ITV

Tag: MTV Networks

  • MTV Networks acquires Atom Entertainment for $200 million

    MTV Networks acquires Atom Entertainment for $200 million

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks (MTVN), a division of Viacom, Inc., has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Atom Entertainment, Inc., a portfolio of four leading online destinations for casual games, short films and video, for $200 million.

    Acquiring Atom Entertainment advances the company’s multiplatform strategy of building an engaging universe of music, gaming, entertainment, news and interactivity for targeted audiences. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter 2006.

    Atom Entertainment is a pioneer in online entertainment with four brands in both games and video: Shockwave.com and AddictingGames.com are two of the internet’s largest casual gaming sites, offering nearly 1,500 free and downloadable games. AtomFilms.com and AddictingClips.com are two premier film and video sites for short-form comedy, animation, drama and user-generated content.

    Adding Atom Entertainment to MTV Networks’ overall portfolio fits squarely with the company’s strategy of super-serving its targeted, global audiences with a relevant and innovative video experience online. Following MTVN’s recent purchases of XFIRE, Y2M, GameTrailers.com, IFILM and Neopets, this acquisition demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to being a premier multi-platform media company, uniquely positioned across every screen, states an official release.

    Viacom CEO Tom Freston says, “This acquisition is right on the money with our digital strategy. It adds great scale with users, improves our growing casual gaming position, and brings a world-class digital video library and a fantastic management team.”

    “Atom Entertainment is a best in class and dynamic property, with brands that have dedicated, passionate followers and content that resonates with our global audience,” adds MTV Networks chairman & CEO Judy McGrath. “This acquisition is in line with our business strategy of being a leader in the digital space and connecting with consumers on every platform and device they use.”

    Shockwave.com and AddictingGames.com are part of the large and rapidly growing business of online casual gaming and will complement MTVN’s roster of casual gaming communities, including Nick.com and Neopets. By including these two Atom sites, MTV Networks aspires to be a leader in the casual gaming business, with more than 50 million casual gamers playing more than 400 million games a month. In addition, AtomFilms.com and AddictingClips.com further expands the online video available across MTVN’s 24 broadband channels and the company’s user-generated content offerings, the release adds.

    “MTV Networks is a global leader in entertainment, and we are thrilled to join their family of brands,” says Atom Entertainment CEO Mika Salmi. “Leveraging MTVN’s platform will accelerate our growth and create new opportunities for both consumers and advertisers. We are proud of the business we’ve built and look forward to working together with MTVN to lead the way in the casual gaming and short-form video content business.”

  • MTV Networks’ MtvU to acquire online student newspaper network Y2M

    MTV Networks’ MtvU to acquire online student newspaper network Y2M

    MUMBAI: MtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network and a division of Viacom Inc., has announced an agreement to acquire Boston-based Y2M, the parent company of an online advertising network of 450 campus newspaper websites.

    Adding Y2M to MtvU and to MTV Networks’ overall portfolio is another step in MTVN’s strategy to super-serve its audiences with relevant and innovative content, and to be a leader in the digital space.

    Following MTVN’s recent purchases of XFire, Gametrailers, IFilm and Neopets, this acquisition demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to being a premier multi- platform media company across every screen consumers use.

    The network reaches over five million college students via 450 online campus papers — the most powerful local media brand on campus — which serve as definitive on-campus information hubs, providing local news, sports, weather, event listings and much more.

    “This acquisition is in line with our business strategy of moving
    forward in the digital space and continually expanding our online portfolio of music, gaming, news and entertainment,” MTVN chairman and CEO Judy McGrath says. “Bringing MtvU and Y2M together is another avenue for us to be everywhere our audiences are, deepening our relationship with them and connecting them across every platform and device, all the time.”

    According to an official release, MtvU and Y2M will together create stronger multi-platform offerings, giving advertisers the most effective and comprehensive methods to connect with college students on-air, online, on the handset, in print and on campus. MtvU’s national advertisers will benefit from an increased ability to develop targeted, localized campaigns, and Y2M’s advertisers can capitalize on MtvU’s industry-leading expertise in emerging media platforms such as broadband video and mobile phones.

    Additionally, the combination of Y2M and MtvU will provide editors of student papers in the College Publisher network the ability to easily include rich media and a whole suite of new features on their online sites without impacting the editorial or design independence of each paper’s staff. New features that will become available to affiliates include enhanced community functionality, a vast library of emerging music, and the means to create university-specific online networks. MtvU will also offer the student papers access to the network’s base of more than 120 top-tier advertisers, enabling new ad sales and revenue sharing opportunities.

    “MtvU and Y2M complement each other perfectly — as the definitive college television and online student paper networks — and together, these two mediums are powerful connectors to college students across every touch point,” MTV president Christina Norman. “We can now provide new, innovative, turn-key methods for our advertisers to reach this powerful demographic and continue to find new ways to super-serve the college market.”

    “Student publications are the lifeblood of college campuses, and we’re looking forward to supporting them with new tools and advertising opportunities — empowering them to expand their offerings and audience, as well as improve their financial performance,” said MtvU GM Stephen Friedman. “Y2M’s unmatched network and stellar team are a welcome addition to MtvU and together we’ll unlock a myriad of new opportunities for college students and universities nationwide.”

    “The combination of Y2M and MtvU will advance the mission of college newspapers across the country and enhance their commercial opportunities with regional and national advertisers. Together, this will strengthen our ability to serve the unique needs of our 450 university newspaper partners, the 7,000 student journalists who rely on our publishing and hosting technology, and the two million registered online subscribers in the College Publisher network,” said Y2M president and co-founder John Fees, “We are extremely optimistic about the potential this holds for our college newspaper partners, Y2M and MtvU.”

    MtvU has grown rapidly since launching in early 2004, increasing distribution more than 35 per cent and tripling the size of its advertiser base.

    The network has also proliferated on multiple platforms, becoming the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety on broadband and increasing on campus events to more than 300 a year. This transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2006.

  • Nick India GM and VP Hema Govindan resigns

    Nick India GM and VP Hema Govindan resigns

    MUMBAI: Nick India general manager and vice president Hema Govindan has put in her papers. An official release cites personal reasons as the reason for her departure from Nick after being at its helm for close to a year.

    MTV Networks India managing director and MTV Networks Asia executive vice president Amit Jain said, “Within the short span of her tenure Hema has done a commendable job with Nick to put it on the right trajectory of growth path. Over the last eight months, Nick’s ratings have tripled and viewership has risen by over 30 per cent. More than anything else, she is leaving behind a team that is one of the most competitive teams in this space.”

    “Nick is a priority brand for MTV Networks India and we will continue to invest substantially in this business to help it attain a leadership position in this country, as it has done across the rest of the world markets, where it occupies the no. 1 or no. 2 position in every territory.”

    Govindan will continue in her current assignment till a replacement is finalised and in this period Jain would work closely with the Nick team to continue to pursue Nick’s growth objectives for the year.

  • AOL to launch new video portal

    AOL to launch new video portal

    MUMBAI: AOL, live and on-demand entertainment video programming and video search provider, has announced that it will preview a beta version of its new AOL Video portal later this week.

    Available for free at http://www.aolvideo.com, the new AOL Video is an all-in-one, high-quality entertainment destination to find, watch and share millions of videos across the Web, informs an official release.

    New features on the AOL video portal include, over 45 new video-on-demand content channels with thousands of hours of video programming from entertainment brands, organised and accessible via video search, browse, or an interactive programming guide; free streaming content as well as the ability to purchase and download full-length content that can be viewed on multiple devices and PCs, online or offline; and access to millions of music videos, news clips, movie trailers, full length TV shows, and more, adds the release.

    It includes more than 45 new video channels with content from entertainment brands including A&E Television Networks, MTV Networks, Turner Networks, Warner Bros. Entertainment, among others.

    “AOL has long been a leader in online video and with the new AOL Video portal we have created the best and easiest place online for anyone on the Web to find, watch and share the videos they’re looking for,” said AOL executive VP Kevin Conroy.

    “From originally produced and licensed programming to branded online video-on-demand channels to user-created videos that people create, upload and share on the Web themselves, AOL Video is truly the first one-stop source that brings the best videos on the Web together in one place and gives consumers more choice. If a video is out there, you’ll find it here on AOL Video.com,” he adds.

    AOL Video also includes AOL Video Search, which is based on video search technology from Truveo and Singingfish, and a video player that can go full screen without losing picture quality and that supports AOL’s exclusive Hi-Q video format to watch DVD-quality videos online.

    In addition, the portal includes AOL’s new UnCut Video offering, which makes it easy to upload and share videos online by providing full device support, letting consumers upload and share videos directly from their camcorder, Webcam, video-enabled mobile phone, as well as their PC.

  • AOL to launch new video portal

    AOL to launch new video portal

    MUMBAI: AOL, live and on-demand entertainment video programming and video search provider, has announced that it will preview a beta version of its new AOL Video portal later this week.

    Available for free at http://www.aolvideo.com, the new AOL Video is an all-in-one, high-quality entertainment destination to find, watch and share millions of videos across the Web, informs an official release.

    New features on the AOL video portal include, over 45 new video-on-demand content channels with thousands of hours of video programming from entertainment brands, organised and accessible via video search, browse, or an interactive programming guide; free streaming content as well as the ability to purchase and download full-length content that can be viewed on multiple devices and PCs, online or offline; and access to millions of music videos, news clips, movie trailers, full length TV shows, and more, adds the release.

    It includes more than 45 new video channels with content from entertainment brands including A&E Television Networks, MTV Networks, Turner Networks, Warner Bros. Entertainment, among others.

    “AOL has long been a leader in online video and with the new AOL Video portal we have created the best and easiest place online for anyone on the Web to find, watch and share the videos they’re looking for,” said AOL executive VP Kevin Conroy.

    “From originally produced and licensed programming to branded online video-on-demand channels to user-created videos that people create, upload and share on the Web themselves, AOL Video is truly the first one-stop source that brings the best videos on the Web together in one place and gives consumers more choice. If a video is out there, you’ll find it here on AOL Video.com,” he adds.

    AOL Video also includes AOL Video Search, which is based on video search technology from Truveo and Singingfish, and a video player that can go full screen without losing picture quality and that supports AOL’s exclusive Hi-Q video format to watch DVD-quality videos online.

    In addition, the portal includes AOL’s new UnCut Video offering, which makes it easy to upload and share videos online by providing full device support, letting consumers upload and share videos directly from their camcorder, Webcam, video-enabled mobile phone, as well as their PC.

  • Saregama to open online music store

    Saregama to open online music store

    MUMBAI: Move over Apple. Music label Saregama India is set to enter the online music market aimed entirely at the “generation on the go”.

    The company is expected to launch the beta version of its online service by the end of June, while the official launch is likely to happen in August, barring any glitches. However, the company is yet to zero in on the name of the service.

    The new venture will be part of the listed entity Saregama India Ltd.

    Confirming the news to indiantelevision.com, Saregama India VP publishing and new media Atul Churamani says, “Indeed we are marching towards the digital music revolution. We have already singed in 43 South Indian music labels.”

    Through Saregama online music service, songs can be downloaded to PC, copied to CD, mobile, played on a portable iPod or another digital instrument. The company will also make services and features available, including streaming videos, movies, television software, games and e-radio for purchase.

    As music-buffs are hungry to get music from new convenient and flexible sources, Churamani further adds, “We are committed to make a huge music catalogue available online and are in talks with the bigges of the Bollywood industry also to share their music library.”

    Churamani, however, was not forthcoming on the revenue sharing model the company has established with its associates. For the initial period, Saregama will be deriving its revenues through the pay-per-song model (Rs 12/song), according to Churamani. As of now, Saragama has an online bank of 70,000 songs. The software for the new servive has been developed and powered by mobile2win.

    Saregama India already runs a service HamaraCD.com, which provides an option of creating your own audio CDs of your favourite songs. The music company has a vast catalogue cutting across all genres and languages, includes film music, devotional, ghazals and classical music, Indi pop, remixes and regional songs.

    Internationally, the service is already being provided most famously through Apple’s iTunes. Napster and the recently launched Urge (a tie-up between MTV networks and Microsoft) are also in the online music game.

    For India too, the digital music era is now close at hand.

  • MTV Networks chief digital officer Jason Hirschhorn quits; Nick Lehman to be interim digital head

    MTV Networks chief digital officer Jason Hirschhorn quits; Nick Lehman to be interim digital head

    MUMBAI: Viacom division’s MTV Networks chief digital officer Jason Hirschhorn has resigned from his post.

    MTVN digital executive vice president Nick Lehman will replace Hirschhorn as an interim replacement.

    Hirschhorn was appointed as chief digital officer last year in November. He had joined MTVN in 2000 with the acquisition of his music-centered Mischief New Media. He will stay on through the summer to ease the transition.

    Hirschhorn was instrumental in developing the digital music service Urge, which is a tie-up between MTV and Microsoft Corp. He also spearheaded MTV’s digital media business and interactive strategy aimed at reaching audiences via the Internet and mobile devices.

  • Zee TV to launch ‘Johny Aala Re’ on 5 June

    Zee TV to launch ‘Johny Aala Re’ on 5 June

    MUMBAI: After establishing its second position in the Hindi general entertainment (GEC) space, Subhash Chandra’s Zee TV is now trying to replace a weak link in its scheme of things – the Monday to Wednesday 10 pm slot earlier occupied by Kam Ya Zyaada.

    Kam Ya Zyaada, which has been taken off the air due to its failure on the ratings front, is being replaced by a comedy show, driven by none other than the much sought after Bollywood comedian Johny Lever.

    To be aired three days a week from Monday to Wednesday at 10 pm, the half an hour show Johny Aala Re is packaged with segments such as stand up comedy, spoofs and mimicry performed by Lever, as well as celebrity guests and outside talent making brief appearances.

    A tough fight is awaiting Johny Lever in the 10 pm slot, as Johny Aala Re will be locking horns with Star Plus’ seasoned player Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Sony’s two new show Vaidehi, which also goes on air on 5 June at 10 pm. “We will introduce new one hour weeklies in the 10 to 11 pm band in June. That will culminate our initiative of providing new and fresh programming for our viewers,” SET India COO NP Singh had told Indiantelevision.com some time back.

    Commenting on the launch of the new family entertainment show, Zee TV programming head Ashvini Yardi said, “Johny Aala Re is laughter personified. Johny Lever is a comedian par excellence. We have also lined up some lively celebrities that go with the flavour of the show. Johny will meet them in his own comical manner, ensuring that the audiences are in splits, rolling in the aisles.”

    Zee TV will be putting in the due effort to promote the big ticket show, says Zee TV marketing head Tarun Mehra. The channel has made a programming association with MTV, apart from banking on its news channel Zee News to promote the property on air.

    “As part of the promotions, we have tied up with MTV Networks to invite Johny Lever as the first star on their newly launched show TV Star of the Month. Apart from this, Zee News will also do an extensive interview with the star,” says Mehra.

    In tune with the show, another marketing strategy has been adopted by the channel is the distribution of joke books. The books will be distributed through on-ground activities starting 3 June.

    On the lines of a drive-in movie, the sets have an on-street ambience with a live audience casually sitting on the tops of cars. Besides the stand up comedy segment, Johny most often takes the guise of popular personalities, from politicians to film stars. In a separate segment titled, Main Bhi Johny, the common man is selected to showcase his talent in booths set up on the streets. Besides, fixed segments such as these, there are a few floating segments such as a parody of songs
    and topical spoofs.

    On completion of 25 years in the film industry and currently, taking a break from films, this is Johny Lever’s first TV show and several inputs for the script come directly from him, to add his own personal touch, states an official release. Produced by Akashdeep and Sheeba’s Cinetek Telefilms Private Limited, this is King-Com’s first ever series on television

    When queried about the number of episodes shot, Akashdeep stated that only a few episodes had been shot, in order to keep to more contemporary issues and not play on issues that have become stale.

  • TDSAT puts a lock on any DTH operator carrying Star channels

    TDSAT puts a lock on any DTH operator carrying Star channels

    MUMBAI: As the second direct-to-home player Tata Sky gears for launch, the Telecom Disputes Redressal and Settlement Tribunal (TDSAT), in an interim order passed today, has ruled that Star channels will not be made available to any other DTH platform.

    The development took place as Star India gave an undertaking in this regard to the disputes tribunal, which posted the case for hearing on 3 July on a petition filed by the Subhash Chandra-owned Dish TV.

    If this order is interpreted in another way, it could also mean that Tata Sky would not be able to launch before 3 July and if it does so, it would have to do without the Star channels. Its test signals for the service also would not carry any Star channels till 3 July.

    Contacted by Indiantelevision.com, a Tata Sky spokesperson refused comment saying they had not received any notification from the tribunal on the matter. Star officials also declined to comment.

    The Chandra-promoted ASC Enterprises, which owns a DTH licence to operate a service under Dish TV brand, had moved TDSAT on 25 April alleging that Star was flouting the sector regulator’s (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India – Trai) diktat on making available all content to all platforms on flimsy grounds.

    The ASC petition states, “The unreasonableness on the part of the respondent is evident from the fact that the respondent has laid down impracticable and unreasonable terms and conditions for supply of its bouquet of channels.”

    The petition also mentions that discussions with Star were initiated by Dish TV in December 2004. Star is 20 per cent shareholder in Tata Sky, while the remaining stake is held by the Tatas.

    Meanwhile, Dish TV’s negotiations with Discovery-Sony joint venture One Alliance, which distributes signals of channels such as Sony, MTV, Nick, SET Max, Discovery to name a few, too, has not been concluded despite industry sources indicating that a formal announcement was due any time.

    Dish TV has also won a favourable judgement from TDSAT that has directed MTV Networks to make available MTV and Nick to Dish TV on a commercial basis. MTV has appealed against this order in the Supreme Court.

  • MTV2 plans to launch in India

    MTV2 plans to launch in India

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks India is expanding its bouquet of channels. The latest to plan an entry into India is MTV2, a channel from the Viacom stable which has a mix of music videos, long form music programmes and a line-up of irreverent, lifestyle and cross platform programming focused on youth and pop culture.

    MTV2 has registered for downlink licence. The other channels in the family which are already operating in India are MTV, Nick and Vh1.

    “We have applied for downlink licence for MTV2. This is in line with our plans to increase the MTV Networks franchise in India,” says MTV Networks India spokesperson.

    As for whether MTV2 would be specifically for direct-to-home (DTH) or be made available on cable TV networks as well, the spokesperson declined to provide further details. “It is too pre-mature to elaborate on our plans at this juncture,” he said.

    That the company was looking at expanding its operations in India was stated earlier by former MTV Networks Asia Pacific president Frank Brown.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, he had said, “We are looking at a lot of ideas, including some potential channels for DTH. We are eyeing the launch of new genres of channels. We would like to explore some original channels in India and then probably use it as a test case for launching in other markets.”