ITV

Tag: extends

  • Discovery US extends ops through new facility

    MUMBAI: Discovery US has launched a state-of-the-art Discovery Television and Technology Center. This will serve as the new home for the network origination for 13 of Discovery’s US Networks and BBC America, encompassing a total of 17 network feeds.
     
     

    As Discovery US celebrates its 20th anniversary later this year, the company will provide increasingly connected consumers with the highest quality viewing experience through the digital, file-based, high-definition ready, owned-and-operated playout facility which began broadcasting today. In this digital age, the Discovery Television and Technology Center, located in Virginia leverages the latest technology to ensure that Discovery’s commitment to quality extends all the way from production to air.

    The aim of the Center’s specialized technology, systems and staff will be to guarantee that when viewers tune into any of Discovery’s US Networks they will be met with quality programming provided at superior broadcast standards. Discovery states that the facility is a fusion of broadcast and information technology that enables the use of digital files paired with high-bandwidth data networking instead of video tapes for the storage and distribution of all programs, commercials, and other broadcast elements.

    As a result, the center provides cost-effective flexibility that can evolve with Discovery as it brings content to a growing number of subscribers through traditional and new media. With system integration services provided by Ascent Media Systems & Technology Services, the true design and operational center of the facility is the glass-enclosed, circular master control area that can support any mixture of up to 64 channels of HD or SD programming. The master control features three on-air supervisor posts, with the ability to add one more, and is surrounded by ten transmission pods that can be easily configured to control as little as one or as many as six of Discovery’s US Networks in various combinations based on business needs.

    Additionally, the design will result in tremendous operational cost savings, while providing the ability to ensure proper signal monitoring during key programming day parts. The center boasts eight active media ingest/QC suites that can be grown to ten, a HD/SD-hybrid live events control room, two non-linear post-production suites and a transmission operations center (TOC). The fully integrated, server-based venue also hosts a massive digital data archive and on-site physical media library. After the initial content ingest, the entire end-to-end workflow occurs in a tapeless manner employing five video servers that provide 2000 hours of online storage and a nearline tape archive that supports up to 90 petabytes of high-resolution content.

  • DreamWorks extends contract of production head Adam Goodman

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Pictures has announced that head of production Adam Goodman has extended his contract term for an additional four years through 2009. The announcement was made by DreamWorks principal David Geffen.
     
     

    Geffen stated, “Adam Goodman has been an integral part of our production team since the inception of the studio and over the past year and a half, he has more than proven his capability to lead that team. We are very happy that he plans to continue to spearhead our live-action slate.”

    Goodman was named the head of production for DreamWorks Pictures in February 2004. He had been a production executive at DreamWorks since 1996. Goodman is currently overseeing a wide range of upcoming projects for the studio, including Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story with Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning and Flags of Our Fathers which is being directed by Clint Eastwood.
     
     

    In a related move, Geffen also announced that the studio is extending its production deal with Parkes/MacDonald Productions — headed by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald — to 31 December 2008. The producing pair’s next movie for DreamWorks is the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo under the direction of Mark Waters.

    As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com NBC Universal is said to be looking at acquiring dreamworks.

  • ESS extends F1 telecast rights till 2010 in $ 18 mn. deal

    MUMBAI: Whatever be the problems as far as India cricket is concerned, two areas that ESPN Star Sports has built a very strong equity around are soccer and motor sport.

    ESS, which holds the telecast rights to Formula 1 for the whole of Asia, has signed a deal that secures the broadcast of F1 within its preserve for another five years. However, an email query to ESPN Star Sports Asia MD Rik Dovey in regards to this development remained unanswered at the time of filing this report.

    The present deal was also a five-year one and runs till the end of the year. As regards the new contract that ESS has signed, it is worth $ 18 million, informed sources tell indiantelevision. com. This is about the same as what ESS paid last time round as well, except that China is excluded from it.

    ESS’ securing telecast rights for another five years means that F1, and now the proposed A1 circuit as well, will both be with the News Corp-Disney co-owned sports broadcaster.

    A-1 Grand Prix, promoted by the Dubai’s Sheikh Maktoum, has 21 teams from across the world competing in 12 races to win the right to race in the World Cup. The first race is at Brands Hatch, England on 25 September.

    Nimbus Sport has been contracted to manage commercial and sponsorship rights for A1 in India.

  • CBS extends deal for the Grammy Awards

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS and The Recording Academy have signed a new five-year extension that will keep the annual Grammy Awards on CBS till 2011. This year’s event was seen by nearly 46 million American viewers.

    The deal further extends one of the longest broadcast partnerships in American television history. CBS has been the broadcast home of the Grammy Awards since 1973. The current agreement was set to expire after the
    2006 Grammy broadcast.

    In addition to the Grammy telecasts, the new agreement also includes various potential new live music and music-driven content properties over the course of the partnership, as well as a shared commitment to public service and educational content. In India the Grammy Awards are simulcast on Star World and Channel (V).

    Viacom co-COO and co-president Les Moonves said, “Each February, CBS and The Recording Academy come together to stage one of television’s biggest and most entertaining annual events. But the mutual respect and camaraderie between our two organisations is
    full-time, all-the-time. This has created a great environment to support our respective businesses and serve our respective audiences. We look forward to working with Neil Portnow and his outstanding team to deliver future broadcasts that take one of CBS’s signature nights to new heights over the next decade.”

    Recording Academy president Neil Portnow says, “We are so pleased to have reached a long-term partnership with our great friends at CBS that extends beyond our signature Grammy Awards event, when the world tunes in to see Music’s Biggest Night. We, of course, will continue to recognise excellence in all recorded music through our Awards process and show. Now, fortunately, we’ll be able to bring live music, music-oriented programmes and public service
    and educational content to viewers by keeping Grammy-related programming on the air throughout the year. This is a landmark commitment by both parties as we collectively spotlight the creative endeavours and timely topics that are important to music fans and music makers of all genres.”

  • Time Warner extends contract with Nielsen

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Time Warner and Nielsen Media Research have announced that they have extended their contract for measuring television audience
     

    The original 7-year contract between the two companies was a first-of-its-kind agreement at the time it was announced in 1998.
     

    The agreement covers Time Warner’s broadcast, cable and syndicatio business units, including Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting, The WB Television Network, HBO, Court TV, and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.

    The agreement provides the Time Warner businesses with national and local television audience estimates, including Local People Meter (LPM) service for Time Warner Cable in New York and Los Angeles and for WTBS in Atlanta. In addition, the agreement enables both companies to share information and to work
    together to develop and test new television measurement systems.

  • Trai extends feedback deadline for pvt players till 15 April

    NEW DELHI: Broadcast regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has extended till 15 April, the deadline for sending in feedback to a consultation paper on allowing private players in the domain of terrestrial transmission, which may threaten pubcaster Doordarshan’s present monopoly.
     

    In a statement issued today the regulator stated that keeping in mind the importance of the issue such a step was being take. The consultation paper had been issued on 25 February 2005 on private terrestrial TV broadcasting service.
     
     

    The consultation paper covers the issues relating to allowing private broadcasters in the field of terrestrial television broadcasting and the purpose was to generate discussion on the appropriate policy and licensing framework for the introduction of private terrestrial broadcast in India.

  • Oprah extends talk show by two years

    MUMBAI: Here is good news for fans of the Oprah Winfrey Show. The talk show queen and media magnate has signed a contract that will keep her programme on air into 2008.
    The scenario last year in March was quite different when Winfrey had indicated that she wouldn’t go beyond the 2005-06 season. In India the show airs weekday mornings on Star World.
    An earlier Indiantelevision.com report had indicated that under the new deal, US stations picking up the show were apparently paying significantly higher licensing fees to King World to lock in the show for the additional two-year period. With the new deal Winfrey will have been on the air with her show for 22 years.
    A Reuters report states that earlier this year, she became the first black American woman to make the annual Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest people. The business magazine listed 476 people and said Winfrey had a fortune of about $1 billion.
    Winfrey’s show is in its 17th season the report states. Her show is the most successful, highest-rated talk show in global television history, ranking number. one among all talk shows for the past 17 seasons. Besides 211 US stations, the show is distributed to 105 countries across the globe by CBS Broadcast International, a division of CBS.