Tag: CBS

Verizon, CBS reach programming deal on FiOS TV

MUMBAI: Verizon and CBS have reached a deal in which Verizon will carry CBS programming on its new television service.

The companies announced a comprehensive retransmission consent and video-on-demand (VOD) agreement, which includes analog, digital, multicast and HD rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated television stations; local VOD content from those stations; and CBS Television Network VOD content, including such current popular network series as CSI,NCIS and Survivor.

Verizon will offer the programming on its new fiber-optic TV service FiOS TV, which is now available in parts of seven states of the U.S. All FiOS TV subscribers with a set-top box will receive the CBS Television Network VOD content at no incremental cost, which will also be true for FiOS TV subscribers in CBS owned-and-operated markets with regard to the local VOD content.

“With each subscriber that Verizon’s FiOS TV adds, CBS will directly benefit, and therefore, we look forward to our partnership as Verizon showcases our programming both in our (owned-and-operated) markets and across the country,” CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves said in a statement.

Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg said the deal expands the market for both companies.”For us, it means we can offer our customers the tremendously valuable content provided by the CBS Television Network and local broadcast stations,” Seidenberg said.

CBS locally owned-and-operated stations are in all Verizon TV markets except Washington, D.C.Verizon said its retransmission consent agreement with CBS is its largest such deal. Prior to the deal, Verizon provided programming from the CBS owned-and-operated stations under a special agreement with CBS.

March 21, 2006
CBS’ reality show ‘Rock Star’ returns by looking for a singer for Supernova

MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS and reality TV guru Mark Burnett have announced that musicians from some of the biggest American rock bands have joined forces to form a new band, Supernova.

They will use CBS’ reality show Rock Star as the competition to determine the new lead singer.

Supernova will feature drummer Tommy Lee (Motley Crüe), Jason Newsted (Metallica) and Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses). The second edition of Rock Star kicks off later this year. Rock group INXS found their new lead singer in Canadian heartthrob J.D. Fortune.

Since the show, INXS has taken to the studio and the road, releasing their hit single Pretty Vegas and selling out every concert in their North American tour. Their new CD Switch debuted in the Billboard Top 20, and is currently going gold and platinum in countries around the world.

Burnett says, “Millions dream of becoming a rock star…our show actually makes that happen. The winner of CBS’ Rock Star will not only play in huge stadiums before sold out crowds, they will do it alongside legendary musicians from three of America’s biggest, all-time rock bands who have sold a combined total of a quarter of a billion albums: Motley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. Fronting Supernova is the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll dream and it’s about to come true.”

After the winning singer is selected Supernova will record an original album that will be released in the fall before the band embarks on a world tour starting in early 2007. Lee says, “I have toured with both

Gilby and Jason. They’re incredible musicians and I’ve always wanted to play with them. Starting a new band with old friends on worldwide television is going to be a blast, and we’re going to pull out all the stops to find the most charismatic and musically talented lead singer to front Supernova. I love breaking the rules.”

Bassist Jason Newsted said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to play with guys I’ve respected for a long time. It gives us a chance to be innovators. This is a new thing. It’s never been done before. We’re going to break new ground musically and on television. The anticipation is building in me every day. This is a supergroup in the truest sense.”

Lead guitarist and co-writer Gilby Clarke proclaimed, “Rock n’ Roll is so alive and I’m so excited to be a part of CBS’ Rock Star. This is television history. Where else can you raid three historic bands to form
one great band? I can’t wait for the summer to begin.”

Butch Walker will join the project as co-writer and producer of the new album. Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke will return as hosts, with Burke returning to the stage for introductions and Navarro returning to the judges’ couch for input and evaluations. He says, “Last year, doing Rock Star: INXS was the greatest summer job of my life. This year, I’m on the couch with my friends Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke and Jason Newstead as they choose Supernova’s lead singer.”

The second edition of the show will also feature some format twists with a different music celebrity or rock legend each week. Navarro adds, “Friends of mine, like Slash, Macy Gray, Moby and Rob Zombie, will join us and throw in their two cents about who should stay and who should go.”

In India the first season of Rock Star had aired on Star World.

March 20, 2006
Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends season 2 premieres on Nick

MUMBAI: Miss Spider and her fun-loving clan ofbugs are back. Nick Jr. has begun airing the second season of Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends, the 3-D animated series based on the book series by David Kirk from 13 March.

The new 20-episode season of Nick Jr.’s hit preschool series rolls out with a new half-hour episode premiering every day this week at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT) through Thursday,16 March. Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends airs regularly weekdays on Nick Jr. at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS.

Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends follows the days of Miss Spider, her husband Holley and their eight kids, four spiders and four adoptees from different insect species. Nearby are Spiderus, Grandma Betty, Uncle Gus and many other hoppers, fliers and crawlers. The Sunny Patch bugs are a miniature menagerie of creatures of every size, shape, color and personality that strive to get along and accept each other despite their differences. This CGI-animated show stars Emmy-nominated actress Kristin Davis as the voice of Miss Spider.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS. Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.’s Emmy, Peabody and Parents’ Choice award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

March 14, 2006
FCC hits CBS with record fines for indecency

MUMBAI: Renewing a campaign against broadcast indecency, the US Federal Communications Commission ( FCC) upheld a decision to fine television broadcasters for violating federal decency limits, including a record $3.6 million for stations that aired a show depicting group sex.

The agency also upheld its decision to fine 20 CBS stations $550,000 for singer Janet Jackson’s faux pas during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

All four big-timers–ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC-were fined for indecent content. But, CBS incurred the highest penalties and were fined $3.63 million, the most ever, for an episode of the show Without A Trace that depicted a teen orgy. The fine is to be shared by 111 CBS stations, according to media reports.

Marking the first proposed fines in more than a year, the FCC addressed more than 300,000 backlogged indecency complaints and issued long-awaited decisions the agency said were aimed at giving broadcasters a better idea of what they could and could not air.

“Although the scene contains no nudity, it does depict male and female teenagers in various stages of undress,” the FCC said, adding there were shots depicting intercourse and group sex. CBS denied wrongdoing in the cases and said it would “pursue all remedies necessary to affirm our legal rights.” The stations could appeal to the FCC and the federal courts.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin fired back. “We appropriately reject the argument that CBS continues to make that this material is not indecent.That argument runs counter to commission precedent and common sense.”

Martin added, “These decisions, taken both individually and as a whole, demonstrate the commission’s continued commitment to enforcing the law prohibiting the airing of obscene, indecent and profane material. We believe that they will provide substantial guidance to broadcasters and the public about the types of programing that are impermissible.”

The FCC has tightened its reins on all broadcast programming significantly since the Super Bowl incident. A batch of radio rulings will also be forthcoming, quoting FCC officials.

Federal regulations bar television and radio broadcast stations from airing obscene material and limit them to airing indecent material, such as profanity and sexually explicit content, during late-night hours when children are less likely to be in the audience.

Congress has been considering boosting fines for violating decency limits to as much as $500,000 per violation from the current maximum of $32,500.

Around 50 TV shows were put under the scanner, with the FCC refusing to take action on complaints about material in 28 programs, including an episode of Oprah in which teenage sexual activity was discussed.

On the other hand, Fox was found guilty of violating indecency standards with its 2003 telecast of the Billboard Music Awards. The Parent Television Council was none too pleased when Nicole Richie and costar Paris Hilton used two profane words . Fox was not fined at the time because the FCC was not taking action then against individual uses of expletives. But Martin has said that the agency should be fining each “offensive utterance”.

March 10, 2006
CBS brings back online extension of reality show The Amazing Race

MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS has announced that it will bring back its online extension of its reality show The Amazing Race on its site.

Finish Line: The Amazing Race Internet Talk Show hosted by former E! News Live correspondent Peggy Bunker and former racer Jon Weiss returns on CBS.com tonight 1 March. As had been reported earlier by indiantelevision.com AXN is organising a local version of the show for Asian audiences.

From 15 March, AXN is on the lookout for participants to join the show. Ten to 12 teams will be selected to participate in the race, which will be produced for a 13-episode television series.

Also, CBS Finish Line will highlight never before seen footage from this season’s race around the world and interviews with teams the day after they’ve been eliminated. The show will also feature interviews with racers from previous seasons who offer insight into what went wrong for the latest team. In addition, Amazing Race fans will get a sneak preview of the following week’s edition and will get the chance to call into the show and talk with their favourite teams.

March 9, 2006
Zee brings English fare to viewers

Zee Telefilms’ is set to enter the English movies and English general entertainment segment with its two channels Zee Movies and Zee English which are slated for launch on 15 March, 2000. Both the channels are to be encrypted and will be beamed from AsiaSat-3. “Television for the dot com generation” is the slugline for the two channels.

The channels are expected to cater the Category “A” audience and claim to have a huge library of popular movies and other software. Zee English which is the general entertainment channel claims to have rights of popular serials like “Friends” and “The Benny Hill Show”. The channel boasts to have the last four year programming of the most popular serial in the US “Friends” while competing channel Star World has only the earlier three years of the popular sitcom.

Zee Movies has acquired around 700 titles of English films from various houses like CBS, Warner Brothers, Pearsons, Carlton, Freemantle, Diskovery and Passport International. It would telecast five new movies everyday which would then be repeated.

HBO, which undoubtedly is among the biggest cable movie channels in the world, will enter the Indian skies soon and could be a threat to Zee Movies. It already has drawn a huge line-up of popular Hollywood movies and would begin its test runs from 15 March, 2000 and is slated to be officially launch on 22 March.

Zee Telefilms apparently has fixed the rates for Zee Movies and Zee English at Rs 5 and Rs 4 per subscriber. HBO’s sticker price is Rs 5.45. The network is slated to price its set-top boxes at around Rs 12,500 each which is way below that of the competing HBO which will price its boxes above Rs 25,000. This is likely to work in favour of Zee Movies in Indian cable TV homes. Zee would stand at an advantage due to the strong distribution network of SitiCable.

Zee English and Zee Movies are expected to fill in the vacant space in the Zee Telefilms’ bouquet which lacked English programming.

March 9, 2006