ITV

Blog

  • Jason Wells is SPTI senior VP, mobile entertainment

    Jason Wells is SPTI senior VP, mobile entertainment

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has announced that Jason Wells has been appointed senior VP, mobile entertainment. Wells will relocate from Los Angeles to SPTI’s European headquarters in London and will lead the newly formed mobile entertainment group.

    He will report to both SPTI president Michael Grindon and SPTI Europe president, MD John McMahon.

    Grindon says, “Many new distribution venues are now available for Sony’s feature films and television content. Regarding the mobile marketplace, Jason Wells has a great deal of experience and expertise in the mobile entertainment market and we are very fortunate that he has agreed to manage our growing business in this sector.”

    McMahon says, “SPTI has established itself as a leader in the international television distribution, production and networks business over the past 10 years. The appointment of Jason Wells to head up our newly formed mobile entertainment group is indicative of our belief that the mobile business is poised for substantial growth in the coming years. He brings a wealth of experience in this sector and I look forward to working with him here in London.”

    In his new position, Wells, will lead an international group within SPTI dedicated to extending Sony Pictures Entertainment’s (SPE) theatrical and TV assets, as well as its range of custom-made mobile content, into mobile distribution outside the US. With products such as the Spider-Man II film, the Ratchet and Clank Going Mobile game adaptation from the popular Sony PlayStation franchise, and the Da Vinci Code mobile content, SPTI will be the international distribution and marketing arm for SPE’s portfolio of mobile content including mobile games, tones, images, video and text programs.

    As mobile TV adoption grows, SPTI’s mobile entertainment group will work alongside SPTI’s licensing, international networks and production business lines to roll out programming and new initiatives for mobile operators that draw upon the strengths of all of these businesses.

    Wells brings with him years of experience in business development, management consulting and business launch strategy. Most recently he was VP of business development for Handango, where he directed the content and distribution business units.

  • BBC current affairs veteran Robinson to call it a day

    BBC current affairs veteran Robinson to call it a day

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC’s current afairs veteran Mike Robinson has decided to step down as editor of the Panorama block. He is retiring from the BBC after spending 25 years with the organisation. He has been the editor of the BBC’s flagship current affairs strand for more than five years.

    He and his team have produced many shows including the story of the row between the government and BBC which culminated in the death of David Kelly, which won the RTS Home Current Affairs journalism award and was the first of a number of Panoramas examining the government’s case for war.

    Other programmes include John Simpson and Tom Giles’s tale of death by friendly fire in the Iraq war, which won the RTS International programme award; and the trilogy of investigations into the anti-depressant Seroxat, which had a significant impact on both the programme’s audiences and the field of drug policy and regulation.

    Panorama’s RTS award winning investigation into corruption in horse racing also had significant impact, forcing the Jockey Club to hold an internal enquiry and strengthen its security measures. Before joining Panorama, Robinson had worked in a variety of roles including Editor of the One O’Clock News and News Editor across BBC TV News as a whole.

    After joining Panorama as a film-maker in 1992, he produced a number of documentaries, including The Story of Child B; Valentina’s Story and When Good Men do Nothing on the genocide in Rwanda, and the famous Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana. The latter recorded one of the largest TV audiences in BBC history and picked up a Bafta, one of two which he won.

    BBC News director Helen Boaden said, “Mike’s passion for Panorama and his commitment to serious current affairs have made him an outstanding Editor of the series over many years. He’s never been afraid of tackling vested interests, current orthodoxies and unfashionable issues and subjecting them to rigorous, scrutiny and appraisal. We shall miss his vision and his tenacity very much and wish him good fortune in the coming years.”

    Robinson said, “I am delighted to have been worked for so many years with a talented Panorama team still committed to producing ambitious and significant television journalism across a broad agenda. With its public funding, the BBC still occupies a privileged position within British society and I greatly appreciate the backing I’ve enjoyed for the difficult and challenging journalism for which I have had responsibility. After 25 years with one broadcaster, I relish the challenges and opportunities that the future holds.”

  • Rediffusion DYR makes appointments in Chennai

    MUMBAI: Ad agency Rediffusion DYR has appointed Sunil Thoppil as group creative director and Premdeep Gangadharan as GM for Chennai.

    Thoppil, with over 16 years experience, moves in from TBWA, where he headed creative duties of the agency at the regional level. He has previously worked on brands like Malayala Manorama, Kerala Tourism, Geojit Financial services, Asianet and Pondicherry Tourism. Thoppil is in charge of the creative duties in the agency.
    He says, “Its immensely satisfying to enter an office that places a strong emphasis on the creative product. This is also a great opportunity to build a team that believes advertising is fun.”

    Gangadharan joins Rediffusion DYR Chennai with over 13 years experience in advertising. Premdeep moves from Saatchi & Saatchi, Bangalore having worked on brands like Tata tea, Tata Coffee, TVS Motors, IFB home appliances, BPL appliances & BPL mobile. His strong FMCG experience would offer superior value to existing clients in Rediffusion DYR Chennai.

    Gangadharan says, “The Integrated and holistic communication approach at Rediffusion DYR along with the exciting growth plans the agency has drawn up are challenges that interested me enough to accept this role.”

    The agency adds that last year, the branch registered high growth – both organic and inorganic. It added Nutrine –Maha Lacto, Fresh & Honest Café and Vijay Shanthi Builders. The branch today has a pretty good mix of categories ranging from consumer banking to telecom to confectionaries.

    The agency says that it is committed to set higher standards for creative product and raising the quality of account management. Rediffusion DYR in Chennai handles Airtel, Citibank, MRF, Vijayshanthi Builders, Nutrine and Fresh & Honest café.nes/y2k6/apr/aprmam59.htm

  • Pepsi partners MTV for Youth Icon 2006

    MUMBAI: Pepsi and MTV have come together to launch the ‘Youth Icon 2006’ initiative, which will span across multimedia youth platforms. This is one of the biggest and widest hunts for India’s Youth Icon.

    MTV Youth Icon is in its fourth year. Shahrukh Khan was nominated as the MTV Youth Icon in the film category in 2005 and took over from Rahul Dravid (winner 2004). Anil Ambani was the first ever Youth Icon in 2003.
     
     
    This partnership with Pepsi will extend to on-ground, on-air as well as digital initiatives, and signifies the coming of age of this hugely popular property. The ‘Pepsi MTV Youth Icon 2006’ is supported by an aggressive 360 degree activation starting April. An exciting promotion will allow one consumer who has voted for the 2006 Pepsi and MTV Youth Icon, an opportunity to meet his icon on MTV.
     
     
    “The Youth Icon is a property that honors men and women of substance, who have positively influenced youth. Youth empowerment is a credo that brand Pepsi has always lived by, and we are proud to partner MTV is this highly youth relevant endeavor, that empowers them to vote for their Youth Icon,” said Pepsi Foods Pvt. Ltd executive director marketing Punita Lal.
     
    “Youth Icon in its fourth year has grown phenomenally both in reach and recall, but this year is truly special as it marks our journey towards setting new benchmarks and standards for true value partnerships and brand integrations. This partnership with Pepsi is the first step in that direction and we’re happy to have them onboard,” said MTV Networks India vice president ad sales Nitin Jain.

    Every year, millions of young Indians vote for their favourite Youth Icon among a pantheon of newsmakers who have fired their imagination.

    The number of public votes acquired by each one of the six nominees decides the final Youth Icon for each year. The voting will be conducted from 17 April to 17 May 2006 and votes can be cast online, through SMS and calls.

    The final nominations have been arrived at after a 10-city study conducted by IMRB. The sample size includes youngsters aged 15 to 24 from the ten cities of Ahmedabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. The event will conclude in May with the announcement of the Pepsi and MTV Youth Icon for 2006.

    The associate sponsors on the event include Weekender, Castrol, HP and Ford Ikon. A Ford Ikon ‘Flair’ will be given to one lucky winner who votes for his/her Icon.
     

     

  • O&M India wins 12 nominations in ‘One Show’ awards

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather India’s 12 campaigns have been nominated in the ‘One Show’ awards. The finalists were selected from nearly 17,000 entries received from over 55 countries.
     
     
    Some of the campaigns nominated are, HT Plant more trees, Getty Images, IAPA campaign, two Seagram ads and Johnson & Johnson ad for Diabetes.
     
     
    The One Show is considered a premier international advertising competition, recognising creative excellence in advertising. It is a part of the three Annual Award ceremonies held in New York each May by ‘The One Club,’ which was founded in 1975.  
     
    The One Club showcases advertising’s best in print, television, radio, design and interactive campaigns.
     

     

  • Mobile retail chain MobileNXT launched in Bangalore

    BANGALORE: MobileNXT Teleservices Pvt. Ltd., India’s first mobile retail chain, is launched in Bangalore. MobileNXT aims to offer a world-class shopping experience to the telecom buyer offering a host of mobile products, services and value adds.
     
     
    A chain of one-stop mobile stores, MobileNXT is launching their first store in Gurgoan on 20 April.

    Speaking at the launch of MobileNXT founder & CEO Vijay Menon said, “With the boom in the mobile industry over the last two years in the country, there is a huge need to provide value based consumer experience to this growing market. Based on our research, we believe that this is the right time for a concept like MobileNXT to enter the Indian market and take on this unfulfilled need. We have studied similar formats internationally and hope to bring the same level of professionalism and service to our consumers in India.”
     
     
    An innovative concept in the telecom retailing industry, MobileNXT will focus on providing consistent offerings to build consumer value be it the store experience, the products or the services offered. One of the core differentiators of MobileNXT is that the store will offer the products categorized not by brands but by the value they add for the customers, states an official release.
    Speaking about the business model, founder & COO Romy Juneja said, “Our primary focus is on creating an organized retail format in the under-served tier II and tier III cities whereas our presence in large metros will be through shop-in-shop formats and malls thereby establishing a presence in the leading, relatively saturated markets of the country. We plan to open close to 31 stores by the end of this year.”
     
     
    One of the most notable value-add offered by MobileNXT is the Interactive Kiosks, the first of its kind by any retail outlet in the country. Unveiling the interactive kiosks, Romy said, “Our desire to create an unparalleled buying experience for the consumer led us to putting up the interactive kiosks at our stores. This unique concept is the first of its kind offered by any mobile retail store in the country. There is a huge demand for software downloads, be it music, videos, ringtones, caller tunes etc. especially among the youth who is always into experimentation. MobileNXT Kiosks is the best solution to address this audience.”
     

     

  • FM players to lobby for tax sops, music rights fee

    FM players to lobby for tax sops, music rights fee

    NEW DELHI: The newly-formed Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), a body of FM radio licencees, has decided to petition the government on tax sops and work towards rationalization of music rights fee.

    In a meeting held here today, AROI members, approximately 35 in number, including the big ones like Radio City, Radio Mirchi, the Sun TV group, Adlabs, expressed serious concern over high rates being demanded for music rights and also by Prasar Bharati for sharing its infrastructure with private players in some cities.

    In a recent interview with Indiantelevision.com Music Broadcast Private Limited CEO Apurva S Purohit had said, “It is a fairly high fee rate that we pay to the music bodies. And I think that’s where some rationalization needs to be brought about. It is calculated per hour per city. With a large of number of stations in the kitty, a consolidation in the amount has to be brought about. We are working with the industry to bring a rationale pricing. It is a big cost. It can range between five to seven per cent of the cost structure that goes to the music bodies, which is fairly high.

    “The members feel there should be an all round rationalization of rights fee and money demanded by Prasar Bharati for sharing infrastructure, which certainly is unjustified as it doesn’t take into consideration that in smaller cities the level of investments will be comparatively less,” AROI co-coordinator and BAG Infotainment chief executive Rajiv Mishra told Indiantelevision.com.

    Over 40 private sector companies, holding 287 FM radio licences across 91 Indian cities, are preparing to start operations.

    According to Mishra, Prasar Bharati has demanded money for infrastructure at the rate of Rs. 54 to Rs 55 per square feet, which would bring the annual cost to around between Rs. 400,000-Rs. 500,000.

    Such a cost will prove to be high for smaller operations in smaller towns, Mishra said, trying to explain the economics of setting up a radio station.

    Today’s meeting of AROI, attended by most members, also decided to form a panel to frame the constitution of the organization. Radio operators will again meet on 29 March to finalize the constitution.

    AROI will be a registered, non-profit, non-governmental society dedicated to protect the common and collective interests of FM Radio broadcasters.

    It will have a core executive council and will be supported by several committees on areas like legal & regulatory affairs, finance & commercial, technology and dispute settlement.

  • Discovery Networks acquires India rights to BBC Worldwide’s soccer show ‘More Than a Game’

    Discovery Networks acquires India rights to BBC Worldwide’s soccer show ‘More Than a Game’

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has signed a number of deals with Asian networks to screen More Than a Game, the story of the emergence of each of the superpowers of world football.

    In India, the property has been snapped up by Discovery Networks.

    The program, already pre-sold to over 30 territories internationally, has also been licensed to Hong Kong Cable TV, MediaCorp in Singapore, SBS in South Korea and Channel 9 in Thailand. The deal was developed in association with FIFA.

    More Than a Game explores the 76 years of World Cup football and includes exclusive access to FIFA’s film archive and interviews with famous players.

    “More Than a Game showcases the greatest moments of the World Cup. We have found that it appeals to both football aficionados and the uninitiated,” says BBC Worldwide sport sales manager Richard Hornsby-Smith.

  • 15 August launch for Sahara Urdu news channel

    15 August launch for Sahara Urdu news channel

    MUMBAI: Sahara India Mass Communications, which manages a bouquet of news channels, is proposing to launch an Urdu news and information channel. The probable launch date: 15 August 2006, Indian Independence Day.

    The 24-hour Urdu news and information channel is targeted at the100 million plus Urdu-speaking denizens spread out in various states all over India. The channel will be headed by Dr Aziz Burny who is also the editor of the Sahara Urdu daily – Roznama Rashtriya Sahara.

    Says Burny: “The channel’s name has not been finalised as yet. As of now, we are toying with a name like Urdu Sahara. We are in the process of finalising the team. We hope to launch the channel by 15 August, once all the logistics are in place.”

    There is just one major player – the Hyderabad based Enadu TV – which runs a 24 hour Urdu channel – ETV Urdu. Last year, pubcaster — Prasar Bharati also announced that it would launch an Urdu TV service.

    Urdu Sahara will be entering a space which has been rough for players in the past. UTN and Falak TV are some of the Urdu news & infotainment channels which have ended up in the graveyard.

  • AOL and Warner Bros. to launch the first broadband television network In2TV

    AOL and Warner Bros. to launch the first broadband television network In2TV

    MUMBAI: AOL and Warner Bros. are saying “Welcome Back” to thousands of classic TV shows with the launch of In2TV, the first broadband television network, on AOL.com.

    The network offers the largest collection of free on-demand TV shows on the web, including full episodes of favorite Warner Bros. programs from the past 40 years such as Welcome Back, Kotter, Chico & The Man, Alice, Growing Pains, Sisters, Kung Fu, Lois & Clark and many others, along with interactive features and viral videos that enable audiences to experience and interact with television programming in an entirely new way.

    “In2TV breaks new ground as the first true broadband television network. With the largest collection of full length television programming anywhere on the Web, plus interactive features and viral videos all free and on-demand, In2TV will appeal to existing fans as well as introduce these shows to a whole new generation. In2TV is another important milestone in the evolution of video on the Web, and is one more way that we are making AOL.com the best destination for video online,” said AOL Media Networks executive vice president Kevin Conroy.

    “In2TV begins to realise the true potential of web-based TV by putting the viewer in charge of their own TV schedule online. This opens up new opportunities for platforms and program distributors alike and points to the prospect of exciting new paradigms in online and interactive entertainment soon to come,” said Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara.

    “In2TV offers consumers access to an unprecedented collection of Warner Bros. TV favorites including thousands of great dramas, comedies, animated series loaded with unique interactive features. We’re proud to team with AOL on this first-of-its-kind broadband network and, in the near future we will be adding more recent programs and other TV related content from our studio and other producers that you can’t find anywhere else on the web,” said Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution president Eric Frankel.

    Available exclusively through the AOL.com Web site (http://www.aol.com/in2tv), the In2TV service lets fans watch hundreds of episodes from dozens of shows every month, along with quizzes, puzzles, photo galleries and polls tied to the various shows. The shows are organiaed into six genre-themed channels (with two more to launch this summer), including:

    LOL TV: Laugh Out Loud with everyone’s favorite comedies from Welcome Back, Kotter which made a household name out of John Travolta to the slapstick antics of Cousin Balkai and Larry in Perfect Strangers as well as the Emmy-winning Chico and the Man, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper and Head of the Class.

    Dramarama TV: Fans will enjoy the unaired “lost” pilot of juicy soap Falcon Crest and all the drama of five-time Emmy nominated Sisters, plus there’s Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Spenser: For Hire and the family favorite Eight Is Enough.

    Toon Topia TV: Kids and adults alike will flock to animated fare such as Beetlejuice, Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky and the Brain and Freakazoid, The New Adventures of Batman and Histeria!

    Heroes and Horrors TV: Sci-Fi and Horror come together in heroic proportions with Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Babylon 5, Wonder Woman, V and Freddy’s Nightmares.

    What a Rush TV: Rev up for plenty of action-adventure when East meets West in Kung Fu, plus La Femme Nikita, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Dark Justice and The Fugitive.

    Vintage TV: Fans find all-time favorites such as Growing Pains with Kirk Cameron, F-Troop, The F.B.I., Maverick and Alice.

    In2TV also features highly engaging viral short-form videos and programming themes that repackage some of the greatest moments in television in exciting new ways.

    In addition, In2TV offers “In2Active TV”–unique interactive experiences that test fans’ knowledge of TV trivia and offer addictive games and challenges.

    In2TV provides advertisers with compelling video inventory for instream broadband advertising as well as opportunities for sponsorships and accompanying banner ads. Video ads, 15-second and 30-second spots, will be limited to a total of one – two minutes within each 30-minute episode as compared to eight minutes of advertising on broadcast television.