ITV

Tag: Disney

  • Disney’s ‘Tangled’ director in talks with Jason Bateman for new animated feature

    Disney’s ‘Tangled’ director in talks with Jason Bateman for new animated feature

    MUMBAI: Jason Bateman is set to lead the voice cast of a new Walt Disney Animation project directed by Tangled helmer Byron Howard, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
     
    As per the sources, the new project is an untitled animal comedy that does not yet have a release date.
     
    For Bateman, the project would mark his first voice-over work for a feature. The actor, who is all set to shoot for Warner Bros’ version of the Jonathan Tropper novel ‘This Is Where I Leave You’, lent his voice in the short-lived Fox series ‘Sit Down, Shut Up’, among other shows.

    Howard is well-regarded in the animation community and is one of the great directors behind Disney Animation’s recent reappearance. In 2008, he along with Chris Williams directed ‘Bolt’, which was nominated for the Oscar, and with Nathan Greno co-directed the hit ‘Tangled’.
     
    The next titles on the list from Disney Animation are Frozen, a nouveau princess tale that will be released on 27 November next year, as well as an untitled secret film project slated for 7 November 2014. DisneyToon Studios will release Planes, set in the world of cars, 7 August later this year.

  • Iron Man 3 rakes in the even before its US release

    Iron Man 3 rakes in the even before its US release

    MUMBAI: The third installment in Marvel’s Iron Man series is breaking records in many markets as reported by the Hollywood Reporter.

    The Robert Downey Jr starrer has continued to give a strong performance since Thursday when it opened in supplementary foreign markets, grossing $23.3 million to bump its two-day international total to an astounding $36.5 million.

    The Disney  and Marvel Studios tent-pole, returning Downey in the title role, is racing ahead of Iron Man 2 in many international markets, prompting box-office observers to speculate that the ‘threequel‘ is benefiting mightily from last year‘s mega blockbuster The Avengers, which starred Downey‘s character along with other Marvel superheroes.

    Iron Man 3 is opening internationally a week ahead of its North American debut on 3 May, similar to Iron Man 2, which posted a foreign opening of about $100 million in 2010. Pundits expect Iron Man 3 to post a foreign opening north of $110 million.

    The superhero franchise rolled out in a dozen countries on Wednesday, making $13.2 million. On Thursday, it opened in another raft of markets. In Korea, the movie opened to $3 million — the third-biggest opening of all time behind the final Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the third Transformers.

    Iron Man 3 opened to $3.6 million in the UK, just 9 per cent behind Avengers. while in Argentina, it opened to $700,000, the second-biggest debut of all time behind the final Harry Potter movie.

    By Sunday, the threequel will be playing in 80 per cent of the international marketplace, minus the U.S., China and Russia. Disney said on Friday that the Chinese release date has been shifted from 3 May to 1 May.

  • Iron Man 3 to get the widest ever 3D release in India

    Iron Man 3 to get the widest ever 3D release in India

    MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures, the distributor of ‘Iron Man 3‘ will be releasing the film in 450 digital screens which is the highest for any Hollywood release in India till date.

    Last year, Marvel‘s ‘The Avengers‘ was released in 250 while ‘Life of Pi‘ was released in 350 digital theatres respectively. UTV will also taking the film to almost 350-400 single screens which is again a record of sorts as the normal range for any blockbuster Hollywood movies is 200-250 screens.

    Disney UTV director – India theatrical distribution, studios Gaurav Verma said, "Iron Man is one of the biggest franchises and after the super success of The Avengers in India last year, there has been a huge demand for Iron Man 3. It is clearly one of the most awaited Hollywood releases of the year. We are releasing the film in more than 1000 screens across all 4 languages in Imax, 3D and 2D formats. While the response has been phenomenal across multiplexes even our single screens partners are very excited to showcase Iron Man 3."

    Hollywood has emerged an increasingly significant component of the Indian theatrical box office in the past few years. In the last year itself, key Hollywood releases have reached out to as many as 1000 screens and are also being marketed more and more aggressively. In addition to this 3D screens have also witnessed substantial increase over the last few years which can be attributed to the growing fan base for this medium in the country.

  • Vishal Gondal quits Disney UTV Digital; Sameer Ganapathy to replace

    Vishal Gondal quits Disney UTV Digital; Sameer Ganapathy to replace

    MUMBAI: UTV Disney managing director – digital Vishal Gondal has decided it is time he should be gone from India‘s premier gaming company. Gondal took over as digital MD of the company in August 2012, almost a year after Indiagames.com a company he founded was acquired by Disney in 2011, following the buyout of media company UTV by Disney. He is serving his notice period and his last working day will be 30 June.

    The Digital team of Disney UTV combines all mobile, video, audio, broadband, ITV, games and virtual world‘s initiatives. All digital content across all brands namely Disney, Marvel, UTV, Indiagames, bindass including original content for web, mobile and games will be developed and managed by this team.

    The gaming pioneer set up Indiagames when he was just 13 in 1999 and ran it for years before a majority stake in it was acquired by Chinese gaming company Tom Online. Tom Online later sold its holdings in Indiagames to UTV. Gondal was appointed as MD of Disney UTV Digital in August 2012 after The Walt Disney Company India restructured its digital assets under a new division, Disney UTV Digital. He took over the role to drive better growth in games, video and audio services for mobile, online and interactive TV.

    Gondal is believed to be quitting the company to concentrate on his investments in startups and also to pursue entrepreneurship. He has been part of the Nokia Advisory Council for Games and actively advices Nokia on wireless and gaming technologies.

    Disney UTV executive director movie channels and channel distribution Sameer Ganapathy will now take on the business function for the digital arm of Disney UTV.

    Disney UTV MD Ronnie Screwvala said, “Vishal has been a great founder and CEO for Indiagames. As we consolidate the digital, mobile and web play for Disney UTV in India, we plan to build on our creative prowess and transform the digital business to be a direct to consumer, yet working closely with all our partners, telecom operators, OEM‘s and others. This is similar to our approach in our other verticals of movies, broadcasting and consumer products. Sameer Ganapathy brings an astute business sense and high resourcefulness to this position, which is key to meet the ever growing trajectory of the digital business in India.”

    “Indiagames had small beginnings but a big dream. I cannot help but look back with a tremendous sense of fulfillment and pride, upon the long, eventful and exciting journey. I am really proud of what the team has accomplished. Excellent support from our early investors Infinity, IL&FS, TOM Online, Adobe, Cisco and UTV and the subsequent acquisition by Walt Disney provided us the opportunity to work towards our vision of making gaming big in India. Over the last 18 months, we have spent time integrating the teams and set a platform for continued growth. Consequently, I‘ve decided to move on to pursue my dreams and passion of being an entrepreneur,” said Gondal.

  • Disney UTV launches four freemium apps

    Disney UTV launches four freemium apps

    MUMBAI: Disney UTV Digital, the digital media arm of Disney UTV, has launched four freemium apps UTV, Disney, Comedy and Devotional, for Indian mobile subscribers. Nokia Asha series has pre-embedded the UTV App on more than 2.5 million devices.

    Content in the UTV app includes movie trailers, full length movies (Bollywood and Regional), Bollywood gossip and more. The Disney App includes short form content featuring Mickey and Friends, other Disney classics such as Big Bad Wolf and Santa‘s Workshop and celebrated Pixar short form animation such as Reds Dream and Adventures of Andre and Wally B.

    The Comedy App gives users access to humorous videos like MENtals, Baba Aur Baby, Chickipedia and more. The Devotional App includes stories of Indian deities like Maa Durga, Sai Baba, Sri Krishna, and it includes the mythological epic Ramayana as well.

    These apps, which feature the breadth and depth of Disney UTV‘s content across movies, television, Hollywood and English content along with aggregated content, have already crossed the 15 million download mark in their test phase itself. The apps provide a superior streaming experience for users, even on low-bandwidth GPRS networks.

    The apps support monetisation via both ads as well as paid subscriptions enabled through Digital Disney UTV‘s mobile operator billing platform. This allows regular mobile users to access both ad-supported content as well as premium content within the same app, through a seamless one-click transaction via their mobile operator.

    Disney UTV director, celebrity and video Sameer Pitalwalla said, “Feature phones are currently the dominant data consumption devices in India. While we have a robust smartphone strategy, we wanted to provide feature phone users with an excellent video experience. We combined our great catalogue with best in breed technology and have seen both download and engagement numbers catching fire. 15 million downloads, 1.5 million active users, terabytes in streaming and millions of ad impressions prove the power of our content and experience.”

    Nokia India director developer experience Gerard Rego said, “Engagement and innovation have emerged as one of the top deciding factors in the mobile phone industry with more and more youth accessing Apps that enhance their user experience. Our association with Disney UTV has been extremely successful and, together, we continue to add value to our consumers by offering superior on-the-go video streaming. The availability of Disney UTV Digital‘s new Freemium Apps is a great milestone as users can enjoy their favourite content through fast and seamless video streaming on their Nokia Asha devices.”

  • Disney Junior expands digital offerings in the US

    Disney Junior expands digital offerings in the US

    MUMBAI: Disney Junior is boosting its presence on the digital front in the US. The Disney Junior Appisodes app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch has been announced following the ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode‘.

    Now the broadcaster has said that the Disney Junior Appisodes app is the first TV appisode app for kids that combine viewing and interaction with the TV characters and stories they love. It can be found now in the App Store at: appstore.com/disneyjuniorappisodes.

    Developed by Disney/ABC Television Group‘s Digital Media team, the new app offers true interactive viewing, allowing fans 2-7 to touch, tap, swipe, tilt, shake and talk their way through various fun-filled activities embedded into episodes of some of their favorite Disney Junior shows.

    The all-new “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey and Donald Have a Farm Appisode” and the “Jake and the Never Land Pirates Appisode,” which features “Hide the Hideout” and “Captain Hook‘s Hooks,” are available for $4.99. A free download of the original “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode” is included. In the coming months, episodes of shows ‘Doc Mc Stuffins,‘‘Sofia the First‘and more ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘will also be available for download as appisodes.

    Disney Channels Worldwide VP digital media Lauren DeVillier said, “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse appisode has been successful because it‘s a natural extension of what kids are already doing in their daily lives. Over 70 per cent of households with kids have app-enabled devices in their homes. Touching, tapping and swiping are second nature to them.

    “We are allowing kids to move the narrative of their favourite show forward by interacting with the characters, giving them the opportunity to take an active role in the story. Being able to do that with one of their favorite TV shows is really exciting for them. And from a content perspective, it gives our shows a whole new life on another platform.”

  • Disney renews deal with Mumbai Indians for merchandise

    MUMBAI: Disney has renewed its deal with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians through Marvel Entertainment to release merchandise targeting children.

    Last year, the two parties had entered into a one-year deal. The Marvel-Mumbai Indians collection range will include apparel and home solutions featuring Marvel superheroes.

    The target group is children between the age group of 4 to 14 years. The goods will be available at shopping destinations across the country, including online.

    The two parties had announced their association last year with the aim of building on their brand equity. The expectation is that the licensing and merchandising business for the Under 14 target group will only increase in the coming years.

    Disney UTV MD, Consumer Products and Retail, Roshini Bakshi said, “Last year we had tied up with Mumbai Indians for a Mickey Cricket range that gained a lot of popularity with the fans. This year we are extending the relationship by bringing Marvel Super Heroes merchandise range with Mumbai Indians and giving our India fans this amazing opportunity to experience the most celebrated sport in the country with their favourite Super Heroes”.

  • Chernin bids $500 million to buy Hulu, reports

    Chernin bids $500 million to buy Hulu, reports

    MUMBAI: Former News Corp President Peter Chernin is said to have made a bid for online video streaming service Hulu at a bid amount of $500 million.

    A couple of years earlier, Chernin had bid for the company he had helped to create but it had been rejected. Hulu is co-owned by News Corp, Comcast and Disney.

    Reports indicate that there is lack of clarity in terms of where Hulu – which is losing money – is going.

    Chernin in his venture CA Media got funding from Providence Equity Partners which was Hulu‘s initial investor but sold its stake last year. If Chernin ended up buying the site, Providence would essentially end up as a Hulu backer again.

    If Chernin does buy Hulu it is possible that it would also look at India. CA Media is headed here by Rajesh Kamat.

  • Ricoh Innovations launches mobile visual search platform

    Ricoh Innovations launches mobile visual search platform

    BENGALURU: Ricoh Innovations Corporation (RIC), a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of Ricoh Company, has launched Ocutag mobile visual search platform. Ocutag is the first product from its newly formed Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit.

    “Mobile search will be a US$ 15 billion by 2017. How much of this will be through visual search is difficult to predict at present. The mission for our new Visual Services and Solutions Business Unit is to understand and interpret the world’s visual information to provide an enhanced human experience. High-performance, large-scale mobile visual search plays an important role in realizing that mission,” stated Ricoh Innovations president and CEO Dr. Nikhil Balram.

    The first implementation for this technology has been done with Disney UTV Digital’s new smartphone app in India says RIC. The augmented reality feature called Snap Search connects users to their favorite Bollywood stars and allows them to click a snap of a movie poster to provide easy access to customized content like movie trailers, behind the scenes videos, Tweets, pictures and more.

    RIC plans to leverage the shift in consumer entertainment consumption and cumbersomeness that one experiences using a mobile phone virtual keyboard and the limited usability of mobile voice interactivity. It says that its platform can be used to create applications by branders and marketers for smart as well as feature phones and is operating system agnostic. UTV created apps for Windows, iOS and Android phones.

  • Aereo wins court fight against US channels

    Aereo wins court fight against US channels

    MUMBAI: In a setback to US television broadcasters, a Federal Appeals court has ruled that Aereo can continue to stream live TV through its site and app.

    The digital TV startup which is backed by Barry Diller will be able to continue operating and the dispute is expected to get a proper court hearing.

    Aereo streams TV channels without compensating them, but the broadcasters feel they will win eventually. But Aereo, which is only available in New York City, plans to offer its service in nearly 24 more cities this year.

    Channels like CBS, Disney and Fox complain that none of Aereo‘s $8 a month fee goes to the local TV stations. This is not the case when programming is carried over cable and satellite services, which have to pay the stations rebroadcast fees – fees the TV stations are increasingly depending on in a time when ad revenue is on the decline because of competition from Internet ad services.

    The broadcasters said in a statement: “This was a loss for the entire creative community. The court has ruled that it is okay to steal copyrighted material and re-transmit it without compensation. While we are disappointed with this decision, we have and are considering our options to protect our programming.”

    Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia said, “We may be a small start-up, but we have always believed in standing up and fighting for our consumers. We are grateful for the court’s thoughtful analysis and decision and we look forward to continuing to build a successful business that puts consumers first.”