ITV

Tag: Time Warner company

  • Now Steve Marcopoto to go from Turner International APac

    Now Steve Marcopoto to go from Turner International APac

    MUMBAI: Management change are continuing at Turner International Asia Pacific as the Time Warner company tries to stay relevant and fit in the slowing and strongly localising Asia-Pacific region. After a massive bunch of layoffs earlier this year, Turner made another announcement which some are coining as the end of an era. It announced that the man who steered its fortunes just a few years after the broadcasting skies opened up in Asia will be stepping down. We are talking about Turner International president and managing director Steve Marcopoto, who has decided not to continue with his charge when his contract expires in December. Steve will, however, continue to work with Turner in a consultative capacity as a senior advisor to Turner International President Gerhard Zeiler.

     

    Turner announced that a successor will be announced in due course.

     

    Says Zeller: “I thank Steve for his outstanding achievements in his 15 years with Turner Broadcasting. Steve has guided Turner Asia Pacific through a period of rapid change. Under his exceptional leadership Turner went from broadcasting two networks in the region to 36 channels today along with a vast variety of digital and off-channel commerce activities. In an increasingly competitive environment, he has maintained our leadership position in news and kids channels, forged entry into new territories and built great partnerships.”

     

    Adds Steve Marcopoto in a release issued by Turner: “Turner is poised for a great run and now is the best moment for the company to put a fresh set of hands in charge. I am very proud of the growth of our business while I’ve had the privilege of holding this role. I want to deeply thank each member on the team that has made all this happen while maintaining a high-spirited culture of collaboration, innovation and optimism. It feels right to initiate the handover now as I complete 15 years in this job, and I intend to hand over Turner Asia Pacific to my successor in an optimal state.”

     

    Since taking the helm as president and managing director in 1998, Steve Marcopoto has overseen the growth of the business in Asia Pacific from the first linear, pan-regional TV channel to a multimedia, multi-language, multi-territory enterprise creating award-winning programmes. Under his leadership, Turner broadcasts 36 channels in 11 languages in 40 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region. This includes CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Pogo, TCM Turner Classic Movies, Tabi Channel, MondoTV, WB, QTV and truTV.

  • Tata-Sky approaches TDSAT against Zee over bouquet pricing

    Tata-Sky approaches TDSAT against Zee over bouquet pricing

    MUMBAI:There seems to be no end to the thrust and parry going on over the DTH airwaves. Close on the heels of Dish TV wresting a favourable decision against Star India, Tata Sky has moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement And Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) — against what it terms as Zee’s exhorbitatnt terms for providing its network channels to its still-in-the-pipeline DTH service.

    The petition by Tata Sky before the appellate tribunal makes Zee Turner Ltd, Zee Telefilms Ltd,Turner International India and Dish’s managing company ASC Enterprises LTD as party to the case.

    The Tata Sky petition alleges that the Zee Group has denied supply of Zee Turner bouquet of channels to the former’s yet-to-be-launched DTH service under reasonable terms.

    The petitioner has sought “to obtain appropriate direction for the signals of the channels,” alleging that respondent Zee Turner has quoted unreasonable terms for supply of its signals to Tata Sky.

    Contacted by Indiantelevision.com, a senior executive at Dish TV today refrained from commenting on the issue, saying, “We have yet not received any direction from TDSAT.”

    The disputes tribunal has given the respondents three days from the day they receive an official intimation to file its replies.The next date of hearing is 25 July 2006.

    As per regulatory norms, all content should be made available to all delivery platforms on a non-discriminatory basis.

    Last week, the tribunal had delivered a verdict laying down benchmark rate for channel prices for DTH platforms, while directing Star to make available its channels to Dish TV.

    Main respondent Zee Turner is a 74:26 distribution joint venture between Zee Telefilms and Time Warner company Turner International India.

    The cable pricing of the two Zee-Turner bouquets is Rs 83.65 plus service tax. Zee-Turner’s bouquet one comprises Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Movies, Zee English, CNN, Cartoon Network, CNBC, Trendz, Reality TV, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Zee Bangla and Zee Gujarati and is priced at Rs 58.85 per subscriber/per month. The second bouquet carries HBO, Vh1, Pogo, Zee Business and Awaaz, which is available at Rs 25 per subscriber/per month.

    Tata Sky’s complaint before TDSAT is that Zee is seeking the same pricing terms for supplying its channels to its DTH service as is its cable rates.

    In what manner TDSAT responds to the Tata Sky complaint will be watched with close interest. After all, in its earlier order in favour of Dish TV, TDSAT, while directing the sector regulator to set a benchmark for channel prices for DTH services, said that Star channels should be made available to Dish TV at half the price at which they are available to cable operators.

    The tribunal’s reasoning in the earlier case was that DTH is an addressable system where loss of revenue down the value chain is negligible, if not zero.