ITV

Tag: BBC Worldwide

  • ‘BBC First’ block to launch on AXN Mystery in Japan

    ‘BBC First’ block to launch on AXN Mystery in Japan

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide and Sony Pictures Television Networks in Japan have launched BBC First on AXN Mystery, marking the global debut of the BBC First-branded programme block.

     

    AXN Mystery is Japan’s only dedicated mystery channel, bringing together premium mystery drama from around the world.

     

    The BBC First block, which will launch in Japan on 7 May at 10 pm, will provide a home for award-winning and premium crime, mystery, and thriller programmes from the UK. The block will air for two hours every Thursday. Viewers will also be able to catch-up on some of their favourite programmes on the block via AXN Mystery Plus, a free on-demand service for AXN Mystery subscribers on their TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones.

     

    AXN Mystery viewers will have access to top rated and awarding winning British dramas including Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; Doctor Who, the longest running science fiction series in the world;  as well as The Game, the stylish edgy spy thriller set in the Cold War, which will make its Asia premiere on the channel. 

     

    “AXN Mystery has had great success with British dramas, which have attracted a strong Japanese following with their high production value and unique style of storytelling, so it made perfect sense to create a destination for them on our schedule. We are confident that the carefully curated programme lineup for BBC First will bring even more audiences to the channel,” said Sony Pictures Television Networks, Japan general manager – AXN Mystery Hiroko Ozawa.

     

    “The BBC has a world-class reputation for drama. With this at its core, the BBC First programme block will offer Japan’s audiences an unrivalled opportunity to view a wealth of original and unforgettable British content. Over the months ahead, we will be offering viewers more opportunities to catch the best and latest crime, suspense and mystery dramas from the UK,” added BBC Worldwide, North East Asia VP and GM Soojin Chung.

     

    The BBC First programming block in Japan is the second launch of the genre brand worldwide. In August 2014, BBC First channel launched in Australia on Foxtel’s pay TV platform.

  • Inaugural mipcancun a hit

    Inaugural mipcancun a hit

    MUMBAI:Television acquisition executives from across Latin America and international distributors praised the inaugural MIPCancun Latam TV Buyers Summit saying its one-to-one meeting format made for efficient business.

     

    40 buyers from 14 Latin American countries came to Cancun to do business with 33 sales companies from Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico, Romania, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

     

    Distributors included industry heavyweights such as A+E Networks, FremantleMedia, BBC Worldwide, Fuji Television Networks, and Viacom International Media Networks.

     

    Reaction from the TV buyers to MIPCancun was upbeat. Construir TV’s Alejandra Marano from Argentina says “I’ve discovered 30 new distributors here in Cancun and am definitely closing acquisitions deals. What’s really great here is that everyone is more relaxed than at big events and really interested in my channel’s needs.”

     

    International distributors also expressed enthusiasm for the new event. “I am very pleased about all the new buyers we are meeting here in Cancun and the efficiency of the event’s 1-to-1 meeting formats,” notes Sheila Aguirre, SVP of Content Distribution and Format Sales at FremantleMedia International, one of the first companies to sign up for the event.

     

    “MIPCancun offers a very different style from other major events for the TV industry – more intimate, more private, with lots of occasions for encounters with buyers outside my busy pre-scheduled appointments. Also, I’m meeting people here who don’t attend any other market,” reports Iowanka Sanchez Sprehe, Sales Manager of Global Screen GmbH from Germany.

     

    MIPCancun’s opening conference revealed stats from Eurodata showing the progressive growth of pay-TV in Latin America and the continued popularity of fiction as the region’s dominant genre.

     

    “We’re delighted with the extremely positive reaction of buyers and distributors alike to the events’ 1-to-1 format and consider MIPCancun a resounding success in terms of the high level of satisfaction expressed by its inaugural participants,” says Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s TV Division. “MIPCancun confirms the growing importance of the Latin American market and the enthusiasm among international distribution companies to spend quality business time with channel buyers from across the region.”

  • BBC Worldwide’s Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan breaks through for MTV!

    BBC Worldwide’s Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan breaks through for MTV!

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide’s “Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan”(KY2), airing on MTV has caused a stir this week by winning in its slot and ranking highest within the youth genre with a TVT of 180, on some days overtaking other current leading youth fiction TV shows.

     

    In spite of being on air for less than three months,  KY2 has rapidly climbed the ratings chart and is also wowing online viewers. The episodes uploaded on Youtube have more than 80k views, with some of them crossing 1 lakh views and counting. The comments & likes posted by fans has resulted in a lot of chatter on the show’s social media and networking sites-Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogs etc.

     

    The characters  portrayed by the star cast on KY2 resonate soundly with Indian youth today – they are contemporary and instantly relatable.  Parth Samthaan & Niti Taylor in particular, who are portraying the characters of Manik & Nandini, are being addressed as ‘Manan'( Manik-Nandini) on social media forums. They are amongst the youngest actors to have reached the top 50 television celebrities on the India Forum website.

     

    Myleeta Aga, SVP & General Manager India and Content Head Asia said,  “Following the success of  “Yeh Hai Aashiqui” on Bindass,  we are delighted with the response KY2 has received. Over the years we have produced impactful and entertaining youth-centric shows, while maintaining a balance between local influence and the high quality international production qualities that BBC Worldwide brings to the table.

  • Keshet International hires Lucy Roberts as sales manager, CEE

    Keshet International hires Lucy Roberts as sales manager, CEE

    MUMBAI: Keshet International has appointed former BBC Worldwide sales executive Lucy Roberts, to the newly created role of sales manager central and eastern Europe. Roberts will report into sales director CEE & CIS (as well as Africa & Middle East, India, Ireland/UK, Canada and pan-regional broadcasters)  Cynthia Kennedy, to grow KI’s business in the region where she will be responsible for both format and finished tape sales.

     

    Roberts has more than eight years experience in TV distribution having represented the BBC’s diverse formats slate across CEE, Africa, Benelux and Italy and most recently, the entire finished programme catalogue to Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics. During her tenure Roberts sold the entertainment franchise Dancing With the Stars into four new territories including a Nigeria/Ghana co-pro. She also closed deals for several high-end finished dramas such as The Musketeers, Da Vinci’s Demons and Atlantis to an array of broadcasters including Ren TV and TV3 in Russia and 1+1 and Inter in Ukraine. Prior to her the role at the BBC, Lucy was at ITV Global Entertainment from 2006 – 2008.

     

    Keshet International General manager distribution Keren Shahar said, “We are delighted to welcome Lucy to the team, it represents a reunion for her and Cynthia – together, I’m sure they will be a force to be reckoned with! Roberts’ experience in finished programming sales will be particularly valuable to us as we grow this area of our portfolio.”

     

    Roberts added, “Keshet is renowned for being one of the most dynamic, innovative format creators in the world right now and I am really excited to be joining the team at a time when the company is growing and the catalogue is going from strength to strength.”

  • BBC Worldwide appoints John Williams and Katy Xu for ad sales in Asia

    BBC Worldwide appoints John Williams and Katy Xu for ad sales in Asia

    MUMBAI: BBC Advertising is boosting its ad sales team in Asia to tap into the growing opportunities in the region. Recent studies have predicted strong growth in advertising revenues in Asia Pacific.

     

    Two new roles have been created within the Asia leadership team to get closer to customers and identify new cross-platform opportunities. John Williams has been appointed ASEAN and India vice president, based in Singapore while Katy Xu will be Greater China and North Asia vice president, located in Hong Kong. They both have commenced their new roles from 1 September 2014 and report to BBC Worldwide advertising sales EVP Sunita Rajan.

     

    Williams was earlier located in New York where he was BBC Worldwide North America international advertising VP. Xu takes up an expanded role while currently being Hong Kong and Greater China regional director.

     

    Speaking on their appointment, Rajan said, “With their knowledge and valuable experience in operating across both mature and emerging markets, John and Katy will lead our region to further growth. I am looking forward to working with them to drive the strategic direction and new business across Asia Pacific.”

     

    Williams said, “I am excited about this opportunity to work in one of the most exciting regions in the world with a new team eager for continued success, representing a suite of BBC products that are both in demand by audiences and advertisers alike.”

     

    Katy Xu commented, “BBC is already a successful brand in countries across Asia and I am looking forward to building partnerships in new and existing markets to take our ad sales business to the next level.”

     

    BBC Advertising plans to focus on its key priority markets such as India, China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.

  • BBC World Service chief Peter Horrocks to step down

    BBC World Service chief Peter Horrocks to step down

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service Group director Peter Horrocks is leaving the corporation in the New Year after 33 years with the UK broadcaster.

     

    Horrocks has been director of the World Service since 2009, taking responsibility for BBC World News TV and multimedia services in 28 languages. Under his leadership weekly audiences for the BBC’s global news services – BBC World Service, BBC World News and BBC.com – have reached a record of 265 million.

     

    He  has led the World Service through some of its most challenging times, responding to funding cuts by modernising the World Service for the digital age. He also oversaw moves to make the World Service the BBC’s first licence fee funded operation to take advertising and sponsorship, a change that proved contentious.

     

    Announcing his resignation from BBC, Horrocks said, “It has been a privilege to be director of the BBC World Service, which is loved and trusted by hundreds of millions of people around the world. I am hugely proud of the dedication, the creativity and the reinvention shown by my team. The World Service now has its largest ever audience, an expanding number of languages, is modernised and transformed for a digital age.”

     

    “Having overseen this recovery and taken the World Service into the new era of licence fee funding, it is time for me to move on to my next challenge. I will miss BBC but am confident that the BBC’s global news services are in strong shape for the future,” he added.

     

    BBC World News has undergone a creative renewal that is being appreciated by audiences around the world and bbc.com/news now regularly achieves one billion page views a month. BBC News is the most retweeted news source in the world.

     

    Talking about Horrocks, BBC director general Tony Hall said, “Peter’s remarkable career at the BBC has spanned more than three decades. Starting as a news trainee, he established himself as the youthful editor of public eye before going on to lead teams that produced some of the BBC’s most important news programmes.”

     

    “Those who have worked with him know of his energy, drive, his passion for journalism and his innovation but they have also come to appreciate his editorial integrity and his deeply rooted sense of BBC values. He leaves us as one of our most respected leaders. He is a force of nature and we will miss him,” he added.

     

    Agreeing with the director general, director of BBC News and Current Affairs James Harding said,” “Peter Horrocks has been a defining figure in the modern history of the BBC World Service and global news. His sharp intellect, open-mindedness and good judgment have shaped BBC News and Current Affairs for three decades. He has recruited and inspired hundreds of people here in the UK and around the world. And, like few others, he has set his stamp on both the programmes and the personality of the BBC.”

  • BBC Advertising gets two new sales heads

    BBC Advertising gets two new sales heads

    MUMBAI: UK’s pubcaster BBC has done some reshuffling for better revenue generation from one of its upcoming key markets-India. One such is the appointment of two new sales heads- Abhijeet Dhar and Siddharth Bhatnagar for BBC Advertising.

     

    Dhar was earlier BBC Advertising regional manager- News for north and east India while Bhatnagar was heading the same for west and south India. Both of them will handle sales for the network’s news platforms including television, online, mobile, apps, video on demand and Lonely Planet along with a team of seven others.

     

    In his new role, Dhar will handle sales for travel, IT, telecom, government, PSUs and corporate while Bhatnagar will look after auto and BFSI (Banking, financial services and insurance). They will report to BBC Worldwide sales director (news) for south Asia Taranjeet Singh who was elevated to the position in 2012 but was handling the sales for India as well.

     

    BBC is increasing its focus on India, which BBC World News CEO Jim Egan had highlighted in his visit late last year. It is also looking at a big thrust in the digital space in the country. In an earlier interview to indiantelevision.com Egan had said, “One thing particularly exciting about India is that in the other markets digital penetration is nearing saturation point but in India there is a lot of room for growth in the mobile sector and it is one of the biggest growth markets for mobile.”

     

    The sales revenue push will be for digital medium with a broad based clientele list including education and real estate. The broadcaster claims to have nearly two million visitors a month from India for its website out of which most of it is unique and exclusive.

     

    Dhar has been with BBC for six years. Prior to this, he was with Viacom 18 as senior business manager for Viacom Brand Solutions, Radio City and the Times of India. Bhatnagar started his career at BBC in 2010 before which he was with SET India as sales manager, UTV World Movies as regional head for north and west, Radio Mirchi and Am sales and marketing.

  • BBC Worldwide delivers strong performance despite currency challenges

    BBC Worldwide delivers strong performance despite currency challenges

    MUMBAI: BBC  Worldwide  has  published  its  2013/14  Annual  Review,  revealing  a  year  of  solid  underlying  growth, and increased returns to the BBC.

     

    Headline  profit  increased  0.7%  to  ?157.4m  (2012/13:  ?156.3m),  and  was  up  11.6%  at  constant currency*.  Headline  profit  margin  increased  from  14%  to  15.1%,  a  record  for  the  company.  This  was achieved on headline sales of ?1,042.3m (2012/13: 1,115.8m), down 6.6%, or 5.2% at constant currency, principally  reflecting portfolio changes:  the  sale of Lonely Planet and a new  revenue  share agreement for  BBC.com.  Adjusting  for  these,  trading  revenue  was  broadly  flat,  with  growth  from  non-English language  markets,  sales  to  digital  platforms  and  advertising  helping  to  offset  pressure  on  US  and  UK affiliate fees and declining DVD markets.

     

    These  results  were  delivered  despite  the  strengthening  of  sterling  in  the  year. Movements  in  foreign exchange rates had a ?17.1m negative impact on the headline profit. 

     

    BBC Worldwide CEO Tim Davie said:  “BBC Worldwide performed well, reflecting the quality of our content and enabling reinvestment into the UK television industry. Headline profit at constant currency, shareholder returns and returns to the indie sector all grew by double digits. This was achieved at the same time as a major re-shaping of the company along regional lines.

     

    “We will continue to execute on our strategy – more premium content, dynamic global brands and digital innovation – in the course of the new financial year. While our results for 2014/15 will reflect the choices and investments we are making to do this – including BBC Store and the introduction of new brands – we nonetheless expect to deliver further returns to our shareholder over the course of the year.”

     

    Please click here to read the full report

  • BBC Worldwide appoints Akhauri Sinha as the COO of Content and Production

    BBC Worldwide appoints Akhauri Sinha as the COO of Content and Production

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide India has appointed Akhauri Sinha as the COO of Content and Production. Based in Mumbai, Akhauri will report to Myleeta Aga, SVP and General Manager India and Content Head for Asia, and will oversee BBC Worldwide’s production business in the country.

     

    Akhauri will head the production of BBC Worldwide formats and local originally developed concepts in both fiction and non-fiction genres, for the Indian market. He is also tasked to formulate and implement local development strategies to maximise commissioning opportunities within the territory.

     

    Akhauri joins BBC Worldwide from Moving Picture Company (MPC) in Bangalore where he headed the India studio for the global visual effects giant. Prior to that, Akhauri worked with Nimbus and UTV, managing the film entertainment division and business development, respectively.

     

    “I am very pleased to have Akhauri join the BBC Worldwide family,” said Myleeta Aga. “Akhauri has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the media industry and has managed major production and other media businesses. With him working closely with our team on the ground, I am confident that BBC Worldwide in India will continue to produce quality formats and local productions that will appeal to our growing audience.”

     

    Last month, BBC Worldwide India was recognised at the 2013 Asian Television Awards when Disney Q Family Mastermind (India) was awarded with the Best Game/Quiz Programme. The format was adapted from the classic BBC format, Mastermind, which was revised to include families as participants. It airs on Disney Channel India.

     

    The sixth and latest season of the Hindi version of Dancing with the Stars, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, which aired on Colors, achieved its best audience figures to date – the grand finale, on 14th September 2013, pushed the show to the top of weekend programming nearly doubling the ratings from 2012.  There is also a regional Bengali version of the show.

     

    Source: BBC Worldwide India

  • ZIRCA Digital Solutions gets a new national sales head in Anand Thakur

    ZIRCA Digital Solutions gets a new national sales head in Anand Thakur

    MUMBAI: Anand Thakur, a senior industry professional, has been roped in for Aidem’s recently launched Digital Brand Solutions arm, ZIRCA Digital Solutions. Unlike most networks in the industry, ZIRCA aims at leveraging on video, mobile and web to grab the audience’s attention with endless engagement capabilities using the platform of content. ZIRCA has built its business around the philosophy, “Its all about Content!”

     

    The company is working on bringing the desired content to the relevant user using the various platforms available today.

     

    Thakur, who comes with more than eight years’ experience in the Digital Media space, will be heading the sales function for ZIRCA Digital Solutions and will look into data and technology partnerships and sales strategy as well.

     

    Before joining ZIRCA, Anand was account manager for BBC Worldwide. At BBC, he was involved in analysing data trends and client performance, developing strong strategic sales plans and conducting strategic pitches. Prior to BBC Worldwide, Anand was a part of pilot team of Star Interactive to strengthen the digital presence of Star India, developing best practices and benchmarking initiatives for video ads.

     

    Anand said, “On the back of rising internet penetration and content consumption, the online advertising market has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments in the Indian Media. More and more brands are migrating from traditional media to online and mobile platforms while those who are already present on digital are seeking ways to exploit to medium to the utmost. I am very happy to join ZIRCA Digital Solutions at its launch stage and will aim at creating powerful cross-platform solutions around content & research. With its distinct product differentiation, ZIRCA will add value to brands through engagement. Besides, Aidem, with its extensive experience and track record with digital brands like Microsoft Advertising, The Economist Online, GETIT & Eros Now makes for an incredible platform for ZIRCA. Hopefully, it will throw up a new set of challenges for me. I am eagerly looking forward to this new role.”

     

    ZIRCA Digital Solutions senior vice president Neena Dasgupta said, “We are extremely excited to have Anand on board, as a part of our leadership team to spearhead the sales function. He comes with a rich experience in the digital medium and we are confident that his addition will strengthen our leadership team.”