ITV

Tag: set up

  • BBC Broadcast to set up base in US this July

    MUMBAI: BBC Broadcast Ltd (BBC’s commercial media services arm) which is widely known for its award-winning designs and creative and promotional excellence is gearing up to open offices in New York. Primarily targeting broadcast and cable networks, this move marks the next step for the BBC’s new commercial media services business’ aggressive US expansion strategy.

     

     
    As of July 2004, BBC Broadcast will open offices in New York in an effort to significantly increase its capacity to service new clients in North America. Providing a unique blend of creative and technical expertise across all areas of on-air branding and promotion, the new commercial BBC Broadcast venture is able to offer the full range of its channel solution services to external broadcasters and other commercial clients around the globe, with the US serving as its first major market expansion.
    BBC Broadcast has also initiated a search for a New York-based executive producer to handle industry outreach, business development and client services in the US.

    Over the last five years, BBC Broadcast has won over 100 Promax&BDA awards for its creative design and strategy throughout Europe. Also at the recent Promax Europe that were held in Rome on 22-23 March, BBC Broadcast was the big winner, leading the pack with 10 awards for promotional excellence including gold statuettes for Europe’s Best Television Image Campaign of the year, Best Drama Promo, Best Music Promo, Best News and Current Affairs Promo and Best Factual or Factual Entertainment Promo.

    “Our offering of high caliber award-winning work, talent and global entertainment perspective has not been available in the US until now,” explained BBC Broadcast’s director of creative services Andy Bryant who oversees the creative services group from London. “We see a tremendous opportunity in the US marketplace as the market continues to grow and the desire for a unique perspective is in demand. With an expert team of creative service professionals on-staff in London, supported by the efforts of our soon-to-be-named US executive, we are now able to offer that same level of quality marketing and design solutions to networks here in America. Working as a commercial entity, BBC Broadcast delivers incredibly effective concepts and designs at a very competitive rate,” he added.

    BBC Broadcast global business director for the unit Nigel Cole added, “The wealth of opportunity here in the US made it an ideal market for our expansion. America has an incredible number of successful broadcast and cable networks, it is a driving force in the digital channel environment, and it continues the exploration into new technologies and new platforms of distribution, all of which require distinctive strong brand imagery to stand out. As the song goes, ‘if we can make it here, we’ll make it anywhere,’ so we’re all very excited to open our New York office and get busy working with US network clients.”

    The New York office opening also coincides with the unit’s participation at the annual Promax&BDA Conference in New York which will be held from 23-25 June. Drawing top television marketing, promotion and design talent from around the world, BBC Broadcast’s team will also be presenting a special seminar on great storytelling on 25 June.

  • Trai needs consultants for satellite radio

    Trai needs consultants for satellite radio

    NEW DELHI: After trying out consultants for the era of digitalisation and migration from the present set-up, broadcast and cable regulator, Telecom Regulatory of Authority of India (Trai), now wants to engage consultants for satellite radio broadcast to advise it on a policy framework for the segment.
     

    The consultants would be required to give their report and draft recommendations and would be required to furnish their reports on the following points:-

    o Study of international trends on satellite radio.

    o The report should cover at least four countries.

    o The report should cover the statutes and regulations adopted by these countries towards satellite radio. 

    o The report should also cover the technical standards adopted by these countries.

    o Consultant would provide draft recommendation/regulations appropriate for India situations.
     
     
    For this purpose, Trai has invited expressions of interest from reputed consulting firms by 1 October, 2004.

    Presently, worldover, there are three satellite digital radio systems, which are in operation. These are World Space, XM Radio and Sirius Radio. The three systems are capable of individually providing about hundred radio channels of digital quality.

    World Space, through the western beam of its Asiastar satellite is providing about 40 radio channels over the Indian sub-continent. The satellite digital radio has great potential for India due to its large size, Trai feels.

    With regard to the international scenario and the benefits that result from satellite radio, Trai proposes to examine the need for regulating the satellite radio and also look at the possibility of promoting uplinking from India.

    Before the start of work, the consultant will indicate the number and names of the countries to be studied, to Trai for approval and submit a report latest by 30 November 2004. Based on comprehensive information on satellite radio in these countries, and taking account of any special features of the 

    Indian situation, the consultant shall provide draft recommendations, including suggestions on policies/ regulations to promote this segment.

    According to Trai, five parties will be short listed on the basis of the team handling the project and experience of handling similar nature of projects and would be required to make a presentation of their credentials and the approach to the proposed project before a committee on 8 October, 2004.

    The firms will be assessed on the following criteria for marks mentioned against these parameters:

    (a) Experience and capabilities in handling similar projects as consultants

    (b) Sector expertise and experience

    (c) Understanding of satellite radio industry and problems of change

    (d) Proposed consultant team qualification to the project

    (e) Local and global presence

    (f) Research capabilities

    Final selection would be conveyed on 15 October, 2004 and the successful bidder would start work on 20 October.

  • Mudra to start Tantr, a new production set up

    MUMBAI: Mudra Communications will soon start a separate production set up called Tantr, which will produce ad films and corporate films. Later this year, the agency also plans to get into production of serials for the ad sales wing.

    In June 2003, indiantelevision.com had reported that Mudra Videotec planned to expand its presence in the domain space of TV software and ad-film production.
    One of the earliest entrants, Mudra Videotec is into the business of buying/selling slots on the national broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) and its regional channels; co-producing “commissioned” software on cable and satellite (C&S) channels; producing ad films and audio-visual productions to fulfill the needs of in-house clients.

    Mudra Videotec has a team of 15 people spread across the country with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The division has two business unit heads: Mudra Videotec national marketing head (ad sales) Sunil Shetty and manager (audio-visual and films) Umang Pahwa.

    According to Pahwa, “We have done quality work for clients such as McDonald’s, Reliance Infocomm, Godrej Group, HP Lubricants among others. In fact, the McDonald’s campaign has won seven awards last year – including three Abby awards and four AAAI awards. We are hoping to convert other large clients within the Mudra fold, such as Yamaha and Dainik Bhaskar.”

    Incidentally, Mudra Videotec had worked to create the Reliance Infocomm audio-visuals, which were aired at the Reliance Technology Centre in Navi Mumbai earlier this year. “We managed to deliver despite constraints of hectic schedules and almost impossible deadlines. We were creating three to four films every week,” says Pahwa.

    Pahwa adds, “We have recently done a series of three ad films for Hindustan Petroleum for one of their products called ‘Cruise’. These are three simple films of 15-second duration. They are scheduled to be aired on TV channels starting 24 and 25 September.”

    As far as ad-films and audio-visual production is concerned, the agency executives are aggressively pitching for in-house business from within the Mudra network. They are hoping to leverage their expertise in software/content production and offer value-added services to existing and new clients.