ITV

Tag: TV

  • Airtel launches India-South Africa series cricket pack in Delhi, NCR Circle

    Airtel launches India-South Africa series cricket pack in Delhi, NCR Circle

    MUMBAI: Mobile service firm Bharti Airtel has launched its ‘India-South Africa Series Cricket Pack’ for its postpaid and prepaid customers in Delhi and NCR.

    Customers who subscribe to this Pack can listen to ball-by-ball score updates for the entire series – five One Day Internationals and three Test Matches. Customers will also get free SMS Alerts after every six overs in each match of the series.

    Bharti Airtel Limited CEO (mobile services) Delhi and NCR Christopher Tobit said, “Cricket has a fanatical following among all demographics. We are delighted that Airtel customers will now have the advantage of following the India – South Africa series while on the move.”

    To subscribe to the service, a customer just needs to call a toll-free number 646601. The one time cost of the Airtel India-South Africa Series Cricket Pack is Rs. 99 and is valid till 6 January, 2007 i.e. the duration of the entire series. To listen to the ball-by-ball score updates, a customer needs to call the same toll free no. and the maximum duration per call is five minutes.

  • FIH announces enhanced TV exposure for hockey World Cups

    FIH announces enhanced TV exposure for hockey World Cups

    MUMBAI: Hockey’s governing body FIH has announced that the recently held hockey World Cups generates strong TV exposure.

    The BDO Hockey World Cup Men, played in Monchengladbach, Germany early September, generated a television audience of 645 million viewers worldwide. This FIH states is a record for hockey and an increase of 50 per cent compared to the Samsung Champions Trophy for men. In India the events aired on Ten Sports.

    The German based company IFM International Sportanalysen recently presented these figures to the FIH.
    The men’s hockey World Cup saw 3,512 broadcasts across 77 TV channels globally. There were 266 live broadcasts and 645 million cumulated audience. There was a sponsoring value of EUR 2,416,573 from 233 hours of screen time for BDO as title sponsor (calculated at 10 per cent of advertising spot rate)

    For the women’s World Cup which took place from 27 September – 8 October 2006 there were 2,597 broadcasts across 78 TV channels worldwide. There were 225 live broadcasts and a 380 million cumulated audience. The sponsoring value of EUR 1,330,935 from 96 hours of screen time for Samsung as title sponsor (calculated at 10 per cent of advertising spot rate).

  • EPL rights for India territory expected to be decided Tuesday; ESS loses ground in Asia

    EPL rights for India territory expected to be decided Tuesday; ESS loses ground in Asia

    MUMBAI: The rights for a key sports property English Premier League (EPL) are in the process of being decided.

    While the decision for India is expected tomorrow, the rights for some other key Asian countries have been announced. With a new entrant coming in this year (Nimbus’ channel Neo Sports Plus) and Zee Sports pushing soccer through its tie-up with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), one can expect the process to be competitive for India.

    Nimbus Sport, Ten Sports and Zee Sports have all made bids for the Indian subcontinent. Geo TV has bid for Pakistan. ESPN Star Sports (ESS) had made a pan Asian bid. Yes TV which is owned by Malysian firm Astro, had also made a pan Asian bid.

    Meanwhile, ESS which is the incumbent in India, is having a difficult time of it as far as Asia is concerned. Singapore pay TV operator Starhub has announced that it has won the exclusive rights to air EPL matches in the state.

    Arch rival Singtel had also bid for the rights. Earlier it had been announced that Hong Kong’s PCCW had won the EPL rights for that city. The matches will air on PCCW’s internet and pay-television unit Now Broadband, which outbid i-Cable Communications to get the rights.

    Information available with Indiantelevision.com indicates in addition to Singapore, ESS has also not managed to retain the rights for China and Thailand. They had to raise their bid quite a bit to retain the rights for Malaysia and Indonesia. An industry source believes that ESS will particularly feel the loss in Thailand but Singapore, with its substantial expat population that keenly follows soccer might also hurt.

    Thailand had at least five bidders with UBC winning, ESS had to outbid eight parties to retain the rights for Malaysia. In Japan, Yes TV won. In China Guangdong Soccer channel won and there were reportedly six bids, Sources indicate that ESS has managed to get the rights for smaller territories like Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei.

    Meanwhile, media reports indicate that sports fans are hoping for better programming and moderate price increases from StarHub. It has EPL rights for the next three seasons starting from next year. This will help StarHub maintain its vice like grip on the pay TV market in Singapore.

    In a statement, StarHub says that it also has the rights to distribute EPL through broadband Internet and cellphone networks in Singapore. StarHub is now looking at delivering a more enhanced experience for socer fans.

  • BBC News launches a user generated show in the UK

    BBC News launches a user generated show in the UK

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that its channel BBC News 24 has launched an all user-generated news programme featuring material sent in by the public.

    Your News, which has commenced a pilot run will be an all user-generated news programme – featuring the stories, features and video proving most popular with viewers on TV and the web.

    BBC News 24 controller Kevin Bakhurst said, “Your News will make use of the huge range of material being sent in to the BBC by the public, some of which has already provided real newsgathering value. It will reflect the stories catching our audience’s eye and talk to them directly about the issues they feel really matter.”

    The new programme draws on the wealth of user-generated content sent into the BBC every day by viewers and readers of the BBC News website. The website the pubcaster says receives around 10,000 emails a day with story suggestions, comments and pictures from the public.

    Your News, presented by Richard Bilton and reporter Laura Jones, will run weekly features with a wide range of audience driven content.

    These include:

    Your Story – weekly news report unique to Your News covering an issue raised by a member of the public. Saturday’s programme features the case of a man who contacted the BBC when, after his wife’s death, he made the discovery that the hospital in which she died did not have a licence to perform a tissue donation according to her wishes.

    Your Questions – Your News reporter Laura Jones sets out to investigate answers to the questions sent in to the BBC by the public on issues, local or national, that concern them.

    Your Pictures – images sent into the BBC from the public with their view of the world.

    Your Top Stories – that week’s top stories on the BBC News website and elsewhere.

    All material will be credited on-air to the member of the public who sent it in.

  • Disney rolls out ‘Disney’s Little Princess’ promotional activity across categories

    Disney rolls out ‘Disney’s Little Princess’ promotional activity across categories

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company in India has launched a country-wide promotion titled – “Disney’s Little Princess”, an across-the-line event around Disney Princess franchise.

    Little girls across India can participate in this festive event by purchasing any Disney Princess product worth Rs 100 or more and win an entry to audition for the ‘Disney’s Little Princess’ contest. Disney Princess spans across categories with merchandise to include toys, clothing, footwear, games, home videos, home products, paints, stationery, television, theatrical content and mobile downloads.

    The Disney Princess franchise has added a noticeable sparkle to the company’s entertainment offerings in the previously underserved segment of girls aged 4-14. The strong presence of the franchise is set to delight little girls throughout the festive season with a host of initiatives and launches planned across all product categories. Disney Princesses are popular across the globe. The franchise is on track to become the largest girls franchise in 2006 with 40 per cent growth in 2005 and 300 per cent growth over the last three years, states an official release.

    “Disney Princess success is an example of the company’s focus on content, creativity and innovation and demonstrates our ability to provide a 360 degree entertainment experience for kids. We have a strong heritage in great story telling and have cemented a rock-solid emotional connection with our consumers through our popular Disney characters and stories,” said Walt Disney Company (India) managing director Rajat Jain.

    Little girls turned up to sing, dance, act and display other talents at auditions in Gurgaon. Besides, auditions will also be held in malls around Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. The event in each of these cities will be recorded and aired in special interstitials on the Disney Channel. The search for ‘Disney’s Little Princess’ is powered by major lines of businesses of The Walt Disney Company India namely consumer products, internet group, home entertainment divisions and ofcourse Disney Channel.

    Disney Princess licensees in India include: United Toys, Me n Moms, Prasima Marketing, Mahindra Intertrade, Bodycare, Nerolac, Sterling Metaplast, Ramlax Exports, Kores India Ltd., H.M. International, Envogue Furnishings and many others. All licensees have come together for this special promotion, adds the release.

    Funskool (India), the licensees for Princess dolls and role play range GM Sales and Marketing R. Jeswant says, “Funskool (India) Ltd has had a long association with Disney. The market response to Disney Princess Dolls and Playsets has been particularly encouraging. This year is being celebrated as the year of the Mermaid and therefore, ‘Ariel, the Little Mermaid’, will be the focus of attention. A full range of Ariel Dolls and Playsets will be on the shelves of leading toy stores shortly. We cherish our association with Disney and expect the relationship to flourish and grow in years to come.”

    Commenting on the popularity of Princess themes of Disney Nerolac Paints- Nerolac GM marketing C. Venugopal says, “Every little girl dreams of a fantasy world where clothes are spun of gold and balls are held in her honor. The princess range allowed Nerolac to do just the same. With a wide range of characters, huge business potential, Disney Nerolac Paint’s Disney Princess range bring the little girls into a world filled with romance and royalty where she can feel as special as a princess.”

    “Disney’s classic Princess stories are extremely popular with kids across the country. We have 12 princess titles in three different formats and each of these are loved not just by kids but also their parents alike. The stories reflect values and ethos that Indian readers relate to. We are proud to bring these stories from the Disney stable to kids across India,” adds Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. director Gaurav Ghai.

    Furthermore, Disney Princess is also being promoted in the television space with a branded block – Disney Princess hour. Viewers can also experience the magical world of Disney Princesses through Disney Movie Magic, every weekend in select Adlabs locations in cities across India through classic titles like Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and the Prince of Thieves.

    The latest Princess platinum title movie was released in October on Home Video – Little Mermaid, a special edition DVD. Taking home, Disney’s Classic, the ‘Little Mermaid’ will also help little girls gain an entry to participate in the mega event this festive season, Excel Home Videos MD M.N. Kapasi said, “Disney Princess celebrates the spirit of the endearing female characters created by the Walt Disney Company over the years. We are pleased that Little Mermaid’s DVD will be an opportunity for children to participate in this prestigious event.”

    This franchise also extended itself to an on-ground experiential delight last year – Disney Channel’s ‘My Little Princess Hunt -2005’.

  • Nokia’s solution helps telecom operators fight bandwith challenges

    Nokia’s solution helps telecom operators fight bandwith challenges

    MUMBAI: To help mobile operators better manage their data traffic, Nokia is introducing a network solution that lets operators globally control the use of network resources by bandwidth hungry applications such as file sharing and Voice over IP telephony — giving operators the tools to maintain better control over their networks.

    The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control is the industry’s first integrated solution to allow mobile operators to profitably manage the bandwidth available for peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic, and thus balance the allocation of network resources. The centralised solution is implemented as a software upgrade to the Nokia Flexi Intelligent Service Node (ISN) and will be commercially available during the first half of 2007.

    Nokia VP, marketing and sales Roberto Loiola says, “With the explosion of affordable high-speed mobile data access, operators are now being challenged to make the best possible use of their networks, especially when peer-to-peer applications increase their traffic load and compete with their own services.

    “The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution now gives operators the means to analyse and manage such traffic. It allows them to apply their business models by prioritizing the traffic of preferred services and partners, maximize their return on network investment, and avoid becoming only bit pipes for other content providers.”

    The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution enhances the service, subscriber, and access awareness capabilities of the Nokia Flexi ISN to identify data traffic according to the type of service, for example file sharing, so that operators can treat that traffic in a way that best optimises the use of network resources according to the operators’ business strategy.

    Nokia will be demonstrating the Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution at Nokia World, the premier mobility event of the year for the press and the Nokia ecosystem of operators and partners. Nokia World takes place in Amsterdam from 2-30 November 2006.

    Nokia recently concluded its 50th commercial Flexi ISN deal, cementing its leadership position in the Intelligent Packet Core market. The Nokia Flexi ISN, introduced in February 2005, is a high-availability, high-capacity connectivity and control element that offers service availability for mobile users independent of the access method.

    It acts as a centralised control point for data services, providing cellular network users with data connectivity. The Nokia Flexi ISN also offers open interfaces to charging, provisioning subscription management systems. In addition to the Nokia Flexi ISN, Nokia has a total of over 120 GPRS packet core references.

  • CNN travels to Dubai next month

    CNN travels to Dubai next month

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN anchor Hala Gorani hosts the special Inside The Middle East from Dubai in December as she takes viewers on a journey to Lebanon and Tunisia to meet a singing legend and one of the most prolific film producers from the Middle East. The special airs on 2 December 2006 at 2 pm, 8 pm, 3 December at 6 pm and on 7 December at 8 pm.

    In Beirut, CNN correspondent Brent Sadler meets 82-year old tarab singer, Nahawand, one of the most elderly performers in the Middle East. Twice a week she rocks her audiences in the aisles of Music Hall, a trendy Beirut nightclub where the Lebanese glitterati dance on tables to the powerful voice of ‘the nightingale’. Now, with age, she suffers mentally but never forgets her lyrics. Her doctors remark that this frail woman in her trademark black suit and red scarf literally lives to sing, and that those few minutes on stage every week may be her motivation to stay alive.

    Gorani then explores the history of Western film production in Tunisia, where much of the country’s movement can be attributed to Tunisian-born Tarak Ben Ammar, who is today a major international film broker and movie producer. Currently producing the upcoming ‘Hannibal Rising’ movie, he also took part in producing popular films like ‘Star Wars’ and the ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ movies. Ben Ammar shows INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST around his magnificent Greco-Roman film set north of Tunis, revealing how he convinced Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to shoot their movies in his native Tunisia, helping transform the small North African country into one of Hollywood’s favourite film sets.

    The show also looks at a specific problem affecting life in the Middle East: iodine deficiency disorder. Just a pinch of iodised salt with a meal is known to be enough to eliminate the primary cause of preventable learning difficulties and brain damage. But mental retardation, dwarfism and speech defects due to IDD have yet to be eliminated in the region despite efforts to get salt producers to add iodine to their product. In Egypt’s rural Nile Delta, the show looks at one anti-IDD programme targeting babies that is proving successful and follows an Egyptian health minister in his battle against IDD as he seeks to rid the souks, shops and stores of illegally produced, un-iodised salt.

  • Al Jazeera Intl goes with Apple

    Al Jazeera Intl goes with Apple

    MUMBAI: MAl Jazeera International, the English version of leading news broadcaster, Al Jazeera, announced the selection of a wide range of Apple products to deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for the media organisation.

    Catering to a range of media requirements, the Apple-based technology project is set to deliver a total solution ranging from editing to storage needs. With a reputation for using cutting-edge technology, Al Jazeera plans to use the latest from Apple’s portfolio of solutions to revolutionize the functioning of the TV station’s video network.

    As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com after a number of delays, Doha-based Al-Jazeera Network launched its English news and current affairs channel Al Jazeera International earlier this month.

    Al Jazeera has signed up with Arab Business Machine’s (Apple IMC Middle East) Reseller, PRO TECHnology to implement a turn-key media solution for the channel’s growing infrastructure.

    Al Zazeera states that journalists will benefit from the usage of Apple tools as the Final Cut Studio allows professional editors to elevate production values with powerful editing tools, revolutionary sound design, real-time motion graphics and next generation DVD authoring from the field, while the MacBook Pro is the first Mac notebook built on the Intel Core Duo processor, which delivers the power of two processors on a single chip – for blistering performance with high-end creative applications.

  • Radio City appoints Hemant Jain as VP strategic planning & alternate revenue

    Radio City appoints Hemant Jain as VP strategic planning & alternate revenue

    MUMBAI: Radio City has appointed Hemant Jain as vice president – strategic planning and alternate revenue.

    Hemant Jain will be the chief architect of Radio City’s growth plans, helping redefine systems and processes, forging strategic alliances and focusing on convergence of radio across multiple media platforms which include mobile, internet, broadband and out-of-home, states an official release.

    On his appointment Jain said, “I am really excited about joining Radio City’s talented and vibrant team. Radio is in the booming phase with many new entrants there has been a rapid growth in the industry. It’s thrilling to be part of an organization, which is all set to sustain and grow its leadership position. It will be really challenging to guide Radio City to a knowledge- driven, process oriented organisation.”

    Earlier Jain was with Reliance World (formerly Reliance Web World) as national head – brand management and marketing services, where he spent close to five years setting up a personal services and telecom retail business model, adds the release.

    Commenting on this move Radio City CEO Apurva Purohit added, “Radio City is in the process of consolidating its operations. We are building a strong and talented team to drive a sparkling brand and fresh, innovative content. Since our shift to 91.1 we have rolled up our sleeves and I am delighted to have Hemant join us, as this is the kind of leadership we require to keep Radio City on the expansion path.”

  • Xbox 360 unveils TV shows and movies on Xbox Live

    Xbox 360 unveils TV shows and movies on Xbox Live

    MUMBAI: On its one-year anniversary Xbox 360, is digitally delivering an initial lineup of TV shows and movies to gamers in the U.S. via Xbox Live, the online games and entertainment network from Microsoft.

    Xbox Live Marketplace will now provide gamers with easy access to hundreds of full-length TV shows for download to own and movies for download to rent from CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment with more content rolled out through Xbox Live Marketplace every week, asserts an official release.

    Expected to be available in 37 countries, Xbox 360 continues to retain record game and accessory attachment rates, according to NPD.

    Xbox 360 is prepared with consoles readily available at retail along with a host of new accessories such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, Xbox Live Vision camera and Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, and games such as Gears of War and Viva Piñata.

    Examples of the download-to-own TV shows and download-to-rent movies available on the network include the following:

    – CSI, CSI: Miami,CSI: New York, NCIS and Star Trek from CBS

    – Chappelle’s Show, Drawn Together and South Park from Comedy Central

    – Pimp My Ride and Punk’d from MTV

    – Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants from Nickelodeon

    – Skyland and Invader Zim from Nicktoons Network

    – Chinatown, Star Trek VII: Generations, Patriot Games, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Sum of All Fears, The Untouchables and We Were Soldiers from Paramount Pictures

    – Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Frisky Dingo, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021 and The Venture Bros. from Turner Broadcasting

    – Some of the fights from Ultimate Fighting Championship

    – Breaking Bonaduce and Hogan Knows Best from VH1

    – Perfect Storm, Poseidon, The Shining, Three Kings and V for Vendetta, as well as The Nine and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip along with the CW show Veronica Mars from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

    Using the family settings feature, parents and individuals can choose the video content that can be played on their family’s Xbox 360. With the availability of this new entertainment content, gamers now can set controls based on movie, TV and video ratings, or they can entirely block explicit and unrated video content for themselves or their children, adds the release.

    Pricing is competitive and will vary based on format, media type and whether the content is a new release movie or a classic feature film. High-definition TV shows will be 240 Microsoft points per episode, and standard-definition TV shows will be 160 Microsoft points per episode.

    New release movies in high definition will be 480 Microsoft points, and standard-definition new release movies will be 320 Microsoft points each. Classic feature films in high definition will be 360 Microsoft points, and standard definition will be 240 Microsoft points. After purchasing a high-definition TV show or movie, gamers can download the standard-definition version at no additional charge.

    Microsoft points can be purchased at retail or via Xbox Live. Gamers can get a 1600 Microsoft points card at retail for $19.99 or 1000 Microsoft points through Xbox Live for $12.50.