ITV

Tag: HBO

  • Ratings: Star Movies tops English film genre despite absence in Mumbai

    Ratings: Star Movies tops English film genre despite absence in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: With Cas having come into the Metros, the niche channels will have a better fix on what the audience prefers. Tam data for the last six months paints an interesting picture of what the viewers are likely to go in for.

    Tam data c&s 15+ all India shows that in the English film genre Star Movies has a clear lead. In fact it has widened the gap between itself and arch rival HBO. This, one must note, is despite the fact that it is not present in Mumbai which each week contributes an average of 15 per cent to the viewing of this genre.

    ENGLISH
    MOVIES
    – TG: CS
    15 years     		15 JULY-15 AUG 15 AUG-15 SEP 15 SEP -15 OCT 15 OCT-15 NOV 15 NOV-15 DEC 15 DEC-30 DEC 01 JAN – 13 JAN 07
    Hallmark
    Channel    		 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
    HBO 38 33 33 32 33 35 33
    PIX 9 10 8 9 8 9 9
    Star Movies 42 40 44 45 47 41 49
    Zee Studio 11 17 16 14 13 15 9

    For the period 15 July – 15 August 2006 Star Movies had a share of 42 per cent followed by HBO with a share of 38 per cent. Zee Studio has a share of 11 per cent and Pix which had recently launched had a share of nine per cent. For the period 1-13 January 2007 Star Movies boosted its share to 49 per cent compared to 41 per cent in the last two weeks of December.

    Star Movies’ gain in January is Zee Studio’s loss which shows that there is some overlap despite the fact that while the former focusses on blockbusters the latter focusses on niche films. In fact Zee Studio has recently been doing initiatives on world cinema. Zee Studio’s share fell from 15 per cent in the last fortnight of December to 9 per cent bringing it on level terms with Pix. HBO’s share fell by four to five percentage points in August but has since stayed steady at 33 per cent.

    Star India GM content Harsh Rohatgi gives the credit for Star Movies’ leadership position to the compelling movie library it has. “Even if you look at the Metro market to which Mumbai contributes 35 per cent viewership we are still ahead. We have done initiatives like a Bond festival, creature festival.

    “Mind you Star Movies in the past six months did not do anything special in terms of marketing besides on-air promotions. So the content sold itself. We are doing an Oscar festival at the moment. Our clients have supported us despite concern about Mumbai. We expect to be back on air within the next one week to 10 days.”

    As had been pointed out earlier, HBO’s main concern now is to ensure that it is in the priority list of channels in homes which are getting the set top box. So it ran a campaign last month educating people on what the channel is offering. Its message for this year is Bigger and Better.

    The challenge, Shruti Bajpai, country manager, HBO, notes, comes not only from more television competition but also from outside in the form of multiplexes, gaming etc. As Tam CEO L.V. Krishnan had pointed out in a recent interview, in the Elite group which comprise the bulk of the English film channels audience, the more technology options there are for entertainment like the DVD, the more their viewing of television drops.

    So there is all the more reason for this genre to be on its toes as its core audience will become even more choosy. Bajpai is counting on the strength of the HBO brand which has been built over the years to see it through this period of change. Going forward for this year it will try to build up the non primetime block through slots like It’s A Guy Thing for men. Last year HBO built on its thematic, festive blocks. So there was a full one month special for Diwali which had different themes depending on the daypart.

    This year HBO, Bajpai notes, has upped the marketing ante. A case in point is what was done with King Kong where there was radio, online and an outdoor presence. “It is not a question of having a huge budget. It is a question of optimising the different avenues which is what we have been able to do. The reason why we have not fallen in share despite not being present in Mumbai for a while is that the mini Metros are growing. They are hip and happening and you are getting viewership from a place where there was none earlier.”

    Media planners feel that each channel has its own USP. As Starcom’s Rahul Panchal points out, “Pix has its USP in that it targets an older set of viewers 25+. HBO on the other hand has a lot of teens tuning in which is why it has blocks for that set. Therefore there will be some difference in the brand profile.

    “Brand saliency is also what one looks at vis-a-vis just numbers. Pix and Zee Studio offer an environment that is less cluttered. They are also more flexible on the rates. Therefore though I put money on the two leaders (Star Movies and HBO) I would not ignore the other two players.”

    Panchal adds that Star Movies’ distribution in the small towns is probably better in terms of the frequency it is on. Clearly it’s gain there has more than offset the loss of Mumbai. One also has to consider the fact that with Cas coming in, putting in money will not be such a gray area.

    There will be better clarity also with Tam having launched its Elite Panel. Media planners also point out that in English films there is better stickiness compared to say, general entertainment. If someone likes a film he/she will stay with it. The question now is whether viewers will choose a channel like Pix when there are three competing channels.

    Pix business head Sunder Aaron says that Pix has carved a niche space which has been due to films being carefully chosen. “We have built up our programming by focussing on slots like 8 pm and 10 pm. Our stance has been that of telling a good story. Viewers who see value in this will, I am confident, choose us in their basket. To add variety we have also done original content like Framed, which saw director Aparna Sen being interviewed. We will be doing audience research this year to find out more in terms of preferences. We are doing a marketing campaign in Bangalore as we felt we needed to boost our visibility there.”

  • ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘The Office’ triumph at Sag Awards

    ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘The Office’ triumph at Sag Awards

    MUMBAI: At the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) Awards in the US, ABC’s medical soap Grey’s Anatomy, which airs in India on Star World, and NBC’s sitcom The Office won the top prizes for best ensemble in a drama and comedy respectively.

    With the exception of The Office most of the other wins in television followed the same pattern as the Golden Globe awards. Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons won for their roles in HBO’s Elizabeth I.

    Alec Baldwin, who stars in 30 Rock and America Ferrera, who stars in Ugly Betty, won in the comedy categories. In the drama category the trophies went to Hugh Laurie for House and Chandra Wilson for Grey’s Anatomy.

    In film, all the acting wins were the same as the Golden Globes. So Mirren won for The Queen, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson won for Dreamgirls and Forest Whitaker won for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. The only differance is that the ensemble award went to the comedy Little Miss Sunshine which beat Dreamgirls, The Departed, The Queen and Babel.

    At the Oscar Awards which will air on Star Movies on 26 February 2007, the acting awards should mirror both the Sag and Golden Globes. With this kind of predictability a lot will depend on what the host Ellen DeGeneres and the organisers come up with to sustain viewer interest. The big one Best Picture is up in the air though Little Miss Sunshine is a little bit in front having won both Sag and the producers guild awards.

  • HBO lines up Republic Day special

    MUMBAI: HBO’s blockbuster of the month airs on Friday 26 January at 9 pm.The “Eighth Wonder of the World” returns for the third time in this lavish film directed by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson. Thanks to unrivalled, state-of-the-art computer effects wizardry and animatronics, Jackson finally brings justice to the 1933 classic starring Fay Wray.

    Scheming and bankrupt filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black, The Holiday, Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny) embarks on a desperate plan to get the studio and the creditors off his back. He relies on playwright Jack Driscoll (Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody, Hollywoodland, The Jacket) to finish the pages of a half-baked screenplay.

    Denham talks starving vaudeville performer Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts, The Painted Veil, Stay) into joining them on a film shoot to a far-flung island. The adventure begins when they board a steamer, setting sail for the South Seas at Denham’s behest in their search for the mythical and eerie Skull Island, where rumors of a gargantuan monster abound. Denham believes this monster could clinch the blockbuster he so badly needs.

    Upon reaching the island, Ann is abducted by a fierce tribe who make her their next offering to Kong. Kong takes the terrified Ann, but Ann’s courage and empathy soon let her see through Kong, and a bond between them begins to grow. From Manhattan to the South Seas and back, expect loads of drama, fun, and scream-inducing scenes in what movie critic Roger Ebert calls “magnificent entertainment…one of [2005’s] best films.”

  • HBO launches mobile Vod service in Korea

    HBO launches mobile Vod service in Korea

    MUMBAI: HBO has announced a deal with telecommunications company SK Telecom for a mobile video on demand service in Korea. The service launched a few days ago.

    The mobile service features full episodes from HBO’s series Sex and the City, Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm. SK Telecom is supporting the launch by offering a free one month trial period to 21 January, making four episodes of both Sex and the City and Six Feet Under available during that time.

    HBO International senior VP Stanley Fertig says, ” With one of the most advanced mobile networks on earth, SK Telecom is a leader in providing on-demand mobile entertainment to its subscribers. This deal is also an example of the many opportunities HBO is finding around the world as digital technology advances in the international marketplace.”

  • HBO in awareness building drive for CAS; looks for further customisation

    HBO in awareness building drive for CAS; looks for further customisation

    MUMBAI: 2006 has not been an easy year for the English movie genre. Firstly there was the order from the Mumbai High Court, which saw HBO and Star Movies off air in a key market. While Star Movies is still off air, HBO recently came back on.

    The second challenge is that viewership share of English film channels has been falling. Then the distribution landscape is changing. DTH is growing. Conditional Access (CAS) comes in next year.

    HBO South Asia country manager Shruti Bajpai says that the key in this period of change is to build brand loyalty.

    “Our first challenge is to make sure that we are in the priority list of channels in homes which will get the set top box. New platforms mean that there is more room for new English entertainment channels. At the same time you have to be on your toes. To educate the viewers on HBO with the advent of CAS, we will be running a campaign, which will kick off in the final week of this month. This will be on air on our channel and possibly across Zee Turner and also in print, radio and outdoors.

    “While the final touches are being given, our campaign talks about the brand and what the channel has to offer for those who take a set top box. Our push will be along the lines of our tagline for next year – bigger and better. Our concern at the moment is not the pricing of Rs 5. It is to see that we get into enough homes. That is why we have a big property King Kong at the start of the year.

    “We are platform neutral and we will wait and see how the new platforms fare. Perhaps two or three years down the line we might have an offering without ads for a platform if the growth of that platform and the customers demand justifies it.”

    In terms of the fall in channel share, she notes that the challenge is that not only does one have to compete with new entrants but also the fact that the viewer is spoilt for choices. “There are games, multiplexes. While there will be volatility with CAS coming in, in the long run it is the strong brands that will survive. I think that HBO has done a good job in building up its brand over the years. If you look at it, the English entertainment genre share has fallen as a whole.

    “While viewers of our channels do watch other genres, what you see on English films is that there is more stickiness. On a genre like infotainment there is dip in and dip out viewing. On the other hand if a viewer likes a film he/she will stay tuned. We also expect new viewers to come in from the mini Metros and small towns that are growing. As the economy booms and more people become affluent more of them will start watching English films.” This, the channel hopes will compensate for the fact that some of its core audience is also watching other genres.

    The other issue is how HBO is working with the Censor Board. To this Bajpai says that the results so far have been good. Films she says have been cleared on a priority basis and as of now there has been no trouble with the scheduling. HBO has so far not encountered the situation where it could not air a film. Some films have been cut and then aired. It also helps that its major films like the upcoming King Kong have aired in cinemas and thus have a certificate.

    Further Customisation: The focus in 2007 for the channel will rest on customisation. The aim is to build up the non-primetime slots. One way of doing this is to have slots that appeal to certain demographics. So there is Time Out at 11:30 in the morning for the housewife. In addition to this the channel has added It’s A Guy Thing for men. This airs at 2 pm on Saturdays. Then there is Whazz up? for youth. This airs on the weekdays before the 9pm film.

    HBO has SMS contests for this block and also a mini site on hboindia.com. Bajpai asserts that HBO will also be more focussed on co-ordinating specials with Indian festivals like Holi. While it has been done in the past, more effort will go into this from next year to make it more cohesive.

    HBO’s next big film is King Kong with Naomi Watts. It airs next month. A microsite will go up where fans can find downloads and basic games. There will also be an on-air contest and the grand prize could involve a trip to a foreign destination. Bajpai adds that HBO will air four to five of its series next year. This year just two had been aired.

    While declining to divulge further details Bajpai says that one show will look at men’s lives in a big city.

    This could well be a counter point to Sex And the City, which had looked at the lives of single women.

    As has already been reported by Indiantelevision.com, HBO will air Tsunami: The Aftermath on 26 December without any commercial breaks. In terms of its original movies, the situation at the moment is a little uncertain, as titles have to be cleared. HBO also gets involved with the theatrical releases of films from its studio partners. It will push the animation film Happy Feet as well as the Denzel Washington film Deja Vu. There will be features like The Big Preview as well as public screenings.

  • HBO to premiere “Tsunami: The Aftermath” in Asia

    HBO to premiere “Tsunami: The Aftermath” in Asia

    NEW DELHI: HBO channel today announced the Asia premiere of its latest original mini-series, Tsunami: The Aftermath, a film based on the experiences some tourists had on the two islands of Phuket and Khao Lak in Thailand on the fateful day of 26 December 2004.

    It is a film about how human beings faced personal tragedy and then fought back and rebuilt their lives.

    The film is being released to mark the second anniversary of the catastrophe that had shattered the lives of millions and shaken the world. Suitably, the show will not carry a single commercial, announced HBO country head Shruti Bajpai.

    Bajpai also said that HBO had had a very successful sixth year in India and that the theme for the year 2007 would be “bigger and better”, which she asserted, sans, of course, the revenue figures.

    The mini-series, based on the book of the same name by Morgan Abi, is directed by Bharat Nalluri, originally from Andhra Pradesh, and will have a lot of big names in the cast, including several Academy Award nominees like Tim Roth, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Gina McKee and others.

    Though the subject had been extensively researched with interviews of survivors, government officials and rescue agencies, the film rotates around a fictional group of tourists. It also a central Thai character, a waiter at the hotel which is the scene of this film, whose own family entirely perishes but who works with the survivors helping them reach higher ground.

    Bajpai was on the defensive regarding no Indians being there in the film, but said that the film transcends national boundaries and represented the true genre of HBO Originals, which are quality productions that provoke thought.

    “One reason we are not running commercials is, we decided that thought this would be a big hit yet, you cannot have a commercial just after a scene of someone dying. There are things we do where we do not look for money. We have enough and more blockbusters and other programmes which get us the money,” she said.

    The key characters include a young couple of African origin searching for their little girl; the Thai waiter who later fights against realtors trying to take over his devastated village; a young journalist (who often gets the wrong end of the stick from survivors); a British official whose faith in the system breaks down, and a Thai meteorologist who had earlier predicted the disaster but had been ignored.

    Tsunami: The Aftermath, has been produced in association with BBC, Bajpai said.

    She also explained that the film was in line with similar, life-based programmes like Band of Brothers on World War II and other quality productions. She said that though this cannot be termed a docudrama, the style is as true to life as possible.

    Terming the channel’s run in India this year as “great”, she said that HBO’s motto for the next year would be “bigger and better.”

    “Bigger,” she explained, “because there would be many more blockbusters. And better because there would be many more such quality productions than in the past.”

    Among the blockbusters coming up on HBO in the first three months of 2007 are King Kong, Da Vinci Code, to be followed later by Batman, Pride and Prejudice, Constantine, a Julia Roberts festival, and Constant Gardner, a moving film on how drug companies exploit African people doing illegal human testing.

    She defended the noticeable reduction of classics from the channel, saying that research showed that there wasn’t too much viewership for that. “Still, we show such films under various themes, like war movies, romances, etc., and that trend shall continue,” she assured.

    There will be, as in every year past, special programmes on Holi, Diwali and other major Indian festivals.

    Refusing to discuss revenue, she said that the growth is about 20 to 25 per cent year-on-year.

    Regarding CAS and fixing of the price pr channel at Rs 5, she said: “We shall go by the orders of the government. The issue is that the whole system will create an environment of choice for the viewers. Our position is that when that when that choice is made, we should be part of that choice… people should say, ‘give us HBO, we shall pay for it’.”On the issue of which is the number one entertainment channel, Bajpai said that this never really works out, because on some occasions one channel is on top, the others are not, and then over the next few hours, the situation can reverse.

    “We can assert that we are among the top English entertainment channels, but if I say that we are always higher rated than our rivals, that may not be true all the time. But yes, in the English entertainment category, it is among the top two. The others are way behind.”

  • Ratings: Star Movies maintains edge over HBO; Discovery gains ground

    Ratings: Star Movies maintains edge over HBO; Discovery gains ground

    MUMBAI: The English entertainment scene has been undergoing a few changes. Until recently HBO was off the air waves in Mumbai for several weeks. Arch rival Star Movies continues to be off air.

    Tam data SEC A,B 15+ has thrown up some interesting findings. The period is 1 September – 1 November 2006.

    At an all India level Tam data shows that Star Movies has seven of the top nine English films. Creature features and martial arts films not surprisingly continue to do well. King Kong and The Way Of The Dragon on Star Movies got TVRs of 0.34 and 0.31. Enter The Dragon on HBO got a TVR of 0.31.

    Data also shows that the blackout in Mumbai benefitted Pix and Zee Studio. When you just look at the six Metros Pix has two films in the top 10. At number three it has Bicentennial Man which got a TVR of 0.38. Men In Black rated 0.3. This shows two things. Firstly Mumbai is a very important market for English films. Secondly it lays some credence to Pix’s philosophy that if one has films with good stories no matter when they were made viewers will watch them. Interestingly none of the films in the top 10 whether one looks at the Metros or all India are premieres. Zee Studio also figures in the top 10 at the metro level. It got a TVR of 0.29 for Shaolin Temple.

    If you look at primetime shares 8-11 pm for all the English channels – movies, general entertainment, infotainment one sees that Star Movies and HBO’s shares have gone down partly due to the Mumbai blackout. Star Movies for the period last year had a share of 23. Now it has a share of 17 for all India and 16 for the six Metros. HBO’s share has gone down from 18 per cent to 13 per cent at an all India level. For six Metros there has been a fall from 17 per cent to 11 per cent.

    Pix though it launched recently is neck and neck with Zee Studio. Zee Studio it must be pointed out has doubled its share from three last year to six per cent. Pix does better than Zee Studio when one looks at the Metros. It has a share of eight. At an all India level it has a share of four per cent.

    The biggest gainer by far is Discovery. At the all India level it has a share of 18 per cent versus 14 per cent for the same period last year. This is the most for any channel. At a Metro level it has a share of 16 per cent versus 10 per cent last year. Discovery’s gain would appear to be arch rival National Geographic Channel’s (NGC) loss. Last year for the period NGC’s share was 14 per cent for the six Metros. This time it is eight per cent. Discovery Travel and Living’s (DTL) share has also gone down from seven per cent to five per cent. At the all India level the shares of NGC and DTL are flat at 13 per cent and four per cent respectively. Animal Planet’s share has also stayed the same at eight per cent for the Metros and 10 per cent for all India.

    The History Channel had undergone a repositioning. It is now an entertainment channel with the tagline Live The Story. It shows films, miniseries etc. However its share has only grown marginally from four per cent at an all India level to five per cent. In the Metros its share is flat at three per cent. Its share is comparable to Star World with whom it is now looking to compete for both ad revenues and viewership. Star World has a share of three per cent all India and five per cent in the metros.

    Zee Cafe has shown some improvement. Its share grew from one per cent last year to three per cent this year for the Metros and two per cent at an all India level. The English general entertainment channels all have some work to do to catch up with AXN. The action oriented broadcaster has held steady with shares of nine and 10 per cent at an all India and the six Metro level respectively. No doubt initiatives like the ongoing Amazing Race Asia help viewers to keep going back.

  • HBO, AOL launch a comedy site in the US

    HBO, AOL launch a comedy site in the US

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster HBO and internet service provider AOL, which offers online programming for over 100 million users each month, have joined forces on the new broadband website This Just In.

    The site is slated to launch in the first quarter of next year.

    This Just In will feature humour through the lens of current events ranging from pop culture to politics. It will reflect the broad range of comedy that HBO is known for including cutting edge social commentary, urban comedy and the most current new comedic voices. Leveraging AOLs leadership in online video and innovative web programming, This Just In will feature extensive video content, as well as a blog format that will enable users to tap into the days events as they are happening. This Just In will also be a platform to incubate new programming for other HBO platforms.

    The venture will be accessible at www.thisjustin.com. This Just In will replace the existing AOL Comedy channel.

    AOL Media Networks will represent This Just In to marketers, offering advertisers the opportunity to associate their brands with an HBO property for the first time ever with the site clearly identified as powered by HBO. In addition to traditional ad units, the venture will work closely with advertisers to create programming that incorporates marketing messages in a way that is as engaging as the content itself. AOL will support the site with all of the tools and technologies of its content publishing, video and social networking platforms as it has with TMZ.com, the successful 24/7 entertainment news website that AOL launched last year with sister company Telepictures.

    AOL executive VP, consumer and publisher servicesJim Bankoff says, “This venture will leverage AOL’s online expertise and HBO’s established reputation for comedy to provide a unique, engaging site for audiences across the web. What’s more, for advertisers, this is the first time they can connect to the HBO brand.”

    HBO executive VP, new media programming Group Carmi Zlotnick says, “Our goal is to create a robust destination that can have the potential of becoming part of the water cooler pop culture like many of our network programs have become. With our heritage and relationships in the comedy space, this platform is ideal for showcasing new forms of entertainment to todays savvy audience and allows us to discover fresh talent and ideas indigenous to new media.

    Running the venture is Steve Stanford who was the founder and CEO of Icebox.com, an early Internet comedy site that created programming with many top television writers, and was a co-founder and COO of the edgy, content-driven cell phone service Ampd Mobile. He says, “This is about creating a new kind of entertainment experience that couldnt exist in a non-interactive medium. We will be trying new things and taking risks in the process of developing great Internet comedy.”

    This Just In is an extension of HBO’s commitment to comedy and recognition that many of the most interesting things happening in comedy today are originating on the Internet. Content from the site may also be used across multiple platforms including HBO, HBO multiplex channels, HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile. The broadband comedy venture is only the most recent step HBO is taking to discover and develop up and coming talent.

  • HC clearance paves the way for HBO’s return to Mumbai TV screens

    HC clearance paves the way for HBO’s return to Mumbai TV screens

    MUMBAI: Good news for English film buffs in Mumbai. HBO, which had been off air for several weeks, has got the all-clear to come back on air.

    The Mumbai High Court today accepted the undertaking given by the channel to air only U and U/A rated movies. This will facilitate cable operators in Mumbai and other parts of Maharastra to feature HBO on their networks.

    However, Star Movies, which has not yet given any such undertaking, is not covered by this development.

    Asked about this, Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said, “We are working hard to ensure that viewers get to watch it (Star Movies) as soon as possible. We are positive about a quick solution to the current issue and expect that we will be on air in the next few days as well.”

    HBO India country manager Shruti Bajpai said, “HBO is the first premier English movie channel to screen movies as per the recent High Court order. We respect the sensitivities and the laws of countries where we operate in. The people of Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra will now be able to enjoy top Hollywood entertainment featured on HBO.”

    HBO like the other English movie channels Zee Studio, Pix and Star Movies, is working closely with the Censor Board for certification of the films featured on the channel.

  • Time Warner’s Q3 revenues up 7%

    Time Warner’s Q3 revenues up 7%

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Time Warner has reported financial results for its third quarter ended 30 September, 2006.

    In the quarter, revenues rose by seven per cent over the same period in 2005 to $10.9 billion, led by growth at the cable and networks segments. Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortisation climbed 16 per cent to $2.9 billion, reflecting double-digit increases at the cable and AOL segments as well as gains at the networks and publishing segments. This growth was offset partly by a decline at the Film segment. Operating income was up one per cent to $1.7 billion.

    Time Warner chairman and CEO Dick Parsons said, “Time Warner continues to build momentum and deliver value for our shareholders. This quarter’s results position the Company to meet all of our full-year financial objectives. We’re particularly encouraged by AOL’s early progress in making the transition to an advertising-supported business.

    ” Just as importantly, Time Warner Cable is generating outstanding results, even while successfully integrating its newly acquired cable systems. In addition, our capital allocation efforts continue to drive incremental value – including our $20 billion share repurchase programme as well as this year’s more than $20 billion of acquisitions and almost $4 billion of announced or completed non-core asset divestitures.”

    Revenues at AOL fell by three per cent ($58 million) to $2.0 billion, due to a 13 per cent decrease ($210 million) in subscription revenues, offset in part by a 46 per cent increase ($151 million) in ad revenues. The decline in subscription revenues was due primarily to a decrease in domestic AOL brand subscribers, which reflects in part AOL’s previously announced plan to offer its e-mail, certain software and other products free of charge to broadband users in the

    US ad revenues reflected strong growth in sales of advertising run on third-party websites generated by Advertising.com, as well as display and paid-search advertising. At the network segment (Turner Broadcasting, HBO and The WB Network) revenues rose by four per cent ($100 million) to $2.5 billion, reflecting higher subscription and ad revenues, including the consolidation of Court TV ($60 million), offset partially by lower Content revenues.

    Subscription revenues climbed nine per cent ($125 million), due to higher rates and, to a lesser extent, increased subscribers at Turner and HBO as well as the consolidation of Court TV ($17 million). Ad revenues were up by six per cent ($42 million), led by 16 per cent growth at Turner, including Court TV ($42 million), offset partly by a 36 per cent decrease ($48 million) at The WB Network, which ceased operations on September 17, 2006.

    The 23 per cent decline in content revenues ($72 million) is related to a decrease at HBO, due mainly to a difficult comparison to the prior year quarter, which included higher syndication sales of Sex and the City. For the quarter, Cartoon Network posted gains among kids 6-11 in both prime-time and total-day delivery compared to the prior year period.

    Revenues from films fell by 10 per cent ($260 million) to $2.4 billion, due to difficult comparisons to the prior year period. The current quarter included revenues from Superman Returns while overall theatrical revenue declined from the prior year quarter, which included results from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Begins and Wedding Crashers.

    The company also reaffirmed its 2006 full year business outlook. It continues to expect that its 2006 full-year growth rate will be in the low-double digits.