ITV

Tag: Holland

  • Facebook activates Safety Check option after Paris attack

    Facebook activates Safety Check option after Paris attack

    MUMBAI: The world was struck with horror as Paris bled under the terror attacks that paralysed the city early morning on November 14.

     

    As news of the multiple attacks in six key places in the city spread through France and the world, family and friends of those present in the city couldn’t help but panic about the wellbeing of their loved ones. The attacks left 127 dead and over 200 injured including 99 that have been critically injured (as per the available statistics at the time of filing of this report)

     

    The situation further intensified as President Holland declared a state of emergency in France, closing its borders. Like every major disaster, be it natural or manmade, chaos ensued.

     

    Facebook did its part in abating some of the confusion with its Safety Check option.

     

    Thousands of users took to the application to send their safety message out to the world by checking ‘Safe Now’ on their profile pages. 

     

    As per the data Facebook shared with Indiantelevision.com,  4.1 million Facebook users marked themselves safe using the tool, which notified 360 million users of their friends’ safety since the service was activated.

     

    “We’ve activated Safety Check, so if you’re in Paris you can mark yourself safe or check on your friends and family,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg later posted on the social media earlier on 14 November, while condemning the act of violence in Paris. 

     

    According to Facebook spokesperson, 78 million people have had over 183 million Facebook interactions related to the attacks so far.

     

    Safety Check isn’t a new offering from the tech giant. It was launched in 2011 after the devastating Tsunami had hit Japan and surrounding areas. The option was also widely used after the earthquake in Nepal earlier this year.

     

    Interestingly this is the first time Facebook has activated the service for anything other than natural disaster.

     

    Explaining the reasoning behind the move, Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook, “Many people have rightfully asked why we turned on Safety Check for Paris but not for bombings in Beirut and other places. Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well.”

     

    Facebook is also allowing users to change their profile pictures in the blue, white and red shades of the French national flag in support of France and the people of Paris.

  • Argentina fight out Holland in last semi final tonight

    Argentina fight out Holland in last semi final tonight

    MUMBAI:”Argentina have got Messi, we’ve got Robben. And quite frankly, I think the better player is Arjen,” said Van Marwijk, Holland’s coach at the last World Cup in South Africa four years ago. But only tonight’s semi final clash between Argentina and Holland will tell who is better of them.

     

    Robben has contributed three goals on Holland’s journey to the semi-finals, as the veteran is also valued for his leadership on and off the pitch.

     

    It has been 24 years since Argentina have played in a World Cup final – surprising for a nation that considers itself one of the football giants of the world. The two teams have met four times in the World Cup, twice in Germany, with the Dutch winning twice and losing and drawing one match each.

     

    The last time they faced off was in 2006 in Gelsenkirchen the result of which was a scoreless draw. But tonight’s match will be watched with keen eyes as the winners will play against Germany who secured a berth in the final yesterday.

  • Wentworth adaptation ‘Celblok-H’ to serve more time in Holland with recommission

    Wentworth adaptation ‘Celblok-H’ to serve more time in Holland with recommission

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has today confirmed that prison dramaCelblok-H, the Dutch adaptation of the global Australian hit Wentworth,has been recommissioned by SBS 6 in Holland for a second season. SBS confirmed the second season earlier this week even before the final episode of the first season aired.

    Adapted from the hugely successful FremantleMedia Australia series, season one Celblok-H used the same scripts to tell the gritty story of survival, rivalry, power struggles and unlikely allegiances within a female prison. It is expected that season two will follow the same process.

    Compelling and emotional, season one of Celblok-H captured up to 1.3 million viewers becoming the number one drama on SB6 so far this year. The show performed up to 84% higher than SBS6’s prime time average for total individuals (4+) and won shares of up to 21%, performing 145% higher than SBS6’s prime time average for the 20-49 demographic.

    Willem Zijlstra, CEO of FourOne.Media said,“Quality rules. I am happy that our friends at SBS have decided to follow-up on the first season so soon. We’ve made a true version of the Australian original and all credit to them, it works on every level and the audience responded accordingly.”

    Jo Porter, Director of Drama at FremantleMedia Australia said, “We could not be more proud to see the Australian DNA in Wentworth go on to create new versions around the world.  It is particularly satisfying to see Celblok-H receive the same popular and critical acclaim as the original; it is fantastic news that our friends and colleagues in Holland have received a commission for a second series. The unique networks within FremantleMedia mean we are able to create drama that works around the world.”

    The second season of Wentworth will premierMay 20thon Foxtel Australia with the third season currentlyin production. The first season of Wentworth has garnered critical acclaim internationally, and has won two 2014 ASTRA Awards for ‘Most Outstanding Drama’ and ‘Most Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor’. The show continues to captivate international audiences, having sold to over 80 markets to date.

    Season 2 of Celblok-H will go into production later this summer.

  • FremantleMedia confirms Holland as second adaptation market for wentworth

    FremantleMedia confirms Holland as second adaptation market for wentworth

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has confirmed today that Holland will be the second territory to produce a local version of the global Australian hit prison drama Wentworth. Produced by FremantleMedia’s FourOne.Media, the Dutch-language remake, entitled Celblok-H, sees the faithful reproduction of all ten original scripts transported into a Dutch setting. SBS 6 has commissioned the show which will premiere in March 2014.

    Based on the successful FremantleMedia Australia series, the compelling and emotional Celblok-H will follow the same gritty story of survival, rivalry, power struggles and unlikely allegiances within a female prison.

    Willem Zijlstra, CEO of FourOne.Media commented: “The gripping scripts of Wentworth and the characters that inhabit the correctional institution make compelling stories no matter where they are in the world. It has been a joy to take the original scripts and to see them come to life in a completely new environment. I’ve no doubt that Dutch viewers will be as hooked with the show as audiences all over the world have been.”

    The FremantleMedia Australia drama airs on Foxtel Australia and is currently in production for its second season in Melbourne. In January, FremantleMedia Australia and Foxtel announced that a third season of the show had been commissioned – even before season two had aired. The third season of Wentworth is scheduled to go into production in March 2014, shortly after filming on season two had wrapped.  The Australian version has attracted international interest and has to date be sold to over twenty markets. At the end of 2013, FremantleMedia announced that Germany would be the first territory to make a local version of the show, with production planned for Berlin in March 2014.

    Since launching in Australia in early 2013, this graphic, edgy reboot became the most watched non-sports programme in Australian subscription television history ever; while in the UK, the series became the number one primetime Australian drama in the UK since 2002. Celblok-H will premiere on Monday, March 3rd on SBS 6.

     

  • Naomi Watts to star in Errol Morris-helmed Holland, Michigan

    Naomi Watts to star in Errol Morris-helmed Holland, Michigan

    MUMBAI: Naomi Watts is in talks to star in Holland, Michigan, a thriller that will be directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris from a script by first time screenwriter Andrew Sodroski. The script is described as a suburban thriller with pitch black humor. Le Grisbi Productions’ John Lesher and Adam Kassan are producing and Sean Murphy will be co-producer. Production will start in April.

     

    Watts will be seen next as Princess Diana in the Oliver Hirschbiegel-directed biopic Diana. She just wrapped the Ted Melfi-directed St. Vincent De Van Nuys with Bill Murray and the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-directed Birdman, the latter of which Lesher produced.

     

    Morris is at Toronto to unveil his latest documentary, The Unknown Known and his past work includes The Thin Blue Line, Tabloid and the Oscar-winning The Fog Of War: Eleven Lessons From The Life Of Robert S. McNamara. Morris served as executive producer on Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary The Act Of Killing.

     

    Lesher is currently in pre-production on the David Ayer-helmed WWII film Fury with Brad Pitt. He produced Blood Ties, Guillaume Canet’s English language debut which premiered at Cannes, and was acquired by Lionsgate. Watts is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment.

  • Endemol signs format deals in Holland ahead of Mipcom

    MUMBAI: Television format creator and dsitributor Endemol, has announced new deals and successful launches in the Netherlands for international formats to be showcased at next weeks’ television trade event Mipcom 2012 in Cannes, France.

    A local version of reality show ‘Love in the Wild’, originally created and produced by Endemol USA for NBC, has been commissioned by RTL 5. The eight episode new series, produced by Endemol Netherlands, is due to launch on 22 October and will be the first non-US production of the format. The show, which challenges single men and women looking for love to take on adrenaline-fuelled quests together in a tropical paradise, completed its second hit season on NBC this summer and the US version has so far been distributed to 90 countries internationally.

    Social Media dating format ‘Coming Soon: Love‘ has been sold to Net 5 in a deal that will see Endemol Netherlands produce 10 episodes launching on 18 October. The format sees a web based community of celebrity women embarking on a journey to find love; sharing intimate secrets about their dates and love lives 24/7 via webcams in their homes. Endemol acquired worldwide rights to ‘Coming Soon: Love‘ last year from Keshet Broadcasting and Ephrati Productions in Israel.

    Also among Endemol‘s Mipcom highlights this year are new formats from Endemol Netherlands, ‘Hit on a Trip‘ and ‘Love is in the Air‘, both of which recently launched to become overnight hits on Ned 3 and RTL 4 respectively.

    ‘Hit on a Trip‘ sees famous musicians travel to different countries in a bid to adapt their biggest hits to the local sound and musical tastes, working with local artists to replicate their song‘s success in another culture. The show launched on public broadcaster Ned 3 this month.

    ‘Love is in the Air‘ is a reality series that reunites loved ones who have lost contact by living in far apart countries. The series made a strong debut this autumn and has continued to grow its audience on commercial channel RTL 4.

    Endemol MD of creative operations Iris Boelhouwer said, “This is a promising mix of international formats being picked up for peak time slots in the Netherlands and locally created shows making a strong debut in their home market. It‘s great news as we prepare to showcase these formats at MIPCOM 2012.”

  • MTV Intl is showcaing Jay-Z in series of specials

    MTV Intl is showcaing Jay-Z in series of specials

    MUMBAI: MTV’s music channels across the globe are presenting a special series of programming featuring hip-hop mogul Jay-Z in support of his highly anticipated new album Kingdom Come, which was recently released worldwide on Universal Music.

    MTV Live: Jay-Z and Diary Of Jay-Z is airing across MTV’s channels globally. The raft of programming gives MTV viewers access to the hip-hop exponent to celebrate his return to the stage.

    To promote the launch of Kingdom Come, MTV is featuring music videos and long form programming dedicated to Jay-Z including an exclusive 30minute or 60minute MTV Live performance from Milan featuring hit tracks Encore and 99 Problems.

    Additionally, a Diary of Jay-Z shot by MTV International on the artist’s African, European and Asian tour dates featuring the hip-hop icon on safari and meeting Nelson Mandela in South Africa and being dressed up by local tribes in Tanzania and Lagos. The diary also features footage of Jay-Z’s Royal Albert Hall performance in London; the first by a hip-hop artist at the venue.

    A documentary special, Jay-Z: Water For Life, filmed by MTV US in which Jay-Z partners with MTV and the United Nations to visit several regions around the globe that have been most devastatingly hit by the world water crisis will also air across selected MTV channels globally.

    MTV International senior VP talent and music, Jamie Caring says, “It’s a rare privilege to see a hip hop legend like Jay-Z doing such a big tour outside the US. Creating a host of must-see live music and diary specials to document Jay-Z’s travels and phenomenal live shows is a great example of the highly collaborative partnerships we do with A list artists these days. It’ll allow our TV and online audiences to connect with him like never before across multiple music brands and platforms’

    The programming complements the recent Jay-Z tour partnerships of MTV channels in France, Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe, Holland, UK, Australia, Africa, Korea, Thailand and Taiwan as well as dedicated broadband content and ticket competitions enabling fans to experience the ultimate thrill of Jay-Z’s recent comeback tour via their TV, PC or up close and personal.

    MTV.com in the US recently unveiled a Jay-Z fan site at jay-z.mtv.com. This Jay-Z ‘Video Vault Experience’ offers users a comprehensive timeline of his career through footage from MTV’s archives including all of Jay-Z’s music videos, dozens of live performances, every MTV interview, including never-before-seen interviews, and more.

    In addition, US fans can enter the The Jay-Z Platinum Experience contest at www.mtvjay-zplatinumexperience.com for a chance to live like a hip-hop superstar including a private helicopter trip to NYC, a private tour of the Island Def Jam offices, a personalised JAY-Z platinum album and NJ Nets tickets. The contest closes on 9 December, 2006.

  • Disney Channel inks pan-European mobile deal with Orange

    Disney Channel inks pan-European mobile deal with Orange

    MUMBAI: The Disney Channel has announced that it has signed its first pan-European deal to provide content to mobile phones. Through an agreement with Orange, the service will be available to customers in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, Holland, Romania, Slovakia and, in time, France.

    The service will consist of 65 to 120 minute programming loops featuring some Disney Channel’s most popular content, including full 22-minute episodes of live-action programming franchises That’s So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and animated hits like Kim Possible and Disney’s Recess. In addition, consumers will be able to watch clips from Hannah Montana and a selection of Disney Channel Original Movies, informs an official release.

    Disney Channels, EMEA executive vice president and managing director John Hardie said, “This is a break-through deal which we expect to be a huge hit with kids all over Europe. With parents’ consent and knowledge, it allows kids to watch their favourite Disney Channel programmes on the way home or wherever they are. It’s how today’s kids are growing up to watch TV – at a time and in a place they choose and it’s important that content providers are able to deliver that.”

    In other agreements announced by the two companies, Buena Vista International Television (BVITV), Disney’s international TV distribution division, and France Telecom-Orange will extend their existing broadband VOD movie licensing agreement in France across other markets in Europe. With these agreements, Orange VOD subscribers in Spain and TPSA VOD subscribers in Poland will be the first to enjoy movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films. 

    Titles include global box office hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and the forthcoming sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian are also included in the agreements. 

    Orange currently boasts of more than 2.9 million mobile broadband customers. France Telecom Executive Vice President Patricia Langrand said, “The agreement for the mobile services illustrates our desire to develop dedicated formats and programs specifically adapted for our mobile services with prestigious partners. Our agreement with Disney for VOD will enrich the content offer for our on demand services across multiple territories and platforms.

  • Microsoft, MTV to conduct global technology study

    Microsoft, MTV to conduct global technology study

    MUMBAI: MTV and Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions have joined forces to conduct a global study into the impact of technology on today’s youth.

    The study, commissioned by MTV International (MTVNI) and supported by Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, is being conducted with teens and young adults across nine countries – India, China, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, US and the UK. The study will examine the social impact of viral video, instant messaging, email, online social networks, mobile phones and on-line gaming.

    The research aims to understand:

    How today’s youth differ from their predecessors?

    What behaviour has technology altered / eclipsed?

    Do girls and boys use technology in the same way, for the same reasons?

    Is there a prime age of digital engagement?

    What factors dictate media platform and content choice?

    The new role of entertainment media and brands in 2007 and beyond.

    MTV Intl senior VP, international tesearch and planning Graham Saxton said, “The latest research into technology and teens has limited itself to understanding the habits of the early adopters or been obsessed by the technology itself. We decided to commission a study into understanding genuine social change.

    “By viewing technology within the wider context of young people’s lifestyles we aim to demystify the digital generation and provide tangible insights for ourselves and our clients to continue engaging our audience now and into the future.”

    Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions head of International Research Caroline Vogt said, “There is a lot of received wisdom surrounding youth and their technology uptake. This research aims to uncover the real motivations driving behaviours and understand the role technology is serving in the daily lives of youth today. ”

    The research began in August and full qualitative and quantitative results are expected by December 2006.

  • BCCI calls for tenders for ‘neutral venue’ media rights

    BCCI calls for tenders for ‘neutral venue’ media rights

    MUMBAI: And so the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) continues along its merry road of extracting “maximum value” for its properties.

    The latest money-mopping plan the BCCI has pulled out of its cupboard, which will only add to an already seriously overloaded cricket itinerary, are for matches played by India at neutral venues (non-ICC member countries) over the next five years. The media rights for this latest piece of the India cricket pie will be inaugurated with the two-match Indo-Pakistan limited over series that will be held in Abu Dhabi next month.

    According to a media release issued by the cricket board today, the last date for submission of tenders for global media rights for India matches at these neutral venues would be 5 April, at noon at Nirlon House in Mumbai. The tenders would be scrutinised the same day.

    The financial bids would be opened in Delhi the following day between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Oberoi Hotel, the release adds.

    “The global media rights tender is intended to streamline the process of match telecasting wherever the Indian team is playing. With the number and quality of matches growing, this streamlining becomes increasingly important,” said BCCI vice-president and chairman of its marketing sub-committee Lalit Modi.

    The minimum bid varies with the region/ country being bid for. However bidders have the option to bid for rights in more than one country/ region.

    Some countries tentatively included in the list of venues are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Holland, Toronto, New York and Tristate Area, Houston, Chicago, Palo Alto and bay area, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

    The Indo-Pak Friendship Series to be played at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Stadium on 18 and 19 April is being organised as a fundraiser for the October 2005 earthquake victims in Pakistan and India. These matches are recognised by the ICC and will be counted as official one-day internationals (ODI).

    It was yesterday that the board invited tenders for the stadium ground rights that include all in-stadium branding and on air promotions. The eligibility criteria that the board laid down for this was that interested companies and agencies would need to have a net worth of $5 million. The minimum bid for the ground rights tender package is $3 million.

    “The ground rights sponsorship entails an exclusive sponsorship package, offering logos on all tickets, entry gates, ground logos, stumps etc.,” Modi was quoted as saying yesterday.
    Sealed bid entries will be accepted at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai till 4:30 p.m. 31 March. The bids will be opened at 5 p.m. the same day.

    “This is a unique opportunity for brands to not only reach out to the Indian communities overseas but also promote their brand in a unique manner where, for the first time, all rights are being offered to a single company,” Modiwas quoted in media reports as saying.