ITV

Tag: CMT

  • Birlasoft appoints Manjunath Kygonahally as CEO for ROW region

    Birlasoft appoints Manjunath Kygonahally as CEO for ROW region

    Mumbai: Birlasoft Ltd, part of the Rs 2.9 billion diversified C.K. Birla Group, announced the appointment of Manjunath Kygonahally (Manju) as chief executive officer (CEO) for Rest of the World (ROW) region, effective 2 January 2024. He will be based in the UK.

    Manju would be responsible for all business and strategic growth initiatives in the ROW region, comprising all regions outside of the Americas. Manju is a seasoned services industry professional with diversified industry expertise spanning market strategy, business development, service delivery, and operations. With a strong foundation in P&L and client relationship management, Manju has adeptly built high performing teams, demonstrating a proven track record across the United States, United Kingdom & Ireland, and Europe.

    Commenting on Manju’s appointment Birlasoft CEO and managing director Angan Guha said, “On behalf of the board of directors and the entire Birlasoft family, I extend a warm welcome to Manju. He possesses an exceptional leadership record, a unique knack for fostering lasting client relationships, and has successfully guided large-scale digital transformation programs. We are on a positive growth trajectory and well-positioned to continue building on our strong momentum. I am certain that Manju’s addition to our leadership team will further reinforce Birlasoft’s commitment to be bold, agile and ambitious and drive our next phase of growth.”

    In his previous role, Manju was leading the communications, media & entertainment (CMT) business for Cognizant’s Global Growth Markets based out of London. Over his twenty-five-year tenure, he held multiple leadership positions, where he conceptualised and spearheaded numerous strategic programs across various business units.

  • ViacomCBS and Google announce expanded distribution agreement

    ViacomCBS and Google announce expanded distribution agreement

    MUMBAI: ViacomCBS and Google have announced a comprehensive, multi-year distribution agreement to deliver more content from ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of news, entertainment and sports networks for YouTube TV subscribers. In addition to featuring continued carriage of CBS broadcast stations, CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and The CW, the expanded agreement introduces 14 ViacomCBS channels to the live TV and on-demand subscription service.

    BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1 will launch on YouTube TV this summer, providing more than two million subscribers with access to some of the most popular cable brands. BET Her, MTV2, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic will also launch on YouTube TV at a later date.

    The deal also includes a continued commitment to distribute ViacomCBS’ premium subscription services, including SHOWTIME, on YouTube TV, as well as an extended partnership on the broader YouTube platforms.

    “We are thrilled to have reached an expanded agreement with YouTube TV that recognizes the full power of our newly combined portfolio as ViacomCBS,” said Ray Hopkins, president, US Networks Distribution, ViacomCBS. “Google has been an excellent partner, and we look forward to bringing even more of our entertainment networks to YouTube TV subscribers for the first time.”

    "We're excited to launch ViacomCBS' portfolio on YouTube TV this summer, " said Lori Conkling, global head of partnerships at YouTube TV. "Our expanded partnership delivers on our promise to offer a premium portfolio of content to our YouTube TV subscribers, as well as across the YouTube platforms."

     YouTube TV is a subscription streaming service that lets you watch live and on-demand TV from 70+ top networks through a simple and award-winning experience. It offers live & local sports, news, shows, movies, and more, and can be watched on any screen (phone, tablet, TV, computer). Membership comes with free unlimited cloud DVR storage space to record all your favourites, personalized watch recommendations, and a family plan with 6 accounts per household so the whole family can enjoy.

    Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

  • Viacom expands Zaldivar-Clark’s role as Paramount SVP – talent

    Viacom expands Zaldivar-Clark’s role as Paramount SVP – talent

    MUMBAI: Viacom Inc. has announced the appointment of Jennifer Zaldivar-Clark as the senior vice president of talent for Paramount Network.

    In this expanded role, Zaldivar-Clark will oversee Paramount Network’s newly formed talent function and will continue to serve as the SVP of Talent and Communications at TV Land. She will report to Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT, with a dotted line to Frank Tanki, general manager of TV Land.

    “Jen has an innate ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with talent and the creative community,” said Kay. “She has significantly elevated the TV Land brand and expanded its footprint across the entertainment business in new and creative ways. Jen’s leadership will be instrumental to the success of Paramount Network as a premier destination for top-tier talent across the industry.”

    The responsibilities of Zaldivar-Clark, who earned a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies from Boston College, as the lead talent and communications executive for TV Land include overseeing talent relations for the brand as well as booking and event strategy. Additionally, she guides communications for TV Land’s scripted programming, and leads a bi-coastal team to develop and execute national publicity campaigns for its hit original series “Younger,” “Teachers,” and “Nobodies.”

    She is also responsible for advancing the brand’s corporate communications strategy as it continues to expand its reach and attract new audiences during a period of transformation.

  • GRB Entertainment brings new entertainment shows, docus to MIPCOM

    GRB Entertainment brings new entertainment shows, docus to MIPCOM

    MUMBAI: LA-based distribution and production company, GRB Entertainment will taking a host of new shows to MIPCOM 2015, including several factual entertainment programs, reality series, and documentaries.

     

    Produced for CMT, the show Angel Among Us follows the incredible stories of people who believe they were saved by angels from tragedies like car crashes and terrorist attacks.

     

    Another show FBI Takedowns, produced for Discovery Networks, takes viewers along for thrilling manhunts as FBI agents track the world’s most wanted criminals. On the other hand, Ain’t That America produced for MTV2 will feature rapper/comedian Lil Duval exploring the most outrageous viral videos showing how dangerous and stupid people can get.

     

    Go behind-the-scenes of New York’s #1 radio station on This is Hot 97, with guests Kanye West, Macklemore, Rick Ross and Waleamongst others has been produced for VH1. Another show produced for CMT is My Big Redneck Family, which follows America’s favourite redneck family and their everyday shenanigans and parenting misadventures.  

     

    MANswers is a comedic late-night series that answers the burning questions men have been dying to ask, but never felt comfortable asking their friends. The show has been produced for Spike.

     

    GRB Entertainment international distribution SVP Mike Lolato said, “GRB pushes the envelope when it comes to factual entertainment and our MIPCOM slate demonstrates our catalog’s diverse mix. We are pleased to offer programs highlighting everything from angels to rednecks, from music to football, from crazy Americans doing dangerous stunts to thrilling FBI manhunts and much more. GRB’s new shows have earned great ratings in the US and are sure to please audiences around the world.”

     

    Apart from these series, GRB is also bringing two new documentaries to MIPCOM. From Morgan Spurlock, the producer of Super Size Me, comes Meet The Hitlers exploring the question – what if you had the most notorious name in the world? This documentary examines the relationship between a person’s name and their identity by exploring the lives of people who are linked by the name Hitler.

     

    All Eyes on Brazil is a unique documentary covering the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and how the event dramatically impacted cities around World Cup host country Brazil.

  • Viacom launches ‘Vantage’ ad sales data product

    Viacom launches ‘Vantage’ ad sales data product

    MUMBAI: Viacom has launched an innovative, data-driven ad product called Viacom Vantage that enables advertisers to reach their custom targets at the program level across the Viacom Media Networks portfolio.

     

    The new approach transforms traditional media planning and offers advertisers more choice, more flexibility and increased accountability. Through a combination of enhanced consumer targeting and a deep understanding of how various audience segments consume content across our platforms, Viacom Vantage predicts, which content will perform the best for our clients across MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Nickelodeon, CMT, Spike, TV Land and Logo.

     

    “Our guiding principle is to offer best-in-class and client-centered products for our advertising partners. Viacom Vantage is our latest cutting edge product to deliver on that promise by enabling our clients to close the gap between how they define their true segments and where their messages can work best in reaching that audience on our shows,” said Viacom Media Networks head of sales Jeff Lucas.

     

    Developed in-house over a year ago, Viacom Vantage’s beta version was successfully piloted with a select group of national partners including Horizon Media. Viacom Vantage offered each of these clients deep data integrations, customized capabilities and took on operational and inventory management efforts to drive unique media plans and help set new industry standards.

     

    “When Viacom came to us with this new ad solution, we recognized immediately it was a novel approach that could greatly build upon the effectiveness of our client’s investment. The results far exceeded our expectations by directly identifying and reaching our targeted consumers and providing us with precisely the right programming that would generate the highest return,” said Horizon Media senior vice president, director of national television Dave Campanelli.

     

    Now in its second year and available at scale to clients, Viacom Vantage is the result of years of strategic investment in data, proprietary research and ongoing optimization to build out new predictive models. It goes far beyond the traditional age and gender demographics and provides the capability to integrate attitudinal and behavioral segments with other off-the-shelf segments by using a unique algorithm that is custom fit to each advertiser’s goals.

     

    “Our holistic and highly customizable approach to data is far ahead of the industry curve and leverages the unparalleled social and digital reach of our programming to help unlock insights into the commercial and digital behaviors of our audiences. By effectively merging our expansive data footprint with syndicated research, we can continuously optimize media plans to integrate our advertisers’ messaging on the exact right shows at the exact right time,” added Viacom Media Networks executive vice president, data strategy and consumer intelligence Kern Schireson.

  • 22 Viacom channels now on Sony web TV

    22 Viacom channels now on Sony web TV

    MUMBAI: Viacom has announced a deal with Sony to make 22 of its channels including Comedy Central and MTV, available for Sony’s forthcoming over-the-top (OTT) TV service in US.

     

    The Viacom channels will be available when the new service launches, the company said in a statement. Customers also will have access to on-demand programming from Viacom.

     

    It is the first time Viacom has agreed to provide its channels for an internet-based live TV and video on demand service, the company added.

     

    Confirming the collaboration, Sony Corporation Network Entertainment Business’ group executive Andrew House said, “Viacom’s award-winning channels are a perfect match for our new service, ensuring that our customers will be able to access the shows they love on their favourite devices, when and how they choose.”

     

    “Our new cloud-based TV service will combine the live TV content people love most about cable with the dynamic experience they have come to expect from our network,” he added.

     

    Scheduled to start later this year, the service is expected to bring live TV and on-demand programming to Sony’s network of 75 million internet-enabled Sony devices in US, including PlayStation game consoles and web-connected televisions.

     

    Excited about the new alliance, Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said, “Given our young, tech-savvy audiences, our networks are essential for any new distribution platform, and we’re excited to be among the many programmers that will help power Sony’s new service and advance a new era for television.”

     

    The new Sony service will give people the ability to watch shows like Spongebob Squarepants and The Daily Show without a cable subscription. Viewers will be able to access the service through Sony’s PlayStation video game console or through mobile devices like the iPad. Users will have access to live streams as well as archived shows.

     

    The 22 Viacom linear networks includes BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, Spike, TV Land and VH1, BET Gospel, Centric, Logo, CMT Pure Country, MTV Hits, MTV James, mtvU, Palladia, TeenNick, Vh1 Classic and Vh1 Soul and all available HD.

     

    Beyond Viacom, the service is expected to include content from other major network groups. According to media reports, Sony has held talks with Discovery Communications, Time Warner and Starz, among others, about including their networks in the new service.

  • Viacom partners with online global TV distribution platform Joost

    Viacom partners with online global TV distribution platform Joost

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom and broadcast-quality Internet television service Joost have announced that Viacom will be a key content partner.

    It will offer a range of brands and programming for free to consumers on the Joost distribution platform.

    Under the agreement, Viacom’s divisions – MTV, Bet and Paramount Pictures – will provide television and theatrical programming on the Joost platform. Founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis who were behind Skype, Joost is powered by an Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Joost will allow users to have free access to thousands of programs and channels not readily available on the Web. Through Joost, viewers can watch programming from many of Viacom’s brands on their computers through a customizable platform with advanced television viewing features such as links that lead to more information or related websites based on the content; and a variety of plug-in applications, such as instant messaging, message boards, and news tickers.

    Currently available in limited beta, Joost combines TV and the internet by offering viewers a TV-like experience. Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment, according to an official release.

    MTV will offer shows, both past and present, including Laguna Beach, Beavis and Butthead, Real World. Comedy Central will feature episodes from Stella, CCP’s and Freak Show. Nickelodeon, CMT: Country Music Television, MTV2, Logo, Spike TV, mtvU, and Gametrailers.com will also provide content.

    VH1’s offerings will include episodes of Flavour of Love, Surreal Life and I Love New York.

  • MTV Networks’ Music & Logo Group launches ‘hyper-programmed’ online verticals

    MTV Networks’ Music & Logo Group launches ‘hyper-programmed’ online verticals

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks’ Music and Logo Group have announced an aggressive development of more than 20 “hyper-programmed” online experiences or vertical channels, that are web content plays designed for the interactive, on-demand environment.

    The channels, many of which have been in development for months, will debut in the first and second quarters of 2007 and will enable their users to explore and engage in their personal interests, obsessions and topics of choice by covering a range of subjects including: music genres and sub- genres, celebrity fashion and style, personal growth and faith and spirituality, among others, informs an official release.

    Delivering on a two-way proposition, audiences will be able to actively “hyper-program” a number of these vertical channels themselves through next- generation web tools that allow users to help discover, curate, edit and upload content. MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo will seek to acquire, partner on or organically develop the properties, depending on the topic.

    A number of verticals under development will serve as companion sites to existing popular television franchises and focus on relevant topics that resonate with their fans. For instance, a vertical built around VH1’s “Web Junk 20” is geared toward serving as a guide and daily source of viral videos, while others will be stand-alone creative propositions, without television companions, informs an official release.

    Earlier this year, as an experiment in this direction, VH1 launched a stand-alone site bestweekever.tv. As a companion vertical to the popular “Best Week Ever” TV franchise, this new site offers a selection of pop culture nuggets and includes a host of exclusive mobile and video content in real-time. The site also allows users to create their own front page gossip by uploading their own video and news.

    Similarly, this past fall, MTV launched ‘Virtual Laguna Beach’, an entirely stand-alone virtual world tied to the TV series, and a first of its kind. Additionally, in June Logo acquired three stand-alone sites, AfterEllen.com, AfterElton.com and 365Gay.com independently complimenting Logoonline.com and serving the gay, lesbian bi and transgender audience, adds the release.

    “These serve as successful models for a new interactive, hyper-programming approach and represent the next phase in the evolution of media for consumers, from broadcast networks to cable channels and now to hyper-programmed verticals,” said MTV Networks’ Music and Logo Group president Van Toffler. “Just as MTV networks blazed new territory by establishing linear cable networks built around specific interests and lifestyles, we are now developing new online experiences around niche topics that resonate with our current audiences, as well as those subversive web surfers.”

    “These verticals can be viewed as ‘front doors’ into the wide spectrum of passionate and specific interests that reflect our audiences’ tastes and desires,” added Entertainment for the MTV Networks Music Group president and Logo president of Brian Graden. “Each project gives us a unique and liberating opportunity to indulge the unique aspects of Web 2.0 technology in an effort to do what we’ve always done well, super-serve niche audiences.”

  • MTV US president Van Toffler highlights the importance of short form videos during CTIA keynote

    MTV US president Van Toffler highlights the importance of short form videos during CTIA keynote

    MUMBAI: In his keynote address at the CTIA Wireless 2006 event in the US, MTV Music Group president Van Toffler highlighted the appeal of short-form video from the MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo and Spike TV brands on the wireless platform.

    He described the mobile platform as a rich, creative medium for new and emerging talent to connect with and cultivate new audiences.

    To underscore that point, Toffler welcomed recording artist LL Cool J, to the stage. LL offered an advance look at an upcoming episode of MTV’s Life & Rhymes, which chronicles his life as an artist and is set to debut tonight 10 April on MTV, MTV’s broadband channel Overdrive and on MTV Mobile.

    Toffler noted that audiences have increasingly embraced MTV Networks’ diverse array of mobile programming. Last month MTV Networks streamed nearly 2.5 million videos cross-carrier, an all-time high, Toffler reported, adding that the number is growing by nearly 40 per cent month-to-month for the first three months of 2006.

    He says, “Our audience is responding in droves to our mobile programming. They have a personal relationship with our brands and they increasingly want to consume our content on the handset, the new ‘holy grail’ of electronic
    devices.”

    LL Cool J echoed that sentiment saying, “The mobile phone helps me establish closer ties with my fans, connect with new ones and hopefully inspire everyone I touch through my music. The cell phone — which has become
    the accessory for today’s young adults — is one way that helps me reach them.”

    Among the varied types of mobile programming driving audience consumption are music videos, comedy segments, user-generated content, scenes from television shows, ‘after shows’ developed exclusively for mobile, never-
    before-seen outtakes, and short art breaks, also known as “sharts,” featuring animated and live-action segments.

    In many respects, the burgeoning mobile
    platform is a return to MTV Networks’ early roots, when MTV gained significant
    notoriety for the five- and 15-second art breaks created by brilliant, young talent and which lived between the music videos. For the MTVN Music Group, which encompasses the CMT, MTV and VH1 brands, three types of programming — extensions of on-air franchises; made-for-mobile episodes; and music — are all performing well on the mobile platform.

    Extensions of On-air Franchises
    VH1’s Flavour of Love, the most successful show in that channel’s history, was also the most popular VH1 Mobile content in February
    and March.
    — Web Junk 20 also on VH1 and VH1 Mobile, ushered in the user-generated era to TV and simultaneously to mobile phones.

    — MTV will showcase a 20-year-old college student’s visual interpretation using stick figures based on the lyrics of Fall Out
    Boy’s Sugar We’re Going Down, representing original user-generated content.
    — VH1 is debuting Dingo Ate My Video, a made-for-mobile series that combines VH1’s comedic voice with music videos from a wide
    range of artists, including Green Day, Missy Elliot, Jewel and others.
    — Country Music Television soon will debut a made-for-mobile reality series called Road Hammers about a southern rock/blues band trying to make it in the music business.

    MTV adds that labels and artists like LL Cool J increasingly are embracing the mobile platform to connect with fans and institute new marketing paradigms.
    The Arctic Monkey’s new video I Bet You Look Good on the Dance floor made its debut on: mtvU, MTV’s network for college students; mtvU’s Uber broadband network; mtvU.com and mtvU wireless.

    The approach mirrored a similar one taken by VH1 last year, which debuted Te Amo Corazon, the new Prince single, on VH1, VH1’s
    VSPOT broadband channel, and VH1 Mobile. The Prince debut marked the world’s first-ever multimedia, multiplatform worldwide
    exclusive premiere.
    — Prior to releasing her latest single and album, Madonna distributed an exclusive ringtone for Hung Upon MTV Mobile and VH1 Mobile.

    Spike TV is delivering the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s ‘Ultimate Fight Night(TM) Live’ to Amp’d Mobile subscribers tonight.
    This represents the first time the live sporting event is being simulcast to both mobile devices and to television subscribers.

    “The wireless platform is as important to us as television and computer screens. As soon as we start developing a new concept, we think beyond the television. We think of how that idea can live on broadband and mobile” Toffler says.