ITV

Tag: ABC

  • BBC, AIR and ABC join hands to launch new show on cricket

    BBC, AIR and ABC join hands to launch new show on cricket

    NEW DELHI: BBC World Service in partnership with All India Radio (AIR) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is launching a new show called Stumped from 17 January.

     

    The show will bring together three cricket live wires – India, the UK and Australia – on one platform.

     

    The team of Stumped has presenters from all the three broadcasters. The names, which are part of commentators’ team, are Prakash Wakankar, English commentator of AIR; Alison Mitchell, first female commentator of BBC and the programme host and ABC’s Jim Maxwell. The idea behind the show is to explore the world of cricket and bring lively, informative, and humorous debate.

     

    Keeping with the spirit of World Cup 2015, the first series will coincide with the start of the tournament. The show will be hosted from venues across the World Cup host countries – Australia and New Zealand. There will be weekly roundup and discussion of key talking points from the World Cup and other lighter stories in sport from around the world.

     

    Indian cricket fans will be able to relish the ‘tales from the test’ that will be recounted by cricketing raconteur Henry Blofeld. Beside this, there will be some hard hitting questions on the show like: Why did penguins once stop play? And which international team score highest in the fashion stakes? Why do so many cricket terms find their way into everyday language?        

     

    AIR director general F Sheheryar said, “AIR is delighted to co-produce and broadcast Stumped, together with BBC and ABC, on cricket, which undoubtedly is the favourite sport of millions of sports lovers in India. All India Radio hopes that this programme, which will be carried by AIR’s FM Rainbow network in India, will help ordinary listeners understand the sport better and also spark listeners’ interest in the game in which India is the reigning champion especially with the ICC World Cup round the corner.”

     

    Stumped is a weekly programme and will be aired at 11:30 IST on All India Radio FM Rainbow Network and also at 0030 GMT on the BBC World Service. It will also be live streamed on All India Radio website.

     

  • Q3-2014; Gannett broadcasting segment doubles revenue, Operating income; company moots split

    Q3-2014; Gannett broadcasting segment doubles revenue, Operating income; company moots split

    BENGALURU:  International media and marketing solutions company and diverse local content provider Gannett reported 15.2 per cent growth in its Total Net Operating Revenues (TNOR) to $ 1443.14 million for the 13 week period ended 28 September 2014 (Q3-2014). TNOR for the corresponding period ended 29 September 2013 (Q3-2013, current quarter) was $ 1252.89 million.  TNOR grew at 13.5 per cent for the 39 week period ended 28 September 2014 (9M-2014) to $ 4307.21 million from $ 3793.32 million during the 39 week period ended 29 September 2013 (9M-2013).

     

    The company’s operating income (OI) attributable to Gannett Co grew 48.6 per cent to $ 118.52 million in Q3-2014 from $ 79.75 million in Q3-2013. OI for 9M-2014 grew 29.6 per cent to $ 386.14 million from $ 297.93 million in 9M-2013

     

    Segment and sub-segment results

     

    Broadcasting segment

     

    The company’s broadcast segment reported more than doubling (2.05 times) of net operating revenue in the current quarter to $ 416.51 million from $ 203.36 million in Q3-2013. Further, Operating revenue for the segment almost doubled (1.97 times) in 9M-2014 to $ 1197.04 million from $ 606.91 million in 9M-2013.

     

    OI from this segment more than doubled (2.12 times) to $ 177.97 million in the current quarter from $ 83.81 million in Q3-2013. For 9M-2013, OI from broadcasting segment went up 90 per cent to $ 503.84 million from $ 265.58 million in Q3-2013.

     

    Publishing segment

    The company’s publishing segment has three sub-segments-publishing advertising, publishing circulation and all other publishing. Publishing segment reported a 3.6 drop in operating revenue to $ 826.82 million in Q3-2014 from the $ 858.09 million in Q3-2014. OI from this segment fell by half a per cent to $ 62.42 million in 9M-2014 from $ 62.74 million in 9M-2013.

     

    All other publishing saw the steepest fall in operating revenue of 12.4 per cent to $ 55.1 million in Q3-2014 from $ 62.89 million in the corresponding period of the previous year. During 9M-2014, operating income at $ 173.12 million was 5.8 per cent lower than the $ 183.75 million in Q3-2013.

     

    Publishing advertising operating revenue also dropped 4.9 per cent to $ 494.9 million from $ 520.19 million in Q3-2013. Operating revenue fall in 9M-2014 was even steeper at 5.1 per cent and $ 1526.28 million from $1609.16 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Publishing revenue operating income rose fractionally by 0.7 per cent to $ 276.83 million in Q3-2014 from $ 275 million in Q3-2013. 9M-2014 operation revenue from this segment however fell half a per cent to $ 836.76 million from $ 840.63 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Digital segment

     

    Digital segment saw operating revenue grow 4.4 per cent to $ 199.8 million in Q3-2014 from $ 191.45 million in Q3-2013. Operating revenue in 9M-2014 grew 3.8 per cent to $ 573.92 million from $ 552.88 million in 9M-2013.

     

    OI from Gannett’s publishing segment in Q3-2014 was 15 per cent to $ 48.34 million from $ 42.05 million in Q3-2013. 9M-2014 OI  rose 6.9 per cent to $ 107.86 million from $ 100.93 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Company split mooted

    On 5 August 2014, Gannett announced plans to create two publicly traded companies: one exclusively focused on its broadcasting and digital businesses, and the other on its publishing business. The planned separation of the publishing business will be implemented through a tax-free distribution to Gannet’s shareholders of shares of a new entity formed to hold its publishing assets.

    Gannett says that it expects to complete the transaction in mid-2015, subject to a number of conditions. There can be no assurance regarding the ultimate timing of the proposed transaction or that it will be completed, cautions the company.

    On 1 October 2014, Gannet completed the acquisition of the remaining 73 per cent interest in Classified Ventures LLC, which owns Cars.com, for $ 1.8 billion cash.

    About Gannett’s businesses

    Gannett’s broadcasting segment currently includes 46 television stations that it either owns or services through shared service agreements. Excluding owner-operators, Gannett claims that it is the no 1 NBC affiliate group; no 1 CBS affiliate group; and the no 4 ABC affiliate group. These stations cover almost a third of the U.S. population in markets with approximately 35 million households.  It claims to be the largest independent television station group of major network affiliates in the top 25 U.S. markets.

    The primary categories of Gannett’s broadcasting segment revenue are: 1) core advertising which includes local and national non-political advertising; 2) political advertising revenues which are seasonal with peaks occurring in even years (e.g., 2014 and 2012) and particularly in the fourth quarter of those years; 3) retransmission revenues representing fees paid by satellite and cable networks and telecommunications companies to carry Gannett’s television signals on their network; 4) digital revenues generated through advertising on the stations’ web, tablet and mobile products; and 5) other revenues, which consist of payments by advertisers to television stations for other services, such as producing advertising material.

    Within its publishing segment, Gannett says that it provides content through 82 loca

     

    Click here for the financial statement

  • TDSAT gives a week’s time to Telengana MSOs to carry TV9

    TDSAT gives a week’s time to Telengana MSOs to carry TV9

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed the multi system operators (MSOs) in Telengana to resume the broadcast of news channel TV9 within a week from the passing of the order on 29 October.

     

    The case which had been filed by the Associated Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) against MSOs Hathway Cable & Datacom, Siti Vision Digital Media and others, had actually been shut in early October when TDSAT had directed the state MSOs to carry the channel. At that time, the Telengana state additional advocate general Ramachandra Rao had said that the government would provide security to the MSOs and LCOs for carrying the channel. This was subject to ABC not broadcasting content that would violate the law or put out defamatory content against the state of Telangana.

     

    However, the Central Government solicitor general Ranjit Kumar regretfully said that the assurance given by Rao ‘remained mere words on a piece of paper’. To this, Rao produced proof of letters sent to the Telangana Police director general asking them to ensure that ‘no untoward incident takes place as a result of the petitioner’s broadcast as per the TDSAT order.’

     

    However, counsel for the MSOs said that the police would come to rescue only after the MSOs had suffered damages from the mob. The answer to this would be to issue a public notice or a press release so that the MSOs could resume broadcast.

     

    The TDSAT has directed the State of Telangana to file an affidavit that as long as TV9 refrains from defamatory content against the state, its people, government and follows the Programme Code and the Advertisement Code, the government would provide security. It has also asked the broadcaster and the MSOs to publicise the order through electronic media.

     

    The MSOs will have to intimate the police about the date when they shall resume broadcast. TV9 has been switched off from the state of Telangana from several months due to its broadcast of content that even the TDSAT saw as ‘highly defamatory’.

     

  • Nielsen says it has issued faulty ratings since March 2014

    Nielsen says it has issued faulty ratings since March 2014

    MUMBAI: Nielsen, which controls almost all of the television ratings measurement market in the US, has been issuing incorrect TV ratings for national broadcast networks due to a technical error. The error, introduced in March, was not discovered until 6 October, the company said in a statement.

     

    The error was ‘generally imperceptible until we saw high viewing levels associated with fall season premiere week,’ it added. “As a result, small amounts of viewing for some national broadcast networks and syndicators were misattributed. Cable networks and local TV ratings were not affected by this error.”

     

    The company fixed the error on 9 October and now plans to reprocess all of its ratings data going back to 18 August, when the first new broadcast program of the season aired. It will also conduct an analysis to determine if other weeks also need to be reprocessed.

     

    ABC appears to be the beneficiary of the glitch, with its programs getting credited for views that belonged to other networks.

     

    Nielsen’s ratings is the metric that advertisers and networks rely on to conduct their ad sales business and will be majorly affected due to this gaffe. It is not yet clear to what extent the ratings will change when the numbers are reprocessed. The changes are expected to be relatively minor.

     

    “We will undertake an exhaustive post-mortem-internally and with our clients-and we are asking Ernst & Young and the MRC to join us in these efforts,” the company added in its statement.

     

    Nielsen, along with Kantar, operates TAM in India, the current industry body for TV ratings.

     

    Read the full statement from Nielsen:

     

    In response to recent ratings irregularities, Nielsen conducted an extensive internal investigation of our systems and processes. On Oct. 6, 2014, we uncovered a technical error that impacts national network television ratings over several months.

     

    The technical error was introduced on March 2, 2014, and was generally imperceptible until we saw high viewing levels associated with fall season premiere week. As a result, small amounts of viewing for some national broadcast networks and syndicators were misattributed. Cable networks and local TV ratings were not affected by this error.

     

    A software fix to correct the problem was deployed on Oct. 9, 2014, meaning that all data being released today and going forward is correct.

     

    In addition,

     

    All of the commercial data-including C3-for the current TV season, which will begin releasing this weekend, will be correct. All previously released data since September 22nd will be reprocessed and reissued by Oct. 17, 2014. We will also reprocess all of the impacted data going back to Aug. 18, 2014, when the first new season broadcast network program aired. This data will be reissued by Oct. 31, 2014. Nielsen is also conducting an impact analysis to determine whether additional weeks should be reprocessed. We will work closely with our clients and the industry to provide updates as soon as possible. This issue has to do with difficult-to-attribute content called “all other tuning with code” (AOT with code). This data represents between 0.1% and 0.25% of all viewing minutes that we credit nationally. In the vast majority of cases, the impact is small; in a handful of cases, the impact is more significant.

     

    As part of our investigation, we have also determined that there are no issues with the National People Meter, our data collection process, our panel, our TV audience measurement methodology or the total TV viewership data produced during this affected period.

     

    We are working closely with our clients to manage this situation and will continue to be transparent with the industry and the media about our plans. In addition, we will undertake an exhaustive post-mortem-internally and with our clients-and we are asking Ernst & Young and the MRC to join us in these efforts.

     

    Nielsen is committed to upholding the highest standards of television audience measurement and data processing, in order to provide the most effective audience measurement solutions to meet client needs.

  • TV9 signals still not on air in Telangana

    TV9 signals still not on air in Telangana

    MUMBAI: A few days ago, the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) ordered MSOs in Telangana to carry TV9’s signals. This came after the latter decided to give an apology for telecasting ‘defamatory’ content.

     

    The case was disposed off two weeks ago after which TV9 filed an EA. However, counsel for TV9 (Associated Broadcasting Company) stated that despite the order, the channel’s signals continue to be off air while distributors claim that they are still receiving threat calls from unruly elements.

     

    The TDSAT had asked the state government to provide protection to the MSOs, which the counsel for Telangana had also agreed to.

     

    The case is now put up for 10 October when TDSAT has ordered Telangana additional advocate general J Ramchandaran Rao to be present in court.

     

    In the earlier order, it had ordered TV9 to refrain from telecasting such content in future and to strictly abide by the Programme Code and the Advertisement Code from rules 6 and 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules (1994).

  • A big night for ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ at 66th Emmy Awards

    A big night for ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ at 66th Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: 66th Primetime Emmy Awards was a big night for Breaking Bad, The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.

     

    The awards opened with Jim Parsons winning his fourth Emmy in the lead actor category for his work as Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory.  The 41-year-old actor plays the role of nerdy Caltech physicist Sheldon Cooper in the Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady-created series. Parsons beat William H Macy, Matt LeBlanc, Louis CK and Ricky Gervais in the category.

     

    Cult drama series Breaking Bad was the other big winner of the night bagging the Emmy for Best Drama Series, while Game of Thrones went home with none of the big prizes despite garnering the most nominations. The series saw a fourth Best Lead Actor win for Bryan Cranston as chemistry teacher-turned-meth drug lord, Walter White aka Heisenberg. His co-star Aaron Paul took home his third Emmy win for Best Supporting Actor and Anna Gunn became a two-time Emmy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in the show. Moreover, the now-departed, much beloved AMC series also took another Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing as well as Best Drama. The show won six Emmys in total.

     

    Hit TV series Modern Family made Emmy history by winning the title of Best Comedy series for a record-tying fifth year in a row at television’s equivalent of the Oscars and has now tied the record set by NBC’s Frasier. Ty Burrell won the Best Supporting Actor for the comedy series, and the show also won a directing award.

     

    Other significant Emmy Award winners included Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman for BBC’s Sherlock: His Last Vow as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, as well as comedienne Sarah Silverman’s win for Variety Show Writing.

     

    The Emmy Awards also held its traditional memorial tribute to industry members who have died in the past year. The presentation concluded with Billy Crystal giving a moving tribute to longtime friend and fellow comedian Robin Williams, who tragically committed suicide just two weeks ago.

     

    Among the other notable winners, Julianna Margulies won the Best Drama Actress for The Good Wife, while Best Television Movie went to The Normal Heart about gay activist Larry Kramer’s work to raise HIV/AIDS awareness during the early 1980s.

     

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus received her third consecutive Best Comedy Actress Emmy for the political comedy Veep on HBO. Shows like Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards, Showtime’s Shameless, and HBO’s True Detective neither benefited from tactical category choices nor garnered any Emmy Awards this year, despite their popularity and stellar storytelling.

  • TV9 ends standoff with MSOs in Telangana

    TV9 ends standoff with MSOs in Telangana

    MUMBAI: It has been two months since multi system operators (MSOs) in Telangana decided to cut of signals from two news channels- TV9 and ABN Andhra Jyoti. Now, one of them has decided to take the initiative and end the ongoing war between MSOs and the channel.

     

    As per a report by the Hindu Business Line, the Associate Broadcasting Company (ABC) that is the majority promoter of TV9 is seeking to have a dialogue with MSOs to get the channel back on air. ABC has reached out to the MSOs to enter into an agreement. It has written to the Telangana State Federation of MSOs.

     

    The company has been on the lookout for a buyer for the channel as it wants to exit the business. However, this standoff between the MSOs and the channel apparently seems to have affected its valuation in the market. As per the report, ABC plans to exit within a month or two. Edelweiss is running the sale process. 

     

    In June, TV9 had allegedly telecast a programme that showed the Telangana government in a bad light due to which MSOs of the newly formed state decided to cut off signals to it. Meanwhile, the MSOs said that they would show the channels only if people asked for them.

     

    Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar had also asked the state government of Telangana to clarify queries regarding the blocking. He said that MSOs cannot censor channels on their own and if they did, the Ministry was empowered to take action against them.

     
  • ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ technology creator,Screenz, secures $5m investment

    ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ technology creator,Screenz, secures $5m investment

    MUMBAI: Cross-media company Screenz, announces the procurement of $5M investment from Marker LLC to expand research and development, accelerating the growth of technological advances in media entertainment.

     

    Screenz CEO Eli Uzan says, “The evolving media landscape provides partnership opportunities with major production companies and broadcasters, making traditional TV and second screen experiences inseparable. We are delighted that Marker LLC, a leading U.S. VC, is joining us to ensure Screenz continues to change how the world views and interacts with television.”

     

    Screenz and Keshet International’s Rising Star is the most social television series to date with 129,071 tweets at the series premiere and was the No. 1 downloaded iOS app. The ABC premiere outperformed NBC’s America’s Got Talent season premiere by 116% (59,734 tweets) and exceeded America’s Got Talent social media interactions by 290% (33,106 tweets).

     

    Rising Star scored the highest rating for an ABC summer series debut in two years. Sold into more than 25 territories, this format uses an extensive suite of products featured on Screenz’s Real-Time Platform.

     

    The cloud-based software solution developed by Screenz permits over 100 million interactions per minute while viewers engage with shows through second screen formats including: talent, trivia apps, real-time prediction, and social media extensions. Broadcasters and producers achieve live audience engagement while simultaneously capturing viewer data, extending their brands beyond the confines of TV, generating new advertising revenue opportunities, and taking TV into the Big Data marketplace.

     

    “Screenz is a leader in the emerging interactive television sector and helps navigate the future of the industry,” says Marker LLC Partner, Rick Scanlon. “The company has created and flawlessly managed real-time interactive experiences on a large scale with globally renowned entertainment companies. Marker is thrilled to partner with Screenz and support its rapid growth.”

     

    Screenz recently joined forces with Google extending the reach of its real-time technology. Screenz maintains a platform of innovative formats that will be revealed through leading technology and entertainment industry partnerships worldwide.

  • Facebook adds LiveRail to its kitty

    Facebook adds LiveRail to its kitty

    MUMBAI: The news of Facebook acquiring video advertising company, LiveRail didn’t really come as a surprise.

     

    It was in March when Facebook first began offering 15-second video ads for a limited number of companies on its website. The company has moved cautiously in introducing video ads on its social network to prevent a backlash from users who might find the ads annoying.

     

    This acquisition is the social media company’s latest step to make video ads a bigger part of its business.

     

    According to Reuters, Facebook has not disclosed the price for the San Francisco-based company, which was founded in 2007 and has offices in several countries.

     

    It can be noted that LiveRail’s technology automatically pairs video ads with the videos that appear on many websites, such as Major League Baseball, ABC and A&E Networks website.

     

    The report on Reuters also states that video ads command higher prices than other forms of online advertising such as banner ads. Facebook and other internet rivals like Google are increasingly trying to grab a slice of lucrative TV-marketing budgets as they try to sustain rapid growth.

     

    For records, it was early last year that Facebook bought Whatsapp for US$19.5 billon.

     

    It will be interesting to see how Facebook ropes in brands to scale its video advertising inventory in the coming days.

  • Marvel releases first full trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy

    Marvel releases first full trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy

    MUMBAI: Marvel Studios unveiled its newest team of superheroes on Tuesday night with the first trailer for the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. The footage for the film, based on the cult Marvel comic, premiered on American Broadcasting Company (ABC)’s late night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

     

    From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits – Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand–with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

     

    Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Dave Bautista (Riddick), featuring Vin Diesel (Fast and Furious) as the voice of Groot, Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) as the voice of Rocket, Golden Globe Award nominee Lee Pace (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), with Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago), Primetime Emmy Award winner Glenn Close (Damages) as Nova Prime Rael and Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro (Traffic) as The Collector.

     

    James Gunn (Thor: The Dark World) is the director of the film with Kevin Feige (Spiderman series) producing, and Louis D’Esposito (The Avengers), Victoria Alonso (Thor), Jeremy Latcham (Iron Man), Alan Fine (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Stan Lee (X-Men: Days of Future Past) serve as executive producers. The story is by Nicole Perlman and James Gunn, with screenplay by James Gunn. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy releases in U.S. theatres on 1 August 2014.

     

    Check out the world premiere of The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer