ITV

Tag: Channels

  • BBC World News eyes general election with India Direct

    BBC World News eyes general election with India Direct

    MUMBAI: With election process on in some of the Indian states, the domestic news channels have already got enough in their plates to report on. Now, with the general election on the anvil, while the channels in the home turf are all ready to report on it, it seems global giant BBC World News also doesn’t want to miss the big event. With a new series, India Direct, it is also looking to make the best of the opportunity.

     

    BBC Global News CEO Jim Egan launched the series on Tuesday in Mumbai. He says the series will be a mix of hardcore news and features with Indian emphasis on their regular bulletins. “India Direct will be showcased at a time when the attention is likely to be on India more so because of the general elections,” says Egan.

     

    The series that is slated to go on air from 8 February 2014 and will go on for two weeks will have a slew of election special programmes.

     

    Other shows in the series would include Working Lives that will showcase the diverse culture of Gujarat, its people and and the economic spectrum of the state. One Square Mile will highlight the game of football in Pune FC. Talking Movies will bring to the fore the culture and art of the country, especially regional movies. Fast: Track will be a travel news show displaying various places like Mumbai, Goa, Ahmedabad, Karnataka etc.

     

    “The shows are for our global audiences and not just our audiences in India,” emphasises Egan.

     

    Egan feels that although globalisation is a modern trend, BBC has been on the mission of bringing latest events that are impartial and independent from across the world since almost 90 years.  It is also looking at multimedia very seriously.

     

    BBC has done similar series earlier as well with a focus on countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Mozambique, Croatia, Canada, Georgia, Ecuador and Qatar.

  • Star Plus regains its number one spot in Week 44: TAM Ratings

    Star Plus regains its number one spot in Week 44: TAM Ratings

    MUMBAI: The Badshah of Bollywood lifted Zee TV to the number one mark last week but it seems the magic that Chennai Express created for the channel lost its sheen very soon as it is back to its usual spot — number three — in the Week 44 of TAM ratings.

    Star Plus is again leading the chart with 486,066 GVTs (492,849); while Colors at number two is the highest gainer with 463,778 GVTs (423,584). Zee TV, which is back to its usual slot, garnered 434,987 GVTs as compared to 505,442 GVTs last week. Sab is at number four with 337,099 GVTs (331,674) followed by Life OK with 323,897 GVTs (334,635). Sony maintains its sixth position with 299,964 GVTs (281,638). Sahara One continues to be at the bottom with 31,647 GVTs (36,323).

    The number one channel this week, Star Plus witnessed few changes as the ratings of its show, Pyar Ka Dard Hai notched up this time. It generated 7,752 TVTs compared to 7,178 last week. Star’s popular show, Diya aur Baati Hum scored 10,155 TVTs (10,367), Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai registered 6,986 TVTs (7,347), Saathiya too witnessed a slight rise and registered 7,509 TVTs (7,474), while the epic series, Mahabharat witnessed a drop and rated 5,041 TVTs (5,530). Saraswati Chandra seems to be at a stable position with 5,111 TVTs (5,170).

    There are few surprises for the second in the rank, Colors’ as well. Its longest running fiction series, Balika Vadhu saw a drop in its ratings and generated 7,080 TVTs (7,735), Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon scored 4,441 TVTs (4,305). Uttaran fared well and took its tally to 4,299 TVTs (3,722). Even the popular, Comedy Nights with Kapil witnessed a huge rise with 6,631 TVTs (5,250). The much hyped adaptation of the international 24 starring Anil Kapoor witnessed a drop and registered 2,755 TVTs (3,050). And the celebrity reality show, Bigg Boss seems to be riding high with all the cat-fights and controversies going on in the house. The show’s ratings witnessed a decent raise. It registered 5,024 TVTs compared to 4,587 last week.

    Zee TV that came down to its third spot after creating a furor last week too saw a major rise in its fictional offering Qubool Hai. The show scored 5,625 TVTs (4,998). Pavitra Rishta generated 4,235 TVTs (4,419). The ratings of Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke also improved with 5,152 TVTs (4,843). Period drama Jodha Akbar noted 8,101 TVTs (8,299), while drama series, Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se registered 4,870 TVTs (4,412). The recently launched sitcom Bh se Bhade generated 2,139 TVTs (2,856). Zee TV’s popular dance reality show Dance India Dance – 4 doesn’t seem to be working wonders for the channel as its score dropped drastically to 3,854 TVTs (6,075) on Saturday, but it picked up again on Sunday with 6519 TVTs.

    Fourth placed, Sab’s fiction show, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to lead among all its other shows with 7,637 TVTs (8,161). Chidiya Ghar saw a drop and generated 3,645 TVTs (3,852). Lapataganj generated 2,354 TVTs (2,217) and Baalveer registered 2,391 TVTs (2,904). The channel aired a special Diwali show Sab ki Diwali Mela on 1 November generating 4,064 TVTs. It was a roller-coaster ride for other fiction shows as well.

    Life OK on number five continues to lead with its mythological series Mahadev. The show seems to be a favourite among the viewers as it scored 4,183 TVTs (3,759). Do Dil Ek Jaan generated at 1,526 TVTs (1,719), while crime-based Savdhan India rated 2,509 TVTs (2,577). Shapath generated 3,172 TVTs (3,699) and Ek Boond Ishq registered 2,620 TVTs (2,749). Reality series The Bachelorette India managed to stay stable with 2,073 TVTs (2,052).

    Sony, which is at number six, witnessed a drop in ratings — 4,317 TVTs (5,009) — for its longest running crime series CID. Crime Patrol managed to register 3,818 TVTs (3,947). The channel’s historical show Maharana Pratap managed remained at a stable position with 2,771 TVTs (2,772), while quiz show KBC witnessed a drop and garnered just 2,436 TVTs (3,570). The channel premiered the biggest blockbuster of the year Yeh Jawani hai Deewani on 27 October and scored 6,995 TVTs. Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

    In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 210,728 GVTs (195,223); Star Gold witnessed a fall and registered 175,245 GVTs (190,414) and Movies OK scored 120,183 GVTs (124,887). On the other hand, &pictures garnered 57,589 GVTs (67,725), Zee Anmol registered 50,827 GVTs (52,731) and Max scored 182,588 GVTs (198,492).

    While there has been some major shake-up in the last two weeks, let’s see what’s in store for the channels in the coming weeks.

  • IPTV: I&B mandates carriage of 24 DD channels

    IPTV: I&B mandates carriage of 24 DD channels

    NEW DELHI: Superseding its earlier orders in this connection, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has updated its list of channels to be compulsorily carried on the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).

    The new order lists a total of 24 channels, which includes 21 Doordarshan channels apart from Gyan Darshan, Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV.

    The DD channels in the list are National, News, Bharati, Urdu, Sports, DD India, DD Kashir, DD Punjabi, DD Girnar, DD Sahyadiri, DD Saptagiri, DD Malayalam, DD Podhigal, DD Candana, DD Bangla, DD North East, DD Bihar, DD Uttar Pradesh, DD Rajasthan, DD Madhya Pradesh and DD Oriya.

    The memorandum says it shall be obligatory for every IPTV Service Provider to provide these channels to the subscribers, irrespective of any bouquet(s) or a-la-carte channel(s) being subscribed by them. The IPTV Service Provider shall also place the above channels in the respective genre and shall display them in full television screen.

  • Tewari launches Bharat Nirman portal, AIR News on SMS Service

    Tewari launches Bharat Nirman portal, AIR News on SMS Service

    NEW DELHI: A total of 69,491 video spots were released to cable and satellite television channels for the first and second phases of the Bharat Nirman Campaign, including 3,660 spots to Doordarshan.

    Radio aired a total of 107,532 spots including 12,600 by All India Radio across 92 stations and 94,932 spots across 216 private FM stations. This was apart from 6,048 spots aired on 36 community radio stations.

    These figures were revealed by Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari at the launch of the online portal for the Bharat Nirman Campaign which provides an interactive digital platform for the creative campaign on various schemes and programmes of the campaign.

    The Minister also launched All India Radio`s free News SMS service. The service provides AIR news headlines free of cost to its subscribers on mobile telephones. There are two or three headlines in each SMS, which also carried a public service information message.

    The event was attended among others by I&B Secretary Bimal Julka, DAVP Director General G Mohanty, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, Director General (Media and Communications) Neelam Kapoor, and All India Radio Director General L D Mandloi.

    AIR News Services Division Director General Archana Datta said there will be three updates everyday. She clarified this would not replace the news on phone which people would continue to get.

    People willing to subscribe to the service can SMS “AIRNEWS <space> their name” to 08082080820. They can also give a missed call to 08082080820 to subscribe to the service. So far 200,000 people have subscribed to the service.

    Anurag Srivastava, Joint Secretary in charge of New Media said the digital platform is both in English and Hindi with creatives in 11 regional languages. The portal enables the user to get information about the Bharat Nirman and the Flagship schemes at a single place. There were six tabs on the home page on certain schemes like Aadhar card, Food Security, Real Estate, Street Vendors, Direct Benefit Transfer, and land acquisition.

    It also has live integration with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The portal has apps for mobiles and tablets to provide easy reading. The website is available at www.bharat-nirman.in.

    The first phase of Bharat Nirman was launched in May and the second phase in August. The 360 degree communication approach used all formats of media such a TV, radio, print, outdoor publicity and special outreach programmes.

    A total of 9.7 lakh spots were screened in the two phases over 8,231 empanelled digital screens in theatres.

    A total of 27,870 advertorials were carried across about 1,450 newspapers including 9,000 strip ads.

    Outdoor displays for the Bharat Nirman in the two phases were put up at 7,715 sites.

    The multi media campaign was supported by a strong media outreach programme through eight Public Information Campaigns (PICs) in rural areas conducted by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) with support from the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), the Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP) and the Song and Drama Division. So far, four PICs have been supported by the ‘Jamunia’ Sound and Light Show.

    The Song and Drama Division is also developing a new production taking forward the theme of ‘Priya Power’ which is scheduled to be launched in mid-September at the Red Fort grounds, New Delhi.

    In addition, Prasar Bharati conceptualised different programmes such as serials, interviews of eminent personalities and success stories/achievements of flagship schemes. Doordarshan has been airing a serial named Poorva Suhani Aaye Re every Wednesday and Thursday at 10.00 pm and All India Radio has come up with a serial named “Priya”.

    The Minister said a scientific approach has been undertaken to monitor and evaluate the Bharat Nirman Media Campaign.

    Later asked about the Indian Shining campaign of the previous government, he said the Bharat Nirman campaign was not linked to elections as it had commenced as early as 2007. India Shining on the other hand was a shoddy attempt on the eve of the polls, he said.

    He said that while new media was a highly empowering tool, it had to be ensured that it was developed with certain responsibility.

    He said the Press Council of India had been asked to go into measures that can be taken to ensure the safety of mediapersons.

  • 14 more regional TV channels soon

    14 more regional TV channels soon

    KOLKATA: At a time when sections of both national and regional media are shutting shop or laying off staff as cost-cutting measures, former minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the PV Narsimharao government and senior Congress leader of Assam, Matang Singh, has plans to launch as many as 14 regional channels pan-India.

    Singh already owns television channels including NE TV, Focus TV, NE Bangla, NE Hi Fi, Hamar TV, HY TV and Radio Oo la la, and controls them through holding companies like Positiv Television and Positiv Radio.

    A highly-placed industry source said, “Singh plans to launch regional television channels in a big way soon.” The source hinted that Naveen Jindal, MP from Kurukshetra, Haryana, and chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, was likely to be part financier on this ambitious project.

    While Singh did not respond to repeated queries by this correspondent, a media manager revealed, “Though the existing channels have a huge reach in the north eastern region, they are not doing well.”

    Meanwhile, there have been reports that Jindal may also buy a majority stake in Assam’s NE TV, which is one of the north east’s leading channels run by Singh through his family and associates. Indiantelevision.com has also learnt that NE Bangla, the 24×7 Bengali news channel owned by Singh, has appointed Biswa Majumdar as editor-in-chief. Before taking on this assignment, Majumdar was at the helm of the channel’s Kolkata TV operations and affairs. Apparently, the search is on for a big studio for NE Bangla at EM Bypass. A company official on condition of anonymity revealed the venue to be near Science City.
    While a cross-section of the media may have been adversely impacted by the ongoing economic slowdown, media analysts predict that the next five to six months will see a spate of news channels mushrooming across the country, what with companies betting big on them thanks to the impending Lok Sabha elections.

  • From Russia with love

    From Russia with love

    MUMBAI: As the second largest television market in the world which is only expanding with each passing year, India has witnessed a steady inflow of international channels in recent times.

    As purveyor of all things TV, indiantelevision.com, today kicks-off a brand new series which profiles all such channels aiming to bring a more global, all-round perspective to Indian drawing rooms.

    We debut with the Russian news channel Russia Today (RT), which arrived on Indian shores in 2009, courtesy a deal with GlobeCast.

    The first channel to report live from the North Pole, RT’s maiden broadcast was on 10 December 2005. Two years later, its Arabic counterpart Rusiya Al-Yaum was launched. Following suit were: RT en Espanol (Spanish) in 2009, RT America in 2010 and RT Documentary in 2011.

    Having made its mark internationally, RT proceeded to test Indian waters in 2009 as part of its endeavour to expand its Asian footprint.

    Back then, it was available for viewing in around seven million homes. Today, it boasts a reach of 60 million subscribers with a viewership of about 300 million.

    Three satellites carry RT for viewers in India: Measat 3a, Insat 4B and AsiaSat 3S. Denizens of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad can watch RT on their cable network and major satellite platforms across the rest of the country.
        
    On the day it was launched, RT was available for viewing only on WWIL, Dish Hits, InCable, 7 Star (cable operators), Big TV and Sun Direct DTH platforms.

    Today, it is also available on InCable Net, Hathway (cable operators), Dish TV, DD Direct Plus and Airtel DTH.

    However, it is highly unlikely that RT is making any money out of its distribution in the country. In fact it is highly probably that it is digging deep into its pockets to pay carriage fees to the cable and DTH operators. “In the case of DD Direct Plus it could be paying anywhere between Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.5 crore as carriage fees per year while on private DTH operators it could go up to Rs 5 crore per annum,” says a senior media consultant.

    With a tagline that reads ‘Question More’, who does RT cater to in India? While the country is home to a sizeable Russian population – either expats or regular tourists, RT claims it does not necessarily cater to the Russian diaspora but to ‘anybody who can speak English’.

    What do viewers get to watch on RT? Says RT MD Alexey Nikolov: “RT covers major international stories and significant regional developments in politics, society and finance for viewers of all backgrounds and nationalities.”

    Regular RT viewers observe that the channel discusses all major political issues and current affairs, albeit with a Russian perspective. While the news caters to a global audience, there’s some amount of India-specific content too. Of late, the coverage has included the Delhi gang rape, India being awarded permanent observer status in the Arctic Council, defence contracts with Russia, Indo-China military cooperation and potential expansion of major foreign multi-brand retailers in India.

    More specifically, some of the popular shows on RT include ‘Cross Talk’, ‘The Kieser Report’, ‘Breaking the Set’, ‘The Big Picture’ and ‘Larry King Live’ hosted by Larry King who switched from CNN to RT with this show. “What makes RT stand out among other news channels is that we cover stories that most other media outlets either ignore or dismiss, or on which, they provide a one-sided take,” exults Nikolov.

    As things stand, RT does not have any bureau in India to cover news from here. While it works with a number of stringers across the country, when asked, it was unwilling to share the exact number with indiantelevision.com.

    However, in April this year, RT did launch their own video news agency named Ruptly, which works with various stringers and videographers across the globe. Earlier on, the channel also had a dedicated correspondent named Priya Sridhar, who would report about happenings in India. She has now moved on.

    A huge list of hotels show RT on their screens, including the Taj Mahal, The Leela, Hyatt, Marriot, The Lalit and others. Hotels are keen to carry international channels because of the diverse visitors they attract from foreign countries. Although it is available in HD (high definition), as of now, it is limited to the SD format.

    On Airtel DTH (Direct to Home), RT is available a la carte for Rs 5 while on Big TV, the rate is Rs 20. Sun DTH and Dish TV air the channel only in packs, along with other English news channels, while DD Direct Plus is the only channel which offers it free.

  • Other newspapers cannot be forced to give names of rival newspapers or channels

    Other newspapers cannot be forced to give names of rival newspapers or channels

    NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is of the view that Print and Electronic Media cannot be forced to take specific names of other newspapers and news channels they refer to in their news.

    This has been stated by the Ministry in a letter to social activist Nutan Thakur who had made certain representations in this regard in the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court.

    The Ministry said that Chairman of the Press Council is of the view that as per section 7 of the Press and Registration of Books Act 1867, the editor is the sole authority to decide the contents. Hence, it does not deem fit to lay rules making it mandatory to state the names of other newspapers being referred to and this decision shall be left to the Editor.
    As regards need to keep record of their newspapers for a definite period, the Ministry said under section 25(1) of the proposed Press and Registration of Books and Publications Bill, there is a provision to deliver a copy of the newspaper as and when demanded by the Press Registrar General.

  • No more extensions on CAFs, expect phased switch-offs

    No more extensions on CAFs, expect phased switch-offs

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has put its foot down this time on the issue of non collection of customer application forms (CAFs). The decision taken by the regulator is: no more extensions for CAFs in the DAS areas of Mumbai and New Delhi.

    As is known, the meeting between TRAI and leading MSOs was scheduled today. And Indiantelevision.com learns that the regulator has mandated the switch-off of all the non-complying customers.

    “We will be complying with the law of the land” says Hathway Cable CEO Jagdish Kumar. “Starting tomorrow we plan to downgrade all those subscribers who haven‘t submitted the forms. We will only be providing them with free-to-air channels till 15 July and post that we will be disconnecting those who don‘t send in their forms even after that warning completely by switching off their service.”

    The cat and mouse game between the regulator and leading MSOs has finally come to an end. The final decision is: no slack from the local cable operators and customers would be entertained anymore. There is a grace period of five days that the LCOs have to make the final round of collections, post which the switch-offs would commence.

    DEN Networks COO MG Azhar says: “We have collected 86 per cent CAFs in Delhi, but starting tomorrow we will be downgrading the non-complying customers to base packs.”

    The phased switch-offs begin from tomorrow. Apparently, digitisation‘s progress cannot be stalled any further.

  • Dish TV adds Star India’s five HD channels to its bouquet

    Dish TV adds Star India’s five HD channels to its bouquet

    MUMBAI: Dish TV Monday said it has added five new HD channels from Star India bouquet comprising Star Plus HD, Star Gold HD, Star World HD, Star Movies HD, and Life OK HD effective 8 April.

    Star bouquet of HD channels will be included and made available in all existing HD packages starting from Rs. 399. With this addition Dish TV now boasts of 25 HD channels and 17 HD services.

    Speaking on the occasion, Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor said, “We are excited to add the most anticipated Star channels bouquet in HD and give our customers a viewing experience that is incredibly lifelike. We recognise that our customers have already been enjoying many of their favorite programmes in HD, and I‘m delighted that we can now broaden their choice with maximum 25 HD channels and 17 HD services.”