ITV

Tag: CNN

  • Apple TV gets Disney Channels app, Microsofts Xbox offers Time Warner Cable

    Apple TV gets Disney Channels app, Microsofts Xbox offers Time Warner Cable

    MUMBAI: Apple and Microsoft have added new channels to their streaming video devices that boost their available content. It’s a step forward for both gadgets but doesn’t break the a la carte wall just yet. Apple TV was upgraded to include apps for Disney channels – pay TV subscription required – Vevo and the Weather Channel, while Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console added a subscription-contingent Time Warner Cable app. The latter offers access to 300 TV channels including CNN, AMC and Comedy Central.
        

    Blair Westlake, corporate VP of Microsoft’s media and entertainment group, told the Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog that his company had considered licensing channels directly from media companies to create a service similar to the kinds of online cable TV products planned by Intel and Sony. “We looked at it and said if we can deliver an app or apps like the one we are lighting up today” with Time Warner Cable, that’s “really what people expect.”

  • Cox launches cable TV app for iPad that learns what users like to watch

    Cox launches cable TV app for iPad that learns what users like to watch

    MUMBAI: Cable companies have been rolling out their own apps for years now.

    But Cox Communications’ new Contour experience, which incorporates a tablet app, aims to go beyond the usual offerings with a suggestion engine that learns what you like to watch, viewer profiles for up to eight people and the ability to watch different channels on the tablet and television.

    Cox director product marketing Bruce Berkinshaw said the company didn’t construct Contour to fit its own notions of how to surf cable channels. Instead, the app was designed around how customers want to use it.

    Support for other tablets is expected by the end of the year.

    Cox Communications unveiled Contour earlier this month nationwide, and the app was downloaded more than 10,000 times in the first week.

    The app, which is designed to work on the same network as the DVR, works by overlaying a transparent menu over a live feed of a preview channel.

     
    The main menu offers access to on-demand content, links to channel-based apps like CNN or ESPN and a selection of suggested channels based on the preferences and viewing habits of the person using the Contour app.

    Users can search for shows using a traditional program grid, a keyword search or a scrolling list of channels near the current preview channel. Tapping on a program will instantly bring up more information about it as well as the options to record it on the DVR or add it to a watch list.

    The currently playing channel on the app can even be changed like a traditional remote control by swiping up or down. When the user is ready, the app can change the TV’s channel to match the channel on the tablet.

    The new DVRs can record up to six shows at once and have two terabytes of storage, or 1,000 hours of programming. Berkinshaw said the DVRs can be networked, allowing customers with two networked DVRs to record up to 12 channels at once.

  • Dilip Venkatraman bids adieu to TV18, to pursue entrepreneurial interests

    Dilip Venkatraman bids adieu to TV18, to pursue entrepreneurial interests

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN and IBN7 CEO N. Dilip Venkatraman has decided to move on from his role in order to pursue his entrepreneurial interests. During his eight year stint, Venkatraman managed a variety of mandates on the general news side of the group. Prior to his current role, he led marketing operations for CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat and also managed IBN Focus, the customised media solutions unit for these news channels.

     

    Apart from his leadership role in building CNN-IBN into one of the country’s most reputed news brands, Venkatraman is well-known for conceptualising benchmark properties at the IBN News Network. Network18 COO Ajay Chacko will oversee the operations of the IBN News Network in the interim.

     

    Speaking on this development, Network18 group CEO B. Sai Kumar said “Dilip has played a pivotal role in building our general news network, right from the outset. Today, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat are benchmark brands in the general news space and Dilip has contributed significantly to laying such a strong foundation for the future. We thank him for his invaluable contribution and commitment to the group.”

     

    Commenting on this, IBN News Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai added “Dilip’s passion and leadership has been instrumental in making the IBN News Network into one of the most trusted news voices in the country today. He has been a great colleague and we wish him the very best for his future endeavors.”

     

    N. Dilip Venkatraman added “The past few years have been one of the most fulfilling and exciting phases of my professional career. I’m thankful to all my colleagues who have been a part of this enriching journey and I now look forward to taking on newer challenges.”

     

    Venkatraman has over two decades of corporate experience and prior to joining TV18, he held leadership positions at the India Today Group and Zee Network. Venkatraman is a graduate in public administration and holds management qualifications from IIM Bangalore and Harvard Business School.

  • Now Steve Marcopoto to go from Turner International APac

    Now Steve Marcopoto to go from Turner International APac

    MUMBAI: Management change are continuing at Turner International Asia Pacific as the Time Warner company tries to stay relevant and fit in the slowing and strongly localising Asia-Pacific region. After a massive bunch of layoffs earlier this year, Turner made another announcement which some are coining as the end of an era. It announced that the man who steered its fortunes just a few years after the broadcasting skies opened up in Asia will be stepping down. We are talking about Turner International president and managing director Steve Marcopoto, who has decided not to continue with his charge when his contract expires in December. Steve will, however, continue to work with Turner in a consultative capacity as a senior advisor to Turner International President Gerhard Zeiler.

     

    Turner announced that a successor will be announced in due course.

     

    Says Zeller: “I thank Steve for his outstanding achievements in his 15 years with Turner Broadcasting. Steve has guided Turner Asia Pacific through a period of rapid change. Under his exceptional leadership Turner went from broadcasting two networks in the region to 36 channels today along with a vast variety of digital and off-channel commerce activities. In an increasingly competitive environment, he has maintained our leadership position in news and kids channels, forged entry into new territories and built great partnerships.”

     

    Adds Steve Marcopoto in a release issued by Turner: “Turner is poised for a great run and now is the best moment for the company to put a fresh set of hands in charge. I am very proud of the growth of our business while I’ve had the privilege of holding this role. I want to deeply thank each member on the team that has made all this happen while maintaining a high-spirited culture of collaboration, innovation and optimism. It feels right to initiate the handover now as I complete 15 years in this job, and I intend to hand over Turner Asia Pacific to my successor in an optimal state.”

     

    Since taking the helm as president and managing director in 1998, Steve Marcopoto has overseen the growth of the business in Asia Pacific from the first linear, pan-regional TV channel to a multimedia, multi-language, multi-territory enterprise creating award-winning programmes. Under his leadership, Turner broadcasts 36 channels in 11 languages in 40 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region. This includes CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Pogo, TCM Turner Classic Movies, Tabi Channel, MondoTV, WB, QTV and truTV.

  • CNN Intl unveils product integration concept with Samsung Mobile

    CNN Intl unveils product integration concept with Samsung Mobile

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN International has created a series of integrated sponsorship billboards for Samsung Mobile that showcases its new Galaxy Note 8.0 around the network‘s ‘News Stream‘ programme, which is sponsored in Asia by the long-time CNN client Samsung Mobile.

    The new product integration concept, a first for the network, debuted on 27 May 2013 in the hour-long news programme broadcast every weekday to millions of households around the world. ‘News Stream‘ with anchor Kristie Lu Stout airs on weekdays at 5.30 pm.

    Anchored from Hong Kong by the show is powered by the smart use of technology to give viewers a better understanding of the world. The Samsung-sponsored billboards are approximately 10 seconds in length and bookend the programme. In collaboration with Samsung Mobile, they were conceptualised and executed by CNN Ad Sales‘ in-house creative production unit, Turner Commercial Productions.

    CNN International Asia Pacific News Advertising Sales VP William Hsu said, “This new campaign delivers Samsung Mobile a significant branded presence alongside CNN‘s award-winning content. Samsung Mobile has partnered with us for more than a decade and we‘re delighted to further extend our relationship with them through this exciting and innovative new campaign.”

    Samsung Electronics executive VP of the mobile communication division Young Hee Lee said, “This campaign really strengthens our on-going relationship with CNN and, as the leading news network across the globe, it is the perfect brand with which to align our message. ‘News Stream‘ is the place where news and technology meet, and its billboards provide the ideal packaging to present Samsung‘s cutting-edge Galaxy Note 8.0 to an audience of tech-savvy viewers.”

  • BuzzFeed, CNN to launch a news video channel for millennials

    BuzzFeed, CNN to launch a news video channel for millennials

    MUMBAI: BuzzFeed has announced plans to invest in and expand its video operations and build a social video studio, designed to create news and entertainment video content exclusively for YouTube. Led by BuzzFeed executive VP of video Ze Frank, the video team will apply the same types of strategies that have made BuzzFeed a hub for some of the internet‘s most viral content to create shareable video content for a video-driven generation.

    BuzzFeed president and COO Jon Steinberg said, “There has been a massive cultural shift in how people – particularly young people – consume news and entertainment and Ze and his team are tapping into the next generation of video production and consumption.

    “Over 70 per cent of BuzzFeed‘s traffic is social, almost half is mobile, and we are seeing these huge shifts earlier than others because the majority of our readers are 18-34. We are thrilled to partner with YouTube to bring a new generation of video content to a BuzzFeed audience that lives on social media and mobile phones”.

    YouTube director, global head of news content partnerships Jed Simmons said, “BuzzFeed has built a remarkably engaged audience and their YouTube channels are a testament to their understanding of news and entertainment. They have a very special way of telling a story.

    “BuzzFeed‘s decision to double down on their YouTube channels is incredibly exciting and we look forward to continuing to work together and helping them grown.”

    As part of its expansion initiative, BuzzFeed has partnered with CNN to launch the ‘CNN BuzzFeed‘ channel on YouTube. Powered by CNN‘s current and archival video footage, BuzzFeed will create unique mash-up news videos tailored for the social web. The content will appear on both CNN.com and the CNN/BuzzFeed YouTube channel. In addition, the two organisations will collaborate on original list posts that combine the strength of CNN‘s newsgathering and BuzzFeed‘s signature voice. The lists will be published to CNN.com starting today.

    CNN Digital senior VP KC Estenson said, “By pairing the journalistic strength and reach of the CNN brand with BuzzFeed‘s unique editorial approach and young audience, our partnership will enable both organisations to engage new audiences. It‘s the perfect modern day media collaboration.”

    BuzzFeed executive VP of video Ze Frank said, “From web video‘s infancy to a massive shift to mobile video viewing, the community and ecosystem of YouTube is at the heart of the social web. BuzzFeed‘s massive audience is hungry for new, interesting video formats, YouTube gets that better than anyone and we‘re elated to be working with them. CNN.com is one of the biggest, strongest news sites in the world. We are thrilled to work with their talented team and to tap into their incredible archive of footage as we try to crack original news video for the social web.”

  • Brian Grazer set to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from PromaxBDA

    Brian Grazer set to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from PromaxBDA

    MUMBAI: Oscar and Emmy award winning producer, Brian Grazer is set to receive the lifetime achievement trophy at PromaxBDA’s upcoming conference as reported exclusively by the Hollywood Reporter.

    Grazer will be given the award onstage during a conversation by Piers Morgan, host of CNN’s Piers Morgan Live.

    “From Splash to Arrested Development, Grazer is one of Hollywood‘s most prominent television producers and filmmakers and has consistently transformed the content landscape with his innovative films and series,” said PromaxBDA president and CEO Jonathan Block-Verk.

    As a writer and producer, Grazer has been nominated for four Academy awards and won the best picture for Oscar A Beautiful Mind in 2002. The movie also earned Grazer the inaugural Awareness Award from the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign.

    Grazer, a longtime partner with Ron Howard in Imagine Entertainment, has also won Emmys as executive producer of 24 (best drama series), Arrested Development (best comedy) and From the Earth to the Moon (best miniseries).

    Over the years, films and TV shows in which Grazer had been a part of was nominated for a total of 43 Oscars and 149 Emmys.

    "I’m honored to accept the 2013 PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award," Grazer said. "For the last three decades, I have been able to share my vision as a filmmaker and a producer while doing something that I truly love and for this I am grateful," he added.

  • StarHub launches IPTV on Fibre service

    StarHub launches IPTV on Fibre service

    MUMBAI: Singaporean pay TV operator StarHub TV commercial customers will get to enjoy a new TV viewing experience with the launch of StarHub TV on Fibre on 18 March.

    An Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) pay TV service, StarHub TV on Fibre offers businesses access to crystal clear high-definition content and over three times as many TV channels as the existing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV) platform. The service will be initially available only to commercial customers such as offices, restaurants and pubs.
     
    Delivered over the island-wide Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN), StarHub TV on Fibre will be able to reach current DTTV customers and beyond, effectively covering commercial customers all over Singapore. StarHub TV on Fibre customers will also enjoy prioritised, managed IPTV access as the service utilises discrete ports on the optical network terminal. With IPTV access independent of broadband activity, StarHub TV on Fibre promises a superior viewing experience in terms of picture quality, speed and navigation.

    StarHub VP of home solutions Lin Shu Fen said, “While DTTV has served our commercial customers well, we have capitalised on the NGNBN roll-out to provide an even better service to this segment of customers. StarHub TV on Fibre marks an important milestone in our pay TV business. Compared to DTTV, we can offer our commercial customers a significantly improved breadth and depth of content, delivered with the assurance of our trademark reliability.

    “We expect the new user interface to provide our customers with a smoother and seamless journey when interacting with the content. In addition, it will bring a new level of interactivity and personalisation to TV viewing with features such as Facebook profile integration and the ability to set unique user accounts. We will have over 100 TV channels at launch and we are constantly working with content providers to bring more channels to the service.”
     
    StarHub TV on Fibre commercial customers will have access to viewing options currently unavailable to DTTV customers. In addition to DTTV mainstays such as BBC World News, Bloomberg Television and CNN, new channels introduced include kids, entertainment, education and sports genres like Cartoon Network, Diva Universal, History and NBA TV; and high-definition options such as Fox HD, Sports HD, Discovery HD World, National Geographic Channel HD and Nat Geo Wild HD.

    Making use of IPTV‘s two-way network, StarHub TV on Fibre‘s interactive features include Facebook profile integration, user account log-ins, an aggregated user rating system and informative apps such as the Singapore Exchange, Yahoo! News and Weather which are especially useful to corporate clients.

  • Turner, NCTC reach deal

    Turner, NCTC reach deal

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Turner Broadcasting and NCTC have reached a long-term distribution agreement.

    The renewal grants NCTC members continued access to Turner‘s portfolio of networks including CNN, TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network. Financial terms were not disclosed.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Turner‘s portfolio of networks including CNN, HLN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), truTV, CNN International, CNN en Espa?ol and Boomerang will continue to be carried by NCTC‘s nearly 1,000 independent cable operator members across the US.

    As part of the deal, NCTC members will have rights to carry a myriad of entertainment, kids, news, sports and young adults programming, as well as on-demand content that is available across the Turner networks, including award-winning news and information from CNN, marquee sports programming such as the NBA and NCAA® Division I Men‘s Basketball Championship, TBS‘s ‘Conan‘ and TNT‘s ‘Rizzoli and Isles‘ and ‘Falling Skies‘ and Cartoon Network‘s ‘Regular Show‘ and ‘Adventure Time‘.

    Turner Broadcasting System president of sales, distribution and sports David Levy said, “The extension of our comprehensive renewal agreement with the NCTC highlights the growing value of the Turner portfolio and drives home our commitment to deliver marquee content to their customers. We‘re proud to continue our long relationship with the NCTC and the viewers they serve.”

  • CNN launches digital travel platform ‘CNN Travel’

    CNN launches digital travel platform ‘CNN Travel’

    MUMBAI: CNN International has announced the launch of a new digital channel, CNN Travel, for the world‘s luxury, business and leisure travellers.

    Through a network of more than 800 travel contributors around the world, CNN Travel delivers up-to-the-minute travel news, destination insights, inspirational travel ideas, original observation and thoroughly-researched city and country insider guides with directions to the world‘s hottest restaurants, bars, hotels and activities.

    CNN Travel brings together the best of CNN‘s existing digital travel portfolio and CNNGo.com, the Asia Pacific-focussed travel start-up, launched in 2009. The Hong Kong-headquartered team which launched CNNGo.com and has managed the popular site ever since, will continue at the helm of the international CNN Travel platform, working with international travel contributors to provide users with the distinct voice, authority and local insights which have made CNNGo.com such a hit.

    CNN Travel editor in chief Andrew Demaria said, "CNN Travel takes the best of CNNGo.com, shakes it up and expands its horizons to create an online travel destination unlike anything else out there. We are incredibly proud of the success CNNGo.com has had over the last three years and are thrilled to be taking it global with the creation of CNN Travel".

    CNN International Digital VP, GM Peter Bale said, "CNN Travel‘s blend of reporting, global network, international partnerships, contemporary voice and social media reach will position the site as a compelling travel destination. What Andrew calls ‘CNN in jeans‘ gives the site a fresh and vibrant tone."

    CNN Travel features standalone destination guides on Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, along with dedicated sections on Travel News, Aviation, Hotels, Food and Drink amongst others.