ITV

Tag: portfolio

  • Lionsgate set to bring Twitter story on TV

    Lionsgate set to bring Twitter story on TV

    MUMBAI: Lionsgate, a leading global entertainment company, has optioned the rights to Nick Bilton’s New York Times best seller Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal, with Allison Shearmur set as executive producer.  Bilton, a columnist and reporter for the New York Times, will write the screenplay and serve as the producer. The announcement was made on 18 December by Lionsgate Television Group chairman Kevin Beggs. 

    Hatching Twitter presents a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the creation of the social media service by four friends and its evolution into worldwide phenomena that has changed the accession of digital communication. Bilton sheds light on the relationships, battles, power grabs and betrayals along the way in one of the most talked-about books of the year.

    Published by Penguin/Portfolio on 5 November, 2013, Hatching Twitter is a New York Times Best Seller that debuted at number 14 on the E-Book Nonfiction list and number five on the Wall Street Journal’s Hardcover Business list.  The readers of the Wall Street Journal named it the Best Book of 2013.  It has also made it to the “best of year” lists in a number of other outlets, including The Economist, Gizmodo, Bookish and Mashable and was an Amazon Best Book of the month in November.

    “Twitter has transformed almost every aspect of our lives from politics to business to friendship, and I can’t think of a more compelling story to adapt for television right now,” said Beggs in a release. “Nick’s book has all the elements of a great drama with its complex characters, high-stakes power struggles and betrayed friendships, and we’re extremely fortunate to have Alli Shearmur onboard as executive producer,” he added. 

    “Hatching Twitter will go behind the scenes of a groundbreaking Silicon Valley company in a way that’s never been captured before on television,” said Shearmur. “The Social Network was a perfect film, and this series will be different, providing a longer view of the work life changes, gamesmanship and personal sacrifices made by a group of individuals who are building a company that will change the way that people communicate,” he added.

    “I am thrilled to work with Allison Shearmur and Lionsgate to adapt my book about the power, betrayal and billions of dollars that swirl through Silicon Valley,” said Bilton.  “The story of Hatching Twitter really speaks to a generation that has searched for friendship through technology and it will be very exciting to see it brought to life on screen,” he said. He further added on his website that, “I’m thrilled to announce that Hatching Twitter has been optioned by Lionsgate and we will be starting development of a TV series.”

    Lionsgate has enjoyed great success with book adaptations, including its blockbuster movie franchises Hunger Games and Twilight, which have collectively grossed more than $4 billion at the box office worldwide. Hunger Games’ Indian release of its latest installment, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has garnered a three-day collection in India of approximately – Rs 21 crore.

  • Starsports.com races ahead with McLaren Mercedes F1 team

    Starsports.com races ahead with McLaren Mercedes F1 team

    MUMBAI: After testing waters with badminton through IBL (Indian Badminton League) and football through the Barclays Premier League, the Star network is all set to build its portfolio by connecting with other sports and introducing Indian viewers to thrills other than cricket.

    The latest is a tie up between Star Network’s sports digital channel starsports.com and the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team for the 2013 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix that will be held between 25 to 27 October. As a part of the deal, the rear wings of the McLaren Mercedes cars will sport the logo of starsports.com.

    This apart, the website will also live stream the race live on 26 and 27 October (qualifying and final race) as well as develop programmes such as exclusive interaction with the team drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez as well as management including team principal Martin Whitmarsh and sporting director Sam Michael.

    Interviews with team engineers will help viewers understand the mechanics of the garage. ESPN Software COO Vijay Rajput says, “We believe this partnership will help in promoting starsports.com as the definitive destination for sports on digital. We will present an unrivalled live video experience as well as a place for replays and catch-up. The service will feature original content not screened on television, including outstanding video stories and insightful contributions from experts.”

    Although feature videos are free to watch, the live streaming is not. Viewers have to pay Rs 500 to watch the whole F1 series that includes already gone by Korean and Japanese Grand prix and upcoming Indian, US, Abu Dhabi and Brazil ones. Live streaming of other sports is also a paid privilege with the ongoing India-Australia series priced at Rs 100 for all the matches. There is no delay in the stream.

    “It is not just about putting a TV signal on the website but about giving viewers a fully different experience,” expounds ESPN Software India’s spokesperson. The live stream is accompanied by a video timeline to catch up on the event as well as ongoing statistics. F1 will also feature prominently on the site as well as be integrated into the ongoing cricket series between India and Australia. Star Sports plans to promote other sports through cricket since the Englishman’s game strikes a chord with Indian people like none other.

    Social media will also engage viewers but it is only complimentary to the actual experience of watching it on the website. The live telecast on the two days will see Petronas and Rolex as presenting sponsors while Samsung, Micromax, Pernord Ricard and Vodafone will be associate sponsors apart from several spot buyers. As of now, the channel does not plan to have any Hindi commentary.

    This year, the channel aims at expanding its portfolio by introducing a wide variety of sports to Indian viewers. The availability of live streaming for all kinds of sports is an effort to build the website as the only destination sports fans go to for catching live action in HD as well as provide additional data and analytics that are integrated into the video experience through their gadgets.

    “Over the years, F1 has developed a strong following in the country. The introduction of Indian Grand Prix has further helped in broad basing the fan following. The live telecast of India Grand Prix last year generated average TVTs which were more than double the average TVTs generated by other races. Even on reach front, Indian GP delivered far higher numbers as compared to other races,” says Rajput.
    Though Star India is aware that cricket is the dominant sport in the country, it feels that there is space for other sports to also grab eyeballs.

  • Starsports.coms Sachin Redux

    Starsports.coms Sachin Redux

    He didn’t just play cricket, he wrote history. And, legions of fans watched Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar as he broke record after record, bringing India glory after glory…

    Fittingly, the website selling 6,000-odd tickets to the master blaster’s 200th and final test match starting today at the Wankhede Stadium, garnered a staggering 20 million hits. Whereas the stadium saw a snaking queue outside, with some people even managing to catch a few winks before they got to the ticket counters.

    Indeed, all the excitement around Sachin’s retirement is but a testimony to the love and adulation he has earned after 24 long and hard years in the game. But for the many cricket buffs out there who can’t seem to get enough of the master blaster, the Starsports.com team has come up with a special feature called #SachinMemoryProject on social media platforms.  

    The project gives Sachin aficionados an opportunity to recollect all the great moments in his life. It tracks chronologically not only what happened in the cricketing legend’s life over the past 24 years but world events that unfolded even as his career was taking shape.

    The #SachinMemoryProject brings back almost all Sachin moments in a slide show format, with each anecdote also on the timeline of the Star Sports official facebook page as well as twitter handle. It is rich in content and clubbed with text and videos of eminent people holding forth on the cricketer as well as Sachin talking about his life and times.

    “With the project, we wanted to give fans something special. Almost everybody in the media industry is running a special series on the cricketer but we wanted to create a memorabilia of sorts. Something that is easy to consume and something with which everyone can relate,” says Star India head of digital business Ajit Mohan.

    The #SachinMemoryProject ‘begins from the beginning’, with the first slide of Sachin as a 14-year-old, along with Vinod Kambli, putting up 664 runs for Shardashram, the highest scoring partnership in school cricket. In less than two years, he would go on to make his test debut for India.

    The latter slides reveal lesser known facts about the stalwart. For instance, the ‘main khelega’ slide highlights that moment in 1989 when Sachin had just started his international innings and his contemporaries were yet to get an idea about his patience levels. “With Pakistan pressing for victory, Sachin is hit on the nose by a rising Waqar delivery. As doctors try to stop the blood gushing from his nose and get him off the field, his batting partner Sidhu hears a squeaky voice say ‘main khelega’. Sachin continued batting in a blood soaked shirt, scoring 50 and saving the match for India,” reads the slide.

    Another slide brings to the fore Sachin’s competitive streak even as a 16-year-old. “During the Pakistan tour, Sachin lost a game of table tennis to Sanjay Manjrekar. Sachin challenged Manjrekar to another game, beat him. Beat him again before calling it quits. Even as a 16-year-old, he didn’t like losing,” it says.

    According to Mohan, a separate team of 15 people was designated to work on the project three months ago. “All the members of this team are passionate Sachin fans and are aware of the many nitty-gritties of his life. While working on the project, we also discovered many unknown facts about him. Those were the moments of serendipity,” he says cheerfully.

    Interestingly, the Sachin moments are juxtaposed with important events happening across the globe around the same time. For example, things like who took charge as India’s PM or which actor became a phenomenon while the cricketer was busy adding another century to his portfolio, etc.

    A slide titled ‘The American President(s)’ reads: “George Bush Sr. is elected President of the United States. Sachin’s career ran alongside that of four US Presidents, and seven terms, including two terms of George Bush Jr.”

    Mohan says the idea was to chart the 24-glorious years in the best possible way. “He has stayed in action for a very long time. By mentioning the other consequential events during the period in the project, we have just tried to bring to the fore the fact that the world changed in the long period that he has played and maintained his stature as one of the best cricketers in the world,” he says.

    Not surprisingly, #SachinMemoryProject, which was uploaded on Tuesday, has already grabbed a lot of eyeballs. “We are witnessing almost 25 to 30 thousand views in a day and each viewer is spending at least 30 minutes on it,” says Mohan, adding, “After watching the slide show, most viewers become very emotional and nostalgic while commenting. Viewers are writing about their personal memories associated with particular matches.”

    Mohan points out that the team working on the project didn’t get new quotes from industry for the videos included in the slide show preferring instead to utilize their time packing the project with information. “Over the years, we have built a bank of such videos that have matter on Sachin. We just utilised our resources well and aggregated all those to create this unmatchable show,” he rounds off.

  • Hathway Broadband launches Docsis 3.0 Ultra High speed network

    Hathway Broadband launches Docsis 3.0 Ultra High speed network

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable and Datacom, the largest cable broadband company in India, has launched the Docsis 3.0 ultra High speed network. Docsis 3.0 is a widely deployed technology and is the dominant technology powering leading Broadband markets like USA, Korea and Europe. Docsis 3.0 is capable of delivering speeds upto 1 Gigabit.

    We are the first Company to launch a Docsis 3.0 network in the country,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar. “With our Docsis 3.0 network supplied by Cisco we are ready to deliver Ultra High Speed Broadband upto 50 Mbps to every retail customer in South Mumbai. We see Broadband as a key part of our business portfolio and we will soon be launching the Docsis 3.0 networks in other parts of the country. We are enabling our network for delivering a superior HD video experience on our Cable TV as well as on Broadband.”

    Hathway Broadband business head Kunal Ramteke added, “True High speed retail Broadband delivered on Docsis 3.0 will be a game changer in the market. In today’s video led internet consumption these speeds are absolutely vital for a superior consumer experience. The south Mumbai customers will be able to enjoy YouTube in HD and lightning fast responses in internet gaming. TV is also being consumed across multiple screens. With our new Docsis 3.0 plans starting at Rs 599 you will not break the bank to start enjoying these benefits.”

    Cisco service provider software solutions VP – sales Sue Taylor said, “Cisco is excited to be playing a crucial role in shaping this industry and leading it to a transformative stage with technology. Hathway has been a pioneer in its willingness to adopt technology that benefits its subscribers and we congratulate them on this important milestone.”

    To cater to this demanding high speed segment, Hathway will also be launching a dedicated Service Desk exclusively for the Docsis 3.0 customers. These desks will have fully trained staff to handle any service requirements pertaining to High speed internet access through multiple devices. Hathway is also geared to deliver 99.9 per cent network availability and service issue resolution within 24 hours recognising the criticality of a high speed connection in the connected world of today.

    Hathway Docsis 3.0 plans start from monthly Rs 599 and go upto Rs 1499 for the 50 Mbps plan which offers 50 GB of download data.
    The network is initially being deployed in south Mumbai and has been extensively tested. All existing and new customers of Hathway Broadband in south Mumbai can upgrade to the Docsis 3.0 plans. The customers will be provided a Docsis 3.0 Modem by Hathway which will be capable of supporting the Ultra High Speed Plans.

  • Disney/ABC Names Pastor SVP, Strategy, Oversees Research

    Disney/ABC Names Pastor SVP, Strategy, Oversees Research

    MUMBAI: Paul Pastor, who has helped manage Disney’s investment in Hulu and overseen digital and international initiatives, will add oversight of research for the ABC network and other properties to his portfolio.

     

    He absorbs the duties held by Charles Kennedy, senior vice president of research, who is leaving the company to pursue another opportunity.

     

    As senior vice president of strategy and consumer analytics for Disney/ABC Television Group, Pastor will report to Peter Seymour, the executive vice president and CFO of the division. His research responsibilities include ABC Family, ABC Studios and the Disney/ABC syndication arm in addition to the broadcast network.

     

    He will continue to oversee strategic initiatives for the Disney/ABC groups along with customer relationship marketing and network media planning.

     

    Seymour stated that with, “Digital proliferation, Big Data and rapidly evolving consumer behavior, the worlds of CRM, planning, strategy and research are increasingly interwoven.” He cited Pastor’s “close working relationship with our research teams and the ABC businesses” as a strong fit.

     

    Kelly Pena, who oversees research for Disney Channels Worldwide, will continue in her role reporting to Seymour.

     

    Pastor joined Disney in 2007 in a business development role for the Disney Channels and took his current role as vice president of strategy, CRM and media planning last fall.

     

    Early in his career, he held positions at Accenture, a management consulting firm, and at Technicolor, where he was focused on the expansion of the firm’s gaming and animation services businesses into global markets.

  • Bertelsmann reports strong growth in first-quarter revenues

    Bertelsmann reports strong growth in first-quarter revenues

    MUMBAI: International media company Bertelsmann recorded considerable growth in its revenue and operating results for the first quarter of 2006.

    Consolidated revenues rose by 17.3 per cent to €4.5 billion, versus €3.8 billion in the first three months of 2005. Bertelsmann achieved growth both in its European core markets and in the US.

    An essential contributor to this positive performance were the acquisitions made in 2005, which were not yet consolidated in the first quarter of 2005. Adjusted for portfolio and currency effects, revenue was up by 4.5 per cent. Operating EBIT grew by 35.2 per cent to €215 million (2005: €159 million), an increase that is attributable to positive business performance in the divisions. Bertelsmann confirms its forecast of a significant year-on-year improvement in revenue and result for fiscal year 2006.

    Bertelsmann’s CFO Thomas Rabe said, “Bertelsmann got off to an excellent start this year. The record first-quarter results continue the positive business development of 2005. Building on this strong foundation, Bertelsmann is well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future. We will pursue outside opportunities and continue to rely on healthy core businesses, systematic acquisitions and expansion to new markets.”

    Net income nearly doubled year on year, reaching €90 million after €48 million in the first quarter of 2005. Investments during the first quarter of 2006 amounted to €309 million (2005: €200 million). Economic debt at 31 March 2006 was €3.9 billion as expected (31 December 2005: €3.9 billion). The number of employees increased to 89,409 (31 December 2005: 88,516).