ITV

Tag: ITV

  • Ofcom to look into Sky buying into ITV

    Ofcom to look into Sky buying into ITV

    MUMBAI: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the UK has ordered that country’s media watchdog Ofcom to investigate pay TV service provider BSkyB’s purchase of a stake in commercial broadcaster ITV.

    The aim is to see how this might affect pubclic interest.

    The British trade secretary, Alistair Darling, has asked Ofcom to review whether BSkyB’s purchase of a 17.9 per cent stake in ITV “raises public interest concerns about the number of different owners of media enterprises”.

    The move reports state is a victory for Virgin Media. It has been lobbying for an investigation. its argument is that the investment in ITV by a firm that Murdoch’s News Corp has a stake in threatens media plurality in the UK.

    Ofcom’s initial findings will be submitted by 27 April. This could result in the BSkyB stake in ITV being referred to the Competition Commission for a fuller investigation. Last year in November BSkyB had purchased for £940 million 17.9 per cent of ITV.

    Cable firm NTL now known as Virgin Media had tried to buy ITV for £5 billion. Sky says that its minority shareholding in ITV has no bearing on the considerations of the public interest test relating specifically to media plurality. It says that it is inconceivable to suggest that, as a result of a 17.9 per cent shareholding in ITV, Sky would be able to influence ITV’s broadcasting strategy or policies, including programming or editorial decisions, which remain entirely the responsibility of the board.

    Sky adds, “In its short history, Sky has fundamentally increased choice for viewers, consistently pioneered innovations, invested in and developed quality on-screen content, and is now challenging incumbent telecom and cable providers with lower-cost broadband and phone services. Sky makes a significant contribution to plurality in the highly competitive media sector.”

    Meanwhile BSkyB could take a hit of up to 20 million pounds if it loses a deal to show its basic channels on Virgin Media. Interestingly though analysts say that it is the other firm that could suffer more in the long run. The deal concludes on 28 February 2007.

  • 4Kids Entertainment licenses ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Fast Forward’ to major international broadcasters

    4Kids Entertainment licenses ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Fast Forward’ to major international broadcasters

    MUMBAI: 4Kids Entertainment has secured a number of key broadcast sales for its hit animated action comedy adventure series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Fast Forward to leading international broadcasters.

    New episodes of one of the most successful brands in global kids TV entertainment are set to launch on ITV Network (UK), RTVE (Spain) and Media Set (Italy) among others. ITV (UK) has acquired rights to both ITV and CiTV while RTVE (Spain) has acquired all 130 episodes of the TMNT series.

    Brian Lacey, EVP international for 4Kids Entertainment noted that recent licensees for the all-new hit animated action comedy adventure series also included SIC (Portugal), Ten Network (Australia), Cartoon Network (Australia & NZ), DR TV (Denmark), and Mediacorp TV12’s Kid Central (Singapore) among others.

    The Turtles are also returning to the big screen with an all-new CGI-animated feature film TMNT premiering on 23 March. The movie, produced by Imagi Entertainment, will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures domestically and The Weinstein Company internationally.

    The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (130 x 30’) animated series has been a top-performing program around the world. The global broadcast lineup already includes TF1 (France), Alter TV (Greece), Teletoon (Canada), Cartoon Network (U.S.), RTL 2 and Jetix (Germany), TV3 (Russia), RTL Klub (Hungary), Minimax (Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania) and Nova TV (Bulgaria), RTE (Ireland), MTV3 (Finland), RTL-TVI and VMM (Belgium), Cartoon Network (Scandinavia), TV3 (New Zealand), SABC2 (South Africa), Televisa (Mexico), TV3 (Malaysia), Children’s Channel (Israel), Icelandic Broadcasting Corp. (Iceland), ABS-CBN (Philippines) and Cartoon Network (Philippines) among others.

    The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created in 1984 when Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman published a 40-page, black-and-white comic book. From the late 1980’s through the early 1990’s, the original animated adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dominated kids’ entertainment.

     

  • NSS – 8 satellite launches Friday

    NSS – 8 satellite launches Friday

    MUMBAI: The Sea Launch team has initiated a countdown at its equatorial launch site. This is in preparation for the launch of the NSS-8 communications satellite for SES New Skies which will take place tomorrow 26 January 2007.

    The NSS-8 satellite is a Boeing 702 spacecraft that carries 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders. It is designed to replace the existing NSS-703 satellite as the centerpiece of New Skies’ strategic Indian Ocean contribution to SES’ global communications network.

    NSS-8 will support a range of functions, including corporate communications, Broadband Internet services and broadcast applications to the Indian sub continent, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Designed for a 15-year lifespan, the satellite will have 18 kilowatts of total power at the beginning of life on orbit.
     

  • TV Today plans Rs 230 million buy back of shares

    TV Today plans Rs 230 million buy back of shares

    MUMBAI:TV Today Network plans to buy back shares up to five per cent and free reserves aggregating approximately Rs 230 million.

    The board of directors of TV Today Network will meet on January 29 to consider this as well as the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended 31 December 2006.

    The scrip hit a high of Rs 110.45 and a low of Rs 98 on Wednesday. It gained 4.88 per cent to close the day at Rs 103.20.
     

  • Tandberg TV provides interactive applications to coverage of Golden Globes

    Tandberg TV provides interactive applications to coverage of Golden Globes

    MUMBAI: Tandberg Television has provided an interactive television experience for entertainment fans via polls, trivia, winner predictions, fashion critiques and backstage video feeds during the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards on 15 January on NBC.

    The Tandberg Television interactive application created for NBC’s 2007 Golden Globe Awards provided viewers with the ability to vote in a variety of film and television polls and answer trivia questions., informs an official release.

    “We are pleased to be working with Tandberg Television again to give our viewers an enhanced digital entertainment experience that adds an exciting element to our live programming,” said NBC Digital Entertainment and New Media executive vice president Vivi Zigler. “NBC.com has been aggressively exploring interactive features for our programming and this is another great example.”

    During the broadcast of this year’s Golden Globe awards, viewers could provide winner predictions, fashion critiques by logging on to http://www.nbc.com/Golden_Globes_2007 at NBC.com. and earn points for their participation or even compare responses to those of other players. Additionally, NBC gave away $5000 to a randomly selected winner from all registered users, adds the release.

    As part of the interactive experience, fans could rate the speeches and learn facts about their favourite actors, TV shows and movies, as well as have exclusive access to live backstage video feed and a real-time blog written by a behind-the-scenes NBC producer.

    “The interactive television (iTV) application we developed for this year’s Golden Globes broadcast demonstrates the direction that the television industry is heading,” said, Tandberg Television senior vice president, programmer sales Joe Franzetta. “Television viewers no longer want to passively watch television, so we develop interactive applications that provide an exciting and active experience that is much more personalized and immediate to the consumer. At Tandberg Television we are committed to providing a wide array of innovative interactive technologies that will alter the television landscape moving forward.”

    The Flash two-screen application marks the third project developed by Tandberg Television as an interactive application for an NBC special (2006 Golden Globes, 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006).

  • Visiware releases IPTV game channel

    Visiware releases IPTV game channel

    MUMBAI: Visiware has announced the release of its IPTV game channel, a turnkey solution with portals, back office and the Playin’TV catalog of casual games, available on Flash and HTML.

    This channel is fully compatible with Playin’TV triple play game offering, allowing players to continue to play and compete on TV, mobile and Internet.

    More than 25 games are already available, all of them specially made for the big screen experience and remote navigation. Visiware has already provided IPTV networks such as UCC in Kuwait and T-Online in Germany, asserts an official release.

    Visiware chairman Laurant Weill said, “This is a great opportunity for networks to generate new revenues and for Visiware to reach new markets. We will not only provide technology and content but also a 10 years expertise in successfully marketing iTV games.”

    “Agreements with major IPTV partners raises the bar for compelling IPTV games which are missing from most current IPTV offers usually ported from the net, but on the web this is a very different experience and human interface. We are looking forward to deploying on many more markets within the next months,” he added.

    The triple play offer includes specific advantages: cross-platform contests and leaderboards, ranking and offering a game to a friend, adds the release.

  • Alcatel demonstrates Europe’s first live mobile TV in S-band

    Alcatel demonstrates Europe’s first live mobile TV in S-band

    MUMBAI: A few days ago Paris based communications service provider Alcatel successfully demonstrated Europe’s first broadcast of live TV channels on mobile handsets in S-band. It is using the new DVB-SH standard (Satellite services for Handhelds), which is currently being drafted by the DVB Project. To perform this demonstration, Alcatel was assisted by UK broadcasters Sky, ITV and BBC.

    Representatives from European mobile operators, TV broadcasters, industry analyst firms and regulatory bodies attending this demonstration were able to enjoy high quality images displayed on SAGEM myMobileTV handsets. These terminals are using the S-band telecom frequency between 2.17GHz and 2.20GHz, which is adjacent to the 3G/UMTS band. 30MHz of spectrum is currently available all across Europe and in other major regions in the world.

    DVB-SH is a new technology targetting the S-band. DVB-SH is a related standard to DVB-H. With DVB-SH technology, Mobile TV signals can be broadcast from satellites as well as from terrestrial transmitters directly to handhelds. DVB-SH handhelds can be designed in such a way that they become compatible with DVB-H so that both standards can be received in one end-user terminal.

    In addition, Alcatel demonstrated two possible key technical features using the DVB-SH standard. Reception Antenna Diversity, a feature using two antennas inside the same mobile device, enables improvements in the signal quality under difficult conditions. Furthermore, improved Time Interleaving overcomes fading impairment in mobility conditions. The significant quality enhancement was demonstrated by implementing these DVB-SH features.

    Professor Ulrich Reimers, Chairman of the Technical Module of DVB Project said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to witness a live Mobile TV demonstration in the S-band even before the new Mobile TV standard has been finally designed. Within the DVB -Project, we have decided to give that standard a new name – DVB-SH – digital video broadcast from satellite for handhelds. DVB-SH is a perfect complement to other standards, such as DVB-H, which is typically using UHF frequencies but is capable of using the L-band. Thus DVB-SH may have a significant impact on the global Mobile TV industry.”

    Alcatel’s mobile broadcast activities president Olivier Coste said, “Quality of service is essential for operators to attract and retain Mobile TV users. Today, we demonstrated that high quality live Mobile TV using the S-band works. This can be up and running commercially very soon. With the additional benefits of universal indoor and countrywide coverage, the fundamentals of our solution are already solid enough to enable operators to profit from sustainable mobile TV market growth thanks to the S-band.”

  • BBC chairman Michael Grade quits to join ITV

    BBC chairman Michael Grade quits to join ITV

    MUMBAI: BBC chairman Michael Grade has resigned to become ITV executive chairman, with immediate effect.
    Commenting on his move and on behalf of the Board of Governors vice-chairman Anthony Salz said, “Michael Grade has been an inspirational leader of the BBC since his appointment in May 2004. His passion for quality and value for money has been a driving influence for major changes, all with the sole purpose of delivering a better service for the public. The Board is disappointed he is moving to ITV, but he leaves behind a BBC that is passionate about and committed to serving the public in new and exciting ways.”

    BBC Trust Vice-Chairman Chitra Bharucha said, “All of us recently appointed to the BBC Trust are disappointed we will not have an opportunity to work with Michael Grade. His success in securing a new 10 year Charter for the BBC that safeguards its independence and ensures it operates only in the public’s interest is testimony to his time as Chairman.

    “Importantly, and because of him, the Charter future-proofs the new governance arrangements which will be operational from January and place the interests of licence fee payers at the heart of our decisions. The BBC Trust wishes Michael Grade well for the future.”

  • UK regulator institutes total ban on junk food ads around kids shows

    UK regulator institutes total ban on junk food ads around kids shows

    MUMBAI : Indian broadcasters riled that India is moving too fast from “unregulated to over-regulated”, might consider trying to digest this piece of news. UK’s broadcast regulator Ofcom has announced a total ban on junk food and drink advertisements in and around all programmes of particular appeal to children under 16, broadcast at any time of day or night on any channel.

    The “significant restrictions” Ofcom is planning to introduce in Britain is intended to limit children’s exposure to television advertising of food and drink products high in fat, salt and sugar.

    The new rules would come into effect from the end of March 2007. Restrictions would be phased in over 24 months to the end of 2008. Ofcom will review the effectiveness and scope of new restrictions in autumn 2008.

    In addition to general content rules requiring responsible advertising to all children at all times, Ofcom has also put forward new rules on the content of advertisements targeted at primary school children. These rules would ban the use of celebrities and characters licensed from third-parties (such as cartoons), promotional claims (such as free gifts) and health or nutrition claims.

    All restrictions on product advertising will apply equally to product sponsorship.

    The restrictions would apply to all broadcasters licensed by Ofcom and based in the UK, including international broadcasters transmitting from the UK to audiences overseas.

    Ofcom has estimated that the impact on total broadcast revenues would be up to £39m per year, falling to around £23m as broadcasters mitigate revenue loss over time. The commercial public service broadcasters (ITV plc, GMTV, Channel 4, and five) could lose up to 0.7% of their total revenues. Children’s and youth-oriented cable and satellite channels could lose up to 8.8% of their total revenues; up to 15% of total revenues in the case of dedicated children’s channels.

    While TV and advertising industries have called the new rules draconian, consumer groups have slammed Ofcom as having “caved in to the powerful food and advertising lobby” and not going far enough on the matter.

    Sustain, an alliance of over 300 organizations in the UK that campaign for better food, have said a 9 pm watershed for junk food advertising was the “only way” to tackle childhood obesity.

  • ESS plays it cool on Zee acquisition of Ten Sports

    ESS plays it cool on Zee acquisition of Ten Sports

    NEW DELHI: In the face of the acquisition of Ten Sports by Zee Telefilms, rival ESPN Star Sports has presented an unruffled visage, though the scene could be different in the boardroom.

    Star officials avoided commenting during the day, but in the evening, ESPN India head RC Venkateish said: “It changes nothing in the landscape.”

    The deal between Zee Tele and Ten Sports will give Zee for the first time access to high-viewership international programmes, especially cricket, and also a foothold in the West Asian markets. Would this not give ESPN-Star some competition in India? “I don’t think so,” Venktateish told indiantelevision.com.

    “ESPN is the world sports TV leader. Zee Sports was there already and so was Ten Sports, and they were already having many sports properties. What has happened is a change in the pattern of ownership. Why should it make a difference to us?” Venkateish pointed out.

    “We are focussing on what we have already,” he added.