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Tag: Turner Broadcasting

  • CNN-IBN to split; Turner explores opportunity for new partner

    CNN-IBN to split; Turner explores opportunity for new partner

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System owned American giant CNN’s tie up with Reliance Industries’ TV18 will cease to exist, come January 2016.

     

    Amidst speculations of various possible team ups CNN International chief commercial officer Rani Raad informs Indiantelevision.com, “The partnership ran the natural course of its agreement and a mutual decision was made to chart our own respective growth independently. We are very proud of what we have co-created with TV18 for the Indian market.”

     

    In an official media statement Network18 Group CEO A.P. Parigi said, “The last decade has seen a lot of momentum in the Indian media industry and has been particularly exciting for us. During this time we witnessed two media houses coming together to redefine the way news is presented to a demanding audience; we at TV18 have benefited from this relationship with CNN. At the launch of the channel, TV18 was a relatively small organisation; that has changed now.  Network18 has grown from two news channels in 2005 to 17 news channels in 2015. Today, we have the largest footprint in the current affairs, regional and business news space in India.  The TV18 line-up of channels today are well established and highly regarded in this dynamic, complex and challenging environment.”

     

    The venture is yet to come to a consensus and is currently exploring all the options. “CNN remains deeply committed to long-term participation in India, one of the world’s largest and most vibrant media markets. As is the natural course of business, we continue to explore opportunities in India and every other important market around the world. Our #1 international news brand in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world, and the winner of multiple prestigious awards, CNN International, continues to lead and serve consumers in India with the best of global news content across multi-platforms,” informs Raad. 

     

    With media reports suggesting a possible tie-up between CNN and Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL), a source close to the development says, “Yes, CNN is in talks with ZMCL. But, it will be premature to say that the deal has been locked, as CNN is speaking to other players in the market as well.”

     

    The partnership started in 2005 with CNN Turner International signing a deal with TV18 group company Global Broadcast News (GBN), which was then headed by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. This marked the launch of CNN-IBN. Last year, Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Industries took total ownership of Network 18 Media which was founded by Raghav Bhal in 1993.

  • Turner, Sesame Workshop launch preschool educational series ‘Chamki Ki Duniya’

    Turner, Sesame Workshop launch preschool educational series ‘Chamki Ki Duniya’

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting and Sesame Workshop have joined hands to launch a new preschool educational series called Chamki Ki Duniya, which will be aired on Pogo.

     

    Chamki Ki Duniya, which is the second venture between Turner and Sesame Workshop, will air on weekdays at 8:30 am. Kuala Lumpur based animation studio Inspidea has been commissioned for the animation of the series.

     

    Prior to this, Turner and Sesame Workshop had partnered to create five seasons of Galli Galli Sim Sim, the Indian adaptation of the popular American series, Sesame Street.

     

    Turner International Asia Pacific chief content officer – kids networks Mark Eyers said, “Chamki Ki Duniya is a unique show that not only will be the first completely animated series by Sesame Street, but will also encourage social and emotional development of children in a narrative that is fun and entertaining. Turner has always believed in setting benchmarks for creating innovative and engaging content. With the largest portfolio of local content in the kids’ genre, we strive to create content and characters that resonate with children.”

     

    Chamki Ki Duniya takes young viewers on a journey with five-year-old Chamki, an adventurous and inquisitive schoolgirl, anxious to learn more about the world. A warm, sensitive and friendly girl, Chamki is always surrounded by her group of friends from the galli, who love playing games, making music and solving mysteries around them.

     

    The show addresses topics such as early literacy, creative thinking and reasoning, family and community life, healthy habits, appreciating cultural plurality and many more via compelling and humorous stories, music and art. The series is targeted towards children between two and six years of age.

     

    “It’s wonderful to work with Turner and Inspidea to bring the beloved Chamki Muppet to kids and families in this beautiful new animation. Being smart means knowing so much more than letters and numbers. Chamki Ki Duniya’s curriculum is designed to engage the whole child and seeks to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder,” said Sesame Workshop India managing director Sashwati Banerjee.

     

    Inspidea managing director Andrew Ooi added, “We are delighted to have partnered with Turner and Sesame Workshop in producing this path breaking series that aims to subtly and humorously educate children. After detailed research and development with Turner and Sesame Street, we created a visual style for Chamki Ki Duniya, which is charming yet playful that can resonate with Indian audiences and be culturally relevant.”

     

    Chamki Ki Duniya is sponsored by MetLife Foundation as part of its global “Dream, Save, Do: Financial Empowerment for Families” campaign. Part of the content in the series is intended to improve knowledge, language and strategies on financial literacy and increase the dialogue between parents and children to help them make informed choices around spending, saving and sharing to help them realize their financial and non-financial goals.

  • Turner Broadcasting launches new data cloud

    Turner Broadcasting launches new data cloud

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting is partnering with data management platforms to develop its own Turner Data Cloud (TDC), the company’s advanced data management platform (DMP) designed to power digital and linear advertising campaigns across the company’s portfolio of entertainment, news, sports and kids brands.

     

    Advertisers and their agencies can choose to transact directly and programmatically depending on their unique campaign goals and business objectives.

     

    “We are building on our best-in-class data offerings through continued investment across all spaces that allow our brands and partners to better engage with consumers. We are committed to driving business results for our advertising partners, and producing mechanisms that continue to allow for a data agnostic approach,” said Turner Broadcasting Ad Sales president Donna Speciale.

     

    Turner chief data strategist Stephano Kim added, “Turner Data Cloud will now become Turner’s central repository of data, spanning digital and linear ecosystems. This system allows our sales division to effectively bring to market powerful campaigns across all screens, and all formats. Advertisers and their agencies can now transact in any format they prefer, with any data source they choose, including their own first party data.”

     

    Turner Data Cloud will allow advertisers the ability to harness the power of their first party data in addition to third party data to effectively engage consumers and reach the right audience across Turner – a portfolio spanning television, digital and mobile platforms that reach approximately 75 per cent of all Americans. With ecosystems that interact with all consumer touch points, across all of Turner’s premium content channels, Turner Data Cloud will power the company’s premium marketplace utilizing the high impact, premium reach and targeted performance the company has become known for with advertising partners.

  • Turner Broadcasting partners Sony for PlayStation Vue

    Turner Broadcasting partners Sony for PlayStation Vue

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has inked a deal with Sony to offer their entire portfolio of networks on the new PlayStation Vue service. PlayStation Vue offers live and on-demand TV content over the Internet and is available beginning today in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, starting at $49.99 per month.

     

    Turner Broadcasting believed that with the progression and growth of new viewing options in the expanding distribution universe, it’s important to put its leading brands and content in a position where as many consumers can access them as possible. 

     

    “The more options we give audiences to access content from TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, CNN, Adult Swim and Turner’s other popular networks the greater opportunity we have for exposure and consumption from a variety of audiences. Over-the-top services like Sony’s Playstation Vue create new paths for distributing our leading brands and provide another opportunity to have Turner’s award-winning and highly popular content accessible through a new delivery platform,” the company said.

  • Turner Broadcasting partners MarketShare for new predictive analytics planning tool

    Turner Broadcasting partners MarketShare for new predictive analytics planning tool

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting has partnered with MarketShare, the global leader in marketing analytics software for enterprise, to install new planning and attribution software to better help marketers understand the business impact in partnering with Turner.

     

    Turner Incite, powered by MarketShare will be available across multiple categories and available to select partners in the 2015/16 Upfront, expanding the company’s suite of ad products.

     

     Turner Incite is a planning and forecasting tool that projects the sales lift that brands can achieve through advertising across Turner’s linear and digital entertainment, news, kids and sports properties, and better enable brands to maximize their advertising returns. Leveraging MarketShare DecisionCloud, MarketShare’s state-of-the-art analytics and attribution software, Turner Incite will provide transparency on how potentially adjusting the investment across the Turner portfolio can impact the advertiser’s most important KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Going beyond the typical industry metrics of viewership and engagement – which measure viewer interaction with ads, but not advertising impact on sales – Turner Incite provides guidance based on precisely calculated projections of business outcomes.

     

     Turner Incite is the latest in a series of advanced analytic tools that Turner Broadcasting has produced to maximise a brand’s messaging impact. During the 2014/15 Upfront, the company partnered with four agencies and eight advertisers, including blue chip advertisers like Taco Bell and T-Mobile, as part of the Targeting Now beta product, and has aligned with several brands through ROI Now, a product that directly demonstrates sales lifts for multi-screen campaigns through sales ROI and online exploration ROI data. Those data agnostic products will now be available across the Turner portfolio of news, entertainment, sports and kids properties.

     

     “We want to better help our partners achieve their optimal business results while utilizing our powerful portfolio of brands and screens. In partnering with MarketShare, Turner Incite will allow greater transparency for advertisers as it joins our larger suite of ad products featuring the most advanced data and analytics tools,” said Turner Broadcasting ad sales president Donna Speciale.

     

    “Turner has long led the way in approaching media as a data-driven investment with clear business returns. Our DecisionCloud Platform, which will power Turner Incite takes that approach to its next stage, providing unprecedented transparency into the investment opportunities Turner Broadcasting has to offer. We’re thrilled to work with Turner to bring that level of precise, actionable intelligence to MarketShare’s existing clients and to the entire marketing community,” said MarketShare co-founder and CEO Wes Nichols.

  • Turner Broadcasting UK’s truTV launches on TVPlayer

    Turner Broadcasting UK’s truTV launches on TVPlayer

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting UK’s new general entertainment channel (GEC), truTV has launched on TVPlayer, the UK’s over-the-top TV platform.

    TVPlayer live streams over 50 free-to-air channels across a wide range of devices including PCs, mobiles, tablets and smart TVs. With over one million users TVPlayer offers broadcasters direct access to younger audiences than existing TV platforms, together with advanced analytical information and audience insight to supplement overnight viewing figures provided by BARB.

    TruTV, a 24-hour channel, provides a destination for UK viewers to enjoy both original and unscripted programming. The launch of truTV in the UK follows the channel’s success in the US where it is watched in 93 million homes. It showcases incredible and exciting content which focuses on real people and situations. Highlights include: Container Wars, South Beach Tow, Tattoo Nightmares and Ink Master, as well as new shows The Carbonaro Effect and Total Blackout, premiering next month.

    Under the agreement, TVPlayer has licensed multi-platform live streaming rights, together with seven day catchup across truTV and truTV+1. The programming will be viewable on WiFI, 3G and 4G allowing consumers to access truTV’s programming from anywhere in the UK. The live streams will be available from 15 January, 2015, with catchup following later in Q.1 this year.

    TVPlayer founder and CEO Adam Smith said, “TVPlayer has seen significant growth through 2014 and we are committed to extending the content offering for our loyal users. truTV is the first of a portfolio of additional channels to be added to TVPlayer this year and we are particularly excited that the content is being made available both live and on demand.”

     

  • Toonami channel to launch in Thailand

    Toonami channel to launch in Thailand

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific has announced that Toonami, its popular all-adventure kids channel, is slated to launch in Thailand on 14 January 2015 and will be seen in 11 million households as a cable and satellite channel across the country.

     
    Toonami will be broadcast in Thai language and will have a wide appeal to local viewers with a programme line-up packed with high-octane, top-rating animated series and movies. The channel is set to become a favourite destination for the action-and-adventure enthusiasts in every family.

     As a companion brand to Cartoon Network and Boomerang, Toonami is the ultimate home of superheroes. A super-charged experience, Toonami is a dream come true for superhero fans: the channel is a full-tilt, rollercoaster ride of fun and adventure, quips, and drama. Featured action franchises include Ben 10, Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans, Transformers Prime, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The channel will also broadcast feature-length movies.

     
    Turner senior vice president and managing director of north Asia and southeast Asia Pacific Phil Nelson said, “We’re extremely pleased to be working with our partners from Major Kantana Broadcasting again to launch Toonami. This launch demonstrates Turner’s confidence and commitment to Thailand and follows on the success of Boomerang, the #1 kids cable & satellite channel with an amazing audience share of 72 per cent year to date. It also complements the recent opening of Cartoon Network Amazone, the brand’s first ever waterpark in Bang Saray, east of Bangkok.”

     
    Major Kantana Broadcasting managing director Khun Siamrus Lauhaskkasame added, “Major Kantana Broadcasting is very happy to be expanding its partnership with Turner. Toonami’s unique array of animated series and movies in the local language will ensure that it becomes a top entertainment destination and we are confident that Toonami will be as successful and popular as Boomerang has become in Thailand.”

     

  • NBA to receive $ 24 billion over 9 years from Walt Disney, Time Warner

    NBA to receive $ 24 billion over 9 years from Walt Disney, Time Warner

    BENGALURU: The National Basketball Association, USA (NBA) is likely to receive $ 24 billion (about Rs 1,47,000 crore) from Time Warner’s TNT and Disney’s ESPN and APC Networks in a renewed contract over 9 years according to a Bloomberg report. The channels will carry NBA games through 2024-25, paying almost triple the amount for the contract that is set to expire in 2015-16. According to Bloomberg, the channels pay a combined USD 930 million (approximately Rs 5700 crore) a year to the NBA.

     

    According to an NBA press release, the agreements were announced on 6 October, by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver; Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, chairman of the NBA’s Media Committee; Turner Broadcasting System President David Levy; and ESPN President and Disney Media Networks Co-Chairman John Skipper. The NBA’s current eight-year deals with ABC/ESPN and TNT expire at the end of the 2015-16 season.

     

    “The Walt Disney Company and Turner Broadcasting share responsibility for the growing popularity and interest the NBA enjoys, and we are thrilled to extend our partnerships,” said Silver. “With these new agreements, our fans will continue to benefit from the outstanding NBA coverage and programming provided by ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and their digital platforms.”

     

    “These nine-year extensions with Disney and Turner recognise the extraordinary value of live premium sports,” said Leonsis. “On behalf of our Media Committee and the other team owners, we thank Disney and Turner for their commitment to the NBA and its fans.”

     

    “This is a significant deal for our company and we are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with the NBA, its fans, owners and players,” said Levy. “The agreement locks in some of the most valuable, original, premium live sports programming that we’ll continue to monetise across TNT and all other platforms within our extensive portfolio and will help further grow our businesses into the next decade.”

     

    “The NBA has never been more popular globally and it continues to grow under Adam’s leadership,” said Skipper. “By acquiring significantly more NBA content on both existing and yet-to-be created platforms, we will establish a vibrant year-round relationship with the NBA and bolster what is already the sports industry’s most impressive and impactful collection of media rights.”

     

    Under the agreements, the partners will televise more national regular-season games (ABC/ESPN: 100; Turner: 64) and will continue to do so generally on Wednesdays (ESPN), Thursdays (TNT), Fridays (ESPN), and Sundays (ABC/ESPN). By the end of these new agreements, the NBA’s partnership will reach 41 years with Turner, while the league’s relationship with ABC/ESPN will extend to 23 years. Additionally, NBA TV’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Saturday game telecasts will continue to fill out the schedule, ensuring a full week of nationally televised games. The NBA’s 24-hour network will present over 100 regular-season games each year.

     

    The NBA release says further that the NBA and Turner will also continue their groundbreaking partnership to manage jointly the NBA’s digital assets including NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA Mobile, NBA LEAGUE PASS, and WNBA.com, which Turner operates out of its Atlanta production facility. TNT will also debut the first-ever NBA Awards Show, an annual event which will air at the end of the season, and will have expanded activation opportunities surrounding key NBA pillars such as Opening Night and NBA All-Star Week.

     

    Under the agreement, ESPN will be granted enhanced digital rights to provide NBA content for multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN.com and WatchESPN.

     

    The parties have also established a framework for ESPN and the NBA to negotiate the launch of a new over-the-top offering in which the league would receive an equity interest. Details for the new offering will be announced at a future date.

     

    Under a new deal with the WNBA, games will continue to be televised on ABC and ESPN/ESPN2 through the 2025 season. ESPN also will have enhanced in-progress highlight rights for the WNBA on digital and linear platforms.

     

    Beginning with the 2016-17 season, for the first time, at least 20 NBA Development League games and NBA Summer League games will be seen on the ESPN television networks.

     

    Turner Sports will have enhanced content/digital rights to NBA content for multiple TNT platforms including Bleacher Report; interactive online elements such as selected camera angles, statistic feeds and video to complement TNT’s telecasts; and broadband and other content for digital platforms, including highlights and studio shows. This includes the opportunity to develop and distribute new NBA content and programming for Bleacher Report, as well as rights to highlights for incorporation into the brand’s popular team and topic-centric Team Stream Now video offerings.

  • Vishnu Athreya elevated to CN, Boomerang vice president programme scheduling

    Vishnu Athreya elevated to CN, Boomerang vice president programme scheduling

    MUMBAI: Vishnu Athreya has been named the vice president, programme scheduling for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. The announcement was made by Cartoon Network chief content officer in US Rob Sorcher. In this position, Athreya will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day scheduling and strategic positioning of programming content for Cartoon Network, Boomerang and branded non-linear programme platforms.

     

    He will serve as departmental lead for long-range calendar planning along with developing creative strategies for on-air stunts and special events surrounding the networks’ growing library of original, acquired and classic animated programming. Athreya will be based in Atlanta and report directly to Sorcher, who is based at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, California.

     

    “Vishnu has artfully produced high-performance schedules in territories around the world, and now assumes the US role with a deep knowledge of our product,” said Sorcher. “I’m pleased we were able to tap our own international talent pool, and as a result expect Vishnu to be a unifying link for Cartoon Network worldwide.”

     

    Athreya joins the Cartoon Network US team after a long stint as executive director of programming, acquisitions and development for Turner Broadcasting’s kids channels in Asia Pacific: Cartoon Network, Toonami, Pogo, Boomerang and Cartoonito. Based in Hong Kong, he was responsible for driving content programming strategy for Turner in Asia Pacific.

     

    In a role that included programme scheduling, operations and acquisitions, Athreya was responsible for developing and furthering Turner’s broader kids’ strategy with new channel launches – specifically Toonami, a boys action channel, and Cartoonito, for younger children – and building strategic network relationships with various content providers. Over the course of his tenure, he was instrumental in propelling Cartoon Network to a leadership position in Asia Pacific.

     

    He began his career in advertising as a media planner with MediaCom India, part of Grey Worldwide.

     

    Athreya earned a post graduate diploma in communications from the Mudra Institute of Communications in Ahmedabad, India. He also holds a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry from St. Stephens College in Delhi, India.

  • Little Orbit and Cartoon Network to create new interactive games

    Little Orbit and Cartoon Network to create new interactive games

    MUMBAI: One of the leading game publishers – Little Orbit – and one of the most loved kids’ channel – Cartoon Network – have announced a strategic partnership that will bring multiple properties to gaming consoles and handheld devices later this year.

     

    Serving as a licensing agent for its Turner Broadcasting sister network TNT, Cartoon Network Enterprises initially partnered with Little Orbit to release the popular Falling Skies Planetary Warfare mobile game, based on TNT’s critically-acclaimed drama Falling Skies, earlier this year. Little Orbit will also launch a console version of the game later this year.

     

    “Both TNT and Cartoon Network have tremendous experience developing both live-action and animated hits for a variety of audiences which makes them a perfect fit for what we want to achieve in terms of high-quality content,” said Little Orbit president Matt Scott. “The expansion deepens our partnership with Turner networks enabling us to work closely together on development to bring a truly transmedia experience to the games.”

     

    Building on that successful relationship, the two companies will partner again to create two all-new interactive games a multi-property game that will combine characters from Cartoon Network’s popular original series, and a game based on the global smash hit series, Adventure Time. Both will be released globally, with North American launches slated for this fourth quarter.

     

    “Working with Little Orbit to create the Falling Skies game has been a great experience and from that, we’re excited to extend our partnership this year and develop new games based on some of the most popular characters and brands in the Cartoon Network portfolio,” said CNE VP of consumer products Pete Yoder.

     

    Additional titles and details for the new Cartoon Network and Adventure Time games will be announced soon with several launches planned for later this year.