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  • Zee to buy out broadband services provider Pacenet

    Zee to buy out broadband services provider Pacenet

    MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) is buying out broadband services provider Broadband Pacenet, which is promoted by Jagjit Singh Kohli, Yogesh Shah and Yogesh Radhakrishnan.

    Kohli, who is the CEO of Siti cable, is an immediate beneficiary of the proposed demerger of India’s largest multi systems operator (in terms of size) and the cable related business of Zee Telefilms Ltd. He is being given a 2 per cent stake in the new company, Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd, which he will be heading.

    A detailed business plan is being prepared for Wire and Wireless which will venture into triple play services as well, Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra said, while addressing analysts here today.

    Pacenet will be merged with Wire and Wireless and Kohli’s partners will also be given shares in the new entity. “We have agreed to buy out Pacenet. The valuation is under progress. The existing shareholders of Pacenet will be given shares in Wire and Wireless,” Chandra said.

    Broadband Pacenet offers broadband services using the cable network infrastructure of its franchisees and claims to be servicing over 25,000 home subscribers apart from many corporates.

  • Global broadband consumption of sports content expected to increase by 25 per cent

    Global broadband consumption of sports content expected to increase by 25 per cent

    MUMBAI: A New Media Sportscasting Summit delegation survey done reveals that global broadband consumption of sports content will increase by 25 per cent over the next three years.

    The New Media Sportscasting Summit held in Dublin, a few days ago, saw experts from the sports industry gathered together to discuss the trends and opportunities for the delivery of sport over broadband and 3G.

    Participants included LiverpoolFC.TV, Setanta Sports in the US, Aura Sports, Google Video, The Rugby Football League and Vodafone. The best way to minimise subscriber churn from broadband sports subscription services is to incentivise customers towards annual rather than monthly subscription.

    Setanta Sports CEO Simon Green emphasised that the new phenomenon of ‘Placeshifting’ means that the desire to have sports content anytime, any place is driving new media sportscasting.

    Reduction in time delay to ‘as live’ will increase opportunities to incorporate in-running betting with online sports content; live pictures can sit alongside prices for events and web content dictated by the broadcast.

    At the same time the creation of more web-specific content will create opportunities to sponsor on-demand broadcasts linked to major racing events. The fourth screen – the mobile phone – is vital in the communications mix for new media sports content. An understanding of mobile personalisation, content recommendations and search capabilities in a wireless environment are key to enabling the success of mobile portal content propositions in the sports industry.

    Having a well presented preview function with sample content and offering occasional free video samples to get customer more used to watching video online is essential for successful subscriber recruitment. Investing heavily in customer services and technical support is also key to keeping online subscribers.

    There is also a need to understand the time-starved individual who lives in an ‘information overload’ society. The sports industry must react strongly to this. The sports industry is in the entertainment business and must compete for the customer’s attention in a very busy market dominated by MTV, iPods, PSPs, television soaps, the cinema, pubs and PCs.

    It was pointed out that the ‘Placeshifting’ phenomenon is growing. This means having content anytime, any place. In the US, this is reflected in the Slingbox which enables users to watch their TV programming from wherever they are by turning virtually any Internet-connected PC into a personal TV.

    In the US, it is selling three times as fast as Tivo did.This phenonmenon is reflecting the needs and demands of time starved, busy individuals who want sports information anytime, anywhere. One potential problem for broadcasters in this scenario is that national territorial rights deals could get eroded.

    Streaming services are now succeeding because the delay on the television picture is cut down to seven seconds. More users now understand the relationship between PC Spec, Connection Speed and picture quality and broadband penetration is growing rapidly. Further improvements are taking place in terms of the quality of the stream, reductions in the delay as well as enhancements to the free and archive video services.

    There is also a huge potential in the online gambling space and the opportunities to integrate broadband video with a ‘Bet & Watch’ facility.

    Vodafone media head Kieran Mahon sees sport as the most compelling content to distribute over mobile. He described the importance of the fourth screen – the mobile screen. He outlined that recent developments in mobile data delivery means that mobile sports content can be consumed easily, adding, “Personalisation of mobile content has improved usability by learning about users’ mobile content preferences, dynamically building the user a personalised menu and reducing the time and clicks to services.”

    For a sports fan using their mobile to access sports content, this means the link to their favourite sports content will be top of the menu on their mobile phone. Kieran also emphasised that an understanding of personalisation, automatic content recommendation and mobile search in a wireless environment is key to enabling the success of mobile portal content propositions.

    Online sports ad agency, Aura Sports MD Paul Wright offered insight into the best ways to develop an advertising revenue stream from digital sports properties. He stated that sponsorship and advertising was equally important and beneficial online as on TV and that the interactivity that can be achieved through online advertising is extremely valuable.

  • Stephen Reverand moves from Discovery US to Nat Geo

    Stephen Reverand moves from Discovery US to Nat Geo

    MUMBAI: With the aim of further expanding its documentary production team, National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) in the US has announced that Stephen Reverand has joined as senior VP.

    Reverand will be responsible for overseeing both the specials unit as well as the national history unit. He reports to NGT&F executive VP Michael Rosenfeld.

    Rosenfeld says, “Stephen has an impressive track record as a filmmaker and a television executive. He has the creative flair and the management skills to help us build this crucial area of our business.”

    Prior to joining National Geographic, Reverand worked for rival Discovery, most recently as VP of production, where his work in events and specials earned him a 2005 George Foster Peabody Award for editorial direction of Black Sky: The Race for Space. More recently, he oversaw the two-hour special The Flight that Fought Back and was involved with natural history projects such as the BBC’s Supernature and Blue Planet.

    He joined Discovery in 2000 as an executive producer and was later named managing editor, contextual documentaries. During his six years with the network, he oversaw several of Discovery’s most highly-rated projects, including Supervolcano and the highly-acclaimed Behind the Terror: Understanding the Enemy.

  • SifyMax is webcasting Lakme Fashion Week

    SifyMax is webcasting Lakme Fashion Week

    MUMBAI: Indian broadband content site SifyMax is doing live webcasting of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) 2006. The event is taking place in Mumbai till 1 April.

    SifyMax is the official Internet partner for the event for the Fall/Winter week, and in September/October for the Spring/Summer week. SifyMax is hosting the Official LFW 2006 site. It is webcasting the event live and hosting exclusive content from the event. SifyMax will also be accessible from several points at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), in downtown Mumbai, the venue for LFW 2006.

    Sify senior VP- interactive services Surya Mantha says, “We are proud to be associated with Lakme Fashion Week, and delighted to make the event available live for a global audience by webcasting it on SifyMax. SifyMax defines the best there is in India centric broadband content across movies, music, reality shows, radio stations, lifestyle, sports, news, education and games.

    “Our association with LFW 2006 reiterates our leadership in this space, and makes the event available to Internet users wherever they may be. The on demand availability of the show will also ensure they can catch the event whenever they want”.

  • Euro1080 acquires HDTV cinema exhibition license for 2006 Fifa World Cup

    Euro1080 acquires HDTV cinema exhibition license for 2006 Fifa World Cup

    MUMBAI: Euro1080, the first High Definition Television (HDTV) media company in Europe, has reached an agreement with football’s governing body Fifa’s marketing agency Infront Sports & Media with regard to the commercial exploitation of HDTV transmissions of the 2006 Fifa World Cup for public viewing purposes in cinema

    Infront handles the global sales of all broadcast rights for the 2006 Fifa World Cup worldwide. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), will produce the multilateral signal for the event in the HDTV 16/9 widescreen format.

    Euro1080 has acquired the non-exclusive broadcast rights for theatrical venues or cinemas on a pay basis. It entitles the company to pick up the HDTV live feed at the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in Munich and to distribute it to cinemas in 23 European countries, including Belgium, Bosnia-Bulgaria, and the UK. By cooperating with Euro1080, cinemas will be able to organise live, pay HDTV exhibitions of the event..

    Furthermore, Euro 1080 has started talks with the event’s official broadcasters to bring this competition in selected markets also to home viewers in HD quality. At this stage the majority of households in Europe will receive the signal only in standard definition format.

    Infront executive director Dominik A. Schmid, said, “Infront is very happy about this initiative of Euro1080 as it supports the promotion of HDTV as the standard of the future. The agreement enables cinemas all over Europe to transmit matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in HD quality. It also provides an opportunity to showcase HD transmissions to home viewers in markets where national broadcasters are not yet ready to broadcast in HD quality.”

    Euro1080 CEO Gabriel Fehervari says, “The agreement with Infront is very important for a media company such as Euro1080. At present negotiations are under way in several countries with cinema owners and very soon we will be able to give a first overall view of the deals made. In the meantime, we work on agreements with official broadcasters to bring the World Cup also to private homes across Europe.”

  • Maxim looks to penetrate the wireless space

    Maxim looks to penetrate the wireless space

    MUMBAI: Indian men’s magazine Maxim has joined hands with ActiveMedia Technology India (AMT) to capitalise on its readers in the wireless space. Maxim has given AMT the mandate to be its mobile partner in India and drive all activities from AMT short code 3636, becoming the first global publication to extend its brand in Indian wireless platform.

    The Maxim Mobile website provides a wide range of men’s editorial content on a subscription basis, as well as downloadable items such as ringtones, wallpaper, video, games, promotions, MMS blogs and a variety of Maxim-only wireless applications.

    Maxim marketing manager Ankur Bhatia says, “Given the growth of mobile platform in India, it was only natural for us to take a decision to progress in the direction from the start. Globally, Maxim Mobile has been the world’s most widely distributed men’s lifestyle brand on mobile phones and we are confident that the Indian market will respond equally well”.

    The UK based Maxim magazine launched its Indian edition in January 2006, fetching sales of 75,000 copies in the maiden issue itself alongwith an advance paid subscriber base of 16,500. Maxim now plans to maxim-ise the market further by its foray in the wireless market, with ActiveMedia managing all its mobile based solutions ranging from contests and events, to content management. This connection will allow users to download wallpapers and screensavers in Rs 10 from their mobile phones.

    AMT group head marketing and client services Arnav Neel Ghosh said, “ActiveMedia has always been focused at enhancing value for a media brand by marrying it with a wireless platform. It has consistently helped media brands (TV and print) across genres and regions to gain that competitive edge with its product suites. Leveraging the power of mobile to do micro and one to one targeting, it has helped media brands to drive stickiness with their subscribers”.

  • BBC leads the Bafta list of television nominations

    BBC leads the Bafta list of television nominations

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster, the BBC led the British Academy Television Awards nominations announced by the British Academy of Film and Television (Bafta). The awards will be presented on 7 May at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

    In the drama serial category, BBC’s Bleak House is up against its own Fingersmith, Funland and To the Ends of the Earth.

    The single drama nominations went to The Government Inspector (Mentorn Productions/Channel 4), Much Ado About Nothing (BBC/BBC1), The Queen’s Sister (Touchpaper Productions/Channel 4) and Red Dust (BBC Films/Distant Horizon/Videovision Entertainment/Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa/BBC2).

    The BBC’s business based reality show The Apprentice has been nominated in the features category, alongside Dragon’s Den and Top Gear and Channel 4’s Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

    In the entertainment category the nominees are Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Have I Got News For You, Strictly Come Dancing: The Grand Final and The X Factor.

    The nominees for best actress are Gillian Anderson for Bleak House, Lucy Cohu for The Queen’s Sister, Anne-Marie Duff for Shameless and Anna Maxwell Martin for Bleak House. And, competing for best actor are Bernard Hill for A Very Social Secretary Denis Lawson for Bleak House, Mark Rylance for The Government Inspector and Rufus Sewell in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

  • Kids’ channels line up hot fanfare as summer beckons

    Kids’ channels line up hot fanfare as summer beckons

    MUMBAI: Summer is just around the corner and no doubt kids’ channels have a lot of programming goodies up their sleeves. Movies, live action, animation, contests and much more… it’s all there on Cartoon Network, Pogo, Hungama TV, Disney Channel, Toon Disney and Nick.

    What’s more… comedy seems to be the flavour for the holidays with Pogo, Hungama TV and Nick introducing special comedy shows for the summer.

    Pogo started its summer special programming with Pogo Funny Side-Up, featuring new episodes of Takeshi’s Castle, voiced by some of the winners of the Great Indian Laughter Challenge show.

    Pogo will also launch another new original, live-action production on Pogo following our two summer launches last year, M.A.D. and Bam! Bam! Bam!… Gir Pade Hum.

    On the other hand, Cartoon Network will see the launch of more Indian animation shows and a network premiere of a Beyblade full length movie – Beyblade, The Movie: Fierce Battle in Cartoon Network Theatre.

    Other highlights include, Beylade Marathon – 3…2…1 Hojaye Shuru, which will air every Sunday from 4 – 8 pm. Apart from that, Raja Hindustani – a special one hour block of Indian animation – began on the channel from 16 April and airs every Sunday at 11 am.

    Also new episodes of Tom & Jerry Tales will be aired on Sundays at 10 am. The new series in the Toonami block include Pokemon: Advanced, Beyblade G Revolution and a new show called One Piece. Yet another new show in the Half Ticket Express block called Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs will also be aired in summer.

    Turner International India Pvt. Ltd managing director Anshuman Misra said, “Summer is an important time for Cartoon Network and Pogo. We have some of the best programming mix lined up for Indian kids during these holiday months. New original productions, new family shows and blockbuster movies will mark their debut during the April – July period.”

    Homegrown kids channel Hungama TV too has a robust summer lineup in store for kids. The channel has acquired a couple of Japanese animation shows.

    In March, the channel already launched Dragon and FiFi & the Flower Tots in the pre-school band. The preschool band has now been renamed Toon Toon Toon.

    The other two bands that the channel will introduce are the Toon Blast band and a two and a half hour comedy band called Ha Ha Ha Hungama.

    The Toon Blast band will air new seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonix X. In addition Hungama TV will launch the anime version of one of the most successful Japanese merchandise Amdriver, which has a futuristic storyline of a fight of good v/s evil. Yu-Gi-Oh! will air at 5 pm, Amdriver at 5.30 pm and Sonic X at 6 pm from Monday to Friday.

    The Ha Ha Ha Hungama band will tickle the funny bone with a new show Kochikame at 2.30 pm from Monday to Friday. “This show is the longest running hilarious slapstick comedy in Japan about an inefficient cop who is good in his heart but otherwise is good for nothing,” informs Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta.

    Another show called Peep and the Big Wide World will also be launched in this band and will air at 3 pm from Monday to Friday. This is a series featuring three birds – a chicken called Peep, a robin called Chirp and a duck called Quack. The story revolves around close friends and their fun and exploration in their neighborhood. Apart from unique humor it also imbibes a positive attitude and inquiry skills that promise to provide inspirational programming for kids.

    “We have always managed to get the best of content for our audience. The shows that are due to launch in April have truly delightful visual appeal offering kids a 360-degree entertainment parameter that will definitely make their vacation a roll-a- costar ride at home,” says Mehta.

    And that’s not all… Hungama TV is also planning a large scale ground event to coincide with a big show launch. But the channel is keeping it tightly under wraps for now at least!

    Coming to Disney Channel, one thing to look out for here is the Oscar-winning ‘fishy’ movie Finding Nemo. The channel will premier the movie in Hindi on 25 June. The film follows the comedic and eventful journeys of two fish – Marlin and his son Nemo. Disney Channel will go the whole hog to promote Finding Nemo including a watch-and-win contest around movie trivia, which will be aired during breaks. Viewers can send in their entries through SMS and IVRS to win cool Nemo merchandise.

    Apart from that, the channel will also air the first Indian animation movie – Hanuman, to which it recently acquired the telecast rights for three years from Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd. Hanuman will launch in May on Disney Channel as an eight episode series and will be aired at 9 am on weekends.

    What’s more, the channel will build a 360 degree multi media campaign around all new episodes of That’s So Raven!. On 15 April, Hatim – the saga of a strong and courageous Prince of Yemen will launch on Disney Channel at 6 pm on weekdays.

    Apart from that, the preschool content destination, Playhouse Disney is being further strengthened with the launch of Mickey Mouse Club House. The show will launch on 6 May at 8.30 am on weekends.

    The Walt Disney Television International (India) director programming and production Nachiket Pantvaidya says, “This summer we have an exciting line-up of content for kids. We believe in showcasing a mix of the best local kid’s content and the best international content from the Disney stable. Hits like Hanuman, Finding Nemo and That’s So Raven will draw older kids to Disney Channel.”

    Live action, preschool programming and comedy will rule the roost on Nick. The first in line is a live action comedy show called Drake & Josh. The show revolves around a pair of diametrically opposite step-brothers and will premiere as part of an April Fool’s Day stunt on 1 April.

    Another new show Avatar will be launched in May. This new animated show is about a 12 year old boy who is master of all four elements and must stop the ruthless Fire Nation from conquering the world.

    Nick has also acquired a couple of preschool shows called Peppa Pig and Dougie in Disguise, which will also launch in May. While Peppa Pig revolves around a family of pigs, the Spanish acquisition Dougie in Disguise is about an ordinary kid who plays with sticker albums that come to life through his imagination. Apart from these, Nick has also lined up another new preschool show in June.

    “Summer vacations will be huge on Nick with an enormous programming bonanza rolling out. Starting 1 April, we’re premiering a show called Drake & Josh, which is a live action comedy and also showing a Nick Dhoom double bill on weekends featuring a whole hour of top shows,” says Nick India vice president and general manager Hema Govindan.

    Speaking on the preschool shows Govindan adds, “Preschool is doing very well and becoming a focus for us so we’re expanding our Nick Jr. preschool block. We’re also doing Monday Marathons of hit shows like Kenan & Kel and SpongeBob SquarePants, which means eight hours at a stretch of these shows.”

  • CNN viewed by 14 % more people each week: PAX survey

    CNN viewed by 14 % more people each week: PAX survey

    MUMBAI: The 24-hour international English news channel CNN’s audience growth across the Asia Pacific region has out-paced all gains for the news genre as a whole, with daily audiences up by a remarkable 35 per cent year-on-year.

    In an official statement, the international news channel claims it’s pre-eminence comes in the results that show the network is viewed by 14 per cent more people each week, and 16 per cent more each month, than all other news and business channels combined.

    These were the sixth successive set of PAX results to show growth in CNN’s audience, one which also added 56 per cent more past-week viewers and 65 per cent more past-month viewers than the next placed news channel (BBC World).

    “With the fast pace of globalization more and more people find they need an international perspective so we are absolutely delighted with this further ringing endorsement of CNN’s newsgathering credentials”, said Turner International Asia Pacific VP research Duncan Morris.

    “Our award winning coverage of global events has clearly resonated with our audience, particularly so as we are watched by 39 per cent more top management each day than any other measured channel. The benefits of this audience growth for advertisers are real as, for example, each month CNN now reaches 169,000 (+40 per cent) more people planning to buy an LCD or plasma TV than it did a year ago, as well as 479,000 or 23 per cent more car owners,” adds Morris.

    The full-year survey results, conducted by Synovate, further reveal that almost half (46 per cent ) of CNN’s weekly audience view no other news/business channel during the course of a week, and 39 per cent of them remain loyal across a month. Online, CNN.com remains the leading regional website, visited by 54 per cent more PAX respondents across a month than the next largest broadcaster or publisher’s website.

    CNN International offers comprehensive international and regional news coverage 24 hours a day and provides prime-time morning and evening news and business programming for viewers in the Asia Pacific. Programs including CNN Today, World News Asia, Global Office and popular chat show Talk Asia are broadcast from the network’s regional headquarters in Hong Kong.

    PAX represents a universe of 14.2 million adults aged 25-64 within 11 Asia Pacific markets: – Australia (Sydney + Melbourne), Bangkok, Hong Kong, India (Delhi + Mumbai + Bangalore), Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo. These 14.2 million individuals consist of 13.0 million “Affluent Adults”, 3.8 million “Business Decision Makers” and 0.8 million ‘top management’.

  • Zee rejig to improve bottomline: Chandra

    Zee rejig to improve bottomline: Chandra

    NEW DELHI: Subhash Chandra, chairman of the approximately Rs. 13 billion Zee Telefilms, feels that after the restructuring announced Wednesday, the company’s bottomline would be “healthier”, though top line growth might be cropped as loss making businesses have been hived off into separate companies.

    Talking to CNBC TV18, Chandra also said that the news operations and the regional channels, which were hived off into Zee News Ltd, will be profitable with a turnover of Rs 3 billion.

    The cable TV distribution business of Siti Cable (again hived off into WWIL) will be a no-profit-no-loss venture that generates revenues of Rs 1 billion at the moment.

    “They (Zee News and cable business company WWIL), will be profitable. The quarter results of these entities will come out on 28 April, along with the consolidated results.

    “WWIL may not be profitable, but there will not be any losses. I think the revenue line for WWIL would be about Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) at the moment,” Chandra explained.

    Yesterday, Zee Telefilms, India’s largest vertically integrated media company, announced splitting of its broadcasting business into three entities — news operations and regional language operations (Zee News Ltd), broadcast and content creation, and Siti Cable, which will also include the initiatives on the CAS front (Wire and Wireless India Limited or WWIL).

    The direct consumer related business of ZTL and Dish TV, the country’s first private sector DTH service, have also been separated and subsumed into ASC Enterprise Ltd, which is the DTH licence holder.

    According to Chandra, foreign investors have evinced interest in the cable and DTH business of the group.

    “We are being approached a lot for cable and Dish TV (country’s first private direct-to-home service) businesses. However, not as many for the entertainment or the news content business. But we are open for those also,” he added.

    Pointing out that the Dish TV operation is likely to be listed on the stock exchanges within a few weeks’ time, Chandra said, “Recently, because of this restructuring process they (Dish TV) amended their business model as well, which should be a very aggressive business model. So we haven’t been able to do the valuation of these different assets sitting in different entities like Zee Telefilms and ASCEL yet.”

    Dish TV’s operations are managed by Entertainment Era Network Ltd, while Zee Telefilms has a content supply deal with it. Once the regulatory and other permissions come through, the DTH business will be consolidated under “Dish TV Ltd or something (on those lines),” Chandra said.
    Asked about the equity base of the two new proposed companies, Chandra said that while that of Zee Telefilms Limited will remain unchanged at Rs 410 million, that of Zee News Limited will be approximately Rs 250 million.

    The equity base of the cable business under WWIL will be about Rs 250 million, says the man who has built up a business empire ranging from real estate to media to packaging after starting out exporting rice to the erstwhile USSR in the 1970s under the Essel brand name.

    Dwelling on the valuation of the cable business being carried out under Siti Cable, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zee Tele, Chandra said, the value of Siti Cable ought to be in the region of $ 800- $ 900 million.

    Zee Telefilms, according to Chandra, bought back 50 per cent of Siti Cable from News Corporation in 1999-2000 at a valuation of Rs 15 billion.

    “Subsequently it (Siti Cable) was valued at Rs 2500 crore (Rs 25 billion). We are getting paid for about a million homes (now). So, if you take 1 million homes’ valuation at $ 500 per subscriber, that is $ 500 million plus if you take the rest of 5.8 million (subscribers) even at $ 50 valuation. So that makes this entity at about $ 800-900 million.on Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) equity basis, but the investment was of about Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) in this business,” Chandra explained.

    Asked about the prospects of Zee Sports, Chandra said as a corporate entity and business Zee Telefilms would be left with the sports channel after the restructuring is completed.

    Pointing out that Zee Sports is “still at a developmental stage,” Chandra said, “I will not call that a loss making entity. There are investments in it. Other than that, all the businesses are profitable in ZTL. The new start-ups of regional channels in Telugu, Kannada, etc are all a part of Zee News Ltd now.”

    The Zee Telefilms scrip closed on the Bombay Stock Exchange at Rs 242.50 after opening the day at Rs 239.55.