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Tag: Discovery Communications

  • Discovery appoints Atsushi Saito as Eurosport VP – ad sales

    Discovery appoints Atsushi Saito as Eurosport VP – ad sales

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications has appointed Atsushi Saito as vice president ad sales for Eurosport

    The announcement was made by Advertiser Partnerships senior vice president and managing director Jonathan Davies, to whom Saito will report.

    In his new capacity, Saito is tasked to maximise Eurosport’s ad sales efforts in Asia Pacific by providing innovative and bespoke solutions for clients and developing meaningful partnerships.

    Last week Discovery Communications announced its first Olympic Games sub-licensing deal with the BBC, to make Eurosport the exclusive home of the Olympic Games on pay-TV in the UK between 2018 and 2020. The news follows an agreement announced by Discovery Communications and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last June, which includes exclusive multimedia rights for 50 countries and territories in Europe for the 2018 through the 2024 Olympic Games. With three of these Games to be hosted in Asia, Saito’s proximity to the action will offer a significant market advantage as Discovery look to establish long term partnerships with clients.

    Saito started his media sales career over 16 years ago with Star TV, a subsidiary of News Corp and was last with Turner Japan where he served as CNN Global Advertising Sales director. Under his leadership, Saito quadrupled CNN’s ad sales revenue.

    Davies said, “It is Discovery’s ambition to make the Olympic Games available to more people across Europe than ever before, through leveraging our portfolio of pay-TV, free-to-air and digital services. This combined with our other strategic investments in sports rights provide brands and advertisers a unique opportunity to target their customers through great sporting moments all day, and every day.”

    “Advertisers and brands are evolving into content producers, thinking beyond the ad break to embed themselves in popular culture. With this shift, a top priority for our sales organisation is to provide unique, creative and strategic solutions with the highest level of service. Atsushi’s rich experience, excellent connections and digital acumen will propel Eurosport’s ad sales growth in Asia Pacific,” Davies added.

  • Adcap case put off to 29 March; Discovery moves for intervention, Home Cable seeks early hearing

    Adcap case put off to 29 March; Discovery moves for intervention, Home Cable seeks early hearing

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today adjourned the hearing of the adcap (advertising cap) challenge to 29 March, when it will also take up the application by Discovery Communications to intervene in the matter.

    While the matter was listed for today, it was put off to another date in view of pending cases before the court.

    In the last hearing on 27 November, the Court chaired by Chief Justice G Rohini said the matter had been pending for some time and therefore it will hear and conclude the case in the next hearing.

    On that day, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had informed the Court that it was in talks with the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and other stakeholders on the issue of the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour. This was the first time that the Ministry had put in an appearance in the petition filed by the NBA and others against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and others.

    On an oral plea by intervenor Home Cable Network Pvt Ltd counsel Vivek Sarin for early hearing, the Court directed him to file a written application with the relevant contentions for early hearing, saying that the court would consider it.

    Even as Discovery Communications sought to press its plea for being impleaded as an intervenor, the Court said this would also be considered at the next hearing.

    Home Cable Network was permitted to intervene on 5 January and the Court had agreed to consider contentions on whether pay channels should be permitted to carry commercials in view of subscription fee charged by them. Sarin had told the court that the petitioners had not disclosed that broadcasters had given their consent to observe the 10+2 ad cap rule under the Cable Television Network Regulation Rules 1994 and the Act that followed a year later and also under the Uplink and Downlink Guidelines.

    He also said pay TV broadcasters should not be allowed to take ads as they charged subscription fee.

    The case, filed by 9X Media, NBA and others against TRAI and the Union Government, has so far been adjourned from time to time on the plea that the government and the broadcasters are in talks on this issue.

    Indiantelevision.com has learnt that this comes in the wake of a statement made by Minister Arun Jaitley in January last year that there should be no ad cap in the print or electronic media. However, no instructions have been issued in this regard by the Minister so far.

    The Court has already directed that the order that TRAI will not take any action against any channel pending the petition will continue. In an earlier hearing, the Court had, at the regulator’s instance, directed that all channels keep a record of the advertisements run by them.

    The NBA had challenged the ad cap rule, contending that TRAI does not have jurisdiction to regulate commercial airtime on television channels.

    Apart from the NBA, the petitions have been filed by Sarthak Entertainment, Pioneer Channel Factory, E24 Glamoru, Sun TV Network, TV Vision, B4U Broadband, 9X Media, Kalaignar, Celebrities Management, Eanadu Television and Raj Television.

    Meanwhile, according to information available with this website, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi is already hearing a case on this issue against 15 broadcasters. It is further learnt that officials of these channels have obtained bail and the matter is pending before the Magistrate.

  • Adcap case put off to 29 March; Discovery moves for intervention, Home Cable seeks early hearing

    Adcap case put off to 29 March; Discovery moves for intervention, Home Cable seeks early hearing

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today adjourned the hearing of the adcap (advertising cap) challenge to 29 March, when it will also take up the application by Discovery Communications to intervene in the matter.

    While the matter was listed for today, it was put off to another date in view of pending cases before the court.

    In the last hearing on 27 November, the Court chaired by Chief Justice G Rohini said the matter had been pending for some time and therefore it will hear and conclude the case in the next hearing.

    On that day, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had informed the Court that it was in talks with the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and other stakeholders on the issue of the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour. This was the first time that the Ministry had put in an appearance in the petition filed by the NBA and others against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and others.

    On an oral plea by intervenor Home Cable Network Pvt Ltd counsel Vivek Sarin for early hearing, the Court directed him to file a written application with the relevant contentions for early hearing, saying that the court would consider it.

    Even as Discovery Communications sought to press its plea for being impleaded as an intervenor, the Court said this would also be considered at the next hearing.

    Home Cable Network was permitted to intervene on 5 January and the Court had agreed to consider contentions on whether pay channels should be permitted to carry commercials in view of subscription fee charged by them. Sarin had told the court that the petitioners had not disclosed that broadcasters had given their consent to observe the 10+2 ad cap rule under the Cable Television Network Regulation Rules 1994 and the Act that followed a year later and also under the Uplink and Downlink Guidelines.

    He also said pay TV broadcasters should not be allowed to take ads as they charged subscription fee.

    The case, filed by 9X Media, NBA and others against TRAI and the Union Government, has so far been adjourned from time to time on the plea that the government and the broadcasters are in talks on this issue.

    Indiantelevision.com has learnt that this comes in the wake of a statement made by Minister Arun Jaitley in January last year that there should be no ad cap in the print or electronic media. However, no instructions have been issued in this regard by the Minister so far.

    The Court has already directed that the order that TRAI will not take any action against any channel pending the petition will continue. In an earlier hearing, the Court had, at the regulator’s instance, directed that all channels keep a record of the advertisements run by them.

    The NBA had challenged the ad cap rule, contending that TRAI does not have jurisdiction to regulate commercial airtime on television channels.

    Apart from the NBA, the petitions have been filed by Sarthak Entertainment, Pioneer Channel Factory, E24 Glamoru, Sun TV Network, TV Vision, B4U Broadband, 9X Media, Kalaignar, Celebrities Management, Eanadu Television and Raj Television.

    Meanwhile, according to information available with this website, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi is already hearing a case on this issue against 15 broadcasters. It is further learnt that officials of these channels have obtained bail and the matter is pending before the Magistrate.

  • BBC & Discovery ink long-term Olympic partnership

    BBC & Discovery ink long-term Olympic partnership

    MUMBAI: The BBC and Discovery Communications have inked a long-term Olympic Games agreement in the UK, building on a 30-year partnership between the two global media organisations.

    The deal means that the BBC will sub-license (from Discovery) exclusive free-to-air audio-visual and non-exclusive radio rights to the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games. In turn, Discovery will sub-license (from the BBC) exclusive pay-TV rights in the UK to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.

    The London 2012 Olympic Games was watched on the BBC by more than 50 million people in the UK, seven million people in the UK accessed the BBC website every day, with 111 million requests for video throughout the Games, and over two million people downloaded the app. It was truly the first digital Olympic Games and the BBC raised the bar in its coverage.

    This announcement ensures that the BBC will continue to be the free-to-air home of the best action from the Olympic Games until 2024, bringing the moments that unite the nation on TV and radio. Additionally, the BBC’s package of rights is supplemented by digital rights to the content it broadcasts on TV.

    This agreement marks the first Olympic Games sub-licensing deal by Discovery and reinforces Eurosport as the home of the Olympic Games across Europe, ensuring that every event is available to fans across all screens. The news follows an agreement announced by Discovery Communications and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last June, which includes exclusive multimedia rights for 50 countries and territories in Europe for the 2018 through the 2024 Olympic Games. The rights for the UK were included for only 2022 and 2024, as these rights had already been secured by the BBC in the UK.

    BBC director-general Tony Hall said, “The BBC prides itself on bringing the biggest sporting moments to the public. For many, the BBC has been their stadium for Olympic coverage. It is an event that unites the nation like no other. I’m delighted that through our new partnership with Discovery, the BBC will continue to carry the torch for great sporting coverage right through to the 2024 Games. While the BBC has had to take some tough financial decisions, this partnership underlines our commitment to making world-class sport available to all.”

    Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav added, “Discovery is a passionate and committed partner of the Olympic Movement. Today’s agreement is a win for UK sports fans and marks an exciting new chapter in Discovery and the BBC’s partnership on major sporting events. For 30 years, our two organisations have chartered new frontiers with co-production partnerships in factual and natural history programming. Now we join together once again to bring the most compelling stories of human ambition, sacrifice and achievement to people across the UK.”

    IOC Television and Marketing Services MD Timo Lumme said, “We are delighted our partners Discovery / Eurosport and the BBC are collaborating on this long term agreement which is great news for viewers in the UK. By sharing the rights, viewers will benefit from the BBC’s rich Olympic heritage and Discovery’s innovative approach to storytelling. Together, they will make the Olympic Games as accessible and engaging as possible.”

    BBC Sport director Barbara Slater said, “We are very pleased that the BBC will continue to bring free-to-air Olympic Games coverage to audiences through to 2024, extending our relationship with the event which began in 1928 and reinforcing the BBC’s long-term commitment to major sporting events. The Olympic Games is one of the nation’s most treasured sporting events and this is an extensive package of rights that ensures we can offer ‘the best of the Games’, across TV, radio, online and digital, maximising the reach and impact of the BBC. This ground-breaking partnership also shows how the BBC can collaborate and work with others to continue to bring the very best in sport to licence fee payers.”

    Discovery Networks International president JB Perrette said, “Since the announcement of our partnership with the IOC, it has been Discovery’s goal to engage and entertain local audiences in Europe with the ultimate Olympic Games experience across all screens. To realise this ambition, we will leverage our portfolio of pay-TV, free-to-air and digital services, and collaborate with the very best partners who share this vision – the BBC partnership embodies this perfectly.”

  • BBC & Discovery ink long-term Olympic partnership

    BBC & Discovery ink long-term Olympic partnership

    MUMBAI: The BBC and Discovery Communications have inked a long-term Olympic Games agreement in the UK, building on a 30-year partnership between the two global media organisations.

    The deal means that the BBC will sub-license (from Discovery) exclusive free-to-air audio-visual and non-exclusive radio rights to the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games. In turn, Discovery will sub-license (from the BBC) exclusive pay-TV rights in the UK to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.

    The London 2012 Olympic Games was watched on the BBC by more than 50 million people in the UK, seven million people in the UK accessed the BBC website every day, with 111 million requests for video throughout the Games, and over two million people downloaded the app. It was truly the first digital Olympic Games and the BBC raised the bar in its coverage.

    This announcement ensures that the BBC will continue to be the free-to-air home of the best action from the Olympic Games until 2024, bringing the moments that unite the nation on TV and radio. Additionally, the BBC’s package of rights is supplemented by digital rights to the content it broadcasts on TV.

    This agreement marks the first Olympic Games sub-licensing deal by Discovery and reinforces Eurosport as the home of the Olympic Games across Europe, ensuring that every event is available to fans across all screens. The news follows an agreement announced by Discovery Communications and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last June, which includes exclusive multimedia rights for 50 countries and territories in Europe for the 2018 through the 2024 Olympic Games. The rights for the UK were included for only 2022 and 2024, as these rights had already been secured by the BBC in the UK.

    BBC director-general Tony Hall said, “The BBC prides itself on bringing the biggest sporting moments to the public. For many, the BBC has been their stadium for Olympic coverage. It is an event that unites the nation like no other. I’m delighted that through our new partnership with Discovery, the BBC will continue to carry the torch for great sporting coverage right through to the 2024 Games. While the BBC has had to take some tough financial decisions, this partnership underlines our commitment to making world-class sport available to all.”

    Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav added, “Discovery is a passionate and committed partner of the Olympic Movement. Today’s agreement is a win for UK sports fans and marks an exciting new chapter in Discovery and the BBC’s partnership on major sporting events. For 30 years, our two organisations have chartered new frontiers with co-production partnerships in factual and natural history programming. Now we join together once again to bring the most compelling stories of human ambition, sacrifice and achievement to people across the UK.”

    IOC Television and Marketing Services MD Timo Lumme said, “We are delighted our partners Discovery / Eurosport and the BBC are collaborating on this long term agreement which is great news for viewers in the UK. By sharing the rights, viewers will benefit from the BBC’s rich Olympic heritage and Discovery’s innovative approach to storytelling. Together, they will make the Olympic Games as accessible and engaging as possible.”

    BBC Sport director Barbara Slater said, “We are very pleased that the BBC will continue to bring free-to-air Olympic Games coverage to audiences through to 2024, extending our relationship with the event which began in 1928 and reinforcing the BBC’s long-term commitment to major sporting events. The Olympic Games is one of the nation’s most treasured sporting events and this is an extensive package of rights that ensures we can offer ‘the best of the Games’, across TV, radio, online and digital, maximising the reach and impact of the BBC. This ground-breaking partnership also shows how the BBC can collaborate and work with others to continue to bring the very best in sport to licence fee payers.”

    Discovery Networks International president JB Perrette said, “Since the announcement of our partnership with the IOC, it has been Discovery’s goal to engage and entertain local audiences in Europe with the ultimate Olympic Games experience across all screens. To realise this ambition, we will leverage our portfolio of pay-TV, free-to-air and digital services, and collaborate with the very best partners who share this vision – the BBC partnership embodies this perfectly.”

  • Animal Planet & Lionsgate acquire rights to ‘Million Dollar Duck’

    Animal Planet & Lionsgate acquire rights to ‘Million Dollar Duck’

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications’ Animal Planet and Lionsgate have partnered to acquire the rights in the US, Canada and the UK to the documentary film sensation Million Dollar Duck.

     

    Animal Planet has acquired television rights to the film while Lionsgate will distribute Million Dollar Duck on a limited basis theatrically and on digital home entertainment and packaged media.

     

    Directed by Brian Golden Davis, the film had its world premiere recently at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival and will air on Animal Planet in the fall following its theatrical run. 

     

    Million Dollar Duck dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest—the only juried art competition run by the US government. The Duck Stamp is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, simultaneously spawning a uniquely American subculture brimming with talent, ego, art, controversy, big money, and migratory waterfowl. Following six wildlife artists striving to win “the Olympics of wildlife art,” Million Dollar Duck brings to life the high tension competition as one by one each is eliminated, leaving a winner whose life will be changed forever.

     

    “From the moment I saw Million Dollar Duck, I knew Animal Planet would be the perfect home for this heartfelt and humorous film. Showcasing this film brings to light this special program that supports wetlands conservation and aligns with our network’s goal to activate people on animal welfare concerns,” said Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and Science Channel group president Rich Ross.

     

    “We’re proud to extend our strategic partnership with Discovery on this terrific film. Poignant, quirky, hilarious and tremendously engaging, Million Dollar Duck is the perfect property to kick off our alliance with Discovery on documentary films and other long-form content that creates tremendous opportunities for both our companies,” added Lionsgate president of worldwide television & digital distribution Jim Packer.

     

    “I’m thrilled to have Million Dollar Duck find a home with Animal Planet and Lionsgate,” said Golden Davis. “I made this film because I wanted to explore the quirky world of The Federal Duck Stamp Contest, where the artists were motivated by their sheer love of nature and conservation, and I can’t think of better platforms to help share our ‘duck tale’ with the world than Animal Planet and Lionsgate.”

     

    The deal was negotiated by John Hoffman and Ryan Harrington on behalf of Discovery Communications, EVP theatrical acquisitions & co-productions Eda Kowan and acquisitions executive Lauren Freeman for Lionsgate and Abby Davis and Adam Galen of Preferred Content on behalf of the filmmakers.

     

    Million Dollar Duck is executive produced by multiple Academy Award winning filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris and Richard Prager. The editor is Derek Boonstra, the cinematographer is Christian Bruno and Laura Young Lee and Kye Woo Lee are co-producers.

     

    The partnership on Million Dollar Duck is the latest in Discovery’s expanding relationship with Lionsgate. Discovery and Liberty Global invested in Lionsgate in November 2015, and Lionsgate and Discovery have also announced a home entertainment distribution agreement under which Lionsgate distributes Discovery programming on packaged media platforms in the US.

     

  • Animal Planet & Lionsgate acquire rights to ‘Million Dollar Duck’

    Animal Planet & Lionsgate acquire rights to ‘Million Dollar Duck’

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications’ Animal Planet and Lionsgate have partnered to acquire the rights in the US, Canada and the UK to the documentary film sensation Million Dollar Duck.

     

    Animal Planet has acquired television rights to the film while Lionsgate will distribute Million Dollar Duck on a limited basis theatrically and on digital home entertainment and packaged media.

     

    Directed by Brian Golden Davis, the film had its world premiere recently at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival and will air on Animal Planet in the fall following its theatrical run. 

     

    Million Dollar Duck dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest—the only juried art competition run by the US government. The Duck Stamp is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, simultaneously spawning a uniquely American subculture brimming with talent, ego, art, controversy, big money, and migratory waterfowl. Following six wildlife artists striving to win “the Olympics of wildlife art,” Million Dollar Duck brings to life the high tension competition as one by one each is eliminated, leaving a winner whose life will be changed forever.

     

    “From the moment I saw Million Dollar Duck, I knew Animal Planet would be the perfect home for this heartfelt and humorous film. Showcasing this film brings to light this special program that supports wetlands conservation and aligns with our network’s goal to activate people on animal welfare concerns,” said Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and Science Channel group president Rich Ross.

     

    “We’re proud to extend our strategic partnership with Discovery on this terrific film. Poignant, quirky, hilarious and tremendously engaging, Million Dollar Duck is the perfect property to kick off our alliance with Discovery on documentary films and other long-form content that creates tremendous opportunities for both our companies,” added Lionsgate president of worldwide television & digital distribution Jim Packer.

     

    “I’m thrilled to have Million Dollar Duck find a home with Animal Planet and Lionsgate,” said Golden Davis. “I made this film because I wanted to explore the quirky world of The Federal Duck Stamp Contest, where the artists were motivated by their sheer love of nature and conservation, and I can’t think of better platforms to help share our ‘duck tale’ with the world than Animal Planet and Lionsgate.”

     

    The deal was negotiated by John Hoffman and Ryan Harrington on behalf of Discovery Communications, EVP theatrical acquisitions & co-productions Eda Kowan and acquisitions executive Lauren Freeman for Lionsgate and Abby Davis and Adam Galen of Preferred Content on behalf of the filmmakers.

     

    Million Dollar Duck is executive produced by multiple Academy Award winning filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris and Richard Prager. The editor is Derek Boonstra, the cinematographer is Christian Bruno and Laura Young Lee and Kye Woo Lee are co-producers.

     

    The partnership on Million Dollar Duck is the latest in Discovery’s expanding relationship with Lionsgate. Discovery and Liberty Global invested in Lionsgate in November 2015, and Lionsgate and Discovery have also announced a home entertainment distribution agreement under which Lionsgate distributes Discovery programming on packaged media platforms in the US.

     

  • Discovery Communications inks long-term distribution deal with Lionsgate

    Discovery Communications inks long-term distribution deal with Lionsgate

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications and Lionsgate have entered an exclusive long-term agreement wherein the latter will distribute programming from Discovery’s network portfolio across packaged media platforms in the United States.

     

    The agreement encompasses DVD and Blu-ray distribution of Discovery’s portfolio of series and specials spanning its network brands, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery.

     

    The first release under the agreement will be the 23 February, 2016 Blu-ray and DVD release of Racing Extinction, the landmark documentary, which had its worldwide premiere yesterday on Discovery Channel in more than 220 markets. The film, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, tells the story of a team of artists and activists on an undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, Racing Extinction reveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world.

     

    “We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with Discovery, home of some of the most exciting brands on television, and delighted to bring their diverse and growing portfolio of programming to our home entertainment consumers. Racing Extinction is a powerful and topical documentary by an acclaimed filmmaker that has taken television audiences by storm, and it reflects the world-class quality of Discovery’s great pipeline of content,” said Lionsgate home entertainment president Ron Schwartz.

     

    “We’re delighted to partner with Lionsgate, which operates one of the industry’s leading home entertainment businesses, and eager to leverage their marketing prowess and distribution expertise for titles across our portfolio. Lionsgate is a strong partner and Racing Extinction is an ideal title to launch our partnership and create new opportunities for both our companies,” added Discovery Communications SVP digital distribution and partnerships Rebecca Glashow.

     

    In addition to Lionsgate’s own film and television pipelines and the Discovery Communications content announced today, the company’s home entertainment business distributes content from other leading third-party suppliers including STUDIOCANAL, Miramax, A24 and Roadside Attractions.

     

    The agreement extends the strategic relationship between the two companies announced last month, under which Discovery Communications agreed to purchase five million common shares of Lionsgate. Liberty Global also purchased five million common shares, resulting in each company having an approximately 3.4 per cent shareholding of Lionsgate’s current outstanding shares. Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav and Liberty Global president and CEO Mike Fries also were named to the Lionsgate board of directors.

  • Rupert Murdoch lauds Modi; US CEOs call for speedy TV digitisation

    Rupert Murdoch lauds Modi; US CEOs call for speedy TV digitisation

    MUMBAI: There are some leaders who leave a good impression and then there are those who leave a lasting impression on others’ mind, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi definitely belongs to the latter type. 

    In his recent meeting with the Fortune 500 CEOs at the iconic Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, Modi not only successfully brought up the burning issues of Indian media and digitisation to the world platform, but also instilled a sense of camaraderie amongst the executives, whose net worth, as per the media buzz, was $4.5 trillion!

    The proof of the pudding lay in the superlative address that 21st Century Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch gave Modi through his tweet after the event.

    “Great hour with Indian PM Modi. Best leader with best policies since independence, but massive task to achieve in most complex nation,” said Murdoch.

    Apart from the senior Murdoch, the CEOs present at the roundtable meeting chaired by Modi included 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, News Corp  CEO Robert Thompson, Star India CEO Uday Shankar, WPP CEO Martin Sorrell, Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, Interpublic Group of Companies CEO Michael Roth, Vice Media CEO Shane Smith, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, A&E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc, Visy Industries chairman Anthony Pratt, Route One Investment Company’s William Duhamel and ValueAct Capital CEO Jeff Ubben.

    While the CEOs were enthusiastic about the digital transformation that is taking place in India through the Digital India initiative, they called for speeding up of television digitisation, and strengthening of the cellular (mobile) infrastructure.

    According to the head honchos, the current strong trajectory of the Indian economy made it at a unique moment to accelerate growth in this sector.

    Post the meeting, Modi tweeted his pleasure in seeing the executives enthusiastic about being part of Digital India and the role of media in it. “Met top American CEOs from media & entertainment sector. They were enthusiastic about the change @_DigitalIndia initiative in driving,” he said before craftily leading in the major issues that were discussed among the executives in the congregation earlier.

    “My interaction with Fortune 500 CEOs was on investment opportunities in India & why they must come & @makeinindia! Digital technology has a vital role in making democracy stronger & in overall human resource development,” he tweeted.

    Modi painted the government's vision to connect the 600,000-odd villages in India with broadband and emphasised that digital technology will increasingly play a major role in further strengthening democracy and India's development narrative. He also highlighted how Digital India posed as a great opportunity for the international media companies.

    As evident from the PM’s tweets, foreign direct investment (FDI) formed a large chunk of the round table and the 90 minute soiree. “Foreign direct investment all over the world has fallen. But in India, it increased by 40 per cent. This reflects confidence in the Indian economy,” Modi was heard pointing out the executives right before they sat down for dinner. “Reform in governance is my number one priority. We are for simplified procedures, speedy decision-making, transparency and accountability,” he assured the prospective investors.

    The topic that dominated most of the evening was the role that the media and entertainment industry can play in development and generation of employment opportunities in India.

    Modi also touched upon the importance of a smoother Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime in the digital era.

    Pegging his argument on India’s value for intellectual property he said, “We are committed to protecting IPR, that's essential to fostering creativity.”

    He also upheld the importance of regional languages in India and suggested to the CEOs that India represents both the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge for them. He also urged them to keep regional languages in mind, as they firm up investment plans for India. “Explained to media CEOs why India is a great opportunity for them & how many regional languages makes India even more special to invest in,” Modi tweeted.

    “The government has already undertaken a massive amount of reforms. Key message from the US companies was keep doing what you are doing. I had a great meeting, there was a constructive dialogue in the spirit of collaboration. We are looking at India trying to get foreign direct investment,” said J P Morgan CEO James Dimon.

    As per  India's foreign office spokesperson Vikas Swarup, Modi took keen interest to personally interact with every CEO, and understand the executives’ areas of concern that his government could address and resolve.

    The Prime Minister emphasised that he saw a key role for digital technology in further strengthening democracy, and in India’s development narrative.

  • Discovery taps DirecTV’s Paul Guyardo as chief commercial officer

    Discovery taps DirecTV’s Paul Guyardo as chief commercial officer

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications has tapped veteran media and retail industry executive Paul Guyardo as chief commercial officer effective 5 October, 2015.

    Guyardo joins from DirecTV where he was executive vice president, chief revenue and marketing officer. 

    In this newly created position at Discovery Communications, Guyardo will oversee US ad sales, digital media, licensing and consumer products, consumer insights and data analytics. He will report to Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav and be based at Discovery’s New York headquarters.

    “Amid a rapidly evolving industry and shifting audience behavior, Discovery has maintained a steady, long-term growth strategy of investing in quality content, launching new networks and products and diversifying our IP mix to strengthen our brands and offerings. Our go-forward success in a random-access world depends on how well we innovate and monetize our content and brands across platforms. Paul brings a track record of results in growing businesses and creating consumer-centric strategies to launch products, create new revenue streams and engage viewers. Adding him to the management team is a major win for Discovery, our business partners and our audiences, and I look forward to his leadership in creating new ways to drive value for our businesses across platforms now and into the future,” said Zaslav.

    In his new role with Discovery, Guyardo will be charged with leveraging his significant expertise to expand the ways Discovery monetizes its portfolio of valuable assets to distributors, advertising partners and directly to consumers. He also will be responsible for working with Discovery Networks International to drive its burgeoning international direct-to-consumer business, as well as overseeing emerging revenue streams including the company’s global licensing, consumer products and footage sales businesses.

    “Discovery Communications has tremendous content and brands, passionate consumers and a world-class leadership team that I’m honored to join. The potential for continued growth is enormous and I look forward to getting started,” added Guyardo.

    Guyardo joins Discovery following an accomplished career in the media, retail and consumer products industries. At DirecTV, he was responsible for all functions that drove the company’s $26 billion in annual US revenue including all sales and distribution channels, marketing, advertising, pricing & packaging, traditional ad sales and new addressable and digital ad platforms, directv.com, sports, premium channels and on-demand businesses, customer retention, product management, consumer research, business analytics, public relations and creative services.

    During his 10 years at DirecTV, Guyardo’s leadership drove annual US revenue from $12.2 billion to $26 billion and the US subscriber base from 15 million to 20 million customers, due in large part to a relentless focus on customer segmentation and data analytics.

    Prior to DirecTV, Guyardo served as Kmart’s chief marketing officer following the retailer’s emergence from bankruptcy, and was part of the senior management team that quickly returned the mass retailer to sales growth and improved profitability. Before Kmart, Guyardo was executive vice president of television and marketing for HSN.

    Guyardo began his career in advertising and brand management, working on major businesses and accounts including AT&T and Johnson & Johnson amongst others.