ITV

Tag: Television channel

  • HC notice to Karnataka govt, MIB over obscene content in media

    HC notice to Karnataka govt, MIB over obscene content in media

    New Delhi: The Karnataka high court has sought the state government’s response in a public interest litigation (PIL) to issue directions to frame statutory rules to prevent publication of indecent and obscene content as part of the news programme in electronic and print media.

    The court also issued notice to the ministry of Information and broadcasting (MIB) and state police in this regard.

    According to the petitioner, various media houses publish obscene videos and partially blurred nude photographs and videos of several incidents as part of news programmes. Some TV anchors also repeat the vulgar language used in the video clips to make it loud and clear so that the public can understand the language that is used by the compromised individuals, he stated in his plea, as reported by Bar and Bench.

    Though Section 5 of Cable TV (Regulation) Act-1995 provides that no person shall transmit or re-transmit through a cable service or any programme unless such programme is in conformity with the prescribed programme code, there is no definition for programme code, he submitted before the court.

    The petitioner prayed that publication of such content should be made a cognisable offence, which will have a reasonably deterrent punishment. Apart from framing guidelines, he also sought directions to prevent the electronic media from analysing the sub-judice matters before the court and direct the state police not to leak information collected during the course of investigation regarding any case to the press, public or media.

    The matter will be next heard on 7 June.

  • Music lovers up for a 100-hour treat

    Music lovers up for a 100-hour treat

    MUMBAI: In a first, Insync – a 24×7 television channel dedicated to Indian classical music – has completed creating 100 hours of rich musical content featuring both maestros like Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez and Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra, and up-and-coming artistes.    

     

    As part of the project, nearly 70 artistes have recorded their music with Insync, giving it an edge over others of its ilk. With this, the library of Insync video content stands at approximately 300 hours.

     

    Says Insync founder and managing director Ratish Tagde: “Being a niche channel, it is a very big achievement for us. Here, we are not talking of 24-25 hours of content, but huge 100 hours of content. And it is arguably the largest repertoire of high quality video content in the various forms of classical-based music genre. Indian classical music lovers are spread across the world and the channel has already gained popularity across the globe.”

     

    What are Insync’s future plans? In the near future, the channel wants to generate a substantial part of its subscription revenue from the international market. Add to it, it has closed a deal with an OTT platform on a ‘fixed fee per box’ basis, ensuring its presence across the world in all major markets.

     

    “The Indian subscription market will take some more time to get into a content-driven mode therefore, once the distribution market stabilizes towards this direction, Insync is hopeful of attracting a huge number of classical-based music lovers from across India as subscribers,” adds Tagde.

     

    Launched on Independence Day this year, the channel showcases the rich tradition of Indian classical music through vocal, instrumental, dance and fusion formats and is available with multiple system operators (MSOs) including Hathway, Incable, Den, GTPL, Fastway and Digi Cable.

  • News channels record increase in OTS in metros

    News channels record increase in OTS in metros

    MUMBAI: Connectivity of a television channel is something that every executive is concerned about in the industry – whether in the media or broadcast sector or cable TV. And pioneering this data and analytics information is Delhi-based Chrome Data & Analytics which keeps a tab on around 73 million TV homes nationally in analogue cable TV, digital cable TV and DTH.

     

    We take a look at what the opportunity to see (OTS) was for various television genres and channels in week 48 of the year. It appears it was a week of the news channels, both business and general English news, as far as the eight metros are concerned.

     

    The reach of English news channels grew by 1.5 per cent and business news channels witnessed a 1.1 per cent gain. However, the English entertainment channels in the eight metros witnessed a drop of 0.3 per cent while the English movie channels saw a 0.6 per cent rise.

     

    Tarun Tejpal’s alleged misconduct with a journalist colleague in an elevator in a five star hotel in Goa, raised not only eyebrows of most urban Indians but also their interest as they tuned into news channels to catch up on the latest with the iconoclastic senior scribe.

     

    Hindi GECs in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM) saw a drop of 0.9 per cent, while Hindi movies and Hindi news dropped by 0.1 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively. Only the religious channels saw a 1.4 per cent increase in HSM.

     

    The all India performance of sports and infotainment channels dipped in week 48. While sports recorded a one per cent drop, infotainment witnessed 2.6 per cent shaving respectively. Only the position of the kids’ channels in the all India market remained stable.

     

    The top Hindi GEC channel in HSM was Star Plus with a 97.8 per cent OTS. Zee TV and Colors were not too far behind with 97.4 per cent and 97.3 per cent OTS respectively. Life OK lagged behind in the race with 94.9 per cent OTS.

     

    Amongst the Hindi movie channels in HSM, Star Gold was the biggest gainer with 96.7 per cent OTS, while UTV Movies lagged at 88.8 per cent.

     

    ABP News was the leader in the Hindi News genre with an OTS of 93.2 per cent. And with 88.9 per cent, CNN-IBN was leading in the English news genre in eight metros, while CNBC Awaaz topped in the business news genre.

     

    Undoubtedly, it has been an interesting week for the channels. Let’s wait and watch how things unfold for the channels in the coming week.

  • News channels eye elections

    News channels eye elections

    MUMBAI: Back in the eighties, veteran journalists Dr Prannoy Roy and Vinod Dua took the nation by storm when they co-anchored the first-ever election analyses programs on the then sole television channel, Doordarshan.

     

    Nearly three decades and the cable and satellite TV explosion later, journalists and news television channels of all hues continue to romance the elections with the same (if not greater) fervour.

     

    With ongoing elections in four states in North India and one in the North East, and general elections due in the first half of 2014, there couldn’t have been a better time for news channels to engage in a bit of one-upmanship with respect to news and programs around the polls. Indiantelevison.com takes a look…

     

    India News is airing a campaign called Kissa Kursi Ka showcasing ground events across Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi. Citizens are part of the live debates on this program.

     

    Urdu news channel, Aalami Samay, features a show called Mukhyamantri ke paanch saal which looks at the five years of Members of Parliament and what they’ve done towards roadways, power supply, safety and security among other causes. Another show titled Aapke numainde..unke wade assesses whether these MPs have succeeded in keeping the promises they made before getting elected to office.

     

    ABP News is well known for its show, Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri while India TV is looking at building a strong team under the supervision of QW Naqvi, who has newly joined the channel as editorial director, to make their coverage of this election a talking point for the general elections coming up next year. “These assembly elections are a build-up to the general elections in 2014; the focus is on capturing viewership now and to be their first choice for news coverage, analyses and insights on elections right till the general elections,” says India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan.
        

    Elections are a bonanza of sorts for news channels, which expect viewership to head north during that time. For instance, India News and Aalami Samay expect their viewership to go up by 15- 20 per cent while ABP is confident of garnering an almost 50-100 per cent increase, largely due to the main shots slated for prime time viewing although election programming is scheduled for the whole day right through the elections.

     

    India News and News X plan live election coverage from 43 locations, including 16 live OB vans and 16 live units. “Elections are like festivals for every news channel,” says India News and News X CEO R K Arora.

    Not only are elections significant in grabbing eyeballs, they are also important for news channels to make their mark. “Elections should not only be seen as an eyeball prospect, but also as an area where media can contribute in the process of nation building,” says Dhawan.

     

    While News Nation CEO Shailesh Kumar says: “This poll will also reflect the mood of the nation and take of the people at a crucial juncture when two big leaders (Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi) are being projected as the future of this country. A very decisive poll, which has the capacity to shape the geo-political contours of the nation.”

     

    Advertisers too are part of this gold (read election) rush. For India TV, advertisers come in the categories including Automobile, Cement, Hosiery, Food processing and FMCG.

     

    Says Dhawan: “The rule ‘Eyeball:Price’ is definitely applicable.”, India News and News X have got on boards brands such as Mircrosoft, Renault, Mahindra, Tata Motors, Idea cellular, Honda Motorcycles, Godrej and Whirlpool on their lists.

     

    With channels eyeing elections as a good ‘squeeze’ in terms of viewers and advertisers, most of them have also planned exit polls at the end of the elections.

     

    Coming to the anchors, be it a Deepak Chaurasia or Rajat Sharma or any of your favourite hosts, they are all busy trying to get the best news bytes from specialists, politicians and the public to grab the most number of eyeballs.

  • Indias TV NOW selects GrassValley Solutions to launch first HD news channel

    NEW DELHI: The new Malayalam news television channel TV Now is launching a fully-integrated high definition news production using GrassValley.

     

    Operated by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it will deliver programming in high definition to forty million viewers across Kerala. “As the only business consortium to launch a news channel in India, it is important for us to have the most modern technologies in place to reach out to our millions of viewers in a timely and efficient manner”, said TV Now’s Bhagath Chandrashekhar.

     

    TV Now’s new infrastructure will include three GV director non-linear live production systems, the GV STRATUS nonlinear media production tools, nine LDX Flex HD Studio cameras, a Trinix NXT digital video routing switcher, a K2 Summit 3G transmission servicer, EDIUS non-linear editing software, and HD K2 SAN storage. These solutions will enable TV Now to get news to air more quickly and without any interruptions, which is crucial to the smooth running of an operation that airs 24×7.

     

    “With GrassValley’s powerful tool set at our fingertips, we will have an integrated platform that combines production tools and asset management a TV Now so that we can confidently sign-on with state-of-the-art production processes,” said KCCI chairman K N Marzook. “With TV Now, we aim to create an exceptional TV viewing experience and the only way to do that is with superior technology in place”, he added.

     

    “The broadcast market in India is currently going through a period of exciting change and is a vital part of GrassValley’s pathway,” said GrassValley’s Asia Pacific VP Stephen Wong. He said it also marks the first time that GV Director and GV STRATUS will be deployed in India and signifies a powerful step for GrassValley’s presence in India’s growing broadcast market.

  • 2007 version of BBC World Challenge announced

    2007 version of BBC World Challenge announced

    NEW DELHI: BBC World today announced the forthcoming opening of nominations for one of the world’s most exciting business and community project awards.

    World Challenge 2007 seeks to identify and reward people that bring economic, social and environmental benefits to their local communities, a release from the broadcaster says.

    The 24-hour international news and information television channel, BBC World, Newsweek and Shell have teamed up again for World Challenge 2007 and are searching for individuals or groups that have implemented grassroots solutions to the toughest problems of our age, from poverty to pollution.

    Nominations for the competition open on February 5 and companies, communities and enterprising individuals around the globe with projects are encouraged to enter by registering on the World Challenge 2007 website at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk.

    Once nominations close at the end of April, a panel of expert judges will shortlist the 12 entries that they consider are the best in terms of showing innovation and bringing economic, social and environmental benefits to their local community.

    After voting has closed, the winner of World Challenge 2007 will be announced at an awards ceremony in The Hague in December 2007.

    The winner will again receive a US$20,000 grant from Shell to invest in their project, plus the two runners-up will each receive US$10,000. The Awards Ceremony will be shown on BBC World in December.

    BBC World will produce six 30-minute programmes profiling the 12 finalists showing how their projects and businesses are changing lives. These programmes will be broadcast to BBC World’s global audience in October and November 2007, and the channel’s viewers will be invited to vote online for their favourite project or business.

    World Challenge, which began in 2005, has already inspired passion and commitment throughout the world and propelled enterprising projects and businesses into the spotlight. Since its inception, financial grants have been given to six projects from across the world and the competition has experienced phenomenal growth.

    In 2006, the World Challenge received 816 nominations compared with 500 nominations the year before.

    Maximus, a firm in Sri Lanka which supports a local elephant orphanage and provides sustainable employment by making paper out of elephant dung, won World Challenge 2006.

    Coconets from the Philippines, had won the 2005 competition for its landslide prevention system using waste coconut husks.

    Richard Sambrook, CEO BBC World, says: “The enthusiastic response to the World Challenge and the increase in the number of nominations each year is testament to this successful and inspirational project. We are delighted to again be working with Shell and Newsweek on World Challenge 2007.”

    Roxanne Decyk, Director, Corporate Affairs, Shell says: “Shell is proud to continue its association with this exciting and inspirational event. It is rewarding to witness the benefits that the World Challenge has brought to previous finalists, whether through profile-raising or through our financial assistance.”

    Newsweek will mirror the programmes’ content in a six-part series of advertorials on the 12 nominees, aimed at driving its readers to the online voting site. The campaign will reach 1.5 million weekly readers across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

    Gregory J. Osberg, Executive Vice President and Worldwide Publisher of Newsweek, adds: “Now in its third successful year, World Challenge rewards innovators who are implementing community-based solutions to some of the toughest problems of our age, from poverty to pollution. Along with partners Shell and BBC World, we are honoured to use Newsweek’s global reach to seek out inspiring projects that are helping people and the planet.”

  • MTV launches Nick block on Malaysian broadcaster TV9

    MTV launches Nick block on Malaysian broadcaster TV9

    MUMBAI: MTV Asia has launched a Nickelodeon block on Malaysia’s terrestrial television channel, TV9. Branded as Nick di 9, it will reach over seven million households in Malaysia.

    Nickelodeon’s properties include SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Dubbed in Bahasa Melayu, Nick di 9 will be aired daily for three hours from 3pm to 6pm. Now kids in Malaysia can also enjoy these award-winning pre-school shows including Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer on Mondays to Thursday; while from Friday to Sundays, they can look forward to hilarious fun with Nicktoons like SpongeBob SquarePants and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

    TV 9 is Malaysia’s first free-to-air channel to provide an uninterrupted kids’ block 7 days a week. With the tagline Dekat di Hati, TV9 is the Malay channel targeting to Malays who strongly associate themselves with positive values.

    MTV South East Asia senior VP and GM Christopher James says, “At Nickelodeon, we put kids first in everything we do and with Nick di 9, we will be reaching out to Malaysian kids in the language that they speak. This mutually rewarding relationship with TV9 will help both parties to better reach out to kids and families in Malaysia.

    “The launch of Nick di 9 as a Bahasa Melayu block is a significant development in the overall expansion of the brand across South-East Asia”

    TV9 COO Bukhari Che Muda says, “Responding to the Government’s call to put Bahasa Melayu as the first spoken language in Malaysia, TV9 has taken the initiative to dub all Nick’s cartoons into Bahasa Melayu. This cartoon lineup being dubbed in Bahasa Melayu is the best way of educating kids to speak in their first language. Now TV9 kids can truly enjoy their favorite cartoon characters, singing and laughing along with them in the same language”.

  • Govt ultimatum to channels on downlink norms

    Govt ultimatum to channels on downlink norms

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government has issued an ultimatum to all TV channels that those failing to adhere to downlink norm deadline of 10 May will not be allowed to downlink into the country.

    In a statement issued on 3 May, the government has said, “It is clarified that (television) channels for which even complete applications, with processing fees, are not received on or before May 10, 2006, shall not be permitted to be downlinked thereafter.”

    The information and broadcasting ministry has come out with clarifications on various queries on the policy guidelines for downlinking of television channels in India on its website.

    The guidelines stipulate a time of 180 days from 11 November 2005 for completion of all formalities of registration under downlinking guidelines.

    On queries relating to foreign direct investment (FDI) permitted in television ventures, the government statement states that 100 per cent FDI is permitted in the broadcasting sector, which is not under the automatic route and all such proposals will have to be routed through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

    The government has also clarified that as on the date of submission of application for permission under downlinking guidelines, the applicant company must have requisite net worth and continue to satisfy the requirement thereafter.

    The information and broadcasting ministry had earlier stipulated different net worth of television companies as per categories, namely entertainment, news, etc, in an effort to differentiate between the serious and non-serious players.

    The downlink guidelines state that all TV channels wishing to be downlinked into the country would have to get themselves registered with a designated authority and also establish a permanent establishment, amongst some other stipulations that have been dubbed stringent by some media companies.

    For example, the government reiterated on Wednesday that an applicant company is required to provide a facility where online monitoring of content being beamed into India is possible.

    Also, the system should have the capacity to store data for 90 days, which should be available to the government at any point of time in India at a pre-designated place.

    The companies need not set up new facilities for this purpose, but could authorize any of their multi service operators (MSOs) or head end operators to provide this facility, the ministry has clarified.

    The government has shot off letters relating to various queries on downlink norms to the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, Star Group and Time Warner, according to information posted on the site of the I&B ministry.

    Earlier in March, the government had turned down a request from the Indian Broadcasting Foundation to extend the 180-day deadline for fulfilling newly-formulated downlinking norms by broadcasting companies.

    Indiantelevision.com has learnt from government sources that Star group, for instance, has applied under downlink norms for various family channels separately.

  • Baby TV to launch in Indonesia next month

    Baby TV to launch in Indonesia next month

    MUMBAI: Baby TV and Dori Media International have signed an agreement with Indovision, Indonesia’s first Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) provider, to launch Baby TV, the television channel dedicated to infants and toddlers.

    Baby TV is the first television channel designed especially for children under 3 years old. Broadcasting 24 hours and free of commercials or ads, Baby TV is geared towards learning, activity, fun and parent-child interaction. The channel is produced in collaboration with leading child psychologists and infant development experts and is a unique service for parents and grandparents.

    Baby TV is already available on over 25 different platforms in 15 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is expected to be launched in Indonesia in Bahasa Indonesia language in May 2006.

    The agreement is for a period of 10 years during which, Indovision will pay Baby TV and DMI a consideration from any income derived from the channel.

    DMG president and CEO Nadav Palti says, “Although our business continues to be focused on Telenovela, our relationship with Indovision, the largest DTH operator in Indonesia, following the successful launch of our TV channel Televiva Vision 2 has given us a unique position to partner with other channels looking to enter the Asian market. Baby TV is a successful channel which is quickly establishing itself in the global market and Indovision, being the largest DTH operator in Indonesia is the natural partner. Baby TV offers a very unique service and we believe it will be very popular with parents and families in Indonesia.”

    Dori Media Group is an international entertainment group active in the production, distribution and broadcasting of Telenovela. The group owns and sells high-loyalty TV content and branded merchandise attracting a wide variety of audiences in over 45 countries. In Israel, Dori Media Group owns and operates the Viva dedicated TV channels and Darset Productions production company.