ITV

Tag: San Diego

  • Rentrak inks contract with CBS-affiliated TV station in San Diego

    Rentrak inks contract with CBS-affiliated TV station in San Diego

    MUMBAI: Rentrak has signed a TV measurement agreement with KFMB-TV, the CBS-affiliate in San Diego.

     

    KFMB-TV, which was the first local television station to air in San Diego, will utilize Rentrak’s massive and passive measurement system to provide their clients with more stable, accurate and comprehensive ratings information from more than 800,000 TVs in the San Diego market.

     

    Additionally, KFMB-TV will employ Rentrak’s single-source Auto and Political Advanced Demographics to target commercial messages to these two advertising categories: auto purchasers and voter segments.

     

    “We are pleased to offer Rentrak research and viewing data to our clients here in San Diego. There are many unique, compelling and differentiating features to Rentrak’s suite of offerings. We see great value and an opportunity to present additional metrics that will help target who is watching CBS 8,” said KFMB Stations vice president and general manager Pat Nevin.

     

    “We are thrilled to welcome KFMB-TV to Rentrak’s family of clients and look forward to a long and successful partnership with them,” added Rentrak executive vice president of local television, Steve Walsh.

  • NGC India premiers The Blackout

    NGC India premiers The Blackout

    MUMBAI: The thought of a complete blackout can give you goose bumps. But tonight at 9:00 pm, you can experience that as National Geographic Channel rolls out its two-hour, gripping new feature film -The Blackout. The film envisions the story of a national power failure in USA caused by a cyber-attack. Gritty, visceral and completely immersive, the drama exposes just how vulnerable the modern day reliance on technology has made our urban populations, and the hellish realities of a 10-day blackout.

     

    Just imagine how difficult life would be if you can’t use the ATM, or don’t get warm water for your daily showers, there’s no way to connect to the internet. We often don’t even think that these things can happen, but in the case of a blackout, this can be a reality. The film explores all these ideas and much more.

     

    The Blackout combines startling user-generated footage from real blackouts in New York & San Diego as well as when disasters such as Hurricane Sandy struck – all of this intercut with scripted, dramatic footage shot in feature-film style, resulting in a terrifyingly real feeling that this disaster could very likely be yours.

     

    “It isn’t science fiction anymore. Our team of researchers interviewed leading experts in various fields – cyber security, search and rescue, emergency medicine, sociology, engineering and more. This film is obviously a drama, but we were determined to be as informed as possible, and we spent countless hours trying to get it right. We needed to know everything that would be affected in a 10-day nationwide blackout … and that turned out to be basically everything,” said Raw Television director Jonathan Rudd. Raw Television is a multi-award winning production company behind the hit series Banged Up Abroad and the acclaimed feature documentary, The Imposter.

     

    Talking about the relevance of the path-breaking concept behind this film, National Geographic & FOX International Channels VP Marketing Debarpita Banerjee said, “While The Blackout is based on a cyber-attack that strikes USA and causes a complete power wipe-out hence, the truth is that any city or nation is just as susceptible to a crisis of this nature. In India, electricity and power issues are as acute as they could get. Add to that the fact that electrical back-up for our every need is something we take for granted. Poised at a time of technological advancement, such as this, if our power grids were to fail at a macro level, our lives would get paralysed, and we would be left feeling crippled in a very significant way. The Blackout gives the thinking viewer a subject to chew on, and tips to combat this very real ordeal.”

     

    So why don’t you get ready and open up your eyes for a similar calamity that might happen!

  • Spielberg returns to make Jurassic Park 4

    Spielberg returns to make Jurassic Park 4

    MUMBAI: Twenty years after he made Jurassic Park, director Steven Spielberg has hinted of his return to making such films all over again.


    Speaking at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego, Spielberg said that he was at work on a new Jurassic Park film that delighted the audience in a packed house at the pop culture showcase.


    “We have a story. We have a writer working on the script and I think we will see a Jurassic 4 in our foreseeable future, probably in the next two or three years, averred Spielberg.


    It may be noted that Jurassic Park thrilled audiences in 1993 with its modern-day dinosaurs developed from DNA in fossils that wreaked havoc upon a theme park where, instead of enjoying the wonders of science, the guests got eaten.
    The fim, that spawned two sequels took in $ 915 million worldwide.


    Spielberg was at the Comic-Con for the first time where he showed the audience clips from his upcoming film The Adventures of Tintin, produced by Peter Jackson who made Lord of the Rings.


    It is scheduled for release in December this year.
     

  • 4Kids Entertainment sets up 2 subsidiary companies

    4Kids Entertainment sets up 2 subsidiary companies

    MUMBAI: 4Kids Entertainment Inc., global children’s entertainment and merchandise licensing provider, has announced the formation of two subsidiaries, TC Digital Games, LLC, a trading card company, and TC Websites, LLC, an online multi-platform game company.

    4Kids will be majority owner of TC Digital, LLC and a fifty percent owner of TC Websites, LLC. This marks the first time that 4Kids Entertainment is going to be directly producing trading cards to be sold at retail, informs an official release.

    “The formation of TC Digital Games and TC Websites represent a significant enhancement of our business strategy,” said 4Kids Entertainment chairman and CEO Alfred R. Kahn.

    “The extraordinary success of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! has given 4Kids tremendous insight into the trading card industry and the profit potential of a successful trading card game. With the upcoming launch of Chaotic, which integrates traditional trading card game play with unique online game elements, the timing is right for 4Kids to establish and invest in these new ventures.

    “By owning and operating our own trading card and online game operations, 4Kids will now have greater control of the creative, marketing and distribution elements for Chaotic and an opportunity to capture substantially greater revenues and margins than we have recognized from trading card sales in the past,” he added.

    Chaotic, which is owned by 4Kids Entertainment and Chaotic USA Entertainment, is a trading card game that features a unique alphanumeric code that can be uploaded for virtual play on the free Chaotic website (www.Chaoticgame.com). Once online, kids enter the world of Chaotic, a place where their cards can be stored, traded or played against anyone signed onto Chaotic’s virtual world.

    The Chaotic trading card game is likely to launch in Spring 2007. The Chaotic trading card game is based on the Chaotic animated TV show, which premieres on 4Kids TV on Fox on 6 January, adds the release.

    Based in San Diego, TC Digital Games and TC Websites base their technology on a series of patents covering the uploading of coded trading cards to a website where online gameplay and community activities occur.

  • Power Rangers Tour ‘Get Powerised’ kicks off on 27 Oct in US

    Power Rangers Tour ‘Get Powerised’ kicks off on 27 Oct in US

    MUMBAI: The Power Rangers ‘Get Powerised’ Tour will kick off on 27 October in Houston, US and will feature characters from the Power Rangers Mystic Force TV show.

    At select locations, Power Rangers fans will have the chance to meet their favourite heroes in person, get autographs and take photos with them. The “Power Rangers Zone” at every tour stop will feature fun and interactive themed activities, including cool toy demos, a green screen photo area where kids can reenact their favourite scene from the show and take home a souvenir photo of the action, as well as a drawing for a chance to win a limited edition golden Megazord that is not available in stores.

    After stopping in Houston, the tour will continue on to the following markets: Los Angeles (Nov. 3-5), and San Diego (Nov. 10-12), informs an official release.

    “Year after year, Power Rangers continues to be popular with young boys – whether they are watching the show, playing with our action figures, or role playing on the playground,” said Bandai America Inc. vice president marketing Michael Riley. “We created the ‘Get Powerised’ Tour to let fans across the country have the chance to meet the Power Rangers and experience the brand in an interactive and fun new way.”

  • Former Disney honcho Eisner turns his attention to IPTV

    Former Disney honcho Eisner turns his attention to IPTV

    MUMBAI: Former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner and media conglomerate Time Warner have invested in a startup that aims to build a delivery platform for IPTV.

    Media reports indicate that Eisner’s venture capital group Tornante Company together with Spark Capital and Time Warner will be investing a total of $12.5 billion in the company. How much Eisner is exactly pumping into the venture is another unknown.

    The San Diego based Veoh Networks is building a system for delivering broadcast-quality entertainment and informational content via the Internet, using distribution technology, the firm says will allow for unlimited capacity. Veoh envisions marketing its platform to everyone from independent video producers and hobbyists to large studios.

    In a statement Eisner said, “Cable and satellite fundamentally changed the way television was distributed by creating the capacity for greater choice in programming. Veoh revolutionises television again by leveraging the Internet to expand broadcast capacity to the point that every single user, whether an individual or a media company, can create their own `channel` and every `channel` can be supported by its own business model.

    “In the past, distributing television programming required an enormous broadcast infrastructure. Veoh enables anyone with an Internet connection to distribute and receive programming in the highest quality.”

    Eisner will be a member of the board of directors of Veoh Networks.Under Veoh’s model, TV networks and individuals will be able to programme their own channels on the service. At the moment, it shows programming already in the public domain and content sent by users.

    Veoh founder and CEO Dmitry Shapiro says, “Having Michael involved in the company gives us incredible credibility, experience and knowledge, not to mention the contacts”.

  • Tivo announces winner of ambassador competition in the US

    Tivo announces winner of ambassador competition in the US

    MUMBAI: TiVo, which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVR), has announced the winner of a contest to crown the top TiVo enthusiast in the US.

    As the winner of the Tivo Ambassador contest, San Diego resident Matt Ward will enjoy $50,000 in cash and prizes — including a new Mini Cooper convertible — and a once in a lifetime opportunity to help spread the word about the joys of owning a Tivo DVR.

    Tivo VP consumer marketing Katie Ho says, “We have seen an unprecedented loyalty and passion for TiVo since the company’s inception. Through this contest we have heard from a growing fan base eager to share how TiVo has transformed the way they watch TV. With the Tivo ambassador contest, we wanted to put our top enthusiasts in the spotlight — and honour their contribution to the TiVolution.”

    Ward, who is currently working on his first children’s novel, won the award through a clever and humorous depiction of how Tivo has transformed the way he watches television. His winning video shows Ward running for the office of the TiVo Ambassador, and features a TiVo DVR as a valued real-life member of the family. Viewers see the box playing board games with the kids, consuming milk and cookies, and snuggled beside Ward on the sofa.

    He says, “It is amazing to be named the Tivo Ambassador and to win these prizes. But it’s also really nice to be honoured by this organization, whose product I am so passionate about. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect — my earnings will allow me to continue work on a children’s novel, a project that has been a dream of mine for many years.”

    The contest, announced in September 2005, was open to all Tivo Rewards members who had earned 25,000 points in the programme by referring friends to the TiVo(R) service prior to the contest start date. Those vying for the top spot submitted personal essays and creative videos showcasing their passion for Tivo. In just over a year and a half, more than 350,000 TiVo subscribers have enrolled in the company’s rewards programme.

    The programme grants points redeemable for great rewards to Tivo owners who refer new subscribers. As the TiVo Ambassador, Ward will gather with legions of fans throughout the year to spread the word about the celebrated ability of Tivo to deliver the best way to watch television.

  • US conference to focus on IPTV broadcast technology

    US conference to focus on IPTV broadcast technology

    MUMBAI: American firm IQPC will host a conference focussed on the IPTV industry in the US. IPTV and Beyond: The Future of Broadcast Technology will take place from 18 to 20 April in San Diego, California and will feature best practices from companies that have actually completed successful IPTV deployments.

    The conference aims to help attendees capitalise on IPTV by showing them how to implement it, how to identify the potential for their organization, how to develop a content strategy for their services, and how to understand the economic benefits and challenges related to IPTV.

    Companies that will participate include Accord Media Group, ACN, Advanced Media Strategies, Alcatel, HBO Latin America Group, Motorola, MTV Attendees will learn about the economic benefits of delivering IPTV over RF in FTTP networks as well as how to differentiate IPTV from standard TV to customers.

    Speakers will dwell on the significant platform and technology trends affecting IPTV carriers going forward as well as why content protection is so important and how it can protect revenue for the service provider.

    A report from Infonetics says that IPTV is set to skyrocket to 53.7 million subscribers, $44B in service revenue by 2009. In 2004, service providers worldwide spent $304 million on IPTV-related services infrastructure, growing to almost $4.5 billion in 2009.

    The number of IPTV subscribers worldwide will grow to 53.7 million in 2009. The number of IPTV subscribers in North America will increase 12,985 per cent between 2004 and 2009. According to IP Television Magazine in the 1st quarter 2005 there were: 2.1 million IPTV users worldwide, 150 million broadband users worldwide, more than 240 carriers providing IPTV services, and more than 25 manufacturers producing IP set top boxes.