ITV

Tag: cable networks

  • Zee Sports off-air in Mumbai’s major cable networks, signs truce with SCV

    Zee Sports off-air in Mumbai’s major cable networks, signs truce with SCV

    MUMBAI: Cricket fans in many pockets of Maharashtra and Tamil Naidu will not be able to watch India play West Indies in the DLF Tri-Series on Thursday. Zee Sports is yet to restore signals to the cable operators who have not signed agreements with the sports channel.

    Zee Sports, however, is back on SCV, the dominant multi-system operator (MSO) in Tamil Naidu. Though the MSO had approached TDSAT, the matter got sorted out after today’s hearing. Zee Sports and SCV reached a commercial agreement today.

    Says Zee Sports VP marketing Gaurav Seth, “We have closed the deal with SCV. We had switched off signals to many cable networks in Tamil Naidu and Maharashtra with whom we had no commercial agreements. We are in negotiations with them and hope to arrive at a settlement soon.”

    In Mumbai, the channel has been off-air on two major networks Hathway Cable & Datacom and Incablenet. Even in Pune, a major chunk of viewers will be deprived of watching the live telecast of the India-West Indies match as the sports channel is not available on Intermedia Cable Communication, a leading MSO in the city.

    Meanwhile, the Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, which heard the injunction filed separately by two individuals, today directed Zee Sports to restore the signals till further hearings on 21 September.

    “The court order will be respected and the signals will be restored (or may have been restored as it does not take too long). But we will challenge this order in a higher court,” says Seth.

    Zee Sports has priced the channel at Rs 10 per subscriber.

  • Star channels back on cable networks in Kolkata

    Star channels back on cable networks in Kolkata

    MUMBAI: The Star group of channels are back on the cable networks in Kolkata. After Manthan Cable Network, it was the turn of Indian Cable Net (which was bought out by Siticable) to reach an agreement today with Star.

    “Our channels are being carried by Indian Cable Net from today. They have agreed to carry our second bouquet which includes Star One. We have also resolved issues with Mathan and they have cleared our outstandings,” says a Star spokesperson.

    The Star channels were blacked out last month by several cable networks in Kolkata who were protesting against a seven per cent rate hike. Another issue in contention was the imposition of Star’s second bouquet. Cablecom and Purvalaya Communications, however, were carrying the Star channels.

    Star had switched off signals on 15 March to Manthan after claiming outstandings of over Rs 20 million. Following this the last mile operators blacked out carriage of the Star channels, led by the Forum of Cable Operators and Cable Operators Sanjukta, two association bodies of the last mile operators in the city.

  • Entertainment networks off air as Bangalore mourns Rajkumar’s death

    Entertainment networks off air as Bangalore mourns Rajkumar’s death

    BANGALORE / MUMBAI: India’s I-T hub of Bangalore shut down today as increasingly violent mourners gathered from around the state for Karnataka cinema’s legendary icon Rajkumar’s funeral.

    As a mark of respect (and also fearing possible attacks) cable networks in the city switched off all their entertainment channels. Only news channels were beaming ahead of Rajkumar’s cremation this evening, which will be conducted with full state honours.

    “The Kannada Sanga has requested us to switch off all entertainment channels in Bangalore today, as a mark of respect to Dr Rajkumar,” said the head of an MSO, while speaking to indiantelevision.com.

    Only the news channels are being telecast. Local Kannada channels Udaya and ETV are running on the cable networks as they have taken serials off air and are only showing programmes related to Dr Rajkumar. The entire Star, Zee and Sony-Discovery’s One Alliance channels are off.

    “Cable operators in Bangalore decided to switch off all entertainment channels from midnight. We expect to put the channels on from tomorrow once Rajkumar’s body is cremated,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom head of digital in Bangalore Mathur Nath.

    Cable operators were also contacted by the Kannada activists yesterday. Popular Tamil channels including Sun TV and Jaya TV were pulled off air.

    The entertainment channel blackout seems restricted to Bangalore alone, since enquiries from Mysore reveal that entertainment channels are on there, as has also been confirmed by a Bangalore MSO who has a network in Mysore too, though shops and businesses have remained closed there too.

    As per reports, policemen have been a target of the public ire and TV news channels showed scenes of unruly mobs chasing and beating up policemen.

    Rajkumar, known to fans as “Aannavru” or elder brother, died yesterday aged 77, following a cardiac arrest. The thespian, winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke and Padma Bhushan awards along with a host of other citations, has encouraged the use of Kannada language in the state. His 45-year career in cinema included more than 200 Kannada-language films.

  • FremantleMedia goes global with Jamie Oliver

    FremantleMedia goes global with Jamie Oliver

    CANNES: The distribution arm of global production company FremantleMedia, Fremantle International Distribution (FID), announced at MipTV a raft of international sales for a number of series starring celebrity British chef Jamie Oliver, including Jamie’s School Dinners, Jamie’s Great Italian Escape and Jamie’s Kitchen.

    Jamie’s School Dinners is currently planned to premiere in the US on TLC while Jamie’s Great Italian Escape will make its American debut on theTravel Channel.The launch of Jamie’s Kitchen, also on TLC, will mark the first time the show will air on one of the Discovery Communication Inc.’s cable networks.

    Both Jamie’s Kitchen and Jamie’s School Dinners have received tremendous praise from viewers and critics alike. Jamie’s Kitchen has recieved many awards like Indie Award, C4 Documentary Award (UK), Grierson, Most Entertaining Documentary(UK); Jamie’s School Dinners has won the National Television Award, Most Popular Factual Programme (UK).
    Fremantle International Distribution managing director David Ellender commenting on the raft of international sales said, “Jamie Oliver’s accessibility and culinary creativity have allowed him to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers to create a great demand for his programming around the world. As we introduce Jamie to a wider audience in the United States, Discovery Communications Inc.’s unique array of networks provide the perfect venue for these premieres and make them the ideal partner.”

    Jamie’s Great Italian Escape follows Jamie’s impulsive trip to Italy where he searches for new sources of inspiration in order to reignite his passion for cooking. Driving from town to town in his trusty camper, Jamie’s adventures take him across the country as he learns about street food in Palermo, dines with monks in Farfa and hunts wild boar in the mountains of Le Marche.

    25 territories have to date snapped up Jamie’s latest series, Jamie’sGreat Italian Escape including RaiSat, Italy; TV Norge, Norway; TV Danmark, Denmark; SABC, South Africa; Kanal 5 Sweden; Discovery Asia; Network Ten, Australia; TVB, Hong Kong; TVNZ, New Zealand; RTL2, Germany; Food Network; Canada, WOWOW, Japan; GloboSat, Brazil; VMMA, Belgium; Ren-TV, Russia and CP 2000 and Ceska, Czech Republic.

    In Jamie’s School Dinners, Jamie embarks on a monumental undertaking: take charge of 20,000 school dinners a day in one of London’s most demanding areas. If he succeeds in transforming the way kids eat, Jamie will try to create a blueprint for school meals across the United Kingdom. But will Jamie’s efforts put him at the top of the class or will his quest to create a healthy eating curriculum prove too daunting a task?

    An impressive 33 territories have ordered Jamie’s School Dinners including ORF, Austria; OK-Nova TV, Croatia; Cuisine TV, France; RaiSat, Italy; SIC, Portugal and Kanal 5, Sweden, among others.

    Jamie’s Kitchen chronicles Jamie’s effort to open a brand new restaurant in London’s East End. Not only is this his first restaurant, but Jamie gives himself an additional challenge by selecting 15 unemployed and inexperienced Londoners to train as his chefs. A busy schedule, delays in construction, increasingly troublesome trainees and the birth of his child gradually make the process more difficult for Jamie as he seeks to prove that it’s a passion for food, not academic qualifications, that make a great chef.

    Jamie’s Kitchen has also proved to be a phenomenal globe-trotting series for FID, which has secured sales in over 40 territories, including RTL2 Germany; SBS, Denmark; TV Norge, Norway; Mico, Japan and TVB, Hong Kong.

    Also, FID has also sold Oliver’s Twist to TV Azteca,(Channel 7), in Mexico, which is the 50th market to have bought the series. Fronted by Oliver, Oliver’s Twist blends the culture and style of London street life with interesting people and delectable food. From the markets, to house parties and of course to Jamie’s new kitchen, Jamie cooks up fresh, simple food for good times with family and friends.