ITV

Tag: Latin America

  • Havas post 7.7% rev growth for H1 2012

    MUMBAI: The Havas Group posted revenue of $654.41 million for H1 2012 ended 30 June 2012. This is a 7.7 per cent increase from $607.58 in H1 2011.

    The group‘s income from operations for H1 2012 increased by 4.21 per cent to $125.72 million, compared to $120.64 million reported for H1 2011.

    Geographically, Europe continued to be the media group‘s strength with $529.34 million coming in revenue from the region followed by North America ($358.10 million) and Asia Pacific and Latin America bringing in $165.08 million.

    The group‘s Q2 revenue stood at $561.28 million, a 9.40 per cent rise from Q2 FY12‘s $513.03 million. During this period too, Europe led the share of revenue with $284.45 million followed by North America with $185.40 million and APAC+Lat Am bringing in $$91.43 million.

    Havas CEO David Jones said, “All our regions continued to deliver growth in the first half led by Asia, Latin America, digital, media and healthcare. New Business performance strengthened in H1 2012, delivering one of the best half-year new business results in recent years with major wins including Novartis, GSK, Hershey‘s (digital), Intel Asus, (global), Sony Playstation, New York Life, Atlantic City, Lycra (USA), Yili in Asia, Nokia in India and Volvo in China, to name but a few. We made a number of targeted acquisitions during the first half of 2012, bringing into the group innovative agencies and talent adept at using digital technology and creativity to meet the future needs of our clients.”

    Over the first half of 2012, Havas made a number of acquisitions of agencies representing a total investment of approximately $44.45 million. These targeted acquisitions made to reinforce the group‘s digital, technology and creative resources and are in line with the Group‘ strategy.

    The group acquired agencies Boondoggle, Ignition, Victors and Spoils, Creative Lynx, Mediaxis and launched Havas Media Ortega in Philippines.

    The agency won some prominent accounts like Expedia (Euro RSCG 4D Matrix), Nokia (digital business won by Euro RSCG), Parle (media account won by MPG) and TVS Tyres (media account won by MPG) in India.

  • WPP posts 5% jump in revenues for first four months of 2012

    MUMBAI: Global media conglomerate WPP has posted a revenue of $5.1 billion for the first four months of 2012, registering a five per cent growth over the year ago period.

    Continuing the trend form 2011, advertising and media investment management and branding and identity, healthcare and specialist communications (including direct, digital and interactive) were the strongest services sectors.

    Also in continuation was the pattern of slower growth in the mature markets of the United States and Western Continental Europe. Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe continued to post strong growth.

    Growth in the BRIC countries was over 14 per cent, while Latin America continued to show the strongest growth of all of our sub-regions in the first four months with constant currency revenues up 16.1 per cent. The Middle East remained the most challenged sub-region, although April showed a significant improvement over the first quarter.

    BRIC countries accounted for over $760 million revenues, including associates, in the first four months and over $2.3 billion in the full year 2011.

    For the remainder of 2012, the company’s focus will remain on growing revenues and gross margin faster than the industry average, driven by its leading position in new markets, new media, consumer insight, including data analytics and the application of technology and ‘horizontality’, the company said.

    At the same time, it will concentrate on meeting its operating margin objective by managing absolute levels of costs and increasing cost flexibility in order to adapt structure to significant market changes.

  • Cinepolis set to spend $ 300 mn to digitize entire chain

    MUMBAI: Mexican exhibitor Cinepolis, the world‘s fourth largest multiplex chain will invest more than $300 million to digitize its entire chain by 2013. So far it has converted 61 per cent of its theatres to digital in Mexico where it operates more than 2,400 screens.

    The multiplex chain‘s goal is to become the first exhibitor in Latin America to go 100 per cent digital. An advantage in doing so is that in addition to state-of-the-art film screenings it can also project alternative content such as live and pre-recorded concerts and sporting events, according to Cinepolis.

    Cinepolis owns 2,800-plus screens in Latin America and India and has recently cracked the US market with two luxury cinema complexes in Southern California.

    Cinepolis dominates Mexico with a 62 per cent market share in box office revenue. In recent years, the Mexican exhibitor has shown growing interest in India where it has launched 32 screens and has plans to build more.

  • ‘India is among our top 10 markets’ : Discovery Networks International president, CEO Mark Hollinger

    ‘India is among our top 10 markets’ : Discovery Networks International president, CEO Mark Hollinger

    India is one of Discovery‘s key priority markets along with Latin America where there is tremendous scope for pay-TV growth.

     

    Bullish about digitisation in India, Discovery has plans to expand its portfolio of channels. The latest addition in the menu: Discovery Kids from the second quarter of this calendar year.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, Discovery Networks International president, CEO Mark Hollinger talks about the company‘s growth markets and its expansion plans in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    How important is India as a growth market for Discovery?
    India is the biggest growth market for us. It is among the top 10 markets globally for us. The combination of the government being very open to international channels, the digitisation process and the great fit between the Discovery brand and the culture of India makes this country a high priority market for us.

    Discovery has launched in many genres. When are you launching the children’s channel?
    We will launch Discovery Kids in the second quarter of this calendar year. The content will be global. We are also looking at local content. As networks grow, we have tended to have locally produced content in the mix. Discovery Kids in Latin America produces some of its own content. In India too time there will be global as well as local content as we go along.

    Is the timing right given that the kids genre is struggling?
    We tend to be long term investors. When we launched a new channel in Spain, people thought that we were crazy as unemployment rate is as as 22 per cent in that country. But we saw that there was an opportunity for us and we went ahead and launched.

     

    So whether a market is up or down at any point of time doesn‘t matter; there is space for a more education-focussed network like ours. And India, moreover, highly values education. The digitisation process is beginning and is a good opportunity for us. We are not worried about the kids genre business at all.

    Will the education component be your differentiating element?
    Yes! The other kids channels are similar. We are not Scooby Doo. We are about how you do things, when do you do, why you do. It is inquisitive in nature. Education is an important part of society. But at the same time we are not naive to think that it is just going to be education that people will tune into; it has to be entertaining as well. This was the very genesis of Discovery when John Hendricks first started it.

     

    The channel will have a healthy dose of entertainment and also satisfy the curiosity of viewers in an entertaining way. The good news is that India is a young country. There are millions of kids below the age of 14 and so the market is big.
    ‘Flagship brands have a strong place in the market. We are in a better position to survive audience fragmentation than our rivals‘

    The challenge here is that niche channels have to rely excessively on ad revenue. By when do you see subscription starting to contribute in a serious manner?
    That is a big question in terms of the impact of digitisation on the affiliate revenue stream. If you look at the international portfolio, our channels are weighted towards affiliate. 70 per cent of revenue outside the US is affiliate.

     

    When we start in a market, there is a 100 per cent affiliate revenue and then we move towards advertising. India obviously is an ad sales market. But it is hard to sit here and say what the affiliate revenue stream is going to be. We can hope that digitisation will affect carriage fees and other things.

    For the digitisation process to succeed in terms of cut off dates being achieved, what needs to happen?
    For the cable operators, it is going to be a giant challenge. If you think just about the logistics it is going to be a huge task – acquiring enough set top boxes, distributing them, getting people to understand what is going on and creating the customer service capability.

     

    Forget about fancy things like DVRs. Just to get the infrastructure in place is an enormous challenge. Luckily for us, we can watch it from afar. But once it is in place, then there is an opportunity and sort of a challenge for programmers to take advantage of digitisation. We have done it successfully in other markets.

    Do you think that the 30 June deadline will be met for the metros?
    We met some MSOs recently and they are pretty much prepared for it. Moreover, a set top box is not such a novel thing now. There are 25-30 million STBs already in DTH homes. I don’t think that the deadline is a challenge. It will be managed.

    How will digitisation change OneAlliance’s relationship with MSOs?
    This relationship will become stronger. When change happens, there is bound to be some chaos. There will be disturbance and that is the time when if you are part of a strong bouquet, you can navigate through things.

     

    We have a great team on the ground and great brands. When The OneAlliance was started, there was no digitalisation in India, no DTH. Now that there is DTH, the OneAlliance has only become stronger.

    Will you now make a concerted effort at marketing yourself to Indian consumers so that they choose you?
    This is already happening. On DTH more and more people choose us and the digital ratings of our channels are high. We offer quality content that people globally pay for. In India there is sensational television on other channels that target eyeballs at any cost. But as we move towards a digital environment, we are better prepared with quality content.

    Discovery is in several languages in India. Could you talk about the importance of localisation?
    It is important from a content point of view, from a feed structure point of view and from a language point of view. Discovery is in five languages. We are evaluating other language launch possibilities. Some of the other players have possibly gone a little bit overboard, but we have found that local language results in higher viewership in that region.

    More players are entering the infotainment and lifestyle space in India. Will this cause fragmentation?
    There is fragmentation of viewership happening. We are, however, in a better position to survive audience fragmentation than the other companies.

    Discovery spends $1 billion towards programming. Are content investments going to be affected by the global downturn?
    No! The content that we invest in is evergreen. Moreover, we can ammortise investments across 210 markets due to the nature of our products. A show will have at least a four-year life. This allows for a longer timeline in terms of investing in shows.

    Which are the main focus areas for Discovery?
    India clearly is one focus market. Latin America is also a big priority market for us; there is pay television growth to be had from there. In Brazil pay television was hampered, but now ownership has changed and pay-TV penetration is growing substantially. Poland and Russia are also big growth markets for us.

    What is the big challenge you face this year?
    It differs from market to market. In the US pay TV has a 90 per cent penetration rate. The pay TV growth there will not happen in terms of penetration. So you will see the impact of OTT and if there is enough of an upside to counterbalance any cord cutting, that may happen. Again it is hard to know if Netflix and Amazon will continue to be successful the way they have been. This is not an issue in other markets.

     

    I would say that the big challenges are the impact generally of broadband or free platforms like DTT on pay television. Can pay TV penetration continue to grow? In some countries, there are regulatory issues. Some markets like Brazil have become more protectionist as of late in terms of local Brazilian content and local channels being required on packages. The availability of alternative platforms is both a big challenge and a big opportunity.

    There has been a certain amount of operational restructuring within Discovery like the removal of the COO position. Is the basic aim to be more cost effective?
    I would say that the changes were more on the US side of the business rather than on the international scene. The international business has remained largely intact in terms of its structure. The changes were made not due to cost reasons. We have an active CEO in David Zaslav. He likes to have as few layers as possible between people who run the US business and himself. The aim is to have a better handle on the business as opposed to saving money.

    Last year you split Europe into two business units. What prompted this move?
    We used to have what I think was a bit of an odd structure. The UK is an entirely separate business. Then all of Europe, Middle East and Africa are another kind of business. UK has a lot in common with the other western European markets – slow pay TV penetration and DTT kind of opportunities.

     

    Then you have Central, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa which are much more growth markets. There is still expansion to be done. These are more entrepreneurial markets. So we split along the lines of Western Europe as one unit and then Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa as another unit. We did not add a region. The international business still has four regions. We just restructured Europe to grow Western Europe and put common markets together.

    Could you talk about Discovery‘s strategy to penetrate new markets like Colombia?
    What we tend to do with new markets is to go in first and establish distribution. So we opened new offices in Central and Eastern Europe. We opened a sizeable office in Moscow. We opened other offices in places like Kiev, Almaty and Sofia.

     

    There is an opportunity in Colombia and it is our fourth biggest market in Latin America. We earlier only used a local representative for ad sales. We opened an office there for the primary purpose of ad sales while offices in Europe were opened for affiliate purposes.

    In Spain you are free to air. Are you expanding your free to air portfolio?
    This expansion has been a Western European phenomenon. In Spain pay TV has been at 30 per cent penetration for the last decade. It hasn’t grown.

     

    So now in Germany, Spain and in the UK, we have launched free to air channels. They complement the pay business and are not intended to replace it. They have allowed us to grow at a time when the overall Western Europe pay TV business is not growing. This is harder to do in other markets as there is not a big enough digital terrestrial platform or there are ownership restrictions.

    In Korea you did a partnership with CMB. Why?
    Korea is a difficult market to get into and almost impossible without a local partner. Tom (Discovery Asia Pacific MD) did an enormous amount of legwork. He spent a lot of time in Korea. It is a strong economy and very well penetrated from a pay television point of view and from a broadband point of view. So it has always been an important market for us to get into. We had to pick the right partner and have the right kind of structure in place.

    How did the JV with Oprah Winfrey for a channel come about?
    Everybody knew that Oprah would be ending her show and moving to a new business. People in the media industry wondered what that business would be. David Zaslav sold her the idea that her brand and the Discovery brand’s missions were very well suited for each other.

     

    That is how it happened. We have ambitions for the channel in terms of finding markets internationally for it. Tom is a proponent for markets in the Asia Pacific where he feels that the channel will fare well. Oprah created a lot of buzz when she came down to India. This has also been the case in Australia and in other markets around the region. But we first want it to be well established in the US.

    Discovery bought Betty in the UK, its first such acquisition of a production company. Are you looking at more such acquisitions?
    It is not yet part of Discovery‘s grand strategy to get into production. But we will see whether owning production is a strong addition to our business model or not. But I will not say that we are actively looking at other companies. We will wait and see how the Betty acquisition plays out.
  • UTV to release Guzaarish in Latin America in Feb

    UTV to release Guzaarish in Latin America in Feb

    MUMBAI: Continuing its endeavour to open new international markets for Indian cinema, UTV Motion Pictures is all set to release Guzaarish in Peru (Latin America) in February.

    With this exercise, UTV Motion Pictures becomes one of the first studios in India to enter Latin America.

    Guzaarish continues to be a film widely picked up by non-traditional international markets, besides the traditional ones.

    Says UTV Motion Pictures senior vice president, International distribution and syndication Amrita Pandey, “Latin America as a new market is a focus for us. The Indian population is limited in Peru, which makes it even more significant an achievement to have managed a release for the film there.

    We‘re looking forward to the Guzaarish release in Peru. There have been enquiries on Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu from the region. We hope the Spanish trailers for Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu will pave the way for day-and-date release of new movies in the near future. We are also talking to a leading European distributor to have Guzaarish released in France. This will be a first-time ever Bollywood acquisition from France.”

    Directed by veteran director- producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-produced by SLB Pictures and UTV Motion Pictures, Guzaarish, released on 19 November 2010, was appreciated by critics from across the world.

    In another first, UTV is also releasing the Spanish trailer of UTV Motion Pictures and Dharma Productions’ Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu across theatres in Peru. Directed by Shakun Batra, the film has Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead. The film has been produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Karan Johar.

  • Govt examining proposal to make ICFF a roving festival

    Govt examining proposal to make ICFF a roving festival

    NEW DELHI: The government is considering a proposal from the Children‘s Film Society, India, to convert the International Children‘s Film Festival held in Hyderabad every second year into a roving festival.


    Joint Secretary (Films) D P Reddy confirmed that the proposal had been received by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in this connection.


    CFSI Chairperson Nandita Das also said she would like the ICFF to bean annual event, and suggested that it could be held in Hyderabad every alternate year since the Andhra Pradesh Government had done somuch groundwork for this Festival, which had earlier been a roving Festival until 1995.


    When the Festival was held in Hyderabad in 1995, then Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu had urged the CFSI to base the festival in that city, and also promised to give land for building a children‘s complex.


    The complex has still not been made since the CFSI had raised various objections to the land allotted to it in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.


    Das and Reddy were interacting with the media on the forthcoming ICFF in Hyderabad from 14 to 20 November.


    Meanwhile, a total of 160 features from 40 countries and several short films are being screened during the 17th ICFF next month. Theselection has been made from over 700 entries. ‘Gattu‘ by Rajen Khosa is the opening film.


    There is a total budget of Rs 50 million for the Festival, of which Rs27.5 million has been contributed by the Central Government and the rest is being put in by the Andhra Pradesh Government.


    There will be several new features in this year‘s festival. There will be four competitive sections: international, Indian, short films, and ‘Little Directors‘ for children filmmakers. In addition, there will be the non-competitive Children‘s World which will have 50 animation films including some Oscar winners.


    The festival will also have several workshops including animation and script writing, in addition to press conferences and an Open Forum.


    The festival will for the first time have films from Africa and Latin America. China will be the country in focus at the Festival.


    In addition to the adult international juries, there will be achildren‘s jury to judge the films.


    Das told indiantelevision.com after the press meet that though thefilms are sub-titled in English, a small synopsis of each film in achild-friendly language had been prepared for each film and would beread out before the start of the film.


    For the first time, ICFF will see the participation of the Federationof Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry which will organise asmall market section and has also managed the participation of bothCartoon Network as well as Nickelodeon, according to Munjol Shroff whorepresented the trade body. Ficci will also organise a workshop ongaming, animation and special effects, he added.


    ICFF Director and CFSI CEO Sushovan Banerjee said that a new venue –Shilpramum – had been selected for the Festival this year, and three make-shift theatres were being built at this venue to be ready in time of the Festival. Each will be equipped with the latest projection and Dolby sound, he added.


    He said while Doordarshan was the broadcast partner, efforts were onto get corporate sponsorships.


    In answer to a question, Reddy said that the state chief minister had said that the Telengana issue would not be allowed to interfere in the conduct of the Festival.


    Banerjee told indiantelevision.com, “For the children aged between 3 to 16 years of age, this film festival has feature films like Iran‘s” The Other”, France‘s “Tales Of The Night”, China‘s “The Star And The Sea”, Denmark‘s “The Great Bear”, India‘s “Chillar Party”, “Stanley Ka Dabba”, and “I Am Kalam”.


    Both the national and international level films will be given the same cash component and trophy. The Best feature film will be given Rs 200,000 and the Golden Elephant trophy, the first runner up will get Rs 100,000 and a trophy, the best director will be given Rs 1,50,000 and a Golden Elephant trophy, best script will be given Rs 100,000 and a trophy. Besides this, best feature film selected by the Children‘s Jury will be given a Golden Elephant trophy.


    The Best short film will be given Rs 100,000 and a Golden Elephant trophy, the runner up will be given Rs 50,000 and a Golden Elephant trophy and the film chosen by the Children‘s Jury will be given a Golden Elephant trophy. Also, films directed by children will be awarded with a Golden Elephant.

  • Zucker to retire as Sony Pictures Releasing International prez

    Zucker to retire as Sony Pictures Releasing International prez

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Releasing International president Mark Zucker is retiring and the company has promoted Steven O‘Dell to fill that role.

    The announcement was made by Sony Pictures Entertainment president, Worldwide Distribution Rory Bruer.

    Zucker was with Sony Pictures since last 27 years. He has worked closely with Bruer and Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution chairman Jeff Blake, to build an international distribution team.

    O‘Dell, who joined Sony Pictures in 2005 as a VP, was promoted to senior vice president in 2009. In his most recent role, he oversaw Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal, and Scandinavia.

    Bruer said, “Mark is one of the most highly regarded, well-respected, and well-liked executives in our company and industry. We are sorry to see him go, but we are happy for him – he‘s worked hard for this moment. We all dream of retiring when we‘re on top, but Mark has been on top for many years – we are thrilled to see him enjoy this next chapter. We also are thrilled to have Steven as our new International President. Steven is innovative, collaborative, and a strong leader. His promotion is well-earned and he is ready to step into this important role.”

    Among the many hits in his career, Zucker orchestrated the international releases of the Spider-Man franchise, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, as well as the two most recent James Bond films, which were the highest-grossing films in franchise history.

    In recent years, Zucker has also overseen the distribution of international hits like The Smurfs, 2012, Hancock, and upcoming releases like The Adventures of TinTin.

    Under Zucker‘s leadership, Sony Pictures has surpassed $1 billion at the international box office in 11 of the past 12 years, including 2011. Since Zucker took over the reins of international distribution in 2001, SPRI has delivered 36 $100 million-plus releases and over $14 billion in box office.

  • CNN to air special series on green movement

    CNN to air special series on green movement

    MUMBAI: CNN International (CNNI) will roll out Going Green: Green Light for Business, a special series that concentrates on how the green movement is affecting the business sector across the globe.

    The coverage will be aired on 9 July at 6 pm and 11pm. Additionally, viewers can catch it on 11 July at 12.30 pm and 11 pm and on 12 July at 8.30 am, 1 pm and 8.30 pm.

    CNNI SVP Katherine Green says, “We want to know how the world’s most forward-thinking companies are achieving their environmental and economic goals, and bring the conversation to our international audience that cares about the impact of green initiatives in business.”

    CNNI will offer a full-week of coverage from the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The channel will talk to brands like Google and Warner Brothers to discover how serious their claims are and how is it working for them.

  • MTV announces 250 layoffs worldwide

    MTV announces 250 layoffs worldwide

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks International announced the elimination of 250 jobs at the company as part of their restructuring process.

    The Viacom-owned operation said that this is part of a move to focus on high-growth businesses and markets and boost operating margins.

    The Viacom Brand Solutions (VBS) Europe and VBS UK divisions, charged with developing targeted opportunities for advertisers across the MTVNI portfolio; as well as the consumer products, program sales and digital media units will maintain their existing structures.

    The 250 layoffs include the restructuring that took place at MTV Networks Asia in Singapore at the end of last year. In Latin America, further regionalization is being planned, with some functions at the Miami headquarters relocating to Buenos Aires. Ad sales and affiliate sales will remain in Miami, while Buenos Aires will be home to production, programming and creative strategy.

    In Europe, meanwhile, a portion of the Emerging Markets/Middle East group in London will relocate to Budapest, Hungary and Warsaw. A new structure will also be put in place in London to devote more support to revenue-generating areas and its biggest business, MTV Networks U.K.

    Some MTVNI functions will be merged with MTVN U.K., while others will be restructured to its existing global MTV Networks U.S. base. 

    Speaking about the changes MTVNI president Bob Bakish said that “(these changes) will position us well for the next phase of our growth-increasing our operating margins through more efficient corporate structures, while also mobilizing our resources to build our multiplatform brand portfolios in priority markets and expand growing revenue areas such as ad sales, digital media and consumer products.”

  • Ericsson, Turner to develop international mobile services

    Ericsson, Turner to develop international mobile services

    MUMBAI: Ericsson and Turner Broadcasting System International have formed a collaboration under which the users of mobile services and mobile operators will benefit from the companies’ leading positions in mobility and global multimedia content.

    The two parties are collaborating to develop Turner’s internet, broadcast news and entertainment content – including CNN International, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim material – for mobile multimedia environments. The offering combines the delivery of Turner news and entertainment content with hosting and content management technology, developed by Ericsson.

    The first of these jointly developed services will launch in Europe on 12 February 2007 at the 3GSM World Congress trade fair in Barcelona, bringing a new CNN Mobile service to the users initially in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

    The initial product launch – CNN Mobile – and subsequent launches in this collaboration will make technologically advanced multimedia content available to users in two ways. Firstly, mobile operators will be able to deliver simple access to Turner content through their own branded portals; additionally, end users will have access to content such as the CNN Mobile site directly on their mobile devices.

    Turner Broadcasting senior VP, digital media Casey Harwood says, “With this deal, we will have for the first time a full portfolio of solutions – from SMS through to mobile television – that will scale and easily move across the world. This partnership is a logical fit where the customer and mobile operators benefit through Turner focussing on providing innovative news and entertainment content to its global audience and Ericsson providing the technology behind it.”

    Ericsson senior VP, head of multimedia Jan Wäreby says, “Our service-provider customers throughout the world will greatly benefit from our partnership with Turner Broadcasting, as they will be able to provide popular mobile multimedia content from Turner’s vast catalogue and greatly enhance the multimedia experience for the consumer.

    The CNN Mobile product will be the first example of a true ’off-deck’ portal for mobile users, providing a state-of-the-art news service. A searchable archive of 14 days and over 2000 stories will sit with breaking news alerts and video news updates through the hourly updated ’World News Now’. Available to CNN users in EMEA and Latin America subscription free, the service will be accessible through CNNmobile.com in all mobile browsers or through operator portals where deals are in place.

    The mobile services being developed include intelligent software that enables devices to show only the actual content that is appropriate to the particular handset, resulting in a richer user experience. The services will be rolled out to further territories and both Turner and Ericsson have committed to further product launches throughout 2007.

    The partnership also extends beyond content development, and will have on screen elements on CNN International in a campaign that positions Ericsson as the global leading communications technology company.