ITV

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  • CNN Digital debuts CNNVR virtual reality unit

    MUMBAI: CNN has launched a new immersive journalism unit and virtual reality platform within CNN Digital. CNNVR will transport the audience closer than ever before on every device available.

    The global team with footprints in New York, Atlanta, London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Dubai, Johannesburg, Tokyo, and Beijing, will cover major news events in stunning 360 video, transport users to the front row of global events through VR live streams, and produce weekly virtual reality experiences – starting today with a mesmerizing journey into the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

    Over the past year, CNN has experimented with VR, producing more than 50 news stories in high-quality 360 video, giving viewers a deeper understanding of the devastation of Aleppo, a front row view of the U.S. Inauguration and a chance to experience the thrill of skydiving – in total, generating more than 30 million views of 360 content on Facebook alone.

    The new team is committed to harnessing the power of virtual reality to transport the audience inside the stories we tell all around the globe.

    Through CNNVR, viewers can get access to dynamic storytelling medium on every device, including:

    Mobile

    CNN’s iOS and Androidapps are now activating 360 video, making CNN the third largest mobile VR app – behind only Facebook and YouTube.

    Desktop

    CNN.com/VR now showcases journeys to Indonesia, Tibet, Iraq and beyond, opening up VR content on the #1 digital news site.

    VR headsets

    CNNVR’s groundbreaking 360 content is distributed across all major headsets: Samsung GearVR, Oculus Rift and Google Daydream – a combined audience of over five million users.

  • CNN Digital Asia appoints Marc Lourdes as new director

    CNN Digital Asia appoints Marc Lourdes as new director

    MUMBAI: CNN Digital has appointed Marc Lourdes as the new director of CNN Digital Asia. Lourdes will be based in Hong Kong and will lead the channel’s digital Asia team across editorial content and multi-platform programming for CNN’s global audience during that time-zone. He will begin with this new role immediately.

    He will work closely with CNN’s digital teams in London, Abu Dhabi, New York and Atlanta and as the digital leader in Asia-Pacific, will be responsible for devising and implementing strategies to grow key audiences in the region.

    CNN Digital vice-president and managing editor Andrew Demaria said, “With his combination of editorial excellence, regional experience and industry acumen, Marc is a perfect fit for CNN. His experience in co-developing news apps, growing social media traffic, and working with teams to drive new opportunities will help us realize our vision for the Asia-Pacific region.”

    The channel is significantly increasing its global footprint by creating an additional 200 jobs plus enhancing its products and technologies with a specific focus on mobile and video. This unprecedented growth follows other recent digital investments including the global expansion of CNNMoney, the amplification of CNN Politics, the launch of CNN Style, and the creation of the socially distributed video network Great Big Story.

    Before joining CNN, Lourdes worked at Yahoo for five years as the editor in chief based in Singapore.

  • CNN Digital Asia appoints Marc Lourdes as new director

    CNN Digital Asia appoints Marc Lourdes as new director

    MUMBAI: CNN Digital has appointed Marc Lourdes as the new director of CNN Digital Asia. Lourdes will be based in Hong Kong and will lead the channel’s digital Asia team across editorial content and multi-platform programming for CNN’s global audience during that time-zone. He will begin with this new role immediately.

    He will work closely with CNN’s digital teams in London, Abu Dhabi, New York and Atlanta and as the digital leader in Asia-Pacific, will be responsible for devising and implementing strategies to grow key audiences in the region.

    CNN Digital vice-president and managing editor Andrew Demaria said, “With his combination of editorial excellence, regional experience and industry acumen, Marc is a perfect fit for CNN. His experience in co-developing news apps, growing social media traffic, and working with teams to drive new opportunities will help us realize our vision for the Asia-Pacific region.”

    The channel is significantly increasing its global footprint by creating an additional 200 jobs plus enhancing its products and technologies with a specific focus on mobile and video. This unprecedented growth follows other recent digital investments including the global expansion of CNNMoney, the amplification of CNN Politics, the launch of CNN Style, and the creation of the socially distributed video network Great Big Story.

    Before joining CNN, Lourdes worked at Yahoo for five years as the editor in chief based in Singapore.

  • Sony Pictures Television promotes Steve Mosko as chairman

    Sony Pictures Television promotes Steve Mosko as chairman

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television president Steve Mosko has promoted as the chairman of the company. 

     

    Mosko will continue to oversee all television operations for Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide. He will report to Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton.

     

    “Under Steve’s leadership, Sony Pictures Television has become the industry’s largest independent television studio. Our media networks business has expanded to over 150 channel feeds around the world and the company is well-positioned for growth in both production and distribution. Steve is a remarkable executive and we are proud to have him at the helm of Sony Pictures Television,” said Lynton. 

     

    Mosko added, “I am honored to be named chairman, and grateful to Michael, my colleagues at Sony Pictures, and to the incredible team at Sony Pictures Television, whose hard work and dedication has built the successful global business we have today.”

     

    A Sony Pictures Entertainment executive for more than two decades, Mosko oversees global television production, distribution of feature film and television content, and the studio’s international networks available in 180 countries, reaching more than 1.3 billion cumulative households worldwide, including Crackle, SPE’s video streaming service, and GSN, cable’s game show network.

     

    Mosko joined Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1992, and was named president of Sony Pictures Television in 2000. In this role, Mosko built on the studio’s syndication business, overseeing first-run and off-network program sales in more than 200 markets and supervising efforts of regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas.

  • Gray Television to acquire Schurz Communications for $442.5 million

    Gray Television to acquire Schurz Communications for $442.5 million

    MUMBAI: Atlanta based Gray Television, Inc has reached an agreement to acquire all of the television and radio stations of Schurz Communications, Inc for approximately $442.5 million including working capital at closing.

     

    The deal demonstrates Gray’s commitment to acquire high-quality stations in attractive markets and will increase Gray’s scale, the quality of its portfolio, and its exposure to politically competitive markets.

     

    The addition of the Schurz stations will expand Gray’s operations to a total of 49 television markets and 28 states.

     

    “Today is a momentous day in Gray’s 118-year history. Through the Schurz transaction, we will significantly expand the quality of our portfolio of leading television stations. We welcome more dedicated reporters, account executives, and technologists to our growing family. Quite simply, Gray’s existing stations will make the Schurz stations stronger, while the Schurz stations will make our existing stations better,” said Gray president and CEO Hilton H. Howell, Jr.

     

    “In a rapidly consolidating industry where size and scale matter more than ever before, we have come to the realization that Gray Television would be the best steward to ensure our stations succeed over the long-term. Gray knows how to operate top stations in small and medium-sized markets, and they have an entrepreneurial and decentralized culture. Moreover, Gray shares our commitment to local communities, staffs, journalistic ideals, and the broadcasting industry.  Being part of a larger company with these important credentials will create more opportunities for employees and the communities that we all love,” added Schurz president and CEO Todd Schurz.

  • Debra O’Connel to preside over ABC National Sales

    Debra O’Connel to preside over ABC National Sales

    MUMBAI: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) executive Debra O’Connell has been promoted to president of ABC National Television Sales, it was announced today by Rebecca Campbell, president of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. She succeeds John Watkins, who previously announced that he will retire at the end of January.

     

    ABC National Television Sales is the sales and marketing arm of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. Ms. O’Connell will be responsible for national advertising sales at ABC’s eight owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno as well as their extensive digital platforms, The Live Well Network and ABC Regional Sports & Entertainment Sales. ABC National Television Sales has nine regional sales offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit and Boston.

     

    Ms. OConnell has been with ABC for 17 years. She was previously senior vice president of sales for ABC National Television Sales, a position to which she was named in 2011. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of Multimedia Sales and Marketing for the division from 2006-2011. She was also vice president of Marketing at WABC-TV in New York, where she first joined the ABC Television division in 1999 after working at ABC Radio in Sales and Marketing.

     

    She began her career as an account executive for two of Liberty Broadcasting’s radio stations, and marketing director for DiCarlo Distributors.

     

    Ms. O’Connell serves as chairman of the Television Bureau of Advertising Sales Advisory Committee, as well as being an Executive Board Member, where she works with senior media & advertising executives to develop policy and new trends in the local broadcasting industry. She is also a member of Nielsen’s Local Alliance Committee. Ms. O’Connell is a mentor in The Walt Disney Company mentor program and is deeply involved in the ABC NTVS internship program.

  • CNN expands to Afghanistan, China, UAE with new appointments

    CNN expands to Afghanistan, China, UAE with new appointments

    MUMBAI: In a bid to expand its coverage and reach across Asia and the Middle East, CNN Worldwide is adding three new international correspondents in Afghanistan, China and the United Arab Emirates.

     

    The announcement was made by CNN senior VP president international newsgathering Parisa Khosravi.

     

    Over the past 12 months, CNN has appointed more than a dozen correspondents in seven new locations as part of an aggressive content ownership strategy. These latest hires boost CNN’s international newsgathering locations to 33.

     

    Khosravi says, “The resources available to CNN’s international newsgathering team have never been more robust. By adding correspondents in these three strategic areas, CNN underscores its international newsgathering heritage.”

     

    In Kabul, Afghanistan, Atia Abawi will serve as correspondent. He will be responsible for covering the country and the on-going war there. Abawi, a former assignment editor and producer for CNN’s international desk in Atlanta, joined CNN in 2004 and has worked on a number of stories including the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Afghanistan-Korean hostage situation and Youssif, the young Iraqi boy burned by insurgents in Iraq.

     

    Meanwhile, Stan Grant has returned to CNN after spending two years in Australia and will take up the new post of UAE-based correspondent. He will serve to cover both the UAE and the surrounding region from his base in CNN’s new Abu Dhabi newsgathering and production center slated to open later this year. Previously, Grant served as a Hong Kong-based anchor for CNN International and later as the network’s Beijing-based correspondent, where he gained recognition for his exclusive coverage of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami.

     

    Emily Chang, who joins John Vause as the second correspondent in Beijing, boosts CNN’s presence in China at a time when many media outlets are reducing their coverage in the post-Olympic climate. Chang has already reported on a variety of stories including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the tainted milk scandal and the effects of the global financial crisis on China.

     

    Over the past year, CNN has also announced the opening of newsgathering operations in Chennai, India; Lagos, Nigeria; Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Santiago, Chile, where CNN Chile launched late last year. In addition, CNN has placed correspondents in Istanbul, Turkey; Islamabad, Pakistan; Johannesburg, South Africa; London, Great Britain and Tokyo, Japan.

  • CNN to double newsgathering presence in US

    CNN to double newsgathering presence in US

    MUMBAI: CNN plans to double its domestic newsgathering presence with new operations in 10 US cities, resulting in an aggressive expansion of its newsgathering in the US. The announcment was made by CNN US senior VP newsgathering Nancy Lane.

    The new operations will be based in Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Houston; Las Vegas; Minneapolis, Minn.; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Seattle. This expansion will also allow CNN to build stronger partnerships with affiliates in new and existing locations across the country. CNN already has bureaus in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

    The newly expanded newsgathering operation will be staffed with a mix of traditional general assignment reporters with CNN’s current roster of “show-based correspondents” who are attached to many of CNN’s daytime and prime-time programs, and newly designated “all-platform journalists.” All-platform journalists will combine new technologies with traditional journalism skills to gather news from the heart of America for all CNN’s networks and services, especially CNN’s growing digital platforms.

    Lane said , “CNN’s rapid adoption of new technology over the years put us in the enviable position to be able to expand at a time when others are cutting back. Our technological innovations allow our reporters to be at the center of more breaking news events and developing stories across the United States, with greater independence and mobility than ever before. This expansion is a critical component of CNN Worldwide’s overall strategy for increased content ownership.”

    CNN’s most recent development of technology in newsgathering includes the use of lightweight kits that combine cameras, editing tools and advanced satellite and Internet communications technology into a laptop-based system. This suite of technologies enable CNN’s journalists to employ immediate live and video FTP submissions, real-time content monitoring, editing and voice communication from anywhere in the field.

  • Star World celebrates ‘Dance Fever’; unveils a world of luxury

    Star World celebrates ‘Dance Fever’; unveils a world of luxury

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World is looking to capitalise on the success of American Idol through another music based show.

    The difference is that instead of singing, the contestants on Dance Fever show off their skills on the dance floor.
    The show will air every Tuesday from 9 May at 8 pm. The mission of this dance competition is to find out America’s best dancers. The ultimate Dance Fever contestant or team champion will strut away with a $100,000 grand prize.

    Auditions for Dance Fever were held in New York, L.A., Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta. Of these auditioners, only 48 individuals or teams will make it past the initial audition process and head to Las Vegas for their chance at dancing stardom. The Top 48 can consist of individual dancers, or teams of two to four dancers. Once the elimination rounds begin in Las Vegas, the contestants will meet host Eric Niles.

    The contestants will also face, for the first time, the Dance Fever judges: actress and singer Carmen Electra (Baywatch, Starsky & Hutch); Grammy-winning artist MC Hammer; and director/choreographer Jamie King, who has worked with Madonna, Britney Spears and Ricky Martin.

    The channel will also boost its lifestyle offerings by exposing viewers to a world of luxury. Luxury Unveiled airs every Sunday from 28 May at 7:30 pm. This is a reality – documentary series that goes behind the scenes to find out how these brands swept the world, how they got there, how they keep the magic alive and why men and women from very different countries, cultures and lifestyles spend thousands buying into them.

    Each episode will concentrate on one luxury brand. The cameras will follow as the brands prepare for the latest show; as the designers, the marketers and the manufacturers create the house’s new look. Over the hour, viewers will watch the creation, production and unveiling of a haute couture collection or a new line of accessories or a new scent and all the pain and expectation along the way. At the same time, using historical footage and interviews, the show explains how the brand got here and how many of these firms transformed themselves from provincial family-run shops into huge multi-nationals.

    More reality on air with Beauty and The Geek. The show kicks off on 31 May and airs every Wednesday at 8 pm. It teams up a group of beautiful girls with a bunch of genius guys in the hopes that one group’s strengths will help overcome the other group’s weaknesses. The “Beauties” are a group of stunningly attractive young women who use their looks to manipulate every situation. What they lack in intelligence they more than make up for in beauty.

    Each “Geek” is one of the country’s next brain surgeons, rocket scientists and philosophers, who will create cures and technology that will change the world. But despite their massive intellects, these guys don’t possess the confidence or social skills to even talk to a girl or ask her out on a date. Partnered into Beauty/Geek teams, each will train the other to develop his or her brains or charisma. In a series of hilarious contests, the incredibly hot women go head to head in a battle of smarts, while the troop of genius guys compete to prove who can be the coolest, hippest and sexiest.

  • Europe’s RTL takes complete stake in n-TV

    Europe’s RTL takes complete stake in n-TV

    MUMBAI: Europe’s largest broadcaster, RTL Group has taken full control of the German news network n-tv, acquiring CNN’s 50 percent stake for an undisclosed sum.

    The Bonn-based German Cartel Office approved the move for RTL to acquire the 50 percent stake owned by Atlanta, Georgia-based CNN, the European broadcaster said in a statement.

    RTL had applied to the German Cartel Office last November to take 100 percent control of the channel. The regulatory authority has approved the acquisition without any stipulations, according to media reports.

    The German Cartel Office said it has approved Bertelsmann AG’s TV station RTL Television GmbH’s takeover of the German news station n-tv, despite expressing reservations.

    The cartel office noted that RTL Group – with its stations RTL, VOX, Super RTL and n-tv – and its rival ProSiebenSat.1 GruppeMedia AG, enjoy a duopoly control of the German television market.

    It said that rejecting the takeover would not weaken this duopoly nor reduce the advertising customers that RTL enjoys from the n-tv station.
    RTL Germany head. Anke Schaeferkordt said, “We welcome the decision of the cartel office and are excited that n-tv has become the most important member of the RTL family.”