ITV

Tag: Astro

  • Bloomberg Television launches in Malaysia on Astro

    Bloomberg Television launches in Malaysia on Astro

    MUMBAI: Bloomberg Television has been launched in Malaysia on pay TV service provider Astro.

     

    The channel will feature up to four hours of localized business news content covering Malaysia’s business, economy and financial markets.

     

    Bloomberg Television Malaysia will debut with a weekday flagship evening news program, Moving Malaysia, broadcast live at 6 pm from its state-of-the art studios in Kota Damansara. Presented by lead anchor Sophie Kamaruddin, the program will feature comprehensive coverage of top business news stories from Malaysia and around the world.

     

    “The local business community is underserved in terms of dedicated business news avenues. Recognizing that information is crucial for businesses, Bloomberg TV Malaysia offers the business community real-time business news and information. This is the first and only international business news channel to be localized for the Malaysian audience, and we are pleased to work together with Bloomberg and Astro in making this channel a reality,” said Bloomberg TV Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Mohd Effendi Norwawi.

     

    Part of Bloomberg’s strategic expansion into key markets, the new channel combines localized content with Bloomberg’s expertise in international news gathering to deliver high quality, in-depth coverage of Malaysia’s business and economic developments.

     

    “Malaysia is one of ASEAN’s key economies and there is a compelling long-term story of development to be told as the country works towards its 2020 vision. We see continued interest in its economic journey from within and outside of Malaysia, and now have a platform for Malaysia’s market makers and business leaders to provide insight into the country’s ongoing development,” said Bloomberg Media Asia-Pacific managing director Parry Ravindranathan.

     

    “The addition of localised content delivered by Bloomberg TV Malaysia on Astro allows for the broadcast of reliable local news and business insights. We are excited to debut our coverage of market moving stories catering to Malaysia’s growing demographic of business news consumers,” added Bloomberg Television Malaysia CEO Michael Chan.

     

    Overseeing operations is industry veteran Richard Lewis, who joined as executive producer. Lewis, with almost 30 years’ experience in broadcast, was previously executive producer at Al Jazeera English in Qatar and writer and producer for ITN in London.

  • PromaxBDA announces speakers for its 12th edition

    PromaxBDA announces speakers for its 12th edition

    MUMBAI: PromaxBDA, the association that represents more than 10,000 companies and promotion and marketing professionals at every major media organisation in broadcast media, has announced the 12th edition of its annual conference, PromaxBDA India 2015.

     

    This year’s conference will witness participation of prominent visionaries discussing topics that contribute to the growth of digital and advertising space. Some of the key speakers and trainers include David Shing – Digital Prophet – AOL, Nicole Velik – Director/Founder – Ideas Bodega, Linda Button – Brand Personality Expert – Tooth+Nail, Rob Middleton – VP, Network Presentation Content Group – ASTRO, Liz Dunning – Co-founder – Dunning Penney Jones, Amanda Herbert – Marketing & Communications Director – Discovery Networks Asia Pacific and Glenn Urquhart – Group Creative Director – The LifeStyle Channel, Foxtel Networks Australia.

     

    This year PromaxBDA India has introduced a brand new conference format, where they will be holding PromaxBDA Boot Camps and PromaxBDA Masterclass Conference. The inaugural PromaxBDA Boot Camps will bring in the latest creative techniques in promotion-creation while the Masterclass Conference is tailored to create a local and global overlook for senior-level producers, executives, leaders and decision makers. The Masterclass Conference will be opened with a keynote address by the renowned David Shing – Digital Prophet – AOL.

     

    Along with this, PromaxBDA India has also introduced two new categories in its current bouquet of 41 award categories. The new categories are BEST DRAMA PROMO NOT IN HINDI OR ENGLISH and BEST ENTERTAINMENT PROMO NOT IN HINDI OR ENGLISH in the Regional Categories 2015.

     

    Commenting on this year’s conference and the new additions, Rajika Mittra, Country Head (India), PromaxBDA said, “We are glad to announce the 12th PromaxBDA India Conference 2015. With media and entertainment industry evolving at an enormous speed and digital space dominating as a medium, this year we have introduced a fresher format, which aims at emphasizing on the importance of the digital medium. We have received encouraging response to the earlier summits and I am sure that this year too we will have an exciting time with everyone.”

     

    Invited this year again to grace the PromaxBDA India 2015’s Conference Chair position is Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors. He shared, “For colleagues who have attended the previous editions of the PromaxBDA India Conference, we look forward to having you back with us. Get ready to be inspired by the unexpected and the eye-opening. Those new to this conference will find that the television industry goes beyond traditionally set boundaries. The future of television is speeding ahead and a multi-discipline outfit might be the way forward.”

  • Rewind Networks’ to launch channel HITS on Astro

    Rewind Networks’ to launch channel HITS on Astro

    MUMBAI: Astro and Rewind Networks have launched a new entertainment channel that will go live on 16 November. The channel will be available with Bahasa Malaysia and Simplified Chinese subtitles.

     

    HITS is Rewind Network’s first channel that is already available in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and now Malaysia.

     

    Speaking on the expansion Astro VP content group Agnes Rozario said, “Astro is committed to providing the best-in-class entertainment to our subscribers. HITS HD will give our customers the chance to reconnect with so many of their best loved shows like Mork & Mindy and The Cosby Show. We also anticipate that this great content will find a new audience amongst our younger viewers making HITS truly a channel for the whole family. Viewers will also be pleased that we are extending this great experience beyond the home with the channel and catch-up episodes being available on Astro on the go.”

     

    HITS will continue to expand to other south east Asian markets as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. Rewind Networks founder and CEO Avi Himatsinghani said, “This is a HITS-torical moment for us. HITS celebrates some the best TV content ever created, all in one place. We are so proud that Astro subscribers will now have a chance to watch their most loved TV shows for the first time in HD quality. Curated with Asian viewers in mind we hope that our selection of top rated, multi-award winning and iconic shows from the leading Hollywood studios will make this channel a favourite amongst Malaysian audiences.”

     

    The portfolio of HITS’ shows launched the careers of A-list stars including Robin Williams in Mork & Mindy and Jerry Seinfeld from Seinfeld. Other shows such as The Cosby Show, M*A*S*H and The X-Files reinvented their genres.

     

  • FoodFood travels to US

    FoodFood travels to US

    MUMBAI: Today, food is not just a necessity but has become a passion. Everyone wants to create a magic in their kitchens. However, not everyone is gifted and wants a “helping hand.”

     

    FoodFood, a specialty channel, wants to be that guiding light to help people cook food with passion and enjoy it too. And soon, the viewers of Dish and DishWorld IPTV in the US will be able to do just that.

     

    “After Canada, US was the next logical step. With the growing popularity of the Indian food, the channel is bound to attract a lot of audiences apart from the Indian residents there,” says channel promoter Sanjeev Kapoor. However, it wasn’t an easy task. Kapoor recalls that he had to travel to and fro many a times to finally sign the deal to include the channel in the Hindi mega pack.

     

    “It took us around two years to manage to crack the deal, but we are happy now that we will be available on Dish which has the largest selection of international programming among major pay-TV providers in the US,” he adds.

     

    The channel will be available on LCN No 713 on the network and will for now showcase Indian programmes.  But, if all goes well it will also air original content. “Yes, of course creation of original content is on the cards but first we have to build it and get more advertisers on board,” says Kapoor.

     

    The channel is already available outside India in Qatar, UAE and Canada and next on agenda is UK, Africa along with the south east Asian countries as well as Australia. “Internationally, people want specialised content and we will give them what they need. We plan to take the channel overseas and it doesn’t limit us to television alone,” points out Kapoor who believes that the world going digital is a boon for specialised content.

     

    “There is a reason why people are moving towards digital and consuming what they want, wherever they are,” he adds while emphasising on the fact that though Indian media houses are not recognising this, the scenario is quite the opposite worldwide. He believes that Indian broadcasters are very generic in their approach and that’s why one can see series of general entertainment channel launches every now and then.

     

    Another issue hindering the growth of niche channels which aren’t a part of large media houses, according to Kapoor is carriage fees. “Almost 25 per cent of our total cost goes into carriage fees and to top it further, cable and DTH operators increase the fee irrationally,” he says agitatedly and adds, “Distribution is still a monster.”

     

    He believes that the industry and the regulatory bodies need to come forth to provide viewers the content they want to watch and move beyond just one measurement currency. “There is no respect for expertise,” he says.

     

    When asked his views about ad cap, he says that it is a global phenomenon and will only help the channel to innovate. “Helios is doing a very good job and is taking the whole ad sales to another level,” points out Kapoor while adding that the concept has helped them innovate and integrate with brands beyond the 10 second slot. Talking of one of the innovation he says, “We integrated a brand of oil into our shows to help people understand about a healthy heart.”

     

    FoodFood is also focusing on its content. The channel launched a new campaign in April, this year, with a lineup of shows like K for kids, Pure Sin catering to various age groups. However, the biggest launch for the channel would be Kapoor’s travel culinary show shot in Australia for which the blueprint is ready.

     

    In June, the channel which strongly believes in the digital power launched an e-commerce section to bring a variety of selective quality products from kitchen appliances, kitchen accessories and lifestyle products all shown on the television shows.

     

    “Internet is already helping us when it comes to content consumption and through the e-commerce section we will be giving the community a dedicated shop,” he says.

     

    With an optimistic approach, the channel, which is a joint venture between Astro Overseas (Astro), Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Sandeep Goyal owned Mogae Consultants, hopes to see better days ahead as the promoters are set to meet soon to decide their next step.

  • APAC digital subscribers to reach 503 million by 2018: MPA

    APAC digital subscribers to reach 503 million by 2018: MPA

    MUMBAI: Media Partners Asia (MPA) has come out with its report on the Asia Pacific pay-TV and broadband market for the next five years. It predicts that DTH satellite pay-TV customers in Asia are expected to grow from 56.3 million in 2013 to more than 110 million by 2018, a CAGR of 14 per cent.

     

    The report titled ‘Asia Pacific Pay-TV and Broadband Markets 2014’ states that by 2023, DTH’s share of the total pay-TV market will nearly double to 24 per cent as the customer base reaches 150.4 million. Meanwhile, HD DTH subscribers will increase from 10.4 million in 2013 to 37.3 million by 2023, driven by high growth in India and China as well as steady growth in Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.

     

    DTH subscription revenue is expected to grow at a five year CAGR of 9 per cent to $ 12.3 billion by 2018 and $ 15.2 billion by 2023. It also predicts that the market for DTH pay-TV will further consolidate as growth converges across fewer operators in markets such as India and Indonesia. In markets such as Thailand, DTH pay-TV is struggling as free DTH services have started to breed, penetrating 60 per cent TV homes. One such is Free Dish that will prove to be important to digitisation in rural and smaller towns.

     

    The APAC pay-TV market will grow at a 10 per cent CAGR between 2013 and 2018. This will be enhanced by the subscriber jump from 312 million in 2013 to 503 million by 2018 while digital penetration of pay-TV homes expands from 62 per cent to 83 per cent.

     

    Commenting on the findings, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said, “We see operating leverage growing for market leaders in India, Indonesia and Malaysia in particular as well as long-term upside from strategic recalibration in Australia and New Zealand. Better monetisation in the Philippines should help the market leader properly scale its DTH business and take it to the next level. We also predict incremental growth and value in Vietnam.”

     

    The report states that among maturing markets, Malaysia is a leader with Astro as one of the most innovative operators in the world, good at increasing both subscriber growth and ARPUs as well as investing in product innovation. DTH ops in Australia and Japan continue to face headwinds. Hybrid DTH-IPTV distribution has helped sustain KT SkyLife’s proposition in Korea.

     

    In India, broadband is a long term consideration even though all the top four DTH operators are looking at mobile partnerships and wireless broadband strategies.

     

    IP-based distribution and broadband delivery is a challenge for DTH networks which are adapting to these realities to reduce long-term challenges. In Korea, the KT SkyLife combination retails triple play services. In Indonesia, MNC group that owns MNC Sky Vision (MNCSV) plans to rollout a bundle of IPTV and fiber-based broadband services and merge them with MNCSV.  In Malaysia, Astro has adapted to IPTV partnerships but with slow progress. In Philippines, Cignal has also embraced hybrid IP delivery.

  • Endemol lands new deals with Astro

    MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor Endemol has signed new deals with Astro in Asia for ‘The Money Drop’ and ‘Fear Factor’.

    Malaysian broadcaster, Astro Ria has ordered a prime time series of ‘Fear Factor’, marking a comeback for the format in Asia. Launching later this year, the 13-part celebrity series will be filmed in Cape Town produced by Endemol Malaysia Entertainment Group in conjunction with Endemol South Africa. The format was last produced in Asia in 2009.

    Astro Ria has also ordered a 26 part second series of ‘The Money Drop’, which will air in a prime time spot later this year. The new Malaysian series will once again incorporate the Play Along game, where viewers at home can mirror the white knuckle decisions made by players in the studio. Both this game and the returning Stand Alone were hugely popular during the first series.

    Endemol Asia CEO Arjen van Mierlo said, “ ‘Fear Factor’ and ‘The Money Drop’ are among the biggest hits created by Endemol and we’re delighted to have them in peak time slots on a leading regional broadcast such as Astro. I’m especially pleased to sign these deals ahead of MIPCOM, where both shows continue to be among our market highlights.”

    ‘The Money Drop’ has now been sold in over 40 territories across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, CIS territories, Asia and the South Pacific. The online game has generated over 17 million game plays.

    ‘Fear Factor’ has sold into over 150 countries with local versions produced in over 30 territories. The format returned to Cannes at MIPTV 2012 following its ratings success on NBC in the US.

    Elsewhere in Asia, Endemol has signed new deals in Vietnam, where HTV7 has recommissioned 52 new episodes of Deal or No Deal and VTV3 have reordered a 52 part series of 1 vs. 100.

    Other recent commissions in the region include ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar‘, which was sold to Hunan Broadcasting in China. The series launched on the channel in July.

  • NDTV, Astro launch Astro Awani in Malaysia

    MUMBAI: NDTV and Astro have launched a 24-hour news and information channel, Astro Awani, in Malaysia on 6 September. This follows the launch last year in Indonesia of a 24-hour news, infotainment and lifestyle channel.

    With the tagline ‘Our Gateway to The World,’ Astro Awani is the first 24-hour news and information channel in Malaysia.

    Presented in the national language, Astro Awani will have a mixed content of current international news, events and issues which are relevant to the local viewers.

    Astro Awani is one of the four channels that NDTV is going to launch in September. The package includes NDTV lifestyle channel Good Times, Astro Awani, a channel for the Middle East and Metronation.

    NDTV Group CEO KVL Narayan Rao said, “NDTV’s association with Astro has had a great start last year, with the success of Astro Awani in Indonesia. Now, we are delighted to come together again and provide viewers in Malaysia with a comprehensive look at news and topical issues. The channel is a tribute to NDTV’s long standing commitment to delivering in-depth news and information-based programming.”

    Astro TV CEO Rohana Rozhan said, “We observed that our customers want higher quality content in a form that is international news presented from a local perspective. To fulfil this demand, we are proud to introduce Astro Awani. It will feature global news, events and issues from a Malaysian perspective, and will be presented in the national language.”

  • UTV targets June launch of youth channel with Astro

    UTV targets June launch of youth channel with Astro

    MUMBAI: UTV Software Communications’ joint venture with Astro of Malaysia is fast taking shape. The youth-centric channel, aimed at the age-group of 17-25 years, is set for launch by June.

    “We are working on the content research. We plan to launch the channel by June,” says UTV Communications COO Ronald D’Mello.

    UTV will be investing Rs 1 billion in its 50:50 venture with Astro in broadcasting.

    “We will be expanding to a 360 degree entertainment venture including a TV channel as the anchor, to be flanked by activities on the internet, new media, ground events, merchandising and licensing,” says D’Mello.

    UTV will be releasing DVDs of Don and Khosla Ka Ghosla this quarter. Namesake will have an international and national release in the third week of March.

    UTV has posted a consolidated revenue of Rs 704 million, which includes capital gains of Rs 263 million from the sale of United Home Entertainment Ltd (Hungama TV), for the third quarter ended 31 December 2006.

    Net profit stood at Rs 283 million while EBITDA was at Rs 303 million for the period. The company has consolidated the financials of UESL, UTV-US, UTV-UK and UTV-Mauritius.
    UTV also announced an interim dividend of 25 per cent.

    Commenting on the results UTV CEO Ronnie Screwvala said, “The quarter has been a very eventful one; while the Hungama TV deal with The Walt Disney Company was consummated during the quarter, the Company also decided to make investments in two gaming companies – Ignition Entertainment and Indiagames Ltd in console and mobile space respectively. With these proposed investments UTV has acquired worldwide capabilities of content creation and distribution across all gaming platforms.”

    UTV has entered into exclusive sales and marketing tie up with Radaan Media, the largest TV production house in South India. “This will result in significant growth in Television businesses in the months to come. In addition to this and as a step towards entering the South Indian film production space, UTV has tied up with Radaan for co-production of all South Indian films,” Screwvala added.

    UTV is acquiring a 70 per cent stake in Ignition Entertainment Ltd (UK based company with interests in console game development, publishing and distribution across the globe) as well as a controlling stake in IndiaGames (gaming company in India, with interests in mobile and online gaming) for a total consideration of Rs 1.28 billion.

    UTV has inducted Walt Disney International president Andy Bird and Pantaloon’s Kishore Biyani as non executive directors.

  • i-Pop propels AXN’s move from TV to mobile

    i-Pop propels AXN’s move from TV to mobile

    MUMBAI: Asian mobile media services firm i-Pop will kick off the inauguration of action adventure network AXN Asia’s mobile interactive WAP site wap.axn-asia.com.

    The mobile launch is in conjunction with the debut of AXN’s biggest original production in Asia – The Amazing Race Asia between 9-14 November. The series will be broadcast across Asia through AXN’s four programming feeds.

    i-Pop has been appointed to develop and manage an interactive, user-friendly mobile Wap site that will further bridge AXN’s on-air offerings with its viewers. The mobile platform will immerse viewers through value-added interactivity of their award-winning series and original productions, allowing them to have a seamless, well-rounded, enriching entertainment experience that complements their TV viewing.

    i-Ppop says that it will play a key role in facilitating the network’s tri-media approach of on-air, online and mobile platforms in promoting the key properties of AXN. The SMS entry mechanism enables content downloads and on-air contests to be accessed via the ease of a mobile phone. The aim is to optimise viewer participation and create greater synergies in the branding prowess of AXN as well as its advertisers, through integrated campaigns that will enhance viewer experience.

    Jointly working with telecommunication and cable operators in the various regions – Starhub (Singapore), Astro (Malaysia), Smart (Philippines) and other major operators in Hong Kong, i-Pop spearheaded the Phase One launch of AXN Mobile that will allow viewers to download funky ringtones and wallpapers at AXN mobile storefront.

    Fans of the The Amazing Race Asia can also subscribe to a video streaming service for interviews and clips from the latest episodes. Viewers can also expect MMS content, mobile gaming and other services to be made available in more countries in the coming months.

    iPop executive VP Colin Miles says, “i-Pop has had four years of front line experience working strategically with the topmost media brands in Asia to effectively enable mobile integration across all their key touch points. We are delighted to support AXN’s suitably adventurous approach, grasping the challenge and setting a strong direction to utilise mobile in a truly connected way for their viewers across the region. i-Pop is proud to be able to work with this leading network in delivering dynamic rich media content to its mobile viewers”.

    Mobile phone content, such as music, gaming and video, is forecast to reach $43 billion in sales worldwide by 2010, according to a report by research firm iSuppli Corp. Media organisations are now seeing the significant value and a new source of revenue in applying mobile media services to their brand output and viewer relationships. Even the most casual viewer cannot fail to see SMS interactions and mobile contest being widely propagated across both terrestrial TV stations and cable networks.

  • Astro eyes acquisition in India, posts strong Q2 net profit

    Astro eyes acquisition in India, posts strong Q2 net profit

    MUMBAI: Astro All Asia Networks Plc has identified India and China as its potential high-growth markets. And the route it wants to take is equity participation in local ventures.

    “We intend to invest and grow our multi-media distribution platforms and content assets — particularly in the key Bahasa, Indian, and Chinese language speaking markets where we hope to consummate joint-ventures with key players across the region in the coming months. We are confident that these major investments, underpinned by our strong balance sheet and robust cash flows from our Malaysian operations, will secure our long term future, and importantly, sustain revenues, profitability and cash flow growth for shareholders in the medium and long term,” Astro Group chief executive officier Ralph Marshall wrote yesterday to the company’s shareholders.

    The company is scouting for equity participation in joint venture with local partners in these large under-penetrated markets, Marshall said. In India, Astro has, along with NDTV and infotech company Value Labs, already bought out Radio Today’s FM radio operations under Red FM brand.

    “Following liberalisation of the radio sector by the Indian Government, we are hopeful of making new investments and thereby participate in further growth of the radio broadcasting sector in the country,” Marshall said.

    In China, an Astro joint venture has secured approval and a 25-year licence to offer advertising services in the country. The joint-venture, with Hangzhou-based Tiansheng Culture Media Ltd, will initially provide marketing and airtime management services to seven radio stations in Zhejiang Province, and subsequently expand its services to other media companies, particularly in the TV broadcasting segment, in other territories across China.

    Astro, meanwhile, has reported a 66 per cent increase in net profit to RM 73.04 million for its second quarter ended 31 July 2006, from RM 44 million a year ago. This was on back of the Fifa World Cup and a strong demand for its pay-TV and advertising services in the period, the company said.

    Revenue rose 14 per cent to RM 569.08 million from RM 499.32 million while earnings per share was 3.79 sen from 2.29 sen.

    During the period under review, the Group has generated free cash of RM 162.6 million. “Taking advantage of the strong financial position, the Group repaid most of its bank borrowings in January this year, and secured access to fresh long-term capital funds totalling USD 300 million on more attractive terms,” Astro said in a release.

    Having recently launched seven channels, Astro plans to add more and has RM 2 billion to fund its expansion plans.