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Tag: WarnerMedia

  • WarnerMedia ropes in TheSmallBigIdea as its social media agency for HBO and WB brands in India

    WarnerMedia ropes in TheSmallBigIdea as its social media agency for HBO and WB brands in India

    MUMBAI: TheSmallBigIdea has been appointed as WarnerMedia’s social media agency for HBO and WB, the global media and entertainment company’s two English-language movie channels in India. Their mandate includes Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

    The full-service digital agency is tasked with increasing reach by using social media to build brand awareness in new markets, strengthen affinity in existing markets through relevant engagement and by developing a distinct voice to drive publicity.

    The agency will create localised and bespoke communication to build viewer interest within newer audience demographics in tier 2 and 3 cities. 

    WarnerMedia entertainment networks South Asia MD Siddharth Jain said, “TheSmallBigIdea will elevate our social media strategy for the vibrant English-language entertainment portfolio. HBO and WB already have a huge fan following on social, but with the agency’s strategic support, creative and data-driven approach, we’re looking forward to taking this to the next level.”

    TheSmallBigIdea CEO and co-founder Harikrishnan Pillai added: “TheSmallBigIdea and the team at WB and HBO are all aligned to our goals. While maintaining the current conversation with the core audience base in metros, we intend to reach out and build a new audience base. We have formulated a market-specific strategy, built on the back of some of the world’s leading blockbusters.”

    Earlier this year, the agency rolled out a multi-language campaign for HBO to promote ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’. 

  • Priya Dogra appointed WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA & APAC president

    Priya Dogra appointed WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA & APAC president

    MUMBAI: WarnerMedia, a division of AT&T Inc, announced the appointment of Priya Dogra as president, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA and APAC. For the time being, Dogra will continue her responsibilities as executive vice president, strategy and corporate development for WarnerMedia.

    With her added responsibilities, Dogra will report to Gerhard Zeiler, chief revenue officer, WarnerMedia & president, WarnerMedia International Networks. She replaces Giorgio Stock who stepped down at the end of June.

    In her new role, Dogra will have executive oversight and responsibility for programming, advertising, distribution and operations of the WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks which include the basic Turner and premium HBO networks in Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Dogra will share responsibility for the kids business in EMEA and APAC with Tom Ascheim who was recently named president, Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics at Warner Bros.

    Gerhard Zeiler said: “Priya is a world-class executive who has been driving WarnerMedia’s overall corporate growth initiatives and in particular our direct-to-consumer-strategy internationally. Her leadership, passion and knowledge of our international businesses will make an immediate impact on our organisation. She is a great addition to my leadership team and to our EMEA and APAC businesses.”

    Priya Dogra said: “I am excited to take on this role particularly now as we refocus our efforts to connect our beloved brands and high-quality content directly with consumers around the world. I look forward to working closely with Gerhard, our broader leadership team and the EMEA and APAC organisations to strategically position us for continued success in a highly competitive marketplace.”

    Dogra has been with the company since 2009. She currently serves as executive vice president, strategy and corporate development and was previously the head of mergers & acquisitions for Time Warner, Inc. During her tenure at the company, Dogra has led the company’s global growth strategies and managed investment and M&A activity to support those strategies. Prior to joining Time Warner, Dogra was a vice president in the technology, media and telecom investment banking group at Citigroup.

  • Coming on 27 May: WarnerMedia’s streaming platform HBO Max

    Coming on 27 May: WarnerMedia’s streaming platform HBO Max

    MUMBAI: WarnerMedia's new streaming platform HBO Max will go live next week on 27 May, seven months after the project was first announced. The company has already entered into distribution deals with many partners, which include leading gaming, smart-TV platforms, and cable operators, reported Deadline website.

    While using its own library of fan favourites, showing hit shows like Friends, Doctor Who, The Big Bang Theory, etc., the streaming platform will feature six originals from day one. They include Love Life, a scripted comedy with Anna Kendrick.

    The company is already in discussions with Roku for HBO Max on various aspects, reports Variety. They are: the kind of subscription fee cut Roku will take, WarnerMedia’s reported insistence that HBO Max be made available as an app, and how Roku markets HBO Max on the platform.

    A Roku statement said that it is “focused on entering into win-win distribution agreements with all new OTT services as part of their launch strategies. While we don’t typically comment on specific deal terms or negotiations, the fact is that in this instance while we believe that HBO Max would benefit greatly from distribution on Roku at launch, we do not currently have an agreement in place.”

    “The launch of HBO Max is an important milestone for our company, and we’re excited that these valued partners will be on board for the launch. Through our expansive distribution pipeline, millions of customers will have immediate access to a best-in-class streaming experience come May 27,” said WarnerMedia Distribution president Rich Warren.
    In the months to come, it will add more new originals and classics. Viewers can take a monthly subscription for $11.99, which is a discounted offer.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • CNN Worldwide appoints Rani Raad as president, CNN commercial

    CNN Worldwide appoints Rani Raad as president, CNN commercial

    MUMBAI: CNN Worldwide has appointed Rani Raad as president, CNN commercial, in a new global position to broaden the company’s new business streams and increase the value that CNN provides to commercial partners around the world.

    By centralizing the management and strategy of its commercial activity in one operation, CNN is creating a more integrated, agile and global approach to the way it assesses market needs, develops solutions and works with partners.

    To achieve this and ensure that CNN is best positioned to continue its commercial success into the decade, Raad will work closely with WarnerMedia Sales and International on its CNN advertising and distribution activity, lead international business through CNN International Commercial, optimize CNN Worldwide’s directly controlled revenue operations and maximize the commercial potential of development of new products.

    Effective immediately, Raad reports directly to Jeff Zucker, Chairman, WarnerMedia News and Sports & President, CNN Worldwide.

    “There has never been a more important time to be strategic and purposeful about revenue generation across the platforms of CNN Worldwide,” said Zucker. “By aligning Rani and his team more closely with the rest of the CNN organization, there is no doubt it will make a big difference in our ability to find new ways of doing business and enhanced opportunities for our clients around the world.”

    Raad, a CNN veteran of 22 years, started his career at the company in New York before holding a number of senior international roles with CNN and WarnerMedia. In 2013, Raad combined all business operations of CNN’s properties outside of the United States within the division CNN International Commercial (CNNIC), including advertising, sponsorship, content sales & licensing, out of home, marketing and audiences & data. Since then, as president of CNNIC Raad has developed the business by introducing a cross-platform and data-led strategy with increased digital capabilities, tailored for a wide range of client and market needs across over 200 countries and territories.

    Raad said: “I don’t think I have ever seen a time when CNN has been so influential, both in the US and internationally. An era of structural change in the media market, the increased demand for verified news and the economic impact of Covid-19 is fundamentally changing the way we need to work with our business partners. With our premium brand, sophisticated solutions and worldwide reach, it’s now more important than ever before that our business partners, wherever they are, have greater and faster access to CNN’s full suite of global capabilities.” 

  • HBO Max streaming service to be available on Google devices at launch

    HBO Max streaming service to be available on Google devices at launch

    MUMBAI: WarnerMedia, a division of AT&T Inc., has announced that its anticipated streaming platform HBO Max will be available across Google platforms and devices and on Google Play when it launches on 27 May, 2020, adding seamless availability to US customers across Android phones and tablets, Android TV devices, and Chromebooks. HBO Max subscribers will also be able to stream their favourite shows and movies via Google Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices. At launch, current HBO NOW subscribers on Google Play will be able to log in and access the HBO Max app at no additional charge. New HBO Max customers will be able to subscribe directly in the app.

    “The availability of HBO Max across Android, Android TV, Chromebook and Google Chromecast devices and on Google Play adds to our growing list of distribution options that will be offered to customers at launch,” said Rich Warren, president of WarnerMedia Distribution. “We’re pleased to make HBO Max available to the significant base of customers who access content across Google’s platforms and devices.”

    HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering debuting 27 May, 2020 with 10,000 hours of curated content and a programming slate that will offer something for everyone in the home. Anchored by the entire HBO service, the platform will also include an exciting slate of new original series, fan-favourite series and films from across WarnerMedia’s rich library and key third-party licensed programmes and movies.

    The company recently announced its day one programming slate, which includes six all-new Max Originals – Love Life, On the Record, Legendary, Craftopia, Looney Toons Cartoons and The Not Too Late Show with Elmo – plus an extensive lineup of library and acquired programming including: Friends; The Big Bang Theory; Doctor Who; Rick and Morty; The Boondocks; The Bachelor; Sesame Street; The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; CW shows such as Batwoman, Nancy Drew, and Katy Keene; the first season of DC’s Doom Patrol; The O.C.; Pretty Little Liars; the CNN catalogue of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown; and much more. Soon after, the platform offering will continue to grow, adding the libraries of South Park, Gossip Girl, The West Wing, and more within the first year of launch In addition to series, specials, and docs, HBO Max will feature a rich library of more than 2,000 feature films within the first year, including such classics as Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and The Lord of the Rings, every DC film from the last decade, and the revered films from Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli animation house.

    Android, Android TV, Chromebook, Google Chromecast and other marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

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  • ViacomCBS launches COVID-19 relief fund

    ViacomCBS launches COVID-19 relief fund

    MUMBAI: ViacomCBS has introduced a $100-million fund to support those who have been affected by the production shutdown on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, says a report by Variety. The fund – aimed at helping actors, filmmakers and crew members who have been bearing the brunt of the production shutdown – will also support grants by The Actors Fund and Motion Picture & Television Fund.

    Earlier, companies like WarnerMedia ($100 million), Comcast ($500 million) and Sony ($100 million) launched relief funds to help workers impacted by the pandemic.

    ViacomCBS president-CEO Bob Bakish said in a note to the staff that in these uncertain times, giving back and supporting “the well-being of our families, communities, and ourselves is more important than ever. And I couldn’t be prouder of how our company has come together to provide relief and support to those who need it.”

    The entertainment company has also launched an employee matching gifts programme.

  • WarnerMedia names Jason Kilar as CEO

    WarnerMedia names Jason Kilar as CEO

    MUMBAI: WarmerMedia has announced that media, entertainment and technology executive Jason Kilar will be its new CEO, effective 1 May. He will report to AT&T president and chief operating officer John Stankey.

     “Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future. His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia, and I am excited to have him lead the next chapter of WarnerMedia’s storied success,” said Stankey. “Our team led by Bob Greenblatt, Ann Sarnoff, Gerhard Zeiler and Jeff Zucker has done an amazing job establishing our brands as leaders in the hearts and minds of consumers. Adding Jason to the talented WarnerMedia family as we launch HBO Max in May gives us the right management team to strategically position our leading portfolio of brands, world-class talent and rich library of intellectual property for future growth.”

    “In partnership with this world-class team, I'm so excited for the opportunity to lean into the future at WarnerMedia,” said Kilar. “Stories well told have always mattered, and they matter even more in this challenging time for the world. It will be a privilege to invent, create, and serve with so many talented people. 1 May can't get here soon enough.”

    Kilar previously was the founding CEO of Hulu and SVP at Amazon. He was CEO of Hulu from its start in 2007 until 2013. He served in several leadership positions at Amazon from 1997 to 2006, including SVP of Worldwide Application Software. Also, Kilar was co-founder & CEO of video streaming service Vessel from 2013 to 2017. Additionally, he served as a board member at DreamWorks Animation (2013-2016) and Univision Communications (2016-2020). He holds a bachelor’s degree (journalism & business) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

  • Abhishek Dutta appointed as network head for Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia

    Abhishek Dutta appointed as network head for Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia

    MUMBAI: Abhishek Dutta has been named Senior Director and Network Head -Kids, overseeing Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia. Based in Mumbai, his responsibilities include programming, channel operations, acquisitions and promotions, as well as the content direction for the two brands.

    WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks South Asia Managing Director Siddharth Jain said, “Abhishek brings with him a strong kids industry experience and I am confident that he will raise the bar of the kids’ portfolio and capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead of us. I welcome Abhishek to the WarnerMedia family.”

    Dutta will also be working closely with and under the direction of Leslie Lee, VP of Kids Content, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks APAC.

    Dutta has more than two decades of experience and expertise in the media and entertainment industry. He has been a part of four successful TV channel launches as well as a digital platform focussing on kids in India. Besides his creative and programming skills, his technical skills include sound recording, voicing, music mixing and editing.

    Dutta added, “The kids TV category has become more exciting than ever before. With my new role at the helm of Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia, I am looking forward to driving the current business through its next phase of growth. This set of brands are not only first movers, but also the most established kids brands in the country.”

    His career includes stints at ALT Balaji, Discovery Networks India and, most recently, was Senior Kids Programming Director at Viacom18, a company he joined in 2016. His various roles have included programming, channel operations and management, content development and acquisitions, and animation development.

    Dutta is a sports enthusiast and has won multiple honours for volleyball and handball. He has also been involved in the National Cadets Corps and has represented his platoon as the commander in India’s Republic Day parade.

  • WarnerMedia asia pacific taps Synamedia to improve satellite delivery efficiencies

    WarnerMedia asia pacific taps Synamedia to improve satellite delivery efficiencies

    MUMBAI: Synamedia, the world’s largest independent video software provider, today announced that WarnerMedia Asia Pacific has chosen its end-to-end PowerVu content delivery solution to enhance their satellite content delivery system.  Synamedia technologies will reduce bandwidth costs, deliver next-generation security capabilities, and prepare the company’s satellite system for future IP delivery innovations.

    WarnerMedia is leveraging Synamedia’s Virtual Digital Content Manager (vDCM) with Smart Rate Control and Automation, PowerVu Network Center (PNC), and D9800 Network Transport Receiver to help revolutionize the efficiency and speed by which their content is delivered around the world.

    “Today’s viewers, no matter their location, expect content when they want it and how they want it. Simply put, there’s no room for delay,” Luis Esparza, Senior Vice President of International Technology, WarnerMedia.  “Synamedia understands this fact and has both a robust portfolio of solutions and an impeccable security track record. Our continued partnership is one based on proven success.”

    Today, satellite technologies are advancing, leases are expiring, and security is becoming an ever-increasing concern. WarnerMedia looked to the formidable expertise of Synamedia and its HEVC technology to enable them to protect their footprint in existing markets while finding new routes to additional revenues. The end-to-end Synamedia solution will allow the company to complement its traditional satellite distribution with future IP-based delivery options, a unique capability of the D9800 Network Transport Receiver.

    “Our brands are synonymous with high-value content and innovation, and with our laser focus on business retention, revenue growth, and security, we need a partner as committed to these goals as we are,” said Gustavo Fracassi, Senior Director, International Infrastructure & Transport, International Technology, WarnerMedia. “Synamedia brings decades of experience and some of the best engineering minds in the industry to the table, which shows in their solutions and deployments.”

    Synamedia’s Virtual DCM encoding and multiplexing platform represents a new generation of virtualized and software-based video processing, providing advanced video, audio, and metadata processing for live multi-format video delivery. By using machine-learning and Stream Video Quality (SVQ) Synamedia’s patented light weight and real-time quality metric technology, Virtual DCM can scale automatically to provide maximum video quality at minimum bandwidth and storage costs. This enables broadcasters, content providers, and service providers to meet their service requirements for premium picture quality, bandwidth efficiency, and multiscreen transcoding/encoding.

    Synamedia’s PNC platform is a sophisticated, highly reliable and easy-to-use content delivery system that provides network management, improved security, decoder management, monitoring and analytics and focused on advanced revenue protection. The Synamedia D9800 Network Transport Receiver is the most versatile network receiver available today, offering hardware configurability and Over-The-Air (OTA) licensing that allows for customization as part of the video distribution handoff to service providers. This platform complements or transitions traditional satellite distribution with a variety of IP-based video delivery mechanisms.

    “WarnerMedia Asia Pacific is one of the most progressive content providers in the industry today.  Thanks to that, they are the ideal partner to illustrate how advanced technologies can continue to evolve content delivery,” said Julien Signes, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Video Processing, Synamedia. “It’s yet another reinforcement to the industry that Synamedia is committed to endless innovation.”

  • Cartoon Network partners with Globecast for pop-up channel technical services in Asia

    Cartoon Network partners with Globecast for pop-up channel technical services in Asia

    Singapore – Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, has announced that Cartoon Network has extended its longstanding partnership with Globecast for the launch of two innovative, market-leading pop-up kids channels.

    Following discussions earlier this year with Globecast that explored the possibilities, Cartoon Network launched pop-up channels in Singapore with Singtel and in the Philippines with Cignal. In Singapore, the channel, called “Pop & Watch”, was available free on Singtel’s IPTV service, as well as its Singtel TV GO and Singtel CAST mobile apps from June 12-21. Cartoon Network Classics was available as a pay-per-view channel on Cignal TV from May 3 to June 2.

    James Crossland, Senior Vice President of International Operations for Turner, a WarnerMedia company, said, “These pop-up channels were something new for us in Asia and we were really pleased with the results. We’re always looking to offer our broadcast partners innovative new platforms to showcase our content and it’s important to everyone that the technical services are seamless and hitch-free.”

    Globecast augmented its existing media management, playout and content archiving agreement with WarnerMedia to provide technical services for the channels. WarnerMedia in London delivered content to Globecast’s ingest and playout system in Singapore. The content was then supplied as transmission-ready files and these were automatically ingested. Much of the content was already held in archive by Globecast and was restored to playout as required by the daily playlist, and any missing material was highlighted well in advance of playout. Distribution to the affiliates was handled using existing WarnerMedia satellite capacity.

    Graphics were also added to the channels. Comprehensive testing was carried out before launch, including full trial runs, with Globecast providing complete pop-up channel monitoring, 24/7, while on air.

    Shakunt Malhotra, VP of Operations, Globecast Asia, said, “This was an exciting project and we expect to see more of these requirements on a global basis. Cartoon Network leveraged our expertise to manage content and our optimized workflow, which was ideal for for quick launch and smooth operation. This project was an excellent way to maximize content use and therefore ROI, extending brand reach.”