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Tag: Bangladesh

  • SAARC nations to evolve strategy to exchange information during calamities

    SAARC nations to evolve strategy to exchange information during calamities

    MUMBAI: The Press Information Bureau additional principal information officer B S Chauhan will be heading the Indian delegation at the Third Conference of Editors and Working Journalists of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries at Male. On the agenda is SAARC countries evolving a strategy to exchange information on media usage during calamities

    The prime criteria is that reaching out is a must in disseminating critical information for those in the concerned affected areas.

    India has reiterated that SAARC Nations should make special efforts through media so that the people, especially women and children of these areas can be brought closer to the mainstream.

    With a view to reach out to people affected by terrorist acts and hilly terrain in India, Chauhan emphasised that radio coverage should be strengthened to reach the affected zone, informs an official release.

    Sharing the experience of India on media management during Tsunami crisis, he said, all stations of All India Radio in southern states of India and East Coast including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where continuously broadcasting information on the developing situations in the affected areas are based on live inputs by districts and State authorities from different locations.

    Radio and TV stations also broadcast information about relief measures like helplines and measures to combat epidemics. He said that, the media must be involved as a participatory agency which combines the media, government officials, government multimedia implementing agencies, NGOs, public opinion representatives and the beneficiaries.

    Apprising the member countries of transparency measures being taken by India, Chauhan said India had recently adopted a legislation in Parliament relating to the Right to Information (RTI). The RTI Act is a major stride in further increasing transparency in the country and is expected to go a long way towards making officials more responsive to people’s urges articulated through the media. This is an idea, which the other countries in SAARC region may like to emulate.

    SAARC is an association of eight countries of South Asia including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan,Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The two-day conference is being attended by the representatives of the SAARC countries except Nepal.

  • ARY Digital to Exclusively Broadcast Australia v Bangladesh ODI Series in UK & Europe

    ARY Digital to Exclusively Broadcast Australia v Bangladesh ODI Series in UK & Europe

    ARY DIGITAL will broadcast exclusively in UK and Europe territory the 3 cricket ODI’s between Australia and Bangladesh beginning tomorrow April 23, 2006 at Chittagong.

    The remaining 2 ODI’s will be played on:

    April 26, 2006 2nd ODI Dhaka

    April 28, 2006 3rd ODI Dhaka

    “We felt the importance of bringing this upcoming team’s endeavors against the reigning champs to the cricket loving population in UK and Europe”, said Mr. Salman Iqbal, President and & CEO of ARY DIGITAL Network. “As a commitment to our viewers, we continuously strive to bring them the best of international cricket,”

    ARY DIGITAL Network is by far one of the largest international broadcasters of first class cricket and the single largest broadcaster of cricket in the UK and Europe.

    Over the years ARY DIGITAL has brought to viewers in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America, Europe and UK several high profile cricket series including the coveted Indo – Pak rivalry – All Pakistan’s home matches, the Asia Cup 2004, Videocon Cup, Afro Aisa Cup, World Cup, ICC tournaments and also the recently concluded England’s tour of India.

    Currently ARY DIGITAL owns the cricket broadcasting rights of the PCB, BCCI for the Europe and UK territory, All ICC tournaments including the World Cup and the Champions Trophy for Europe territory.

  • HBO Asia’s James Marturano retires; Chua to replace

    HBO Asia’s James Marturano retires; Chua to replace

    MUMBAI: HBO Asia executive vice president and HBO South Asia managing director James Paul Marturano has retired, thus ending his two decade long tenure at the company.

    Marturano will be succeeded by HBO Asia senior vice president sales and marketing Suarina Chua, who has been with the company for the last 12 years. She joined HBO in 1994.

    Marturano will continue to work with HBO as a consultant. He played an integral role in establishing the channel in Asia. HBO is now available in 22 countries across the Asian region.

    HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink said, “Jim has been a pivotal figure in driving the company’s long term growth in the region since our operations began in 1992. There’s nobody who’s done as much for the growth and development of HBO Asia. He leaves behind a significant legacy.”

    As executive vice president of HBO Asia, Marturano headed the sales and marketing division and also looked after the company’s business development. He was also responsible for managing the operations of HBO ventures in South Asia that included India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives.

    Beginning his tenure with HBO in 1986, Marturano relocated to Singapore in October 1991 as director, international operations, and was responsible for overseeing the developmental work for the HBO Asia project. He was promoted to vice-president, sales and marketing in April 1992 and as senior vice-president, sales and marketing, for HBO Asia in January 1997, overseeing the distribution and marketing of HBO and Cinemax throughout Asia.

  • Telekom Malaysia acquires 49% stake in Spice Telecom

    Telekom Malaysia acquires 49% stake in Spice Telecom

    MUMBAI: Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) has secured a critical piece in its regional footprint, with the acquisition a 49 per cent stake in India’s Spice Communications Pvt Ltd (Spice) for a consideration of $178.85 million.

    The acquisition, made through TM’s international investment holding company TM International Sdn Bhd (TMI) involved the purchase of the stake held by Deutsche Bank AG and Ashmore Investment Management Limited consortium (DBA).

    The remaining 51 per cent remains with the existing shareholders, the Mcorp Global Ltd and its associates (Mcorp).

    A statement jointly released in Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi stated that the definitive agreements governing the transaction were executed in Kuala Lumpur today. Completion of the transaction is expected within a month, subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals. A media conference-cum-briefing explaining the transaction was also held in Kuala Lumpur jointly by senior TM and Mcorp officials.

    Spice is a privately held company incorporated in India providing cellular telecom services in the states of Punjab and Karnataka. The company commenced operations in 1997 after receiving its cellular licences from the Government of India.

    With the company’s recent decision to migrate to the Unified Acess Licensing regime, the scope of services allowable has since broadened to further include full and limited mobility fixed and wireline services, VAS, as well as broadband services.

    Through new applications, the company is also in the process of obtaining licences for 6 new circles (namely Jammu/Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh West/East), as well as National Long Distance (NLD) and International Long Distance (ILD) licences.

    According to TM chairman Tan Sri Mohd Radzi Mansor, the proposed investment is consistent with TM’s objectives of becoming a significant mobile player in the Asian markets, and to participate in the growth opportunities in the Indian cellular market. TM, which has re-strategised its international investments to focus on regional markets closer to Malaysia, has strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, with investments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore and Pakistan.

    “India is the missing piece in our regional footprint. Now with Spice as part of the TM family, it strengthens our regional presence and complements our existing presence in Sri Lanka where we are the number one, and Bangladesh where we are the number two mobile operator. We are excited about sharing our experience and learn more about the Indian market from Spice,” he said.

    “With Punjab being the most prosperous state in the country and Karnataka dubbed as the “Silicon Valley” of India, there is tremendous potential for mobile telephony in these markets. We are optimistic that Spice will contribute positively to the overall performance of TM in the near future” he added.

    TM Group CEO Dato’ Abdul Wahid Omar described organic growth as the key approach for creating shareholder value in Spice. “Apart from growth through new cellular circles expansion, we are excited about the implementation of other services under the Unified Access licensing regime. TM and its partner Mcorp will seek to grow Spice to be a market leader in the geographies it operates in, including attaining a pan-India presence,” he said.

    “Spice customers today join TM’s global mobile subscriber base of over 20 million. Apart from TM’s operational and management experience both in Malaysia and key Asian regional markets, Spice customers stand to benefit from through the creation and innovation of new products and services, sharing of technological experience and implementation, and the leveraging of group synergies such as in global procurement,” he further added.

    Mcorp Global chairman Dr B K Modi described India and Malaysia as natural allies and which have strong historic cultural ties, and share the same values and aspirations.

    “Today, both countries are at the forefront of the revolution in information, communication and entertainment (ICE) technologies and have much to offer each other. Together, they could become a powerful force to take Asian companies to an entirely new globally competitive level,” he said.

    “We are totally committed to the principles of enhancing human productivity – boosting the prosperity of the entire Asia Pacific region, and promoting global peace for the sake of all humanity. It is now time to redefine our relationship, rewrite our destiny, and reinvent the future. I am confident our strategic partnership with TM will create a new synergy and help us in maximizing growth in one of the world’s fastest growing markets,” Modi added.

    Dr Modi also described Spice as the pioneering brand of mobile telephony in India, committed to becoming the most preferred choice for energetic young minds through synchronised performance in ICE products and services. Spice, he said, has been built on the bedrock of its values: fun, innovation, vibrancy, empathetic, trustworthy and fast to respond. It has a presence in two of the high potential markets of Punjab and Karnataka.

    Lazard India were sole financial advisors to TM and TMI on this transaction.