ITV

Tag: TV

  • Info Edge debuts with 62% premium on BSE

    Info Edge debuts with 62% premium on BSE

    MUMBAI: DotCom days are here again. Info Edge (India), a provider of online recruitment, matrimonial classifieds and related services in India (through its Websites naukri.com, jeevansathi.com etc) made a very impressive debut with a 62.5 per cent premium at Rs 520 on BSE today against the offer price of Rs 320 per share of Rs 10 each.

    The price shot up to Rs 623.80 intraday before closing for the day at Rs 593.20, a hefty premium of 85 per cent with a volume of 7.8 million equity shares on BSE.

    The volume on NSE was higher at 11.6 million equity shares, taking the total volume on both the exchanges to 19.4 million equity shares on the very first day.

    The company would use issue proceeds to purchase or lease real estate for their office, to acquire companies and use alternative delivery models such as messages through mobiles, etc. ICICI Securities and Citigroup Global Markets India were the book running lead managers to the issue.

    The company entered the capital market on 30 October with an IPO of 5.32 million equity shares in the price band of Rs 290 to Rs 320 per equity share. The issue closed on 2 November. The issue constitutes 19.5 per cent of the fully diluted post issue paid-up equity capital of the company.

    Info Edge wants to maintain its position as the leading provider of online recruitment solutions in India and further enhance its position as one of the leading providers of internet based matrimonial services. In addition, it seeks to diversify into and establish a position of leadership in the diverse spectrum of the online classified market and also to create such markets in those segments, which are currently catered to by the print media only.

    In order to achieve these objectives, it will continue emphasis on innovation and customization of its products and services, enhance and diversify its advertising revenue streams, leverage offline relationships and diversify into providing online classified services in new market segments.

    Presently its business activities are limited to primarily providing information exchange services in the recruitment, matrimonial and real estate markets; and the activities are concentrated in India.

    Now the Company proposes to diversify into other segments of the online classifieds market such as automobile products, educational products and industrial products and expand its present business to the countries in the Middle East and in South Asia. It also intends to start several initiatives to enhance the features and qualities of its currently existing products and services.

  • MTV, Nick anounce Pakistan launch

    MTV, Nick anounce Pakistan launch

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks today announced the launch of two of its brands MTV and Nick in Pakistan.

    While MTV is being launched through a licensing agreement with Indus Media Group (IMG), kids’ channel Nick would be distributed in Pakistan by ARY Digital Network, informs an official release.

    IMG owns and operates Pakistani music channel Indus Music, which will now be re-branded as MTV Pakistan.

    MTV Pakistan would be headed by Ghazanfar Ali (chairman, Indus Media Group) as its chief executive officer. MTV Pakistan will be the 57th MTV channel worldwide.

    Announcing the launches, MTV Networks India MD and MTV Networks Asia executive VP Amit Jain said, “The launch of MTV and Nick in Pakistan is in keeping with MTV Networks’ strategy of expanding the footprints of our premium brands to key demographics in emerging markets in the region.”

    He further added, “Apart from Pakistan, the MTV networks brands have already built a strong viewer franchise in key South Asia markets such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal and reach in over 30.5 million households in the region.”

    Talking of the MTV launch in Pakistan Jain added, “By tapping into Pakistan’s rich local music scene, we plan to play a major role in supporting and exporting Pakistan’s incredible artists and cultural heritage around the world. We are pleased to partner with Indus Media Group to launch a brand new MTV channel that celebrates Pakistan’s vibrant musical landscape and youth culture.”

    Speaking on Nick’s launch in Pakistan, Amit added, “With an approach that puts ‘kids first’, Nick is known for its ‘safe-for-kids-viewing’ programming and takes pride in meaningfully engaging and entertaining millions of kids, worldwide. We are glad to extend Nick’s quality Edu-tainment programming to the kids in Pakistan.”

  • McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’ can win kids a trip to Disney Land in Hong Kong

    McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’ can win kids a trip to Disney Land in Hong Kong

    MUMBAI: Food service retailer McDonald’s has kicked off the ‘Hong Kong Disney Land Contest’ that will give kids the opportunity to win a free trip to Disney Land in Hong Kong.

    Two families (one child + Mom and Dad) will win the free trip for two nights and three days (including air tickets) to Hong Kong Disney Land.

    With every ‘Happy Meal’ kids need to SMS the six-digit code from the contest coupon inside the box to 7007, states an official release.

    In addition, kids get to take home toys of Disney characters including Mickey, Donald and Pluto with every Happy Meal. The ‘Hong Kong Disney Land Contest’ will be available at all McDonald’s restaurants across Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Indore, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

    Winners of the ‘Hong Kong Disney Land Contest’ will be chosen randomly and announced at the McDonald’s restaurants at the end of the promotion, which concludes on 10 December 2006.

  • Times Now launches two new shows

    Times Now launches two new shows

    MUMBAI: Times Now adds two new shows on lifestyle and travel are vivid and experiential to the weekend lineup. The channel has launched High Life and Take A Break on 18 November.

    Take A Break is all about short getaways to locations that don’t exist on the tourist map where Malaika Shenoy shares the experiences. The show airs at 10:30 pm every saturday. High Life showcases the best that money can buy and other lavish houses, extraordinaire office spaces, night life, collectibles etc. The show will be hosted by model and film actor Tara Sharma and will air at 7.30 pm.

    Talking about the new shows Times Now editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami said, “At Times Now, we believe in offering viewers shows that they can both enjoy watching and which are useful to them. High Life celebrates the high life, and will be very good viewing. And, just ahead of the holiday season, Take a Break is a ready reckoner on places about town where one can take a few days off. Both the shows add to the already exciting fare on Times Now weekend”

    Both the shows are produced in-house and the executive producer programming Preeti Prasad adds, “At Times Now we’ve always believed in producing high quality programmes in-house, these two shows reinforce our commitment. Our shows like Line of Duty (that won an award in Rome) have set the standards in non-fiction television production. Our new weekend shows entertain both the voyeur and the voyager in you!”

  • Kerzner ties with Discovery, Nickelodeon and MTV in bid for IR

    Kerzner ties with Discovery, Nickelodeon and MTV in bid for IR

    MUMBAI : Kerzner-CapitaLand in the bid to build Singapore’s second integrated resort has signed exclusive deals with Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, MTV and Johnson’s.

    Kerzner-CapitaLand is banking on a fully integrated family concept to secure its bid for the Sentosa integrated resort, asserts an official release.

    Kerzner International Holdings president Tobin Prior said, “MTV is the leading music network in Asia and we believe Nickelodeon is the leading youth TV network in Asia. And we believe that they give us very important content to leverage off and very important exposure into those markets.”

    Both MTV and Nickelodeon will establish state-of-the-art interactive television studios within the resort where young visitors can interact with Nick characters and celebrities during live programming.

    Discovery, on the other hand, will run a kids’ camp on marine life – for children aged 3 to 12, while baby-care specialist Johnson’s will provide baby travel kits and professional baby-sitting services for visitors to the resort.Kernzer is also planning to build a hi-tech aquarium on Sentosa, which will include Aqua Labs where visitors can find imaginatively curated collections and futuristic technologies, adds the release.

    There will also be a 300-seat 4D theatre within the aquarium and an Atlantis Lab where students can participate in hands-on experiments.On the retail end, Kerzner highlighted a chocolate and candy factory and an ice-cream station, targeted at young spenders.

    “I think the distinction between us and the others is what we can develop in an integrated fashion that’s going to appeal to families both from a facility point of view and, very importantly, from a programming and operating point of view,” Prior said.

  • Microsoft’s Xbox 360 unveils ‘Viva Piñata’ in US

    Microsoft’s Xbox 360 unveils ‘Viva Piñata’ in US

    MUMBAI: Microsoft Corp. will celebrate the launch of Viva Piñata on Xbox 360, with a multi-city tour in the US, by presenting children’s activities and video game demonstrations at six launch events in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. It will also provide parents with information about online safety and Viva Piñata-related educational programs for children.

    The Xbox 360 video game follows the debut of the Viva Piñata Saturday morning animated television series on 4Kids TV Fox, states an official release.

    “The Xbox 360 game Viva Piñata inspired us to take the spirit of the game and expand the concept to create learning tools to help kids experience more about their Hispanic heritage in a fun and engaging way,” said Microsoft director of Xbox marketing Chris Di Cesare. “One example is a Viva Piñata digital desktop pet piñata that people can download to their computer. Every day the piñata will share new information about Hispanic culture from key holidays to Spanish vocabulary.”

    Children attending the events can enjoy piñata-making workshops, interactive video game demonstrations and the opportunity to be photographed with the characters from the Viva Piñata animated TV series. A traditional piñata breaking game will also give children an opportunity to win an Xbox 360 and Viva Piñata game.

    Viva Piñata, which translates to “long live the piñata,” invites gamers of all ages and skill levels to create an immersive world where living piñatas inhabit an ever-changing environment. Beginning with a few basic tools, players build and take control of this environment, using their creativity and imagination to attract, protect, nurture and manage more than 60 piñata species that can visit their world and make it their home.

    With the launch of Viva Piñata, Microsoft extends the Xbox 360 brand to younger gamers and more diverse audiences. The tour is one of several Microsoft marketing efforts aimed at attracting more U.S. Hispanic consumers, and acknowledgement of the growing influence of Hispanic culture.

    According to a report published by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, U.S. Hispanics will control more disposable personal income than any other U.S. minority group by 2007. Hispanic consumer spending power is expected to top $863 billion, a 300 percent increase in disposable spending power from 1990, adds the release.

    “The video game is one of several initiatives that Microsoft has created in an effort to promote diversity through innovative products,” said Microsoft director of Multi-Cultural Marketing José Piñero. “Microsoft’s initiative around Viva Piñata is a clear indication of the company’s support and interest in the Hispanic community.”

  • Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    Digital TV conversion impacting TV market

    MUMBAI : The international migration from analog broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) marches on with a significant impact on the television set market, reports market research firm In-Stat.

    Many nations have announced an analog broadcast shutoff date, but how they implement this change varies, In-Stat says. Some countries are allocating spectrum so they can transmit analog and digital broadcasts concurrently for a number of years. Other countries are rolling out DTT regionally and shutting down analog service as the rollout is completed.

    “There are now four main standards for digital television (DTV) broadcasting, with some similarities between these standards in audio and video compression, but the demodulation schemes are all different,” says Chris Kissel, In-Stat analyst. “Consumers that wish to receive free, over-the-air broadcasts must buy either a digital television with a digital tuner, or must have a set top box or converter box to receive the signal.”

    Among the findings in the study are:

    *DTV tuner integration is happening faster in North America and Japan than it is in Europe or other parts of Asia.

    *In-Stat anticipates that flat-panel displays will overtake CRTs by 2007.

    *11.6% of all respondents to an In-Stat US consumer survey plan to buy a new DTV set within the next six months.

  • Readers Digest sold for $1.6 billion

    Readers Digest sold for $1.6 billion

    MUMBAI: Reader’s Digest Association which publishes of one of the most widely read magazines in the world Readers Digest has sold the magazine for $1.6 billion to Ripplewood Holdings
    As well as its flagship magazine, the company publishes a range of other titles, markets CDs and puts on book fairs. The buy-out also means that the the consortium will take on debts of about $800,000.

    Media reports add that although its magazine circulates to 18 million people in 21 languages, the business has struggled to appeal to the younger readers prized by advertisers. Readers Digest has struggled to compete with new media both for readers and advertising.

    The basic strategy Ripplewood will adopt is to improve operating efficiencies, optimise cost structure and supply chain, and drive the revenue growth.

  • IndusInd Media appoints Samson Jesudas as chief marketing & distribution officer

    IndusInd Media appoints Samson Jesudas as chief marketing & distribution officer

    MUMBAI : IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL), which runs the media business of Hinduja TMT including Incablenet, has appointed Samson Jesudas as its chief marketing and distribution officer, ahead of CAS (conditional access system). Jesudas moves in from Zee Turner where he was serving as assistant vice-president, looking after the western region.

    In IMCL, Jesudas will be in charge of marketing and distribution of all products and service offerings of IMCL. This will include digital set-top boxes (STBs) in CAS areas and expansion of internet business to new cities. He will also evolve and execute different marketing schemes for all products and services.

    IMCL is planning to add new channels through its STBs. Jesudas will look after media content and also liasion with ground distribution, broadcasters and content providers. He will also provide market intelligence support to identify and exploit growth opportunities while coordinating with finance, technical and customer care divisions.

    Before joining Zee Turner, Jesudas was working in Pehla in the Middle East and in Star India’s distribution team.

  • HBO, AOL launch a comedy site in the US

    HBO, AOL launch a comedy site in the US

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster HBO and internet service provider AOL, which offers online programming for over 100 million users each month, have joined forces on the new broadband website This Just In.

    The site is slated to launch in the first quarter of next year.

    This Just In will feature humour through the lens of current events ranging from pop culture to politics. It will reflect the broad range of comedy that HBO is known for including cutting edge social commentary, urban comedy and the most current new comedic voices. Leveraging AOLs leadership in online video and innovative web programming, This Just In will feature extensive video content, as well as a blog format that will enable users to tap into the days events as they are happening. This Just In will also be a platform to incubate new programming for other HBO platforms.

    The venture will be accessible at www.thisjustin.com. This Just In will replace the existing AOL Comedy channel.

    AOL Media Networks will represent This Just In to marketers, offering advertisers the opportunity to associate their brands with an HBO property for the first time ever with the site clearly identified as powered by HBO. In addition to traditional ad units, the venture will work closely with advertisers to create programming that incorporates marketing messages in a way that is as engaging as the content itself. AOL will support the site with all of the tools and technologies of its content publishing, video and social networking platforms as it has with TMZ.com, the successful 24/7 entertainment news website that AOL launched last year with sister company Telepictures.

    AOL executive VP, consumer and publisher servicesJim Bankoff says, “This venture will leverage AOL’s online expertise and HBO’s established reputation for comedy to provide a unique, engaging site for audiences across the web. What’s more, for advertisers, this is the first time they can connect to the HBO brand.”

    HBO executive VP, new media programming Group Carmi Zlotnick says, “Our goal is to create a robust destination that can have the potential of becoming part of the water cooler pop culture like many of our network programs have become. With our heritage and relationships in the comedy space, this platform is ideal for showcasing new forms of entertainment to todays savvy audience and allows us to discover fresh talent and ideas indigenous to new media.

    Running the venture is Steve Stanford who was the founder and CEO of Icebox.com, an early Internet comedy site that created programming with many top television writers, and was a co-founder and COO of the edgy, content-driven cell phone service Ampd Mobile. He says, “This is about creating a new kind of entertainment experience that couldnt exist in a non-interactive medium. We will be trying new things and taking risks in the process of developing great Internet comedy.”

    This Just In is an extension of HBO’s commitment to comedy and recognition that many of the most interesting things happening in comedy today are originating on the Internet. Content from the site may also be used across multiple platforms including HBO, HBO multiplex channels, HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile. The broadband comedy venture is only the most recent step HBO is taking to discover and develop up and coming talent.