ITV

Tag: Canal+

  • MPA’s Ace cracks down on sports piracy mob in Vietnam

    MPA’s Ace cracks down on sports piracy mob in Vietnam

    MUMBAI: Now it’s the turn of the Motion Pictures Association (MPA’s) Alliance for Creativity & Entertainment (Ace) to bust  a piracy racket. The world’s leading anti-piracy coalition, announced the shutdown of a notorious live sports piracy ring based in Vietnam and viewed extensively throughout the world.

    Unbelievable, but true, the operation’s illicit sites logged 812 million visits over the past 12 months, making it one of the largest sports piracy rings in the world, and the largest sports piracy syndicates taken down by ACE to date. 

    The shuttered sites include  online sports piracy outlets such as bestsolaris[dot]com, streameast[dot]to; markkystreams[dot]com; crackstreams[dot]dev; and weakspell[dot]to.

    Through an intensive, global investigation, Ace identified and approached the sites’ Hanoi-based operators, who agreed to immediately transfer 138 domains to it.

    “The shutdown of this globally notorious live sports piracy ring is a huge victory in our campaign against the piracy of live sports programs and follows other recent successful actions by Ace and law enforcement in Vietnam,” said  MPA executive vice-president & chief content protection officer Larissa Knapp. “Ace’s live sports members face a unique threat when it comes to digital piracy, as live sports broadcasts lose substantial commercial value once the game ends. The takedown serves as a warning to piracy operators everywhere – including operators in live sports piracy – that Ace will identify and shut down their illegal operations.”

    Primarily targeting audiences in the US and Canada, the sites streamed sports events daily, including content from all the US sports leagues and global leagues of every category. The illicit operation affected all Ace  members, including ACE’s sports tier members beIN Sports, Canal+ and Dazn.

    “DAZN stands with Ace in the fight to eradicate piracy, which undermines the sports ecosystem at all levels,” said Dazn chief operating officer Ed McCarthy, “It is very pleasing that a criminal operation of this scale was taken down. Piracy often compromises the security of fans’ data, which is then used for illegal purposes, so the closure of this piracy ring has the added benefit that potential subscribers will be guided toward legitimate content providers like Dazn.”

  • Vivendi shareholders give goahead to spinoff Canal+, Havas and Louis Hachette group

    Vivendi shareholders give goahead to spinoff Canal+, Havas and Louis Hachette group

    MUMBAI: If you thought, the world of advertising is only going through fusion following  the acquisition and merger of Interpublic group by the Omnicom group, you would be better off thinking otherwise.

    In Europe, there’s fission taking place. The combined general shareholders of Vivendi yesterday gave the company the go-ahead to break into pieces. 97.5 per cent of the votes were in favour of the separation of Vivendi from Canal+, Havas, and the Louis Hachette group (the company bringing together the 66.53 per cent investment in Lagardère and 100 per cent of Prisma Media). 

    The first trading day for the shares of these three companies will therefore take place, as announced, on 16 December 2024, respectively on the London stock exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Growth Paris.  
    With a quorum of 71.96 per cent of shareholders present or represented, the two resolutions requiring approval by a two-thirds majority of votes, namely those regarding partial asset contributions subject to the French legal regime applicable to partial demergers (apport partiel d’actifs soumis au régime des scissions), were overwhelmingly adopted with 97.57 per cent of the votes for the Canal+ partial demerger and with 97.58 per cent  for the Louis Hachette group partial demerger.

    The resolution regarding the distribution in kind of Havas NV shares to the Vivendi shareholders, requiring the approval of a simple majority of votes, was adopted with 97.61 per cent of the votes. 

    Said  Havas chairman & CEO and chairman of the supervisory board Yannick Bolloré: “We are delighted with the very high adoption rate of our spin-off project. This undisputable result confirms the strong support of our shareholders for this transformative transaction. Over the past year, the teams have been working on this transformative project, which aims to better reflect the value of Canal+, Havas, Lagardère, and Prisma, which have been impacted by a conglomerate discount affecting the group for several years; to unlock their full potential in a global landscape filled with significant investment opportunities.This vote gives new momentum to Canal+ group, Havas, Lagardere and Prisma Media and marks a new era full of opportunities for Vivendi. The company will continue to play its role, particularly by pursuing the transformation of Gameloft and optimizing its portfolio of high-quality assets.”

  • FremantleMedia acquires majority stake in Wildside

    FremantleMedia acquires majority stake in Wildside

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has acquired Italian television and feature film producer Wildside. Under the deal, FremantleMedia will have a 62.5 per cent holding with the opportunity to acquire the remaining shareholding in the future. 

     

    Wildside is currently producing The Young Pope, a joint Sky, HBO and Canal + production, directed by Academy Award winner Paolo Sorrentino, and starring two time Academy Award nominee Jude Law and Academy Award winner Diane Keaton. FremantleMedia International is distributing the title in the non-partner territories. 

     

    Founded in 2009, Wildside established itself as one of the most prominent high end drama producers for the Italian and international markets. Recent successes include the Italian version of In Treatment Season 1 and 2 (Sky) and 1992 (Sky), which premiered to critical acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival this year. On the big screen, Wildside Cinema’s successes include award-winning Hungry Hearts, directed by Saverio Costanzo and starring up and coming talent Adam Driver (recently cast in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens), the EFA Best Comedy 2014 winner The Mafia Kills Only in Summer directed by Pif, the award winning Me and You directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and The Solitude of Prime Numberswhich was nominated for the Golden Lion at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival in 2010. 

     

    FremantleMedia CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz said, “This is a key strategic acquisition for FremantleMedia as we continue to strengthen our prime-time scripted presence. Wildside is fast becoming one of Europe’s most sought after drama producers and will complement our existing prime-time drama businesses in the US, Germany, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Australia and the UK. The team have an impressive track record of attracting world class creative talent and delivering award winning drama so I’m really excited that they are joining our family of production companies.” 

     

    Based in Rome, the company was founded in 2009 by producers Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani, script writers and directors Marco Martani, Fausto Brizzi and Saverio Costanzo following the merger of Wilder and Offside production companies.

  • French pubcaster looks to woo younger audience

    French pubcaster looks to woo younger audience

    NEW DELHI: At a time when Prasar Bharati is embroiled in tussles with the government over autonomy, public service broadcasters like BBC and France’s France Télévisions are working to attract younger audiences. 

     

    While the BBC had issued a Green Paper not so long ago in this connection, now French public service broadcaster France Télévisions has appointed Delphine Ernotte as its first  woman CEO, who is keen to attract a younger audience.

     

    Previously head of Orange France, Ernotte is taking control of the reins at the pubcaster, succeeding Rémy Pflimlin. Rodolphe Belmer, former Canal+ executive, has been named as strategy advisor.

     

    Ernotte has also recruited two executives from TF1 Group. While TMC and NT1 former managing director Caroline Got will handle programming and digital strategy, Germain Dagognet, has been appointed deputy head of news.

     

    Ernotte and her team aim to find new revenue streams to compensate the loss of advertising income.

     

    The group, whose global budget amounts to €2.8 billion, has said that it will certainly fail to reach its financial break-even objective at the end of 2015.

     

    Ernotte aims to accelerate digital and multi-devices development, launch a DTT service or web news channel, and break even.

  • FremantleMedia bags distribution rights to Jude Law’s ‘The Young Pope’

    FremantleMedia bags distribution rights to Jude Law’s ‘The Young Pope’

    MUMBAI: From the Academy Award-winning director, Paolo Sorrentino comes one of the most exciting projects, which was announced at last week’s Cannes Film Festival, The Young Pope.

     

    Starring the two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law, The Young Pope tells the controversial story of the beginning of PIUS XIII’s Pontificate. With the exclusive international distribution (outside of partner territories) handled by FremantleMedia International (FMI), The Young Pope is set to begin production this summer.

     

    Born Lenny Belardo, PIUS XIII is a complex and conflicted character, so conservative in his choices as to border on obscurantism, yet full of compassion towards the weak and poor. He is a man of great power who is stubbornly resistant to the Vatican courtiers, unconcerned with the implications to his authority. During the series, Belardo will face losing those closest to him and the constant fear of being abandoned, even by his God.

     

    FremantleMedia International CEO Jens Richter said, “The Young Pope combines a fantastic story with a brilliant pedigree of talent in the form of a world-renowned director in Paolo Sorrentino, an outstanding production team in Wildside and an extraordinary lead man in Jude Law. The series has all of the ingredients to become a hallmark drama and FMI is thrilled to have secured the rights for its catalogue.”

     

    The series is a joint production of Sky, HBO and Canal +. All eight episodes will be directed by Sorrentino and written by Sorrentino in collaboration with Tony Grisoni, Umberto Contarello and Stefano Rulli.

     

    The series is being produced by Wildside, and co-produced by Haut et Court TV.

  • Facebook making people cling to TV

    Facebook making people cling to TV

    CANNES: Whoever said Facebook and others of its ilk were responsible for driving audiences away from television would be forced to do a rethink after this gem of a revelation from Facebook VP of partnership, Dan Rose.

    “Facebook now talks of television. And discussions or comments between friends are more about content aired on television,” said Rose in his keynote address on the inaugural day of Mipcom.

    And it didn’t end there. He went on to announce: “We have expanded our list of data partners across the globe.”

    Among the ten global TV companies with whom Facebook has partnered is Star India for beta test- this being its first partnership in India. Says Star India, EVP marketing and communications Gayatri Yadav: Star India will be the first media brand in India to partner with Facebook as part of a beta to use their APIs in our programming. The goal is to work closely with Facebook to develop this offering and leverage this tool to gain rich insights into social conversations on Facebook related to our content. Today the first port of call for consumers when they want to talk about content is often social media people love sharing their thoughts and feelings about the latest shows online. This will help us better understand audience reactions to programming and deliver better real time consumer insight.”

    The other networks include: TF1, Esporte Interativo, Canal+, CBC, Food Network, Channel 4, ProSieben, and Discovery.”

    Rose explained how social media had become an inseparable part of television. “There is now an intersection of social media and TV. In fact, now, TV is leveraging new technology to improve its experience with social media,” he said, while addressing a packed auditorium at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.

    Referring to Facebook as the second screen, Rose said: “So while everyone thought we were driving people away from TV, the second screen is in fact making them cling to TV.”

    Substantiating his statement with facts, Rose elaborated: “There were 29 million interactions on Facebook about Wimbledon. When MTV Video Music Awards was aired, there were 26.5 million interactions about the awards on Facebook. Also, NBA finals received close to 125 million interactions.”

    Statistically speaking, there are 1.15 billion people on Facebook today. An average mobile user in the US spends approximately 14 hours every month on FB and nearly six hours on Instagram. 18 million people in France are active users of Facebook, of which 11 million use mobile phones for it.

    Asked what keeps Facebook alive and ticking, Rose said: “There are three best practices to follow: One, to spark the conversation. Facebook has added #Hashtags and also come up with trending topics to spark conversations. Two, we connect with fans through public figures. People on Facebook love hearing from public figures. And thirdly, leverage tools. We launched public feed API that gives real time feed of public posts.”

  • BBC Worldwide to co-produce a show in China for the first time

    BBC Worldwide to co-produce a show in China for the first time

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, the BBC’s commercial arm has announced its first ever co-production in China. The natural history series Wild China will see a partnership between the BBC’s Natural History Unit and China Television Media (CTV), the production arm of Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV.

    Delivering in March 2008 to coincide with the Beijing Olympics, Wild China explores the natural history of one of the world’s most mysterious and diverse countries. The six-part series will mark the culmination of the BBC Natural History Unit’s Continents Series.

    CTV’s partnership with the BBC Worldwide gives the joint production team access to some of the China’s remotest reaches and most visually stunning scenery. Shot entirely in High Definition, Wild China will take viewers on a journey through the diverse landscapes of China, including the ancient Han kingdom, the Mongol steppes and Uygur desert, the Silk Road, and the Tibetan Plateau.

    BBC Worldwide MD global television sales Mark Young said, “We are excited and honoured to be working so closely with China Television Media on this landmark partnership. The Wild China production team’s unparalleled access throughout China during this production will provide a unique window into some of the planet’s most captivating terrains.”

    CTV GM Gao Xiaoping said, “The BBC is world renowned for its leadership in natural history production. We are delighted to work together and bring the world a new view of China’s beautiful landscapes and fascinating wildlife before the 2008 Olympic Games.”

    The show’s executive producer Brian Leith said, “China is one of the last great frontiers for wildlife television: a more or less unknown – yet vast – country. We’re very excited to be filming in some of the most remote regions of this wonderful country – and we think Wild China will bring some fabulous and dramatic revelations. I’ve learned that China is never what you expect it to be.”

    Wild China is a BBC / CTV / Travel Channel co-production in association with Canal+.