ITV

Tag: Canada

  • Instructions Not Included becomes highest grossing Spanish Language film in the US

    Instructions Not Included becomes highest grossing Spanish Language film in the US

    MUMBAI: Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included has become the highest grossing Spanish Language film ever released in the US, according to distributor Lionsgate. With this weekend’s estimate of $3.38 million, the breakout family comedy/drama has a cumulative of $38.567 million in its fifth weekend at the American box office.

     

    Starring and directed by Eugenio Derbez, the movie has passed Pan’s Labyrinth‘s $37.6 million as the new record holder. It’s also the fourth biggest grossing foreign language film ever in the US, behind only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Taiwan), Life is Beautiful (Italy), and Hero (China).

     

    Meanwhile, Instructions Not Included is yet to release in Canada. Word of mouth spread is also helping the pic garner eyeballs, and Instructions Not Included expanded its US run to target crossover audiences.

     

    Made for a $5 million budget and acquired by Pantelion, it was the big story coming out of Labor Day Weekend for the best-ever domestic debut for a Spanish language film. Pantelion Films is a joint venture between Lionsgate and Mexico’s media powerhouse Televisa with plans for eight to10 films per year.

  • Pan Nalin’s Kumbh Mela film finds buyers in Europe

    Pan Nalin’s Kumbh Mela film finds buyers in Europe

    Eminent Indian-origin filmmaker Pan Nalin’s documentary Faith Connections has been sold to France and Switzerland ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

     

    SDD (Sophie Dulac Distribution) has acquired French rights to the India-French co-production, filmed at India’s Kumbh Mela, while the Swiss rights went to Filmcoopi. Advanced negotiations are also underway for sales to Canada, the US, Germany and India.

     

    The film is being sold by Raphael Berdugo’s Cite Films, which is also co-produced with Nalin and Gaurav Dhingra’s Jungle Book Entertainment. Berdugo, Dhingra, Nalin and Virginie Lacombe are credited as producers.

     

    Faith Connections follows the stories of holy men, policemen, pilgrims and a runaway child at India’s biggest religious festival, which is held once every 12 years and attracts around 100 million Hindu pilgrims.

     

    Nalin has previously directed feature documentary Ayurveda: Art of Being and narrative features Samsara and The Valley of Flowers.

     

    “We decided to co-produce and take on the sales of this film because we trust the talent of director Pan Nalin to tell us deeply moving human stories which can appeal to the world,” said Berdugo.

     

    “My experience of international sales when I was in charge of Roissy Films was that the common language of the world is emotion and people are eager to be moved while discovering other cultures.”

     

    “Ayurveda: Art of Being and Samsara were huge successes in Switzerland – both were based on the vast interest of our audience in spirituality and a quest of wellbeing of humanity. Pan Nalin’s new film follows these themes and we are sure that it will be successful too,” said Filmcoopi’s Felix Hachler.

     

    “A garland of magnificent images captured by Pan Nalin; truly exceptional characters with simple but astonishing stories; and an incredible happening which only occurs once in twelve years encouraged us to bring this extraordinary documentary to the French public,” said Dulac.

  • Netflix loads up on kids shows yet again with Scholastic deal

    Netflix loads up on kids shows yet again with Scholastic deal

    MUMBAI: Netflix has been positioning itself as an online babysitter of sorts with a slew of deals for children’s content, thus it has sanctioned even more episodes of the kids’ genre.

     

    The streaming-video service said it has expanded an agreement with Scholastic Media, an arm of publisher Scholastic, to offer more of its TV series and video content, such as the shows based on the tween babysitting series, The Magic School Bus and Goosebumps. Most of the new content is available to Netflix members in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Latin America.

     

    Both Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service have been buying content for children. The idea is twofold: Go after a type of programming that – after sports – can be the most decisive sway factor when a consumer is choosing what entertainment to pay for. Then get children cozy with the format and style of internet-delivered content to create a new generation of subscribers.

     

    Netflix’s Scholastic deal marks the first time many of the episodes have been available in the streaming format, and Netflix has an exclusive hold on select programs like The Magic School Bus. However, most of the content is years old.

     

    “When we first added ‘The Magic School Bus’ and ‘Goosebumps’ for our members in the US and Canada earlier this summer we knew they would perform well, but after seeing just how popular they were we decided to expand our relationship with Scholastic and bring these great shows to more of our markets,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a release.

     

    Three of the first five programs Amazon will produce as part of its original content push are children’s programs, and last month the company ordered up kids’ content solely for its next round of five pilots.

     

    Netflix is also working to fill a kids’ content void. The site declined high-demand Nickelodeon content earlier this year because parent Viacom wanted to bundle it together with less popular programs in a hulking deal. Amazon later snatched up the forsaken Viacom content.

     

    The latest deal with Scholastic however doesn’t include video content related to Scholastic’s most blockbuster brand, the Harry Potter series.

  • Amazon launches fine art marketplace

    Amazon launches fine art marketplace

    MUMBAI: The online retail giant that peddles everything from e-readers to UFO detectors is looking to change that and make fine art more accessible for everyone.

     

    Amazon on Tuesday announced the launch of Amazon Art, an online marketplace that features more than 40,000 worlds of fine art from more than 150 galleries and dealers. At launch, Amazon Art features artworks from more than 4,500 artists. Amazon said it is one of the largest online collections of original and limited edition artwork for purchase from galleries and dealers.

     

    “We are excited to bring one of the largest selections of fine art direct from galleries to our customers. Amazon Art gives galleries a way to bring their passion and expertise about the artists they represent to our millions of customers. We’re thrilled to bring the excitement and emotional connection of art to our customers,” Amazon Marketplace VP Peter Faricy said in a statement.

     

    Like other Amazon Web properties, the new fine art marketplace features discovery tools to help you find pieces you might like, and detailed information about the works of art. You can search by using filters such as subject, style, color, size, price, and gallery.

     

    The marketplace includes art from galleries of all sizes in the US, UK, the Netherlands, and Canada, including Paddle8 in New York, Holden Luntz in Miami, McLoughlin Gallery and Modernbook in San Francisco and Catherine Person Gallery in Seattle.

     

    The store offers a little something for everyone, with pieces ranging from folk art to impressionism to modern art. Prices vary, with photographs starting at under $200 alongside iconic works from artists like Norman Rockwell, including the American master’s “Willie Gillis: Package from Home” available for a cool $4.85 million. Other available pieces include Andy Warhol’s “Sachiko” for $45,000 and Claude Monet’s “L’Enfant a la tasse, portrait de Jean Monet” for $1.45 million.

  • ATN Canada takes Zee TV battle to Canadian regulator

    ATN Canada takes Zee TV battle to Canadian regulator

    MUMBAI: There’s some sparring happening in the land of the maple leaf. Ethnic TV platform – The Asian Television Network (ATN) – which delivers some 40 language channels to South Asian communities in Canada and run by Shan Chandrasekar has filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) against Zee TV’s Canada service, operated by the Ethnic Channel Group (ECG).

     

    In a letter dated 3 June to the CRTC, ATN has complained that Zee TV Canada has shifted away from its licensed brief to provide a television service targeted at women in the Hindi-speaking community there and has started targeting general viewers. According to ATN, Zee TV Canada was licensed initially as a niche third-language ethnic specialty Category B service targeted at Hindi speaking women. It has since expanded to providing general entertainment programming, which means it has gone beyond its classification.

     

    ATN, in the complaint, has said it had a licensing agreement for airing Zee TV programming on its specialty Category A service South Asian Television (SATV) for a number of years until January 2013 when it could not renew its content purchase agreement. SATV, is among the six authorised third-language general entertainment television services afforded protection under Canadian law. As part of that if the CRTC does license a specialty service in the same language as one of the existing third-language Category A services, the new third-language service would be packaged as a buy-through with the existing third-language Category A service of the same language, says the ATN complaint. To get around this restriction several foreign broadcasters are applying for the specialty category B service only to launch them later as a general interest service. ATN says that this is hurting its interests.

     

    In the specific case of Zee TV Canada, it says that, as of March 2013 it is offering programming which is between 70 per cent and 90 per cent in Hindi, offering competition to SATV. It further goes on to clarify that in the number of press releases that the Ethnic Channel Group Ltd (EGCL) has made in launching Zee TV Canada there has not been one mention of launching a niche programming service for women. It has rather emphasised on the fact that Zee TV is an international programming service and a leading South Asian media brand available globally to 650 million viewers in 169 countries.

     

    As almost 100% of programming from Zee TV (global) is shown on Zee TV Canada, these statements serve to show that this service is an all encompassing general interest programming service rather than a niche programming service as ECGL had proposed in its service approved in Decision 2013-53 with the CRTC.

     

    Apart from the complaint, ATN has also sent across a package of 128 DVD recordings of two different one-week periods of Zee TV programming emphasising that it is offering mass appeal programming that is directed at the Hindi-speaking community at large.

     

    The two options which ATN feels can help resolve the situation are: first, if Zee TV Canada is not a niche programming service, ECGL should file an application for the purpose of receiving proper authorisation from the CRTC to continue operating there. Secondly, if ECGL is indeed operating a general interest Hindi-language Category B service, then the service should be a buy-through with the Category A SATV Hindi-language service, as penciled in the law.

     

    So when Indiantelevison.com contacted Zee TV’s US office, head of sale Zee TV USA Sameer Targe said, “The complaint is absolutely false, ATN is not able to digest the fact that Zee has moved its business from it to EGCL. This ending ATN’s so called monopoly in the Canada market.”

     

    He further clarified that Zee TV Canada is a women oriented Hindi language channel and it has been granted the same license by CRTC.

     

    All we can do is play the waiting game as a response for ECGL is due on 3 September.

  • Star Jalsha and Star Utsav launch on ATN Canada

    Star Jalsha and Star Utsav launch on ATN Canada

    MUMBAI: It’s Canada Ahoy for Star Jalsha and Star Utsav, two channels from the Star Network India stable. Asian Television Network (ATN), Canada‘s largest south Asian broadcaster, has signed licensing agreements under which it has been granted exclusive rights to the two channels. STAR Utsav will complement ATN‘s five Hindi general entertainment channels and STAR Jalsha will complete its four channel strong bouquet of Bangla language channels from India and Bangladesh.

    The Canadian premiere of these two channels commenced last week on Bell Fibe TV in Metro Toronto and Montreal. The two channels will have a free preview for 60 days. In addition to the existing subscriber base, with the launch of these new channels, ATN expects to gain new subscribers through cable, satellite and IPTV platforms across Canada.

    This will expand channel bouquet that ATN Canada delivers to South Asians across the land of the maple leaf to 39.

  • Amazon expands Appstore availability to 200 countries

    Amazon expands Appstore availability to 200 countries

    MUMBAI: Amazon.com continued the global expansion of its Appstore by announcing that developers can now submit their apps for distribution in nearly 200 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa, South Korea, and even Papua New Guinea and Vatican City.

    These apps will be made available in the coming months when the Amazon Appstore for Android launches internationally for consumers. Registered developers who want international distribution will have their apps automatically made available for download, unless they designate otherwise. This international expansion is the latest in a series of Amazon Appstore for Android launches, which have included the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

    “Amazon‘s platform is a complete end-to-end solution for developers wanting to build, market and monetize their apps and games on Kindle Fire and Android devices,” said Amazon Vice President of Apps and Games Mike George.

    “Allowing developers to target distribution of their apps and games in even more international countries is yet another important milestone as we strive to serve consumers and developers globally. Many of our existing developers have localized their apps and games for international consumers, and we look forward to working with new developers that have been waiting to bring their apps to more Amazon customers across the globe.”

    Amazon.com claims that developers throughout the world are experiencing strong monetisation and user engagement through Kindle Fire and the Amazon Appstore.

    The success is being driven by Amazon‘s large customer base and industry-leading e-commerce features like 1-Click purchasing, Amazon‘s APIs for In-App Purchasing (IAP) and A/B Testing, and GameCircle, Amazon‘s gaming experience for Kindle Fire. A recent study of more than 500 games that utilize in-app purchasing on Amazon found that GameCircle-enabled mobile games earned 83 percent more average revenue per user (ARPU) than non-GameCircle games.

  • Zee TV launches HD service in Canada with ECG

    Zee TV launches HD service in Canada with ECG

    MUMBAI: Zee TV in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), Canada‘s largest distributor of third language television services, launches Zee TV Canada in HD.

    Zee TV HD is available on NEXTV along with Zee Cinema and Zing, the company said in a statement.

    Zee already has six channels in Canada catering to the diverse group of viewers: Zee TV, Alpha ETC Punjabi, Zing, Zee Salaam, Zee Tamizh and Zee Cinema.

    Zee Americas Director – Distribution Akhilesh Gupta said, “Zee TV HD was the first South Asian Network to go HD in the US last year and we are very pleased to now announce the launch of Zee TV Canada in HD.”

  • Global box office receipts reached $34.7 billion in 2012: MPAA

    Global box office receipts reached $34.7 billion in 2012: MPAA

    MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America‘s (MPAA) annual Theatrical Market Statistics Report for 2012 shows that global box office receipts for all films released around the world reached $34.7 billion in 2012, an increase of 6 per cent over 2011.
    U.S./Canada box office was up 6 per cent over last year to $10.8 billion, due to a 6 per cent increase in admissions to 1.36 billion. Domestic ticket prices remained flat in 2012.
    "I am happy to report that in 2012, both global and domestic box office was up and so were domestic admissions," said MPAA Chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd.
    "Great storytelling, memorable characters and an ever-innovating theater experience brought more people around the world to the movie theater in 2012 than ever before. It‘s a powerful reminder of just how much movies matter – not just to our culture, but also to our economy. Our industry supports 2.1 million jobs in the United States and more than 120,000 of those jobs are in movie theaters. So as you‘re looking at this report, it‘s important to remember the real economic impact these numbers have."
    International box office was also up in 2012, driven by growing markets like Russia, Brazil and China, which grew by 36 per cent in 2012 to become the largest international market, surpassing Japan. 2012 also marked the first year that digital screens surpassed analog screens in international market share. Over two-thirds of the world‘s nearly 130,000 cinema screens are now digital.
    "The cinema industry serves an increasingly diverse audience, by age, gender and ethnicity," said National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) President and CEO John Fithian. "The record box office, here and abroad, shows that when we meet that diversity with a broad range of movies and amenities, cutting edge technologies and viewing options our industry thrives."
    In the US and Canada, 3D box office was comparable to 2011 levels at $1.8 billion, despite fewer 3D film releases.
    More than two-thirds of the U.S./Canada population – 225 million people – went to the movies at least once in 2012, consistent with prior years. Cinema ticket sales continue to be driven by frequent moviegoers – those who go to the movies once a month or more. Frequent moviegoers represent 13 per cent of the population but purchased 57 per cent of all tickets sold in 2012.

  • Spotlight on India and UK at 16th annual event in Halifax, Canada

    Spotlight on India and UK at 16th annual event in Halifax, Canada

    New Delhi: The spotlight at the 16th annual event in September in Halifax in Nova Scotia (Canada) will be on India

    And for the second year in a row, the United Kingdom will also be highlighted at the event from 12 to 15 September.

    Ms Laura Mackenzie, Director of Strategic Partners – one of the world’s top co-production/co-financing markets focusing on feature film, TV and multiplatform fiction – says "Strategic Partners held a soft focus on India to introduce a small number of India producers and officials to the event. This has already contributed to a Canadian film shot in India.”

    The spotlight on India and the UK is timely, she said, adding that: “Momentum continues to build in the number of Canadian and International producers looking to collaborate with India and the UK is a natural co-spotlight given their experience in successfully capitalizing on their co-pro treaty with India many times."

    Offering an intimate, organized forum for projects seeking financing, as well as those at an early stage – looking for the right partner, Strategic Partners’ linear program is designed to provide unparalleled access to international co-production possibilities – all under one roof.

    The deadline for the Strategic Partners‘ call for producer applications and industry registrations is June 28. Application/Registration forms are now available at www.atlanticfilm.com/sp

    Top Canadian and international industry players are selected to attend, including producers, investors, sales agents, funding agencies, broadcasters and distributors. Offering close to 1000 pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings, co-production focused roundtable sessions, cutting edge panels, visionary keynote speakers, screenings and receptions.

    Strategic Partners is a convergence of talent and innovation, producing tangible results.

    “It was at Strategic Partners that we were introduced to producer, Karen Shaw’s project Khoya in 2012. It‘s an interesting project and given our experience in International productions, we came onboard instantly," said Guneet Monga, producer, Sikhya Entertainment, India (Gangs of Wasseypur, Peddlers.)

    "Guneet Monga and I connected during our participation in Trans Atlantic Partners, and further cemented the relationship at Strategic Partners,” said Karen Shaw, producer, Quarterlife Crisis Productions, Canada (Khoya, The Good Fence). “Khoya was shot in India, where we worked with Guneet, and the film is now in post production."

    About Strategic Partners: An International Film, Television and Multiplatform Co-Production Market

    Strategic Partners is a part of the Atlantic Film Festival family of programmes. Today’s Atlantic Film Festival is now a year-round celebration, growing beyond our eight-day cornerstone event in September to include ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, alFresco filmFesto, Strategic Partners and Music & Image.