ITV

Tag: TV

  • IBM study predicts 23 per cent rise in new media sales

    IBM study predicts 23 per cent rise in new media sales

    MUMBAI: The sales of media on the internet and cellphones are expected to rise 23 per cent over the next four years, according to a IBM study. The upsurge is largely driven by TV networks and film studios putting more of their content online.

    IBM researchers estimated new media sales to grow at nearly five times the rate of traditional media. The biggest surge, they claim will come from the internet syndication of professionally produced programming, which is expected to jump 33 per cent to $25 billion.

    The research cites examples of Walt Disney Co. offering episodes of hit prime-time shows “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” for free on ABC.com and Sony Corp. offering a Star Wars-themed multiplayer game on its Web site.

    The IBM report comes in the wake of Google Inc.’s stalled talks with U.S. television networks to provide TV show programming to online video service YouTube.

    Media companies like Viacom Inc. and General Electric’s NBC Universal are making their programming more widely available on the Internet, but have failed to land distribution deals with YouTube over deal terms and copyright concerns.

    Viacom in early February demanded that YouTube remove more than 100,000 video clips from the service.

    Still, the internet syndication of traditional media companies’ programming will be a small part of the estimated $655 billion of annual media revenue in 2010.

    The IBM report estimated the music industry will have lost a staggering $85 billion to $160 billion in revenue between 1999 through 2010. It also concluded that the music industry will have to sort out the legal fights regarding use of digital media.

    “Doing nothing is not an option,” according to the report’s findings.The growth rates are on a compounded annual growth basis.”We’re not moving from black and white to color TV — from one steady state to another,” said IBM’s global media and entertainment strategy leader in an interview to the media last week.”We’re moving from an era of stability to an era of constant change.”

    Growth rates are higher for new media businesses, but traditional media sales will still play the biggest role with estimated annual sales growth of 5 percent to $340 billion by 2010.

    So called “walled communities,” or networks such as cellphone and cable networks that offer viewer-created programming and revenue from cable and satellite subscriptions and advertising, will rise by 10 percent to $240 billion by 2010.

    ‘New platform aggregators’ such as YouTube and MySpace, are expected to rise by 16 percent to $50 billion.

  • ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ travels to China

    MUMBAI: The game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? will air in China for the first time.

    China Media Power (CMP) licensed the rights to the show from Celador International, which is now owned by Dutch interactive media firm 2waytraffic. In India the third season of Kaun Banega Crorepati has kicked off on Star Plus.

    Media reports state that China Media Power will produce and broadcast a Chinese version of the show. It will produce at least 104 episodes, which will start broadcasting from May 2007.

    2waytraffic had acquired all rights to Millionaire through its $208m buy-out of Celador International in December 2006. The firm is encouraged by the continued international interest in the format.
     

  • Microsoft bullish on India expansion strategy

    Microsoft bullish on India expansion strategy

    MUMBAI: Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd., has announced aggressive geographical plans to strengthen its presence in India. It is slated to open offices in six additional cities in India, including Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur, Chandigarh Cochin, and Coimbatore. This would take its presence to thirteen cities, up from the existing seven cities.

    According to an official statement issued by the firm, the expansion strategy will include establishing a direct sales infrastructure, broadening partner eco-system and market education initiatives and programs.

    With an enhanced presence Microsoft will enable the small and mid market organizations to easily access a comprehensive portfolio of its products and services, faster deployment of customised solutions and increased support from both Microsoft and its partners.

    The expansion plan is in keeping with Microsoft’s vision to empower a broad section of small and mid market organizations understand better, the role which technology can play in driving growth and competitiveness, of the local industry ,in the local and global arena. The direct team in each city will be supported by respective regional branches for functional expertise as per Microsoft’s hub and spoke model. Microsoft will also forge relationships with Industry Associations in each city to understand and address local business challenges.

    Under the geo expansion plan Microsoft will work with broad channel partners to impart information on Microsoft products and licensing to serve IT needs of the business customers in the territory. Microsoft also aims at catalyzing its ISV partners to provide localized solutions for the market.

    Announcing the geo expansion plan Microsoft India MD Neelam Dhawan said, “Small and Medium Businesses are playing a key role in driving India’s growth. We remain committed to help them utilize technology for empowering their people; address consumer needs better and streamline their businesses. Our presence in these cities will achieve this much more effectively”.

    Small and Mid Market Solutions and Partner Group Director Rajeev Mittal said, “Our partners have been providing solutions and services to the customers in a lot of these cities already. We believe that being present there physically will help our partners provide better solutions, services and support and faster turnaround time. Our direct presence will also instill confidence in our existing and potential customers.”

    The channel engagement will be under the Microsoft Partner Programme (MSPP) framework. Microsoft hopes to strengthen as well as invigorate its partner ecosystem in the respective areas so as to help them accelerate the pace of their delivery and thereby their success in meeting the needs of business customers in the area, adds the release.

    Wipro Technologies vice president corporate business unit Anil K. Jain said, “Microsoft’s geo expansion initiative to reach out to local businesses is a step in the right direction to deliver value both to customers as well as the partners in these markets. Microsoft’s direct presence in non metro markets will further strengthen the partner ecosystem as well as inspire greater understanding and trust in its offerings within local business community. We are committed to work together to drive IT as a tool for business advantage among SMEs, along with Microsoft.”
     

  • Big FM launches in Bikaner, Jhansi

    Big FM launches in Bikaner, Jhansi

    MUMBAI: BIG 92.7 FM has recently launched FM radio stations in Bikaner and Jhansi, taking the total count to 11.

    In the first phase of its launch, BIG 92.7 FM had set up stations in the cities of Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Jammu, Srinagar and Aligarh.

    The second phase of launches will take BIG 92.7 FM to several mini-metros even as it has successfully bid to operate in 45 stations across the country.

  • WWE opens 2007 with strong ratings in US

    WWE opens 2007 with strong ratings in US

    MUMBAI: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced that its TV ratings in the US started off this year in a positive manner. It achieved its highest household deliveries of the current season on both Monday Night Raw on USA Network and Friday Night SmackDown on The CW.

    On 1 January, Raw’s feature of John Cena versus Kevin Federline delivered 3,564,000 TV households, its highest performance of the season, and the largest household delivery since August 21, 2006. Raw it says was the number one primetime cable programme during the first week of the year among households, total viewers, Male Teens (M12-17) and Men 18-34. Raw also posted season high ratings among Males 6-11, Persons 6-11, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.

    SmackDown on 5 January, 2007, delivered 3,371,000 TV households, its highest performance in nearly a year and the highest since joining the CW network. SmackDown WWE says was the number one primetime program on television Friday night among Male Teens (M12-17) and Total Teens (P12-17), and the top rated broadcast program among Males 6-11. SmackDown made CW the number one broadcast network among Males 6-11, Males 12-17, Males 12-34, Males 18-24, Males 18-34, Persons 6-11, Persons 12-17 and Persons 12-34.

    SmackDown posted its highest rating among total teens (persons 12-17) since June 23, 2005 and highest among female teens (females 12-17) since November 13, 2003. SmackDown also achieved its highest delivery of the season among Persons 12-34.

  • Sirius Satellite Radio launches urban comedy channel

    Sirius Satellite Radio launches urban comedy channel

    MUMBAI: SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced the launch of its ‘exclusive urban comedy, entertainment and lifestyle channel’ The Foxxhole with actor and comedian Jamie Foxx.

    Foxx will take on the role of an executive producer, on-air host and contribute content for the channel. Marcus King who has worked with Foxx on many television series will also serve as executive producer.

    An official press release states that the 24/7 channel will feature urban comedy hits from a large number of comedians, and will create groundbreaking approaches to presenting comedy to radio listeners, as well as showcase music, skits, radio theater and more. The Foxxhole will launch on SIRIUS channel 106.

    “The Foxxhole will break new ground in comedy, blurring the lines between stand-up, sketch, and music,” said Foxx. “SIRIUS Satellite Radio gives me the opportunity to create urban entertainment and programming like you have never heard on the radio.” An added attraction is that Foxx will be heard on the channel daily with a segment featuring dispatches from Jamie no matter where he is in the world. Also, Foxx and his team of contributors will host a weekly show on the channel. The show will feature original comedy bits and explore new approaches to radio theater.

    Jamie Foxx is a triple threat in the world of entertainment and we are thrilled to have him make his radio home at SIRIUS,” said SIRIUS Satellite Radio president entertainment and sports Scott Greenstein. “SIRIUS has established itself as a leader in groundbreaking exclusive programming. The Foxxhole adds yet another compelling element to our channel lineup.”

    The Foxxhole joins a powerful lineup of comedy, music, variety and entertainment channels on SIRIUS, including Raw Dog: Comedy Uncensored, Blue Collar Comedy, Laugh Break, Eminem’s Shade 45, Hip-Hop Nation, and SIRIUS Hits 1.

  • Space capsule recovered

    Space capsule recovered

    MUMBAI: The Space capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) that was launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C7) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR Sriharikota on 10 January, was successfully recovered today after being maneuvered to reenter the earth’s atmosphere and descend over Bay of Bengal about 140 km East of Sriharikota.

    Since its launch, SRE-1 was going round the earth in a circular polar orbit at an altitude of 637 km. In preparation for its reentry, SRE-1 was put into an elliptical orbit with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 485 km and an apogee (farthest point to earth) of 639 km by issuing commands from the Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC) of ISTRAC at Bangalore on January 19, 2007. The critical de-boost operations were executed from SCC, Bangalore supported by a network of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Sriharikota, Biak in Indonesia, Saskatoon in Canada, Svalbard in Norway besides shipborne and airborne terminals.

    The recovery operations were supported and carried out by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy using ships, aircraft and helicopters.

    During its stay in orbit for the last 12 days, the two experiments on board SRE-1 were successfully conducted under micro gravity conditions. One of the experiments was related to study of metal melting and crystallizations under micro gravity conditions. The second experiment, designed by National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, was intended to study the synthesis of nano-crystals under micro gravity conditions. This experiment can help in designing better biomaterials having closest proximity with natural biological products. The experimental results will be analysed in due
    course by the principal scientific investigators of the two experiments.

    The successful launch, in-orbit operation of the on board experiments and reentry and recovery of SRE-1 has demonstrated India’s capability in important technologies like aero-thermo structures, deceleration and flotation systems, navigation, guidance and control. SRE-1 is an important
    beginning for providing a low cost platform for micro-gravity experiments in space science and technology and return specimen from space.

  • Star World celebrates world of ‘Heroes’ from Wednesday

    Star World celebrates world of ‘Heroes’ from Wednesday

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will kick off the supernatural show Heroes from Wednesday 24 January at 9 pm.

    It starts with a question: Are there people with super powers living amongst us? A genetics professor attempts to solve the problem that his father has been struggling with since he started the project — one which has led to his disappearance.

    Meanwhile, a 30-year-old male nurse tries to convince his politician brother that he can fly. A high school cheerleader learns that she is totally indestructible. A Las Vegas stripper discovers that her mirror image has a secret. A fugitive from justice continues to baffle authorities who twice have been unable to contain him. Finally a young man in Japan develops a way to time travel through sheer will power.
    When they all come together, these ordinary people with extraordinary abilities will realize that their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world.

    The show’s executive producer Tim Kring created this cult hit based on comic-lore, making it easy to compare Heroes to Smallville, X-Men and even the drama Lost. But it’s his firm belief that comparisons will go away after watching the series. He says, “The great thing about this premise (people all over the world developing these abilities) is that we can always introduce new characters. The ‘origin story’ is a lot of fun to watch, so we are planning to give audiences that on a regular basis. Some characters you may love could suddenly lose their powers, or die. There’s no telling.”

  • CFOs to play bigger role in media and entertainment business: E&Y

    MUMBAI: Media and entertainment companies are redifining the role of their finance executives in the changing landscape of convergence and competition, according to a report by Ernst & Young.

    “As companies scale up, the chief financial officer’s role is becoming increasingly critical both in capital raising for growth and management of risks,” the survey said.
    Driving this change are the advances in mobile technologies and increasing public expectations as on-demand content gains in the marketplace. The key agents for change in the industry are changing content and distribution models as well as mobile entertainment devices.

    The survey, “Center Stage: CFOs and Finance Executives In The Spotlight Of An Industry In Transition,” was released in Mumbai today by Ernst & Young global head – media & entertainment practice John Nendick. The interview covered over 200 finance executives including views of 46 CFOs (six from India) and 140 online participants from major media and entertainment (M&E) companies across the world.

    Says John Nendick, “We are delighted to release this global survey in Mumbai, which is home to one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing M&E markets in the world today. Several Indian M&E players are in the midst of rapid transition, brought on by a booming consumer base and the twin forces of convergence and competition.”

    Finance executives are playing a larger role in the media and entertainment industry, which includes moving beyond handling the plain vanilla finance function to assisting the CEO in strategic decision-making, including scenario analysis, customer product analysis and investment optimisation.

    “Maintaining a risk-reward balance, rapid changes in the M&E industry have made it more complex and unpredictable. While this has brought many opportunities, there are risks that also have to be considered. This has placed the CFO function in a critical position. CFOs in the M&E space have to analyse how enterprise can derive more value from existing investments and operations,” the study points out.

    CFOs play a key role in mergers and acquisitions activity, starting from assessment, evaluation and integration. This includes post merger performance tracking of an acquired entity against original investment criteria.

    CFOs interviewed in the study also feel that they are prone to missing out on opportunities to reduce taxes. According to the study, 76 per cent of the CFOs believe tax planning should be a key priority for executives.

    Anytime Anywhere Entertainment

    Changing content and distribution models will have a severe impact on the industry over the next two to three years, 86 per cent of participants felt.

    Adoption of personal entertainment and communication devices (MP3 players, mobile telephones etc.) will have the greatest impact, according to 79 per cent of the participants. Expanding global universe of mobile wireless subscribers ensures that the ‘anytime, anywhere’ entertainment will continue.

    According to the study, finance executives of global M&E companies believe that the businesses that will emerge as winners are those that welcome the new distribution channels and are capable of identifying the right content for the specific delivery vehicle.

    The Future is Internet

    To the question of business models for media and entertainment companies most likely to thrive in future, 77 per cent of the study participants consider Internet media providers as the most likely market winners, whereas only 24 per cent view cable operators as thriving businesses in the future. New (independent or cable channel) content creation and electronic gaming are rated as second and third business models in a best position to thrive.

    Radio broadcasting, newspapers and periodical publishing are not thriving business models, CFOs and finance heads of global M&E companies said. Whiler only 11 per cent favoured radio, 13 per cent were keen on publishing businesses as best positioned to thrive in next two to three years.

    The survey is a continuation of Ernst & Young’s series of studies exploring strategic issues and trends transforming the media and entertainment industry worldwide.

  • Natpe focuses on online presence of TV stations

    Natpe focuses on online presence of TV stations

    MUMBAI: At a time when television revenue in the US is either flat or down, a panel discussion a few days ago at the television trade event Natpe proved that TV station Web sites can make money online.

    The session, produced and moderated by WorldNow CEO Gary Gannaway, was called Who Wants to Be an Online Millionaire?. It featured convergence advertising models from three television executives whose web sites have raked in $1 million or more in annual revenue.

    Panellists included Christine DiStadio of The New York Times Broadcast Media Group, Paul King of Raycom Media, and Bob Singer of KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon.

    Gannaway says, “The main message of this session is that online revenue is real and that it can work for advertisers. Our panellists illustrated this through recent advertising and sponsorship campaigns for such desired categories as auto, real estate, health and home improvement.”

    DiStadio cited the example of WREG-TV in Memphis, which saw its national TV revenue drop from $10 million in 2000 to $8 million today. While the station’s web revenue was zero in 2000, convergence revenue has taken the station revenue to more than $1 million today.

    She says, “There is a real market emerging under our feet right now. Use the power of the product you know best — broadcast television, your core business — to drive top line revenue through new business development with emerging media. It’s the only way we are going to grow. The strongest weapon — TV — in your toolbox is the bridge to your future.”

    She described the vital importance of incorporating video, multi-screen presence, and consumer engagement into a station’s online strategy. “Broadband video is changing the way people discover and interact. According to a survey by comScore, the average consumer watches about 100 minutes of video on the web every month.

    “Freshness and speed will trump high production values. Web video is different.” Paul King, who oversees 40 station
    websites for Raycom Media, described the secret ingredients that helped generate $1.25 million in online revenue in 2006 — 9.6 per cent of the total ad sales for the station for WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina. Those ingredients include such daypart strategies as surround sessions and video streaming.

    “Local TV broadcasters should now be selling dayparts in a new way: through online advertising. Those prime demos that advertisers want are all reachable during the day — they’re just accessing the stations through their computers at work, rather than through their televisions at home.”

    Meanwhile, Singer discussed the revenue growth enjoyed in a short amount of time by Koin-TV, which is virtually brand-new to the online game. In one year, Koin expects to reach its goal of more than $1 million in online revenue — proving that it does not take years to develop a successful Internet strategy and monetise locally if you put the right resources behind your advertising sales team.

    “I’m just an average general manager in an average TV market. I figured I could accept our fate based on our somewhat average ratings position in the marketplace or I could look for creative new ways to boost our revenue. I’m glad I decided to do the latter.”

    All three panellists addressed the issue of internal versus external online resources: Should stations try to control the
    development of their Web sites by utilising internal staff resources or hiring new staff for the job — or should they rely on the expertise of an outside company that specialises in the online arena?

    King says, “I’ve done it both ways. And I’m here to tell you that the internal staff needs to stay focussed on the core business, which is still broadcast television of course. Find a seasoned partner with strong technology and proven ad-sales experience to handle this burgeoning business for you.”