davidson to Mustang, the week will uncover some of over-the-top muscle machine.

    15 to 19 May will feature the Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen Week: The mother of all reality shows, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen is about famous chef Gordon Ramsay and his no-nonsensical and at times brutal training of contesting trainees in inculcating culinary perfection.

    France Week from 22 to 26 May will take viewers from Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, from Moulin Rouge to Bordeaux and all through France and the historic landmarks of the country.

    Viva Las Vegas Week from 29 May to 2 June: The series encapsulates the lifestyle of the rich and famous and where they go to party.

    5 to 9 June features the Faking It Week: It tells the stories of real people who take on the challenge of transforming themselves into someone entirely different. Our “Faker” is plucked from their natural habitat and given three to four weeks to master an alien skill well enough to fool a group of industry judges. It is a nail-biting journey as our hero tries to survive and compete in a foreign world.

    Anthony Bourdain Week from 12 to 16 June: The Indiana Jones of the culinary world is at your doorstep. Travel with Anthony Bourdain as he visits countries, meets people, learns new recipes while mastering the art of cooking them.

    And, from 19 to 23 June the channel will air the Celebrity Week: Be it Madonna’s Hollywood hideaway or Paula Abdul’s private retreat or joining Jennifer Lopez for a Cuban cuisine meal, Celebrity Week will provide viewers with the passport to the life of these icons.

    With these series, Discovery Travel & Living will offer an eclectic mix of lifestyle programming to help viewers filter the clutter of prime time television to make the best use of their leisure time.

  • Sify is webcasting India-England ODIs

    Sify is webcasting India-England ODIs

    MUMBAI: Sify, which works in the area of consumer Internet and Enterprise Services in India with global delivery capabilities, is live webcasting the current One Day International (ODIs) series between India and England.

    Sify senior VP interactive services Surya Mantha said, “This is another first in our quest to provide the most exciting India-centric broadband content for Internet users. Cricket in India goes beyond a national passion- its practically a religion! Now broadband users will be able to watch the ODIs from the office, or from Sify iWays in over 149 cities across the country.

    “The live webcast of the first ODI on 28 March at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground in Delhi received an overwhelming response, and confirms our belief that there is a large and growing number of broadband users who are turning to the Net for all their needs. Our intention is to make www.sifymax.in their home on the web with initiatives such as this”.

    SifyMax holds the internet and broadband rights for India for the live webcast of the one day series. So SifyMax users will be able to view each match live, ball-by-ball, as they would on TV.

    For users who are unable to access the live feed due to overwhelming demand, a live video scorecard is also available on SifyMax. The video scorecard provides video clips of the highlights of the game as it unfolds- how 4’s and 6’s were hit, how the wickets fell, catches and run outs.

    The live webcasts can also be accessed from over 3100 iWay cyber cafes across the country as they all have broadband connectivity.