ITV

Tag: BBC iPlayer

  • Colors’ 24 and Tata Motors to ride together

    Colors’ 24 and Tata Motors to ride together

    MUMBAI: It has been touted as one of the biggest fiction shows to hit Indian television in a long time. Based on the hit Fox series which ran for eight seasons in the US, Colors‘ long-in-gestation 24 series has already created a buzz because of the fact that Anil Kapoor is associated with it as producer under the banner of Anil Kapoor Film Company. Additionally many key names from Bollywood are working on it: right from acclaimed Delhi Belly director Abhinay Deo who is helming it to Rensil D‘Silva and Bhavani Iyer who have been scripting it.

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak saw a lot of promise in the Indian adaptation of 24 when Kapoor approached him and it took barely 20 minutes to decide to put it on his channel. Some of Raj‘s faith in it is bearing fruit. Colors today announced that it has managed to rope in Tata Motors Vehicles as the presenting sponsor.

    Ranjit Yadav believes it to be a good opportunity for the company

    Speaking on the association Tata Motors Vehicles Business unit president Ranjit Yadav says, “This association with 24 offers us an exciting platform to demonstrate the true capability of our dynamic cars, which delivers performance and comes with technology rich features.”

    Brand integration will be visible throughout the series as Anil Kapoor and Tata Motors cars and UVs will be racing in action. Nayak points out: “It takes brand partnerships to another level beyond the conventional 30-second commercial.” Previously, the channel had also experimented with its brands on Bigg Boss where a lot of its sponsors were seen during the show.
     

    The show will be a hit, according to Raj Nayak

    Anil Kapoor who plays the role of Jai Singh Rathod, the Indian version of Jack Bauer explains: “In the show, I will be driving Tata Motors‘ dynamic and exciting vehicles in my adventurous quests across terrains to tackle various security threats.”

    This will be Anil Kapoor‘s first stint on the Indian small screen (he acted in the English version of the series in the US) and will have the pace of a real time narrative. The set which has been developed to look almost like the American version is in Andheri (Mumbai) at Kapoor‘s own studio named Stage 1. Under pre-production and production for more than a year, it was to see the light of day on 1 April. However, Nayak says that everyone had to take care during the adaptation process because of sensitive issues such as religion, terrorism and politics; hence it has taken time.

    “It will be a game changer and I genuinely believe it,” says an optimistic Nayak.

  • How Colors is adding ‘colours’ to its content

    We produce over 7500 hours of original content per year only amongst the top six GECs, which by itself is a tall order, and yet we produce great shows that goes on for over five years on almost a daily basis. Internationally also shows go on for years but they are in seasons and they take a break and most of them are not daily. So to that extent, in a way we can say we create great content, especially given the budgets we operate in.

    I believe that the 12 minute regulation on advertising inventory will act as the much needed catalyst for the advertising yields to go up, so I am very optimistic about the future
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    At this moment, the budgets we work with is very very low for fiction shows as compared to worldwide benchmarks, and it shows in the quality of the product that goes on air. It is an chicken and egg situation, you can‘t produce high quality shows if you don‘t invest…You can‘t invest if you do not generate sufficient revenue. Right now we have too much dependency on advertising revenue, where the yield has been stagnant for years and a fair share either in increased subscription revenues or a decrease in carriage fees hasn‘t really happened yet. But with digitisation progressing and the remaining phases to be implemented soon, I believe that over the next two-three year horizon this correction is bound to take place. What it means is broadcasters will then have more money in their kitty to reinvest on quality programming, thus enriching the viewing experience multifold for the consumer. I also believe that the 12 minute regulation on advertising inventory will act as the much needed catalyst for the advertising yields to go up, so I am very optimistic about the future.

    Yes we have some challenges facing the industry. There is a dearth of good script writers, most of the stories that come to us are unfortunately cut and paste jobs, either from movies or from across different shows. Original thinking is surprisingly missing. Then if you look at the comic genre, there are hardly any good comedy writers, in fact you can count them on your fingers. So either there is a genuine dearth or we haven‘t been able to scout & nurture talent as an industry. We like to work with the same people who are so overloaded with work and are unable to devote 100 per cent to one story (There ofcourse are exceptions to the rule). Production houses have become executors, the channel EP‘s take credit when a show does well but blames the production house, script writer, everyone else when the show flops. We need to move to a system where the production house takes cent per cent accountability to deliver a show and its ratings. A system where they are both incentivised and penalised for performance. The channel EP‘s must strictly supervise that all deliverables are met & quality check. The producer of the show must have a skin in the game so that they are fully involved.

    Right now we have too much dependency on advertising revenue, where the yield has been stagnant for years and a fair share either in increased subscription revenues or a decrease in carriage fees hasn‘t really happened yet
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    Talent is another challenge, inspite of being a country of 1.3 billion people, talent is still an issue. Again, part of the problems lies with us broadcasters, we don‘t want to experiment with new people. We want the same hosts, same judges, and are not willing to look beyond. Its a musical chair. Everyone wants to play safe. We prefer to stay in our comfort zone and we need to change this mindset.

    Last year we had a list of names floating to anchor our show Jhalak Dikhhlaa Jaa. Also for the judges. My non fiction programming head and I were insistent that we needed a face that was new…Thus we got Manish Paul & see what a success he has been! We got Karan Johar again from outside the regular judges list and he has turned out to be the best judge on any TV show! His contribution to the show, like Madhuri & Remo has been enormous.

    Television is a very potent medium. The beauty of TV is, you take anybody and put them on television a couple of times and they will become a celebrity. TV fiction stars are more popular than film stars even though they may not get the same adulation as a film star. But the truth is they invade millions of drawing rooms and bedrooms day in and day out 365 days of the year in the remotest parts of the country. I have had legends in the field of art and culture or even very eminent people from different walks of life wanting to meet some of the characters from their favourite shows. I have seen film actors‘ parents wanting a picture with their favourite TV star…The problem with TV stars is their life span is comparatively short and their fortunes are linked to the performance of, at most times, just one show. Once the show is successful some of them forget what got them there in the first place and there is no one to counsel them or professionally manage them. So that is another area, that we need to work on and develop as an industry.

    We as a channel have taken the first step in upping the ante by announcing a high production fiction show 24 with Anil Kapoor. Sony has followed by announcing a fiction show with Amitabh Bachchan. We are happy that we have set another new trend.

  • BBC iPlayer claims strong viewership for 2012

    BBC iPlayer claims strong viewership for 2012

    MUMBAI: BBC has announced that its on-demand service BBC iPlayer saw 2.32 billion TV and radio programme requests and 36.5 billion minutes of BBC programmes enjoyed across all platforms in iPlayer last year.

    Audiences spent 34 per cent more time watching TV in iPlayer than ever before. Danny Boyle’s Olympic Opening Ceremony topped iPlayer viewing in 2012 with 3.3 million requests, followed by Top Gear with 2.8 million and Sherlock with 2.5 million requests.

    The biggest trend in 2012 was the huge growth in iPlayer requests from mobiles and tablets. By the end of last year, the BBC saw:

    • a 177 per cent increase year on year of requests from mobiles and tablets – making up over a quarter of total iPlayer requests
    • nearly 14 million downloads of the iPlayer mobile app, with 300,000 downloads on Christmas Day to devices such as the Nexus 7, iPad and Kindle Fire HD
    • 10.8 million BBC TV programmes downloaded to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, following the launch of mobile downloads in September 2012. Downloaded programmes already make up 6% of TV viewing on mobiles and tablets

    Other 2012 trends showed that for the first time in iPlayer’s history, requests from PCs comprised less than half of all total iPlayer requests (47 per cent) in December 2012 alone. Live Restart – a new feature allowing viewers to rewind and restart live TV without waiting for the programme to end – was used by up to 30 per cent of those watching live TV online.

    Mobile downloads made the daily commute less tiresome, with the majority of viewers downloading programmes at 10 pm and watching them on the way to and from work at 7.30 am and 5.30 pm. Finally, the launch of iPlayer on Xbox and Sky now means more UK households than ever can enjoy watching BBC iPlayer on their living room TV.

    Top iPlayer programmes in 2012 included ‘Top Gear’, which made up eight of the top 20 programmes. The London 2012 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, ’Sherlock’, ‘The Apprentice’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘The Voice UK’ and BBC One’s new comedy ‘Citizen Khan’ all made up the rest of the iPlayer top 20. The top three radio programmes on iPlayer in 2012 were Jay-Z live at Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend, Wallace and Gromit at the Proms and Rihanna live at Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend.

    December continued to be the most popular month for iPlayer, with a record 217 million requests for TV and radio programmes – a 23 per cent increase over 2011. Festive TV specials such as ‘Doctor Who – The Snowmen’, ‘EastEnders’ and ‘Miranda’ were the most popular programmes throughout the month. Other top performing programmes were ‘Outnumbered’, ‘Call The Midwife’ and ‘Merlin’.

    2013 has already had a strong start, with 6,732 million requests for TV programmes on January 1 alone, the most requests ever seen in 24 hours.

    BBC programmes on-demand general manager Daniel Danker said: “2012 was a ground-breaking year for BBC iPlayer with a record 2.32 billion requests for programmes across over 650 platforms. Last year, the use of iPlayer shifted from PCs and early adopter devices like game consoles to screens used by all audiences. Mobile, tablet, and connected TV skyrocketed, with a particular emphasis on audiences taking iPlayer on the go. This year, we’re looking forward to turning iPlayer into an entertainment destination, with a relentless focus on making iPlayer as easy and enjoyable as television.”

  • Over one million downloads for BBC iPlayer Radio app

    Over one million downloads for BBC iPlayer Radio app

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has announced its iPlayer Radio app,launched in October this year, has been downloaded more than a million times. The most popular activity to date in the app has been listening live to The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw.

    BBC iPlayer Radio, the new dedicated home for BBC radio, has seen record-breaking audiences since launch, with around six million UK unique weekly browsers, an increase of 30 per cent compared to October 2011 and nearly a third of traffic from mobiles and tablets. Audiences can now wake up to their favourite BBC station and listen on the move, discover the full breadth of BBC content across PC, mobile and tablet, and catch-up on programmes, clips and videos when they want.
    On the BBC iPlayer Radio app:

    • The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw tops live listening in the morning, with Radio 2‘s Chris Evans Breakfast Show and Radio 4‘s Today in joint second place
    • The most popular on-demand programme to date is Radio 4‘s ‘I‘m Sorry I Haven‘t A Clue‘, with comedy the top search category
    • On-demand listening increases in the evening, with dance music shows by Radio 1‘s Annie Mac and Pete Tong performing strongly
    • After 10 pm, Radio 4 overtakes Radio 1 for live listening, with programmes like Book at Bedtime proving popular

    Since launch, the BBC has released a number of updates to BBC iPlayer Radio including the optimisation of the app for iPhone 5 devices, together with improved programme search and the ability to favourite a specific series on the website.

    BBC Future Media head of radio and music and audience facing services Andrew Scott said, "With over one million downloads of the app and record-breaking audiences to BBC iPlayer Radio, we are thrilled that more and more listeners can take BBC Radio with them whenever and wherever they want. We‘re looking forward to bringing even more exciting features over the coming months, and to launching the app on other mobile platforms in 2013.".

  • BBC iPlayer signs new content deals with Aardman Animations, DHX Media

    BBC iPlayer signs new content deals with Aardman Animations, DHX Media

    MUMBAI: The Global BBC iPlayer, BBC Worldwide‘s commercial pilot VOD service, has signed deals with Aardman Animations and DHX Media which will see it add to its slate of programmes for preschoolers and older kids.

    The new programme acquisitions will join the recently launched CBeebies and Family categories, which encourage family viewing by bringing users the best British entertainment across a range of genres.

    From Aardman Animations come ‘Wallace & Gromit‘ in four half-hour films – ‘A Grand Day Out‘, ‘The Wrong Trousers‘ , ‘A Close Shave‘ and ‘A Matter Of Loaf And Death‘. The pair also appear in Cracking Contraptions, a series of 10 short films featuring some of their more outrageous inventions, like the ‘Soccamatic‘, which is supposed to help Gromit‘s goalkeeping skills, and the ‘Snoozatron‘, designed to help Wallace fall asleep.

    Additional titles from Aardman Animations include the first series of ‘Creature Comforts‘, animated series ‘The Morph Files‘ and ‘Timmy Time‘.

    ‘The Wallace and Gromit‘ titles, Creature Comforts and The Morph Files will sit in the Family section of the Global BBC iPlayer targeting older kids, while Timmy Time will entertain preschoolers in the CBeebies category. All the titles from Aardman Animations will be available from December.

    From DHX Media come more staples of the CBeebies channels around the world: ‘Rastamouse‘, the mystery-solving and music-loving character, breezes onto the Global BBC iPlayer with his Easy Crew, while dirtgirlworld introduces the app‘s youngest users to nature and all the fun it holds. Also joining the line-up is ‘Grandpa In My Pocket‘, which explores the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. All three titles are available now in the CBeebies category.

    The new Family and CBeebies genre categories were first unveiled at the Children‘s Media Conference in July by Global BBC iPlayer head of programming, scheduling Derren Lawford. CBeebies gives parents a one-stop shop destination for all programmes for preschoolers, while Family gives older children a range of shows including CBBC favourites like Newsround and Deadly 60.

    Lawford said, "I‘m glad that we can keep adding the best examples of high-quality kids‘ programmes for children around the world. The CBeebies and Family categories of the Global BBC iPlayer have been a fantastic addition to the service, making it easier for parents to find shows that will appeal to their little ones, and for older children to have their own bank of entertaining programmes."

  • BBC Parliament celebrates tenth anniversary

    BBC Parliament celebrates tenth anniversary

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that its channel BBC Parliament is ten years old, marking the anniversary on 6 October when Westminster returns from the summer recess.

    The BBC says that the channel is watched by more than a million viewers every month and is available on all digital TV platforms.

    BBC Parliament was the first BBC channel to be made available live on the web and many of its programmes are now available on BBC iPlayer.

    While Westminster has been on recess, the channel has shown large parts of the two US Conventions, live proceedings from five weeks of sittings of the Scottish Parliament, and the whole of the TUC, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative conferences live.

    The channel is marking the anniversary with two evenings of landmark debates from the last ten years:

    On 4 October 2008, BBC Parliament celebrates its 10th anniversary with a lookback over the highlights from the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Assembly.

  • Erik Huggers is BBC Future Media and Technology director

    Erik Huggers is BBC Future Media and Technology director

    MUMBAI: Erik Huggers has been appointed director of BBC Future Media & Technology.

    Erik, who is currently Group Controller of the division, takes over from Ashley Highfield, who has left the BBC to become CEO of Kangaroo, the working title for a proposed new video on-demand service owned by three broadcasters.

    In his new role, effective from 1 August 2008, Erik joins the BBC Executive Board.

    He will be responsible for the BBC’s output on the internet, interactive TV, mobile, broadband (including the BBC iPlayer) and other emerging platforms.

    He will also be responsible for the BBC’s enterprise and broadcast technology strategy and delivery.

    BBC DG Mark Thompson said, “Erik has been a very strong group controller, FM&T for the last year. He has shown tremendous commitment championing the iPlayer amongst many other projects. I look forward to him bringing his drive and determination to this new role, helping ensure the BBC is fit for the digital future.”

    Huggers said, “It is a tremendous privilege to be asked to lead such a talented and dynamic team in Future Media and Technology. Since I joined the Corporation, I have been struck by the energy and skill that BBC staff are devoting to make sure the Corporation meets the challenges of the on-demand world.

    “I now look forward to, along with my team, collaborating with colleagues across the BBC to ensure we respond to audience demands in providing exciting and innovative new ways of delivering the BBC’s content across a range of media.”

    Huggers joined the BBC last year from Microsoft Corporation, where he worked across a wide variety of industry changing digital media initiatives.

  • BBC secures exclusive MotoGP coverage till 2013

    BBC secures exclusive MotoGP coverage till 2013

    MUMBAI: BBC has announced that BBC Sport and Dorna Sports, commercial and TV rights holders of the MotoGP World Championship, have signed an extension to the existing agreement for coverage of MotoGP from 2009 to 2013. BBC Sport will now have exclusive UK rights to broadcast the world’s premier motorcycle championship for the next five years.

    The deal includes the rights to show all the races – 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP, plus qualifying sessions. All MotoGP races will be shown live on BBC Television with the 125 and 250 races and qualifying sessions shown live on interactive TV via the red button and online.

    As well as the expanded coverage on interactive TV (which 86% of individuals in the UK have), the MotoGP races will also be available as a catch-up service on BBC iPlayer.

    The new agreement represents increased commitment and coverage of MotoGP for BBC, and makes the broadcaster the UK leader in motor sport with the world’s premier bike and car events in MotoGP and Formula One.

    BBC Sport’s director of sport rights Dominic Coles said, “We are delighted to have secured, for the first time, fully exclusive rights to the world’s premier and most watched motorbike competition. Alongside our recent acquisition of Formula One, BBC Sport has become the home of motorsport in the UK; a one-stop shop for fans of the very best two-wheel and four-wheel, adrenalin-fuelled sport action across TV, radio and online services.

    “With James Toseland making a very promising start to his MotoGP career, Bradley Smith shining in the 125s, and Scott Redding making history in that series recently at Donington Park, the future for British riders in MotoGP looks good, and the BBC will be there all the way to tell their stories.”

    Dorna MD Manel Arroyo said, “Dorna is delighted to extend its collaboration with the BBC, and thanks to their prestige and their dedication to MotoGP, we are sure that the championship will continue to grow in the UK. We are also happy that fans will not miss out and can continue to enjoy all races and qualifying sessions in the future.”

  • BBC iPlayer gets a cautious go-ahead from Ofcom

    BBC iPlayer gets a cautious go-ahead from Ofcom

    MUMBAI: BBC Trust has given the green signal to BBC management to provide broadband audio and video services-iPlayer. They have, however, incorporated changes made by the BBC Trust on the recommendations made by the communications regulator Ofcom following a market impact assessment.

    The proposed BBC iPlayer would provide a seven-day catch-up service featuring a large proportion of programming available for download over broadband. It will also include simulcasting services over the internet and making selected radio programmes available as downloads without digital rights management restrictions.

    The BBC iPlayer had a public value test, following a three-month period of industry consultation. Some of the recommendations by Ofcom included reducting the storage duration of downloaded programmes for up to 7 days from the original 13 weeks that BBC had asked for.

    Ofcom observes that the demand for services delivered over broadband is developing rapidly. It suggests that over the next five years linear television viewing may fall by 20-30%, to be replaced largely by the increased use of on-demand services. A similar pattern is anticipated for audio programming.

    However, it adds that it would not be in the wider public interest for the BBC’s involvement to restrict competition, innovation or choice. It notes that “unchecked, the BBC’s power in nascent markets could harm the stimulus of competition necessary to ensure quality content for the long-term”.

    The BBC Trust said in a statement that the Ofcom market impact analysis forms only part of its public value test process, adding that “in reaching our eventual decision, we must also consider the potential public value created by the on-demand proposals”.

  • ’24’ sets the clock for season six

    ’24’ sets the clock for season six

    MUMBAI: The action packed show 24 sets the clock for Day Six with a four-hour, two-night television premiere. The sixth season of the show kicks off on 14 and 15 January 2007 on US broadcaster Fox.

    In India the show airs on AXN.

    Fox will make a special, extended Day Six trailer available for global viewing on the web. The online countdown to the trailer’s debut begins today at www.24trailer.com. Fans around the globe can take their first look at Season Six by visiting the website on 24 Octpber 2006. The first promo for the new season is also scheduled to air during game three of the baseball World Series that night on Fox.

    Season Five concluded with a battered and bloodied counter terrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) captured by Chinese government agents and headed for points unknown. Season Six picks up 20 months later. After a series of horrific terrorist attacks, an unthinkable, nail-biting day begins.

    The sixth season will feature Wayne Palmer (DB Woodside), the strong-minded brother of the late American President David Palmer; Sandra Palmer (Regina King), a determined and powerful advocacy lawyer; presidential advisors Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson) and Thomas Lennox (Peter MacNicol). Also on the show is James Cromwell who plays Phillip Bauer the estranged father of Jack Bauer.