Tag: John J Sie

Zone Vision makes inroads in China with Encore International acquisition

MUMBAI: Zone Vision Networks, which owns and operates Reality TV, has announced a deal for China in association with Liberty Media Corporations Encore International (EI).

Zone Vision has acquired the assets of EI and Asian Television and Communications International (ATCI) from Liberty Media. EI operates a daily branded block, Everyday Jiayi, on Chinese state broadcaster China Central Televisions CCTV-8.

Zone Visions operations in China, meanwhile, include a five-year agreement with CCTV to represent its English-language service, CCTV-9, around the world. Deals have already been inked for the channel in 13 countries.

EI founder John J Sie will continue in his role as chairman, and his venture, JS International, together with Liberty Media Corporation, will hold a five per cent stake in the combined entity. The China activities of Zone Vision, EI and ATCL will be operated under the Encore International banner.

Zone Vision founder and chairman Chris Wronski says, This is an incredible opportunity for Zone Vision. Encore International has established an excellent brand and foundation that our global content networks can build upon in China.

Sie said, Our original vision for Encore International in China has been to develop a platform of channels when Chinese law allows it. Zone Vision has the programming library and international business savvy to see that goal through.

Zone Visions China representative Sarah Jiang, will be Encore International Beijing (EIB) GM and chief representative. She will manage the daily operations of Everyday Jiayi, oversee EIs interest in the advertising joint venture with CCTV, bring Zone Visions program block in China under EIB, and she will seek out additional business opportunities for the company.

ZONE VISION ACQUIRES THE HORROR CHANNEL

Meanwhile, in the UK, in order to expand upon its portfolio of thematic channels that includes Reality TV, Romantica, Club and Europa Europa, Zone Vision has announced the acquisition of The Horror Channel, a UK digital channel featuring films, studio and movie reviews in the horror genre. Zone Vision Networks is acquiring the channel from founder, Tony Hazell.

Zone Vision senior VP, business development and legal Tanya Gugenheim said, The Horror Channel has established a solid following in the UK over the past year and we feel it has excellent potential for a European roll-out. As a new subsidiary of chellomedia, one of our goals is to seek out opportunities such as this to utilise our expertise in the global channel market.

The Horror Channel is available to 7.3 million subscribers on UKs BSkyB platform.

June 25, 2005
Zone Vision makes inroads in China with Encore International acquisition

MUMBAI: Zone Vision Networks, which owns and operates Reality TV, has announced a deal for China in association with Liberty Media Corporations Encore International (EI).

Zone Vision has acquired the assets of EI and Asian Television and Communications International (ATCI) from Liberty Media. EI operates a daily branded block, Everyday Jiayi, on Chinese state broadcaster China Central Televisions CCTV-8.

Zone Visions operations in China, meanwhile, include a five-year agreement with CCTV to represent its English-language service, CCTV-9, around the world. Deals have already been inked for the channel in 13 countries.

EI founder John J Sie will continue in his role as chairman, and his venture, JS International, together with Liberty Media Corporation, will hold a five per cent stake in the combined entity. The China activities of Zone Vision, EI and ATCL will be operated under the Encore International banner.

Zone Vision founder and chairman Chris Wronski says, This is an incredible opportunity for Zone Vision. Encore International has established an excellent brand and foundation that our global content networks can build upon in China.

Sie said, Our original vision for Encore International in China has been to develop a platform of channels when Chinese law allows it. Zone Vision has the programming library and international business savvy to see that goal through.

Zone Visions China representative Sarah Jiang, will be Encore International Beijing (EIB) GM and chief representative. She will manage the daily operations of Everyday Jiayi, oversee EIs interest in the advertising joint venture with CCTV, bring Zone Visions program block in China under EIB, and she will seek out additional business opportunities for the company.

ZONE VISION ACQUIRES THE HORROR CHANNEL

Meanwhile, in the UK, in order to expand upon its portfolio of thematic channels that includes Reality TV, Romantica, Club and Europa Europa, Zone Vision has announced the acquisition of The Horror Channel, a UK digital channel featuring films, studio and movie reviews in the horror genre. Zone Vision Networks is acquiring the channel from founder, Tony Hazell.

Zone Vision senior VP, business development and legal Tanya Gugenheim said, The Horror Channel has established a solid following in the UK over the past year and we feel it has excellent potential for a European roll-out. As a new subsidiary of chellomedia, one of our goals is to seek out opportunities such as this to utilise our expertise in the global channel market.

The Horror Channel is available to 7.3 million subscribers on UKs BSkyB platform.

June 25, 2005
Movies’ future in US lies in cable, satellite: Starz CEO

MUMBAI: “Movies will regularly premiere in the US on cable and satellite, rather than in theatres within the next ten years.”

The prediction comes from Starz Encore Group chairman, founder, and CEO John J Sie. According to her, the distribution route for films is going to undergo a sea change.

Speaking in the Harvard Business School media conference recently, she said a number of factors would contribute to this scenario. One of them is the widespread adoption of high definition television sets by Americans and the deployment of video on demand.

The economics of the movie business will drive studios to make use of this audience to debut their films.”Last year, the theatrical screenings of films generated about $5 billion in revenue for the studios compared with $4 billion from cable and satellite. Clearly, we are rapidly approaching the tipping point where it will make more sense for studios to release their films first on cable and satellite, and later in the theaters”, she said.

Releasing a film on satellite and cable can save millions in distribution costs, Sie pointed out. And the economics are irresistible. Sie noted that there are about five million HD capable sets in the US today. In the next decade, that figure is likely to rise to 50 million or about 50 per cent of US television households.

“If a major studio can debut a film at a price of $19.95 which is what it costs two people to go to the theater and attract 20 per cent of HD homes to watch that would generate $200 million in revenue on the opening day. This is a blockbuster number in anybody’s book”.

However Sie did not forecast the demise of the movie theater. “Millions of Americans still love the experience of getting out of the house and going to a theater and always will. But in the future, big films will debut in the home and create the buzz for their theatrical releases, rather than the other way around.”

However one thing that could prove a hurdle in the predictions is the threat of piracy. Starz claims to be the largest provider of premium movie services in the US. It has around 151 million pay units.

April 16, 2004