ITV

Tag: global TV

  • India’s Siti leads in subs acquisition albeit global slowdown

    MUMBAI: The global TV subscriptions have slowed down. Around 100 top-ranking television services in the informitv Multiscreen Index, as compared to the 2016 corresponding period increase of 1.68 per cent (6.90 million subscribers), gained 3.46 million subs amongst them in the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 0.79 per cent.

    Modest gains were seen across the board, with Europe, Middle East and Africa up by 0.21 million, the Americas up by 0.85 million, and Asia Pacific gaining 2.39 million, Advanced Television reported. Only 46 in the index of 100 services reported net subs hike. Ten with the biggest gains added 3.58 million amongst them.

    Led by SITI, which added 800,000 subs, leading operators in India gained at least 1.67 million amongst them.

    Some of the greatest benefits were as a result of reporting changes made by Sky Brasil and AT&T for PanAmericana. Organic quarterly increases were 1.13 million lower.

    US’s top 10 services reported total losses of 559,000 subscribers, with only Comcast gaining majorly. For its U-verse service, AT&T suffered the biggest loss, with 233,000 fewer subs.

    In the European region, Canal+ lost 109,000 subs in France, while Sky added 73,000 in Germany and 40,000 in Ireland and the UK.

    DIRECTV subsidiary did not report any change and also did not report numbers for its DIRECTV NOW online.

    Multiscreen Index editor William Cooper says the figures for the first quarter showed the lowest rate of global subs growth they observed. There was still growth in the Asia Pacific region, he said, but at a lower than previous rate.

    Analyst Sue Farrell observed that 95 per cent of homes subscribing to Multiscreen services had access to services other than the traditional television.

  • Amagi Skylight & STN teleports to jointly aid global TV networks

    MUMBAI: Amagi, a leader in cloud-managed broadcast services and targeted advertising for TV and OTT, and STN, a leading global teleport, have announced a partnership that integrates services between the two companies.

    The partnership will benefit TV networks around the world, who can now rely on guaranteed compatibility between the Amagi Skylight cloud-managed broadcast services platform and STN’s satellite uplink services for channel delivery and distribution.

    As a result of the partnership, TV Networks can deliver and manage their content from anywhere in the globe through Amagi’s cloud-based Skylight platform and be seamlessly integrated with the STN teleport infrastructure reaching affiliates and consumers in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Similarly, STN customers will be able to take advantage of all the benefits that Skylight offers over traditional managed playout, including end-to-end services encompassing content preparation, channel playout, content delivery, and monetisation — built specifically to operate in the cloud for maximum efficiency and value.

    “STN is pleased to add Amagi’s cloud-based playout to our growing list of options for service solutions,” said Mitja Lovsin, chief commercial officer, STN. “Our customers that choose Amagi will get the scalability and cost savings that come from moving their operations to a full-featured, hardware-light, cloud-based infrastructure.”

    “We aim to find partners that help our clients strengthen their offerings over the cloud. STN is one of the world’s most used and fastest-growing teleports, with a reputation for reliability, which is what makes it the right kind of partner for us,” said K.A. Srinivasan, co-founder of Amagi. “Being able to cross-sell our services will help both companies, but most importantly, by leveraging our synergies, we can provide a world-class broadcast experience for our global TV-network customers.”

  • Amazon Prime Video announces premiere of ‘The Grand Tour’

    Amazon Prime Video announces premiere of ‘The Grand Tour’

    MUMBAI: Amazon has announced that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will reunite to make a new motoring show for the platform. Titled The Grand Tour, the show will be available exclusively to Amazon Prime Video members in the U.K., the U.S., Germany and Japan.

    Produced by the trio’s long time executive producer Andy Wilman, the award-winning team have committed to three seasons as part of this landmark global TV deal.

    The first season comprises of 12 series which will premiere in 2016 every week on Friday and features the trio driving and testing expensive cars in exotic locations.

    The Grand Tour is added in the Amazon Original Series and is going to reach out to more than 200 countries worldwide only on Amazon Prime Video.

    Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience

  • Amazon Prime Video announces premiere of ‘The Grand Tour’

    Amazon Prime Video announces premiere of ‘The Grand Tour’

    MUMBAI: Amazon has announced that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will reunite to make a new motoring show for the platform. Titled The Grand Tour, the show will be available exclusively to Amazon Prime Video members in the U.K., the U.S., Germany and Japan.

    Produced by the trio’s long time executive producer Andy Wilman, the award-winning team have committed to three seasons as part of this landmark global TV deal.

    The first season comprises of 12 series which will premiere in 2016 every week on Friday and features the trio driving and testing expensive cars in exotic locations.

    The Grand Tour is added in the Amazon Original Series and is going to reach out to more than 200 countries worldwide only on Amazon Prime Video.

    Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience

  • Dream Works Animation to boost its television and digital presence

    Dream Works Animation to boost its television and digital presence

    MUMBAI: The Californian Animation giant Dream Works Animation (DWA) is reportedly on the move to revamp and re-position itself as a television power. The company told analysts that it will produce 1,200 TV episodes over the next five years, which CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says “will give us a significant footprint across the global TV landscape”.

    He commented that DWA is now on the path to becoming one of the biggest producers and distributors of television following the multi-year agreement with Netflix to create 300 hours of original content for the online streaming platform. DWA has also made a deal with Germany‘s Super RTL to make up to 1,100 half-hours of programming.

    Katzenberg adds that the company should see $100 million in revenues from TV this year, about half of which will come from titles in the Classic Media library which include characters like Casper, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Mr. Peabody & Sherman and George of the Jungle Classic Media was bought last year by DWA.

    Adding details to this, DWA also revealed that it is projecting at least $200 million in TV revenue per year with gross profits of around 30 per cent, close to what it sees from its films post 2015. Revenue from the Netflix and Super RTL deals won‘t vary depending on the performance of different titles.

    The numbers don‘t include benefits from sales of licensed merchandise, the library value of shows, or progress from its recently acquired online video service AwesomenessTV. The company isn‘t ready yet to create a separate business line for television, but will consider the change.

  • Pepsi pens $50mn deal with Beyoncé

    MUMBAI: Global beverage giant Pepsi has announced creative and wide-ranging global collaboration with worldwide music icon Beyoncé. The company made the announcement on its website in a statement titled ‘Pepsi and Beyonce Fact Sheet’.

    Pepsi and the music icon will collaborate to develop new content and come up with out of the box ways to engage fans, consumers and retailers in a way that benefits both brands.

    This is not Beyoncé’s first association with Pepsi. Before becoming the brand ambassador, she has served as a Pepsi spokesperson in 2002. According to media reports, the collaboration deal is worth $50 million.

    The collaboration between Pepsi and Beyoncé includes establishing the Creative Development Fund, a resource devoted to the co-creation of innovative and relevant consumer content. The two will also work together on the apects of design. In addition to having her image on a can or bottle, Beyoncé is working with Pepsi on the design of all materials related to the partnership. Apart from this, the musician will be starring in a new ‘Live for Now’ global TV commercial planned for release in early 2013.

    Apart from the TVC, Beyoncé will also be appearing in print and out of home advertisements for Pepsi. She will also be visible in-store and on-premise through materials such as shelf promotions, in-store displays and in-store advertising.

    The company said in the fact sheet, “The Beyoncé partnership is the lead example of how Pepsi is pioneering a new way for brands to engage with musical artists, moving from sponsor to partner. This creates a creative and commercial collaboration that serves both artist and brand. Beyond the partnership with Beyoncé, we are using our global scale and scope to create a platform to support multiple country-specific Pepsi musical artists. With our music program, we can excite our existing fans and attract new consumers to Pepsi, connecting their love of music with the refreshing experience of drinking Pepsi, driving sales of Pepsi globally. Our retail partners love music partnerships and are ready to embrace this relationship because Pepsi has a proven record of promotions that drive store traffic and sales.”

  • Global TV viewing up by 6 minutes, series most popular

    Global TV viewing up by 6 minutes, series most popular

    MUMBAI: The average daily time on television globally in 2011 has increased to three hours and 16 minutes per person per day, a progression of six minutes in comparison with 2010, according to Eurodata’s ‘One Television Year in the World’ report covering nearly 100 territories.

    This improvement was supported by Asia and especially China which registered a strong growth of over 12 minutes in one year. Similar increases were also reported in several European countries, with over 15 minutes in France, over seven minutes in Italy and over five minutes in Spain.

    Eurodata TV Worldwide vice president Jacques Braun said, “In 2011, a year that was packed with news and events, television succeeded in reinventing and imposing itself as the leading media in terms of live content and exclusivity. In ten years, daily viewing times have risen by 20 minutes on average. “

    The increase in viewing time is due to availability of TV sets and other equipment that encourages TV consumption coupled with the expansion of the channel offer, reinforced by the analogue switch off. This is an extra motivation to consume, the report said.

    This extra time spent in front of the TV also means that new moments of the day are being dedicated to the small screen, outside of prime time. Morning programmes, extended prime time and special events: in ten years the occasions for watching television have only grown.

    The enthusiasm for television is driven by an attractive programming offer, non-stop news headlines and events that unite viewers across the world, the report noted.

    News bulletins represented 63 per cent of the factual programmes appearing in top rankings in 2011, an increase of 10 points in comparison with 2010. Entertainment accounts for 38 per cent of the top 10 rankings, all countries combined.

    Fiction took back its place as the top genre this year, representing 41 per cent of the best performing programmes. Series were especially popular, accounting for 69 per cent of the fiction entries in the top rankings, nine points up on 2010 driven by local productions, which beyond their success within their home countries are also shining abroad.

    The report also stated that the US productions continue to export well and fill up programming grids: the American sitcom Two and a Half Men appears in the top 10 programmes in the US but also in Australia, English speaking Canada and Italian speaking Switzerland.

  • Viacom partners with online global TV distribution platform Joost

    Viacom partners with online global TV distribution platform Joost

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom and broadcast-quality Internet television service Joost have announced that Viacom will be a key content partner.

    It will offer a range of brands and programming for free to consumers on the Joost distribution platform.

    Under the agreement, Viacom’s divisions – MTV, Bet and Paramount Pictures – will provide television and theatrical programming on the Joost platform. Founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis who were behind Skype, Joost is powered by an Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Joost will allow users to have free access to thousands of programs and channels not readily available on the Web. Through Joost, viewers can watch programming from many of Viacom’s brands on their computers through a customizable platform with advanced television viewing features such as links that lead to more information or related websites based on the content; and a variety of plug-in applications, such as instant messaging, message boards, and news tickers.

    Currently available in limited beta, Joost combines TV and the internet by offering viewers a TV-like experience. Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment, according to an official release.

    MTV will offer shows, both past and present, including Laguna Beach, Beavis and Butthead, Real World. Comedy Central will feature episodes from Stella, CCP’s and Freak Show. Nickelodeon, CMT: Country Music Television, MTV2, Logo, Spike TV, mtvU, and Gametrailers.com will also provide content.

    VH1’s offerings will include episodes of Flavour of Love, Surreal Life and I Love New York.

  • Bob Geldof plans global peace channel

    Bob Geldof plans global peace channel

    MUMBAI: Social activist and musician Bob Geldof will launch a global TV and net channel which will aim at promoting world peace.

    Geldof was the brain behind the global music fund raising eevnts Live Aid and Live 8. He has agreed to work on an idea under the title, Peace Channel, with internet firm Ten Alps Digital.

    Under the terms of the agreement the company will develop proposals for a worldwide broadband channel, complete with video clips and social networking functions.

    Among other things the channel will look to encourage the West to help the poorer nations in an entertaining way. It is scheduled to launch next year.

  • European broadcasters oppose swimming, gymnastic Olympic events timings

    European broadcasters oppose swimming, gymnastic Olympic events timings

    MUMBAI: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has formally protested the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s decision to hold some Olympic swimming and gymnastic finals in the morning during the 2008 Beijing Games.

    Media reports indicate that IOC had announced the changes last week in a concession to US broadcaster NBC. However the EBU says that this means that the events willl occur in the middle of the night in Europe.

    In a statement the EBU says, “With this decision the IOC ends the tradition of staging these finals in the evening irrespective of the time zone at the venue. Viewers in Europe as well as the vast majority of the global TV audience will be disadvantaged.”

    Swimmers too have registered their protest in a letter. Ian Thorpe says, “I won’t make a habit of posting annoyances here but this one just blew my mind. Anyone else think it irritating that NBC is putting pressure on the IOC to change the swimming schedule to only benefit the US prime time audience? That’s nice but what about the rest of the planet, who last time I checked, were also involved in the Olympics.”

    Pieter van den Hoogenband says, “Do you see the big athletes of the 100 metre sprint, the Powells and Gatlins, running their final in the morning? Come on. Be serious. For one time, one tournament, they alternate the programme, because of American goals. Without knowing the opinion of the men to swim: we, us. This is worthless. For me especially. I am not a morning person. To be at my best at ten o’clock, shortly after breakfast, is impossible .”