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Tag: Turner

  • Turner using Accenture’s video solution platform for its OTT products

    Turner using Accenture’s video solution platform for its OTT products

    MUMBAI: Turner is relying on Accenture’s video solution platform to help manage and operate some of the company’s over-the-top content (OTT) products including FilmStruck in the UK, and Cartoon Network TV Everywhere (TVE) in Asia Pacific.

    “Leading media and content companies know that to respond effectively to the change in viewer consumption habits, they need to adapt their business strategies and models. By embracing OTT models, Turner is continuing to deliver on its brand promise, and we’re excited to be part of this,”  Accenture Managing Director Sef Tuma said.

    Accenture Video Solution (AVS) integrates digital video management, distribution and monetisation with ubiquitous video consumption. The cloud-based service is enabling Turner to integrate components from AVS along with proprietary and third-party solutions.

    “We are reimagining television by taking a fan-centric, technologically innovative approach to deliver high-quality experiences to our audiences wherever and whenever they choose,” Turner digital ventures and innovation, international executive vice president Aksel van der Wal said.

    “With Accenture’s flexible video solution, we are continuing to evolve our OTT app development platform and are well-positioned to deliver a wide variety of experiences to a much broader audience,” he added.

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  • Is it the end of the road for anime in India?

    Is it the end of the road for anime in India?

    MUMBAI: Back in the 90s, a new legion of toon addicts was created in India with the advent of anime shows such as Pokémon, Dragonball Z and Naruto that were telecast on Cartoon Network. A few years later, the genre hasn’t found the popularity in Indian kids that it has in some other parts of the world.

    The popularity of anime has suffered owing to parental restrictions because of the adult themes in some of the content, relatively low promotions and the lack of merchandising. Long gone are the days when anime fans, or Otaku, went bonkers collecting tazos or duel master cards or even the Pokémon Red Emulators.

    While cartoons and anime are both caricature sketches that are, in turn, animated, the latter has a very distinct style of art using specific visual elements for its characters. A majority of the animes are based on manga comics that were not easily available in India until online shopping companies started selling anime DVDs and manga comics from other parts of the world.

    Sony Pictures Entertainment’s channel Animax was one of the channels that aired Japanese anime content in 1998. Last year, the channel was replaced by Sony Yay, which has a full-fledged focus on local home-grown content. Recently, Turner International India announced that it would pull the plug on its anime offering Toonami from 15 May. This is a clear indication that the genres failed to elicit interest from its young audience. At present, Toonami airs shows from the Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera and the Warner Bros Animation libraries.

    Doraemon, Shinchan and Ninja Hattori, which are still the most popular among kids after Chhota Bheem, started life as manga series and were subsequently adapted as anime shows. These shows are among the flagship shows that the Indian broadcasters showed on television but, as the TV viewing evolved, the focus shifted to local home-grown content. That was the time when Chhota Bheem was born in 2008.

    A media professional said that anime series are still popular among the kids. “Who wouldn’t love watching Pokemon, Dragonball Z. These shows would have worked only if they were promoted well like the shows like Chhota Bheem, Motu Patlu and among others. If these channels push anime content, the kids will love it. It is not the case like kids are not watching these shows that are why they are shutting the channel; in fact, it is because they want to come up with their original content.”

    However, another media expert had a different view. “Japanese content was created during the 70s and 80s and was picked up by the broadcasters because they had to fill the programming slots, so there’s a different approach between Japanese content and original content,” they pointed out.

    In the early years of Indian animation, broadcasters found it suitable to licence shows from other countries for air time. But as the industry picked up, producing and owning IPs became cost-effective. Channels didn’t need to depend on borrowed material like anime. Another aspect is that it is not easy to dub anime content, considering the different East Asian culture. Local shows can be easily modified to the kids’ thinking.

    However, it would be wrong to say that the anime culture isn’t developing in India. Growing fan clubs; online social media groups are providing great platforms to share and gather information; stores are printing anime clothes, cups, gifts and other merchandise for shopping in several areas. Though not in every city, Comic Cons are being organised and promoted as well. Awareness is increasing, but slowly and it seems the teen and adult audiences are more inclined towards it than children.

    It remains to be seen whether Turner comes up with a replacement of Toonami just the way Sony Yay entered the market. The future of Indian home-grown content seems bright, as far as new characters emerging on every kids’ channels is concerned, but it will be interesting to observe whether broadcasters find answers to the conundrum of Japanese anime content in India.

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  • Vishnu Athreya elevated to SVP programming at Cartoon Network

    Vishnu Athreya elevated to SVP programming at Cartoon Network

    MUMBAI: There’s good news for Vishnu Athreya’s fans amidst Indian animation studios. The man who gave a fillip to domestic animation production, when he ran Indian programming at Cartoon Network (CN), has got a promotion in Atlanta.

    Athreya has been promoted to senior vice president programming at Cartoon Network, an expanded role. The new title was announced by Cartoon Network chief content officer Rob Sorcher.

    He will add series development for Boomerang while continue to oversee scheduling, acquisitions, and the strategic positioning of programming content across all branded linear and non-linear program platforms for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Athreya is based in Atlanta and will still report to Sorcher.

    Earlier in 2014, Athreya had been named the vice president, programme scheduling for CN and Boomerang. He was 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 served 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.

    He first joined Turner Broadcasting’s kids’ channels Cartoon Network, Toonami, POGO, Boomerang and Cartoonito in Asia Pacific, where he was instrumental in driving CN to a leadership position in the market. He joined CN in 2014, acting as the departmental lead for long-range calendar planning. He was also charged with developing creative strategies for on-air stunts and special events surrounding the networks’ growing library of original, acquired and classic animated programming.

    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 in chemistry from St Stephens College in Delhi, India.

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  • Cartoon Network HD+ adds Tamil, Telugu feeds

    Cartoon Network HD+ adds Tamil, Telugu feeds

    MUMBAI: Joining the bandwagon of launching local language feeds in the kids’ TV sector is Turner India’s Cartoon Network. The company has undertaken a soft launch of its new channel Cartoon Network HD+ from 15 April 2018 and has Hindi, Tamil and Telugu feeds along with English.

    Turner India has started testing signals for Cartoon Network HD+ for a phased roll out over the next few weeks, according to a Turner India spokesperson.

    Nickelodeon, Disney, Sony Yay, Cartoon Network and Discovery Kids all have Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English feeds for their kids. Broadcasters are finally realising the viewership addition that the South Indian languages can add. Only Sony Yay stands out of the crowd as it has Bengali and Malayalam feeds as well.

    According to FICCI-KPMG’s report for 2018, there has been increased interest across broadcasters to be able to provide better quality and fresher content to regional consumers. It also suggests that the increase in weightage to rural India by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) had a positive impact on the kids’ genre, which saw a jump in absolute terms of viewership numbers in 2017 compared to the previous year.

    Another BARC report found that just 14 per cent of kids watch children’s content while the rest end up co-viewing with elders, thus giving broadcasters an opportunity to grab this passive young audience.

    Original programming from Cartoon Network will be available on the channel. Shows like Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, We Bare Bears and some brand new exclusive shows are in the pipeline.

    After nearly two decades of successful strategic collaboration, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEE) and Turner International (Turner) had mutually decided to work independently for driving subscription revenue. Both companies joined hands back in 2002 to manage distribution and trade marketing for a bouquet of channels in India.  Turner appointed IndiaCast Media distribution as its exclusive distribution agent.

    In September 2016, Turner had launched HBO HD by rebranding its erstwhile HBO Hits channel. Turner’s India portfolio includes CNN International, Cartoon Network, POGO, Toonami, HBO, and WB.

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  • Turner APAC appoints Vikram Sharma as VP of CNE

    Turner APAC appoints Vikram Sharma as VP of CNE

    MUMBAI: Turner Asia Pacific has appointed Vikram Sharma vice president of Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE), its regional licensing and merchandising division.

    Sharma is tasked with driving sales across the whole region for its branded toys, apparel, home entertainment, publishing and lifestyle products, as well as live events and themed entertainment. He will join the network in March.

    His remit also includes the management of Tuzki, the digital IP and emoticon of choice in China and beyond. In South Asia, Turner acts as a representative for Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

    Major franchises and IP under CNE’s management from the Cartoon Network portfolio of shows including Ben 10, We Bare Bears, Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball and The Powerpuff Girls, as well as Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty.

    EMEA President Giorgio Stock, who also spearheads Cartoon Network Enterprises for Turner internationally, will work closely with the CNE team in the Asia Pacific to maintain consistency and strategic direction for the business outside of the US.

    Before joining Turner, Sharma held various key positions in Disney across Asia including Singapore and India. He’s a proven commercial leader with successful stints in overall P&L management and in different aspects of sales and distribution, with a special focus on retail and franchise monetization. Most recently he led Disney’s consumer products business in Thailand, a key location for Turner’s CNE business.

    Also read:  Zee, Turner to work independently for subscription revenue

    Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

  • Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

    Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

    MUMBAI: Turner International India Pvt Ltd (Turner) has appointed IndiaCast Media Distribution Pvt Ltd as its exclusive distribution agent from 1 April 2018 for distribution of Turner channels—CNN International, Pogo, Cartoon Network, WB, HBO and HBO HD-to consumers in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

    A TV 18 and Viacom18 venture, IndiaCast is known to bring quality content to viewers spanning genres such as general entertainment, kids, news, music, infotainment and movies.

    Turner South Asia managing director Siddharth Jain said, “I am delighted to announce the appointment of IndiaCast as our exclusive distribution agent for India, Nepal and Bhutan. I am very confident they will enable us to further enhance our footprint and bring the choicest content to our fans in the Indian subcontinent. We look forward to a long term strategic relationship with IndiaCast.” 

    Added IndiaCast group CEO Anuj Gandhi, “At IndiaCast, it is our constant endeavour to curate the best possible exposure for our content creator partners. Turner has a fantastic bouquet of channels catering to a bespoke audience. As we ramp up the distribution network for its channels, I look forward to a long-term association that is founded on mutually beneficial economics.”

    After nearly two decades of collaboration, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) and Turner mutually decided to work independently in order to drive up subscription revenue, release issued yesterday stated. ZEE and Turner joined hands back in 2002 to manage distribution and trade marketing for a bouquet of channels in India.

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  • Amagi names Deepakjit Singh as CEO

    Amagi names Deepakjit Singh as CEO

    MUMBAI: Amagi, , today announced that it has named Deepakjit Singh as its Chief Executive Officer. With nearly 30 years of experience in broadcast technology – including executive positions at Encompass, Ascent Media, Bharti Airtel and BT – Deepakjit has been brought in to increase the footprint of Amagi across the globe. He will be closely working with the team to continue and expedite its impressive growth trajectory, particularly in the U.S. where the company expects rapid growth this year following its official launch in the region in late 2017.

    “Deepakjit is one of the most well-regarded leaders in broadcast technology today,” said K.A. Srinivasan, Co-Founder of Amagi. “And, he will be a huge part of helping Amagi build upon its global success, especially within the U.S. and other rapidly evolving markets. We are really excited to have him on board.”

    Amagi is a first-of-its-kind, true end-to-end cloud playout and managed services provider. Amagi’s products, based on ‘in-the-cloud’ technology and infrastructure, make it possible for content providers to reach their consumers anywhere across the world and on any device of consumer’s choice without the upfront expense of satellite or fiber-based delivery. Content creators can use Amagi’s CLOUDPORT to easily spin up new channels and deliver them to any location, using the cloud, which delivers tremendous benefits in terms of worldwide manageability and cost savings.

    “Amagi’s technology is second to none,” said Deepakjit Singh. “Globally, there is a huge void in the media industry to provide distribution capabilities to content owners for both linear TV and non-linear video consumption market. With its technology, Amagi is perfectly positioned to fill this gap, delivering enviable business outcomes to broadcasters addressing their playout operations, management and monetization needs. I’m thrilled to spearhead Amagi’s growth and position into being the technology and service provider of choice for the new-age – anywhere, anytime – content consumer.”

    Prior to joining Amagi, Deepakjit served as Chief Innovation Officer at Encompass, and Managing Director for APAC region where he grew the company’s business exponentially. Earlier, Deepakjit served as VP of Sales and Marketing at Ascent Media following a stint as SVP at Bharti Airtel.

    Founded in 2008, Amagi offers cloud-managed broadcast services and targeted advertising for TV and OTT, enabling TV networks to launch, operate, and monetize channels anywhere in the world. Amagi now has deployments in more than 40 countries and delivers over 100 feeds to audiences worldwide. Clients include industry heavyweights such as Turner, VICELAND, Scripps Networks, Cinedigm and more.

    “The US is an incredibly attractive and competitive marketplace, and it augurs well that we have hit the ground running in the region, thus far. We expect over a third of our revenue to come from the US market in 2018, so continuing our growth here will be huge moving forward. And with Deepakjit now in the fold, we believe we are in an even better place to continue our success worldwide in 2018,” added Srinivasan.

    For more information about Amagi and its cloud-based broadcast solutions, visit www.amagi.com.

  • Cartoon Network wins big at FICCI 2018

    Cartoon Network wins big at FICCI 2018

    MUMBAI: Turner’s leading kids’ entertainment channel, Cartoon Network wins multiple awards at “FICCI Frames – Best Animated Frames (BAF) Awards 2018”. BAF awards stands for excellence in animation, visual effects and gaming and are considered as the most prestigious recognition for creative talent in this field.

    The Cartoon Network India team walked away with ‘Lamput’ winning in the best animated episode (Indian) category and ‘Roll No. 21- Kris Aur Ulta Pulta Time’ winning in the best animated film (Indian) category. Turner India was also nominated in a diverse set of categories at FICCI this year with ‘Andy Pirki’ for the Promo Film (Indian), ‘Bill Tony–Spicy’ for Animated Episode (International) and ‘Roll No. 21- Kris Aur Ulta Pulta Time’ for Animated Film (International).

    This is fourth year in a row that Turner original content has won at FICCI Frames. Cartoon Network’s short series ‘Lamput’ won the prestigious critics’ choice award as the best case study in the Animated Frames category in 2017. Cartoon Network won Best Animated Film for its Roll No. 21 – Kris in Bollywood in 2016 and Best Animated Film for Roll No. 21 – Ticket to Australia the year before.

    Always at the forefront in offering responsible yet engaging content, Turner India ensures to provide unparalleled family entertainment to its fans on Cartoon Network.

  • Tuzki inspires Manish Arora Collection at Paris Fashion Week

    Tuzki inspires Manish Arora Collection at Paris Fashion Week

    MUMBAI: After winning millions of hearts in China, Turner’s massively popular emoticon, Tuzki, is ready to take the international world of glitz and glam by storm! Turner India has announced an exciting collaboration with Indian fashion designer Manish Arora for the international launch of a special Tuzki-inspired collection.

    Launched as a part of Manish’s Fall-Winter collection, called‘Orange is the new Zen’, was unveiled at the mecca of international fashion trends, the prestigious Paris Fashion Week. This year marks a milestone for the veteran designer, celebrating 10 glorious years of showcasing stunning designs at one of the world’s most revered fashion week.

    Commenting on the collection launch, Manish Arora, India’s leading fashion designer said, “It feels great to partner with an iconic brand like Tuzki. This unique collection was inspired by this special rabbit. He personifies a composed, relaxed yet a cool lifestyle, one that is similar to mine. The collection is a story of Tuzki’s day in Paris where he is seen meditating below the Eiffel tower, chilling in his room with a glass of wine and watching nature from the window, highlighting the fascinating character that he is! Being a Tuzki fan, it’s a pleasure to be a part of his world now, in my own way.” 

    The collection, including t-shirts, dresses, jackets, pants, sweat shirts and accessories like backpacks, pouches and clutch bags, inspired by the rabbit, will be widely promoted and available for sale across Manish Arora Fashion stores in China, Tuzki’s home country, before bringing it to the Indian market.

    Clement Schwebig, Turner Asia Pacific’s Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development, Licensing and China, added, “It’s an exciting time for us, with t​wo powerhouse brands coming together to showcase Tuzki to a new audience of fans​. Paris Fashion Week serves as the perfect international platform to unveil a first glimpse of Manish’s Tuzki-inspired collection.”

    With quirky movements and humorous body language, groovy dance moves and a penchant for milk, the mischievous bunny quickly became an internet sensation in China. Flitting from cheekiness to profound thoughts, Tuzki’s moods have reflected those of millions of people through emoji, gifs, animations and stickers on various platforms.

    Embodying these unique traits and features of the emoji star, the collection is a unique dove-point between Tuzki’s quirky characteristics and Manish’s astute craftsmanship. The collection features apparels and accessories that puts the spotlight on Tuzki’s funny traits and peculiarities through the fashion designer’s quintessential creativity and play on colours. This collaboration is all set to elevate Tuzki’s presence to an unprecedented international scale, expanding his popularity beyond the China market.

  • Turner International announces SVOD service FilmStruck

    Turner International announces SVOD service FilmStruck

    MUMBAI: Turner International’s Digital Ventures & Innovation (DV&I) Group and Warner Bros Digital Networks (WBDN) have announced a joint venture to launch a new, multi-territory movie-streaming service called FilmStruck.

    FilmStruck’s launch in the international marketplace will leverage the strength of assets at both companies, bringing together a broad and diverse movie catalogue as well as long-standing expertise in programming and curation. The service will draw primarily on the extensive Warner Bros library and the Criterion Collection library as well as other global and local content partners.

    FilmStruck will offer film lovers a broad collection of high-quality and critically-acclaimed movies across many categories – mainstream, cult, independent, classics, art house, foreign and documentary film. The eclectic but highly accessible content will also feature curated themes, exclusive bonus material including cast interviews, Criterion original mini-documentaries and hosted introductions, and original artwork.

    The UK is the joint venture’s initial launch market in what is planned as a multi-market roll out over the next two years.

    FilmStruck Curzon is expected to roll out in the UK in the coming weeks and will be available on demand on most phones and tablets, online and on TV via streaming devices.

    The UK service will launch in association with iconic cinema brand Curzon as Filmstruck Curzon and will feature a branded Curzon area within the service curated including access to titles from the Curzon Artificial Eye film library. The agreement with Curzon also includes opportunities to leverage its established market position, experience, and consumer base and cinema operations and to launch additional Curzon branded cinema services in other markets.

    “We’re thrilled to take this significant step together as a joint venture with Warner Bros Digital Networks, after many years of growing collaboration across various other projects with Warner Bros. as a whole,” said DV&I EVP Aksel van der Wal. “FilmStruck helps us realise a shared vision for what we see as a clear gap in the market for film lovers around the world. We’re also delighted to be working with a partner of Curzon’s heritage and prestige.”

    Warner Bros Digital Networks president business and strategy Craig Hunegs said, “International film fans now have a new home for a wide and diverse range of movies including some of Warner Bros.’ most iconic titles. Digital Networks is very excited to partner with Aksel and the Turner team to do this in an even more direct and compelling way.”

    Curzon digital venture director Philip Mordecai said, “Curzon is thrilled to be joining at this early stage and see this collaboration as a further marker in our commitment to premium consumer services in the UK and internationally.”

    The international expansion of Turner’s SVOD service FilmStruck marks Turner’s growing activity in the space outside of the US, and is its first SVOD service in the general entertainment space. Turner International now offers three international SVOD brands, with EI Plus in Brazil and the recently launched Nordics brand Toonix respectively providing sports and kids & family OTT products.

    The addition of FilmStruck to its international portfolio of brands is also part of Turner’s wider strategy to do more in the OTT space and expand its options to create fan-centric experiences that engage new audiences.

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