ITV

Tag: French

  • French pubcaster snaps up FremantleMedia’s ‘No Offence’

    French pubcaster snaps up FremantleMedia’s ‘No Offence’

    MUMBAI: France is the latest international market to be captivated by Paul Abbott’s No Offence produced by AbbottVision for UK’s Channel 4.

     

    Public broadcaster France Télévisions has acquired the cop comedy-drama from FremantleMedia International. The show stars Will Mellor, Paul Ritter and Colin Salmon.

     

    Created by Abbott, the unconventional and captivating series, which last month picked up the best foreign fiction award at La Rochelle’s festival de la fiction, is set to premiere on France 2. Today’s news swells the ranks of international broadcasters lining up to take the title, with FMI having sold the show to ABC (Australia), NOP (Netherlands), Hot (Israel), DR (Denmark) and RUV (Iceland) after acquiring the rights earlier this year.

     

    EMEA head of sales and distribution Jamie Lynn said, “No Offence pushes the boundaries on so many different levels, yet its compelling storytelling and characters you genuinely care about makes this addictive viewing. With a prestigious award already under its belt, and a second season already commissioned, we’re already getting huge interest with international buyers, so I’m really excited that France Television has come on board to bring No Offence to the widest possible audience in France.”

     

    Set in a close-knit policing unit located in North West England, No Offence follows a committed team of officers as they crack down on crime and attempt to enforce the law in this chaotic community. At the helm is the sharp and savvy Inspector Vivienne Deering, played by Joanna Scanlon, alongside her ‘right hand’ women, DC Dinah Kowalska and DS Joy Freers. In addition to dealing with the daily grime, the team suddenly has their hands full when a big case involving a twisted serial killer emerges. The squad is pushed to its limit as Deering and her teams are determined to tackle this disturbing case by whatever unconventional and unorthodox means possible.

  • Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!

    Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!

    MUMBAI: Christmas traditions are practiced in many different ways. For some, it’s reading Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” or Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas”. While others enjoy watching “The Nutcracker” ballet or “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on television.

    Yet, others maybe prefer tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve journey, compliments of the North American Aerospace Command, Verizon and the rest of the NORAD Tracks Santa team. For the 11th consecutive year Verizon employees will again join more than 1,250 Christmas Eve volunteers – including military personnel, their families and friends, and other corporate contributors – in answering calls and e-mails to the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline and operations center.

    To enable children around the world track Santa’s progress, Verizon is providing the toll-free hotline – 1877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). The hotline will be in operation from 4:00 a.m. on Dec. 24 until 3:00 a.m. (Mountain Standard Time) on Dec. 25. (Callers outside North America can reach the hotline by dialing the local Colorado Springs number at 719-556-5211 using the applicable country code. International calling charges may apply.)

    In addition, Verizon is providing call-handling technology, as well as its 4G LTE wireless network to help volunteers respond to e-mails and track Santa’s progress online.

    Beginning at 12:01 a.m. MST on Dec. 24, children can visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website to see real-time information, including radar maps and streaming “SantaCam” video. Information will be available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Chinese.

    Also starting on Dec. 24, children can send an e-mail to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com to find Santa’s whereabouts. For children (and adults) who are more tech savvy, a free downloadable NORAD Tracks Santa mobile app (iOS, Android, Windows) is available. Santa can also be tracked via Facebook, Google+, Twitter (@noradsanta) and YouTube.

    “The holiday season is a powerful reminder of the importance of giving back,” said Michael Maiorana, senior vice president of public sector markets, Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “For over a decade, Verizon has been a part of the NORAD Tracks Santa team, donating a range of services that brings Santa alive to children around the globe by enabling them to speak with Santa’s helpers and track his travels online and via their mobile devices. This is a part of our Christmas tradition.”

    In 2012, more than 114,000 phone calls and nearly 7,000 e-mails were received and answered. The NORAD Tracks Santa website had over 22.3 million unique visitors from 235 countries and territories during December 2012.

    NORAD, the binational U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for defending the aerospace of both countries, has tracked Santa for the past 58 years. The NORAD Tracks Santa tradition began in 1955 after a misprinted advertisement directed children to call the Continental Air Defense Command (NORAD’s predecessor organization) instead of a retailer’s special Santa hotline.

  • BARC meets today, set to appoint Mediametrie as its rating partner

    BARC meets today, set to appoint Mediametrie as its rating partner

    MUMBAI: The French audience measurement company Médiamétrie will be the ratings partner for the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Though multiple vendors, both Indian and international had thrown in their bids to be the one who would power BARC’s ratings, sources reveal that the council has opted for the French research agency. Apparently, the final decision was taken over the weekend wherein the — members of BARC met along with Mediametrie reps to sign on the dotted line.

     

    Mediametrie will be using audio watermarking tech to monitor TV consumption by its 20,000 strong panel. It involves inserting an identifying  mark inaudible to the human ear into the channel’s feed which is delivered to TV homes.. The technology enables different reception modes to be used to measure a TV programme’s audience.

    Médiamétrie features in the world’s top 25 market research firms’ list.

     

    The formal announcement is expected to be made later this month.  Sources have confirmed that deadline set by BARC such as launching the ratings service by mid-2014 will be met.

     

    The meeting which went on for two hours in the BARC office also discussed the financial aspects of the ratings, but another meeting is slated to be held for the same.

     

    BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta did not confirm the finalisation of the appointment of Mediametrie. Responding in an email he said:  “The board of BARC met today to decide on technology and the path ahead. There was unanimity in deciding on a leap in technology to be used in television measurement.  The board approved the management and the technical and commercial committees to go ahead and finalise with a couple of international companies for this. The team will be completing the pilots and will start deployments soon. The board also decided on the funding mechanism and is encouraged by the response received from banks for funding the project.”

     

    But sources indicate that it is indeed Mediametrie which will get the go ahead.

     

    According to sources, BARC will start the field trial of meters from January 2014. While the seeding of meters will start from June, the commercial data will be available in the market from October. While initially 20,000 meters will be seeded, BARC will seed 25,000 boxes by 2014 end.

  • Breaking news, the French way

    Breaking news, the French way

    MUMBAI: The French public news channel France 24 has been available on cable TV since December 2010. However, it is only now that the channel is going all out to announce its arrival to Indian audiences.

    Earlier this month, France 24 inked deals with two DTH platforms, Dish TV and DD Direct+ to increase its reach to 38 million viewers from just 7 million on cable TV.

    And soon, a slew of advertisements will appear in newspapers and out-of-home (OOH) media, with French major Gedeon as the creative agency of choice.

    The channel, which aims to offer India a glimpse of the world essentially through French eyes, has kicked-off promotional campaigns with the tagline ‘World news made in France’ in leading newspapers and magazines, including The Times of India, Hindustan Times, India Today and Time Out. Apart from this, outdoor hoardings will be seen at the Delhi Airport and Metro junctions for three months.

    Says France Monde Group CEO and chairwoman Marie-Christine Saragosse: “In terms of distribution, India represents a substantial and strategic market for us. Over the years, India has become a major player on the international scene and now it’s time for France 24 to be available to the largest possible audience across the country. That’s the reason why our long-term objective is to establish the channel as a reference and make its presence durable to Indian viewers. But to do so, we need to reach more and more TV households, increase the channel’s profile and the visibility of its programs.”

    Distributed across the country by Catvision, the FTA channel has also launched India-centric programmes to air till the end of this month.

    “France 24 is an international news channel, therefore our reports and coverage depend on the international agenda but one thing is sure, we’ll be increasing our coverage of all major news in India and in its region,” says Saragosse, adding that India has been quoted over 250 times on the website, either in articles or TV reports, since the beginning of the year.

     

    Saragosse feels that Indians will know the way the French see and present news

    “Our India-based journalists in the region are permanently on alert and covering every event related to the country live in our news bulletins and reports,” she says, informing that two teams have been operating from Delhi and Mumbai since the channel’s worldwide launch in 2006.

    The French diaspora in India is pegged at approximately 10,000 while according to the International Organization of the Francophonie, there are around 2.6 French-speaking people in India.

    So is France 24 mainly catering to this segment? “It is obviously important for us to target the French speakers and the French expatriates. Nevertheless, the biggest potential in the region remains the English-speaking market. That’s why we want to address the English speakers with our English version in India. Anyone with a connection to France is a plus, but our French perspective on news is quite universal and it is today making the difference: with 41.7 million TV viewers each week, France 24 has found its rightful place in the global news international concert. It gives a French perspective to international current events through diversity of opinions, debate, contradiction and confrontation of viewpoints,” says Saragosse.

    A media planner however pointed out that the ad campaign, while showing France 24’s POV, doesn’t really connect with Indian audiences. “It will not be easy for them to garner a mass audience. At the same time, BBC is an established brand already for international news. They might also be doing the same: building the brand name in the country,” he says.

    Another planner though felt the deals would add value to the channel by making it more visible to viewers in the country.

    Right now, France 24 isn’t earning any revenue from advertising as it is a foreign channel and an FTA. It has also burnt a hole in its pocket in carriage and advertising fees. “Discussing everything; that’s undoubtedly part of the French way of life. And I am pretty sure you’ll like it,” Saragosse signs off.

  • Warner Bros gets Rupert Sanders to helm Napoleon

    Warner Bros gets Rupert Sanders to helm Napoleon

    MUMBAI: Warner Bros has signed Rupert Sanders to direct Napoleon, a Scarface-style look at the French leader that will be produced by Gianni Nunari. Jeremy Doner is the scribe and Niija Kuykendall will oversee for the studio.

     

    This comes a day after the studio tapped Joe Wright to direct Pan. Sanders made his feature directing debut on Universal’s Snow White And The Huntsman, which grossed near $400 million worldwide. He’s got 90 Church with that studio and producer Joe Roth, and he’s developing Juliet for Sony and New Regency, with Charles Roven producing, as well as the screen adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth thriller The Kill List for producers Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz and Nick Wechsler.

  • Christoph Waltz to play Gorbachev in Reykjavik

    Christoph Waltz to play Gorbachev in Reykjavik

    MUMBAI: German actor Christoph Waltz is all set to play former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev in Mike Newell‘s Reykjavik.
     
    Having studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Waltz also attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.
     
    Later, he became a prolific television actor and in 2000, he made his directorial debut with the German-language television production Wenn man sich traut.
     
    Waltz, an Academy Award winning German-Austrian actor, is the first and, thus far, only actor to win in the Oscars for acting in a Quentin Tarantino film.
     
    The actor is fluent in German, French, and English and peaks in his own voice when it comes to doing these languages in films.

  • Bhansali’s Devdas in 3D soon

    Bhansali’s Devdas in 3D soon

    MUMBAI: Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai-starrer Devdas will be converted to the 3D format.

    Eros International CEO Sunil Lulla said, “The film completes a decade this year. And to commemorate its 10th year, we will release a 3D version of this Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyaya classic.”

    Devdas was released in six languages namely English, French, German, Mandarin, Thai and Punjabi.

    Devdas won five National Awards and 10 Filmfare Awards, was screened at Cannes and was India‘s entry to the Academy Awards in the foreign language category in 2003.

  • Nick US’ broadband platform TurboNick 2.0 gets 19 million content streams

    Nick US’ broadband platform TurboNick 2.0 gets 19 million content streams

    MUMBAI: US kids channel Nickelodeon has launched an enhanced version of TurboNick its broadband video platform. It has called it TurboNick 2.0.

    It has continuous video streaming, customised play lists, content in multiple languages, the ability to search the broad Nickelodeon content library.

    Since its initial soft launch (20 September to 1 October), TurboNick 2.0 has generated close to 19 million content streams, an increase of 911 per cent versus last year’s equivalent time period, which is almost 10 times the amount of streams for the same time period in 2005.

    TurboNick 2.0 is averaging 236,000 daily unique visitors, a 489 per cent increase over last year. TurboNick is one of several multiplatform experiences that allow kids to access Nickelodeon content, joining its Video on Demand offerings on cable, podcasts, Nick Arcade, and video clips through wireless providers, among others. In third quarter 2006, Nickelodeon television took the lead across all kid and tween demos, and achieved record Video on Demand numbers.

    With turbonick kids now have the opportunity to control their individual entertainment experiences and become ‘programmers’ with mash-up applications, the ability to rate videos, or interactive games. Featuring Flash video technology, TurboNick 2.0 now allows PC and Mac users to access hundreds of Nick long and short form programming videos online, including select new episodes immediately after they air on the network.

    Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group executive VP digital media Stephen Youngwood says, “In keeping with our philosophy of putting kids first in everything we do, we are thrilled to provide these unparalleled features on TurboNick 2.0 that will empower kids to take charge of their internet experience. TurboNick 2.0 not only provides a hub for our vast library of content, but allows kids to become ‘programmers’ and ‘creators’ in their own right.”

    TurboNick premiered as the first broadband player for kids in July 2005 to compliment Nickelodeon’s on-air programming, and initially featured 20 hours of new programming every week organized by channels. TurboNick 2.0 is organised by content channels as well as by property icons. Users are able to search from a library of hundreds of long and short form videos of Nickelodeon favorites. And the video streaming on TurboNick 2.0 never stops, even as users watch, browse, interact with and personalize their experience.

    TurboNick 2.0 is also scheduled to rollout in international territories including Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in late 2006/early 2007.

    Nickelodeon Television executive VP. GM Tom Ascheim says, “With access to a vast library of great Nickelodeon content and unprecedented user flexibility, TurboNick 2.0 is keeping our audience connected with our programming like never before.

    “The applications we are creating for kids on the internet are distinct and age appropriate. Whether it’s creating their favorite Avatar and Mr. Meaty play lists, or mashing up SpongeBob clips to share with their friends, kids rule on TurboNick 2.0. We also plan to use kids’ feedback and user generated content to inform what takes place on our air.”

    TurboNick 2.0 also provides appointment viewing for users with special content features like the Teenick Extra Scoop. This programming block offers extras or behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks at next week’s new Teenick episodes, new games and more, in addition to the latest TEENick episodes immediately after they debut on-air.

    The TurboNick 2.0 features:

    Play lists – This a new option that allows users to drag and drop videos to create play lists, trade play lists with friends and send videos through links via email. With “My TurboNick,” users can save their play lists or other’s favorite play lists or videos.

    Nick Mash-ups – Users create their own mini-movies using clips, stills and audio from videos within TurboNick 2.0, using provided graphics and transitions. These mash-ups can be displayed on TurboNick 2.0 or emailed to friends, or displayed on users’ personalized internet pages. Some content might even be chosen to air on Nickelodeon.

    User ratings – Users are able rate videos and the top rated videos become a category on TurboNick 2.0. Select videos will be highlighted editorially on the site.

    Search function – allows users to search for their favorite videos from hundreds of videos from the Nick library by character or show.

    Games in TurboNick – TurboNick 2.0 offers trivia, quizzes, sliders, memory games and other basic level casual gaming to play while the video player streams content. It will soon feature interactive video-related gaming, which will correlate directly with the property you are viewing.

    New languages – Content is now available in Spanish, German, and French, and will soon roll out in Italian and other languages in the coming months.

    Skinnable designs – the player will, in the future, be customisable with themes and colour.

  • Infront, HBS win Judges’ Award at IBC2006 in Amsterdam

    Infront, HBS win Judges’ Award at IBC2006 in Amsterdam

    MUMBAI: Infront Sports & Media, the company which handled the worldwide marketing and sales of the broadcast rights to 2006 Fifa World Cup and its subsidiary Host Broadcast Services (HBS) have won the Judges’ Award at the IBC show in Amsterdam.

    HBS was responsible for the host broadcast operations of the 2006 Fifa World Cup.

    The award was for New Media production at the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany. The tailored production services provided by HBS transformed the coverage of the event for New Media in terms of quality and content. The prospect of tailored production drove sales – this was the most widely covered sports event on the internet and on mobile phones to date. More than 100 countries were covered by 50 licensees in Mobile Telephony and World Wide Web.

    A team of 40 producers and journalists created a special New Media Content Package – tailor-made for licensees, designed for exploitation without the need for extensive editing and incorporating various innovations designed specifically for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The near-live clips were enhanced with specific or customised match and competition summaries, graphics, background sound, music and commentary.

    The fact that this was the first FIFA World Cup covered entirely in HDTV opened the door to improved picture quality for New Media. HD video-based Pan and Scan technology was utilised, allowing the editor to zoom in and capture the core action, producing a clear picture more exciting than ever for tiny handsets.

    HBS also offered a voice-over commentary service in the language of one’s choice. A total of eight different languages were booked and produced simultaneously in the IBC during the tournament: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swiss German.

    The benefits for licensees were considerable – better quality production, reduction of cost per licensee through central multilateral production and HD-based content, delivering “never seen before” picture quality in small formats.

    HBS director of production Peter Angell received the Award on behalf of HBS and Infront. He said, “This award confirms that our two companies, Infront and HBS, were right in deciding to embed new media requirements in the overall production strategy, providing licensees with a level of service never experienced before. The fact that all matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup were filmed in HDTV has transformed the quality of New Media coverage.

    ” Combined with the use of Pan and Scan technology to capture the core action in a way that is relevant for tiny handsets, it has delivered pictures of unprecedented quality. Licensees and consumers were thrilled”, he said in his acceptance speech.

    HBS CEO Francis Tellier said, “This special award acknowledges the quality of services and innovations our team has provided in the area of host broadcasting. The new media production of the 2006 Fifa World Cup has been the defining step forward and underlines our ambition, to lead the industry through innovation.”

    Infront Sports & Media president and CEO Philippe Blatter says, “We are proud that the outstanding production capabilities of the Infront Group have been recognised and we see this year’s IBC Judges’ Award as a challenge to push even further in future”.

  • Yahoo!’s Fifa World Cup site got six million visits last month

    Yahoo!’s Fifa World Cup site got six million visits last month

    MUMBAI: The football Fifa fever is growing in leaps and bounds globally! comScore has announced the results of an analysis of the worldwide online audience for the official World Cup soccer tournament Web site hosted by Yahoo! at fifaworldcup.yahoo.com. Yahoo! is a Fifa partner.

    Last month, comScore Networks, which deals with digital media measurement, recorded 5.7 million unique visitors to the site, up 35 per cent from 4.2 million in March. The tournament is set to start from 9 June in Germany.

    comScore says that the figures demonstrate the worldwide popularity of the World Cup and the potential of the Internet as a powerful marketing channel to reach this global audience.

    Europe contributed the greatest proportion of visitors with 51 per cent, or almost 3 million people visiting the site from European countries. The next highest region was Asia Pacific, contributing 17 per cent of the total visitors (nearly one million people) and reflecting the strength of the sport in the area.

    Traffic from Latin America represented 12 per cent of the total, with the popularity of the sport offsetting the lower internet penetration in many of the region’s countries. Only 10 per cent of the visitors came from North America, highlighting the still limited popularity of professional soccer in the US.

    The global interest in the World Cup, along with the complex marketing opportunities associated with the tournament, were emphasised by the visitation to the local language World Cup sites created by Yahoo!. In addition to the English language site, the German, Spanish, Japanese, French, Portuguese and Italian language versions all received significant traffic during April.