ITV

Tag: Russia

  • WPP’s billings up 5.2 per cent at ?21.4 billion

    WPP’s billings up 5.2 per cent at ?21.4 billion

    MUMBAI: WPP, the world’s largest advertising company, has reported a strong first-half financial performance.

    WPP declared revenue growth of 8.1 per cent in the first half (organic growth of 6.1 per cent), gaining from a robust advertising environment across the world. North American sales increased 5.4 per cent, and growth in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) improved 15 per cent in the first half.

    The company‘s operating margins augmented to 11 per cent from 10.3 per cent in the first half of 2010, with higher profitability in all geographic regions.

    Billings were up 5.2 per cent at ?21.4 billion, while reportable
    revenue has increased by 6.1 per cent at ?4.7 billion.

    The Board of WPP announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2011. “Despite recent uncertainties, these results continue the post-Lehman bounce-back seen in 2010 and the Group has now achieved levels of pro-forma revenues and profitability beyond 2008,” said an official statement.

    For the remaining 2011, the company states that slowdown in the growth rate in the United States should be compensated geographically by faster growth in the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, “from admittedly low levels”, and faster escalation in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe.

    “Functionally, any slowdown in traditional media spending, is similarly forecast to be covered by increasing digital spending and, in our case, by continued growth in media investment management,” an official statement stated.

  • Terrorism can destroy democracy: BBC survey

    MUMBAI: People across the world believe that terrorism can destroy democracy. This is one of the core findings of a survey commissioned by BBC World to international market research company Synovate.

    The survey was carried on 12,000 people across 15 countries on five continents. The survey was commissioned as part of a wider exploration of global attitudes to democracy to be aired during BBC World’s Why Democracy?.

    58 per cent of the respondents believe that terrorism can destroy democracy. The country with the highest seeming concern is France with 76 per cent agreeing, closely followed by Denmark with 75 per cent, Dubai with 72 per cent and the United States with 70 per cent. 37 per cent in Italy and 31 per cent in India strongly oppose that terrorism can destroy democracy.

    USA with 57 per cent votes is the best equipped country to combat climate change, while China could manage 22 per cent votes. But only 40 per cent of India’s respondents believe that United States’ ability to combat climate change.

    On the other hand, 84 per cent of the total respondents feel that it is important to vote. France with 82 per cent is the most convinced country on the importance of voting. Other countries sharing similar strength of opinion include Denmark, South Africa, the USA and India. In Russia, however, just 34 per cent believe that voting is important.

    BBC World editorial director Sian Kevill said, “There are many fascinating national variations to come out of this survey, but I was particularly struck by how people in some of the world’s longest established democracies, seem to have an element of fear over how fragile that could prove in the face of terrorism.”

    Synovate global head of media research Steve Garton said, “We set out to reflect people’s feelings across the world about how important role democratic process played in their lives. The answers may surprise some, showing a diversity of opinion. Interestingly, it is precisely this diversity of opinion that underpins democratic principles.”

  • Zee inks deal with Media Overseas for launch in Indian Ocean Islands and Africa

    Zee inks deal with Media Overseas for launch in Indian Ocean Islands and Africa

    MUMBAI: Zee Network has tied up with Media Overseas, subsidiary of Canal+ Group, for the launch on their multi channel satellite pay-television platform, for three of its channels Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zee Muzic.

    The service will be available on three Media Overseas platforms including, Canal Sat Reunion in Reunion Island, Canal Sat Maurice in Mauritius and Canal Sat Horizons in more than 20 countries in Africa such as Senegal, Cameroon, Togo, Mauritiana, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, informs an official release.

    The service was launched commercially on 14 December for Indian Ocean Islands including Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mayotte and Camoros and shall be available from 15 January 2007 onwards for French speaking countries in rest of Africa. The cinema and TV channels shall be available with sub titles in French.

    The Zee channels will be uplinked on NSS7 and Eutelsat W2 from the playout centre of Canal in France.

    International Business CEO Dheeraj Kapuria said, “We take great pleasure in announcing the tie up with Media Overseas for the launch of three Zee channels with French sub titles for Zee TV and Zee Cinema. French is the main language in many countries in this region and by bringing Zee channels with French sub title, not only our proximity with the viewer is closer than ever, but also opens a new market for us.”

    “Based on extensive research and feedback, we decided to launch this service for the segment which has great fondness for the content from Indian sub continent but a gap exists due to language barrier.”

    “After Multichoice, with whom we already have a tie up, Canal Sat is the next major pay television platform in the region and through this tie up Zee has widened its reach, its products in Africa and enforces its position as market leader.”

    In continuation of offering services bringing closer to viewer through specific feeds for each region and sub title or dubbing in local language, this is yet another expansion of Zee’s reach in International market. Zee has in the past one year launched its sub titled or dubbed services in Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Middle East and announced plans for entry into China, adds the release.

  • BBC Worldwide takes first format to China

    BBC Worldwide takes first format to China

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide has licensed the singing talent show format, Just the Two of Us, to Chinese terrestrial broadcaster, Hunan Television. The deal was initiated and brokered by BBC Worldwide’s Hong Kong office and marks the first time a BBC Worldwide format will appear on Chinese television.

    Announcing the deal, BBC Worldwide Director of Content and Production, Wayne Garvie, said, “This is very exciting news for BBC Worldwide and for British production generally. Hunan Television is currently the home of China’s most popular television talent series and enjoys a viewership of hundreds of millions. To secure a place for a BBC format here is a great window for British television talent and an opportunity to build on our strong and positive relationships with Chinese broadcasters.”

    Just the Two of Us will launch on Hunan Television this month and will broadcast weekly. The series follows on from the successful talent series, Super Girl, which last year generated almost 400 million viewers for its final.

    BBC Worldwide has also licensed Just The Two of Us in Australia, Russia, Ukraine and Belgium, with more territories in development.

  • Disney’s High School Musical to premiere on Disney channels across Europe

    Disney’s High School Musical to premiere on Disney channels across Europe

    MUMBAI: Disney channel original movie High School Musical is set to hit terrestrial television in 15 countries across Europe, including Italy, Germany, France and Russia.

    BVITV EMEA executive vice president and managing director Tom Toumazis said, “As High School Musical’s international fanbase grows ever-stronger on Disney Channel, we are delighted to also be working with key terrestrial TV clients in a wide range of markets to launch it to yet more new fans later this year and into 2007.”

    This will add new terrestrial TV sales for the made-for-TV musical made by Buena Vista International Television (BVITV), the international TV distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company.

    The contemporary ‘break into song’ production has been licensed to the broadcasters RAI in Italy, ProSieben in Germany, ORF in Austria and M6 France, along with RTE in Ireland, ERT Greece, TRT Turkey and CYBC Cyprus. In Central and Eastern Europe, Channel One in Russia has also licensed it, as have TV2 Hungary, TV Media Planet Ukraine, TVR Romania, Pop TV Slovenia, and A1 Televizija in Macedonia. High School Musical has already been licensed to the BBC in the UK, for broadcast on BBC One later this year, and is expected to be licensed to many more key markets within the next month, informs an official release.

    It will premiere on other international Disney Channels throughout 2006, with its UK Disney Channel premiere set for September.

    The High School Musical US premiere in January broke Disney Channel ratings records, and for its 14 airings, has now been seen by over 40 million unduplicated total viewers. In June, the movie premiered on Disney Channels in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia and delivered the best-ever results for a Disney Channel Original Movie in all of these markets.

    High School Musical made its international terrestrial TV debut on 1 July in primetime on Seven Network Australia and was the timeslot winner against all major demos. It is the No. 1 movie in 2006 for tweens 10-15 delivering a 17.9/67 per cent rating/share and also the No. 2 movie on Seven Network this year with a 9.5/40 per cent rating/share for the Under 55s. It premiered on TV2 New Zealand on 19 August, and was the No. 1 programme of the night amongst People 5+, adds the release.

    In August, the movie received two Emmy Awards, an Imagen Award and three Teen Choice Awards. It has also won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Children’s Programming.

    In the US, the soundtrack is No. 1 of the year to date, and is now certified triple-Platinum, delivering six Gold-certified singles since its debut in January. In addition to being the year’s #1 album so far, it is also the #1 soundtrack and #1 Kids’ album of the year to-date. High School Musical is also currently Disney’s biggest TV-based DVD title in the US, adds the release.

    A sequel to High School Musical is in planning for 2007.

    In this musical comedy, popular high school basketball star Troy and shy, academically gifted newcomer Gabriella discover they share a secret passion for singing. When they sign up together to audition for the lead roles in the school musical, it threatens their school’s rigid social order and sends their peers into an uproar. In a desperate effort to maintain the status quo, the school cliques are soon hatching convoluted plots to separate the pair and keep them offstage. By defying expectations and taking a chance on their dreams, however, the couple inspires other students to go public with some surprising hidden talents of their own.

  • Ric Bailey is the BBC’s new political adviser

    Ric Bailey is the BBC’s new political adviser

    MUMBAI: Ric Bailey has been appointed as the UK pubcaster BBC’s chief political adviser. He will leave his post as deputy head of political programmes to take over the role from David Jordan, who became BBC controller of editorial policy in December 2005.

    Bailey has been the executive editor for Question Time for the past six years, overseeing programmes such as the leaders’ election special and editions from China, Russia, the Middle East, the United States and across the UK.

    He also developed and led the Schools Question Time Challenge project, a citizenship initiative which saw the first member of the public on the panel of Question Time earlier this month.

  • Fifa World Cup final generates viewership of 313 million: ZenithOptimedia

    Fifa World Cup final generates viewership of 313 million: ZenithOptimedia

    MUMBAI: According to ZenithOptimedia, the Fifa World Cup final between France and Italy on 9 July generated a television viewership of 313 million viewers across 56 countries. The largest audience came from China, where viewership peaked at 71.5 million, followed by Brazil, Germany, Vietnam, Indonesia, France, Russia, the U.K., Japan and Italy.

    As per the study, Germany recorded an average match viewership of 11.8 million. The cumulative audience was 658 million, a 141-per cent increase on the 2002 World Cup. Germany’s 2-0 loss to Italy in the semi-finals was watched live by 29.7 million viewers in the host nation.

    The study revealed that four Asian nations (China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan) ranked in the top ten for audience totals. They accounted for 49 per cent of viewing among the top eleven. Japan recorded a 64-per cent fall compared to 2002 audience levels. In China, the cumulative audience fell 58 per cent compared to 2002, when the matches were broadcast in prime time and China had qualified for the World Cup for the first time.

    Viewership in the U.S. peaked at just 9.4 million, but the cumulative audience of 235 million was 48-percent up on 2002 and 55-percent up on 1998. This was largely the result of Univision, whose broadcast of the Argentina versus Mexico match was the most-viewed sports broadcast in the history of U.S. Spanish-language television, with 6.7 million viewers, as per the data.

    In the U.K., the BBC attracted 53 per cent of the cumulative audience, but ITV broadcast the highest-rated match: the 2-2 draw between England and Sweden, which generated an audience of 18.8 million. The BBC’s best audience was 16.3 million for the match between England and Ecuador.

    Largest World Cup television audiences in millions (2006):

    Cumulative audience/Highest audience:

    China 1,820 / 71.5

    Brazil 1,140 / 60.5

    Germany 658 / 29.7

    Vietnam 650 / 29.8

    Indonesia 589 / 23.5

    France 388 / 22.2

    Russia 369 / 12.9

    U.K. 362 / 18.8

    Japan 289 / 42.3

    Italy 278 / 23.9

    ZenithOptimedia’s specialist consultancy agency Sponsorship Intelligence (SI) is the official provider of 2006 Fifa World Cup audiences figures to both Fifa and its TV agency, Infront.

  • TNS & Viasat renew Baltics contract

    TNS & Viasat renew Baltics contract

    MUMBAI: TNS, a provider of TV and radio audience measurement (TAM) services has announced a renewal of the agreement with Viasat Broadcasting for the provision of TV audience measurement services in the three Baltic States.

    An official release stated that the agreement will run for three years and will cover all three countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – for both audience data and advertising expenditure (AdEx) estimates.

    TNS internet TV and Radio Audience Measurement Sector Global marketing director Tony Taylor said, “We are very pleased to have signed this new contract with Viasat, which is a leading broadcaster across Scandinavia, Russia and Central Europe as well as in the Baltics. The fact that Viasat has re-appointed TNS to continue supplying audience measurement services highlights their confidence in us.”

    TNS is a market information group and provides custom research and analysis, political and social polling and supplies consumer panel, media intelligence and TV and radio audience measurement services. TV audience data (TV-ratings) and AdEX monitoring data are used by broadcasters for planning TV programmes and advertising. The panel size of homes that participate in the peoplemeter measurement in the Baltics is 850 households, adds the release

  • Eutelsat reports marginal revenue growth

    Eutelsat reports marginal revenue growth

    MUMBAI: Satellite operator Eutelsat has reported revenues for the third quarter ended 31 March 2006.

    For the three months ended 31 March 2006, revenues rose to 195.1 million euros from 190.8 million euros in the same period last year representing a rise of 2.2 per cent. For nine months it rose to 590 million euros from 561.9 million euros representing a rise of five per cent.

    Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta said, “We are very satisfied with the continuing solid commercial progress of the Group across our core

    activities of video, data and value-added services in Western Europe and emerging markets in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as the higher than expected revenues generated from multi-usage leases.

    “As a consequence of the good performance over the first nine months, and the comfort given by the successful launch on 11 March of our Hot Bird 7A broadcast satellite for our premium video neighbourhood, we are in a position to raise our revenue growth guidance from 2.5 per cent to more than 3.5 per cent for the fiscal year 2006.”

    During the third quarter, Eutelsat says that there was a healthy demand for video applications as well as for data and value added services. Video applications revenue was up 3.9 per cent year-over-year. This was mainly driven by lease of capacity for the XX Winter Olympic Games, including for the European Broadcasting Union and NHK, and contract wins, notably for NTV Plus in Russia.

    Data and value added services revenue grew 5.8% year-over-year led by continuous growth in value added services (+33.9 per cent at 7.5 million euros). This was principally driven by the roll-out of the D-Star broadband service for schools, regional administrations and enterprises beyond access to terrestrial broadband networks, despite delay in take-up resulting from the technical incident experienced by the W1 satellite in August 2005.

    Multi-usage leases rose 27.9 per cent year-over-year due to a high renewal rate of contracts for government services during the quarter and favourable US$/Euro exchange rates compared to the same quarter last year.

    Eutelsat has raised its revenue growth objective for fiscal year 2005-2006 from 2.5 per cent to more than 3.5 per cent.