ITV

Tag: welcomes

  • Indian Media Group welcomes new uplinking & downlinking guidelines

    MUMBAI: The Indian Media Group (IMG) has welcomed the decision of Union Cabinet to approve new uplinking & downlinking guidelines for satellite television channels.

    The new downlinking guidelines will create much-needed level playing field for the Indian licensed channels on regulatory, taxation and legal front and would enable the Govt. to regulate content of all the satellite TV channels, including those channels which are also being uplinked from foreign soil, IMG said in a statement issued today.

    Prior to these downlinking guidelines, no effective regulatory framework was available for content regulation of foreign broadcasters as they were beaming their programmes in India by uplinking these programmes from uplinking facilities situated outside India, IMG pointed out. These Downlinking guidelines when notified would bring foreign broadcasters also within the purview of Indian laws & regulations.

    The organisation has also welcomed the proposed policy whereby the feeds of sports events of national importance would be required to be shared with Prasar Bharti. The same will enable Prasar Bharti and the Govt. to show matches of National importance to the vast majority of non-cable homes. The Doordarshan being a public broadcaster has vast reach and the people residing even in the far flung & remote areas who do not have access to cable, would be able to view these events through terrestrial and DTH Network of Doordarshan. The move to permit television channels to uplink in Ku-band through Indian satellite is also praiseworthy, as it would lead to reduction in technical cost, IMG said.

    IMG asks government to sort out carriage problem faced by Indian channels

    IMG also expressed its concern about the still pending issue of the carriage of licensed Indian satellite channels on cable distribution platform. An analogue cable network can carry at the most 60-65 channels because of capacity constraints whereas at present there are about 175-200 channels out of which about 95-100 channels over Indian sky are of Indian origin, which includes various regional channels also, it said.

    IMG has suggests that in order to address the carriage problem faced by Indian channels, all foreign channels after a notified date should be mandatorily delivered digitally through an addressable system (STB). This would create much needed capacity in the cable networks for carriage of Indian licensed channels. The organisation urged the government to take immediate steps on the issue to address the long standing grievance of licensed Indian Broadcasters.

    Indian Media Group (IMG) comprises of the Indian media companies, which are in television broadcasting, radio and the print media. IMG has been formed primarily with a view to serve the interest of Indian Media companies and to act collectively on their behalf in dealing with various stakeholders in the sector including government and regulatory authorities.

    The present members of IMG include Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra (president), India Today editor-in-chief Arun Purie (vice president), Times Group MD Vineet Jain, Sab TV director & vice chairman Markand Adhikari, TV Today Network Limited CEO & ED Gopalan Krishnan, The Times of India Group president Arun Arora, Eenadu TV director I Venkalat, Dainik Bhaskar director Girish Agarwal, Ganashakti editor Avik Dutta and Dainik Jagran director Shailesh Gupta.
     

  • Channel 4 welcomes mandatory switch to digital TV; Murdoch opposes

    MUMBAI: The UK government has said that by 2012 owners of analogue television sets won’t be able to get a signal to watch television since it was planning to switchover to digital television. The government was also planning to hive off part of the BBC’s licence fee income to help the independent broadcasters shift to digital television.

    While UK’s Channel 4 welcomed the suggestion by the government; BSkyB CEO James Murdoch hit out at the government, the European Commission, the BBC and ITV or the same.
     
     

    According to media reports, Murdoch accused the government of issuing an “ultimatum” to viewers by compelling them to convert to digital.
     
     

    Channel 4 CEO Andy Duncan, on the other hand said that the government had indicated that it was considering ways to provide direct help, sooner rather than later. This came across in UK’s culture secretary Tessa Jowell’s speech.

    Jowell said that she was contemplating giving Channel 4 some of the BBC’s licence fee income as a one-off payment. Also, another option would be to offer Channel 4 extra capacity to launch more channels.

    According to media reports, Murdoch feared that the forced switch to digital television could favour Freeview, the free-to-air digital service.

    Channel 4, on the other hand felt that the shift to digital will see its advertising revenue dwindle in the face of multi-channel competition and personal video recording technology that lets viewers skip ads.

  • Day 1: 16,000 visitors, $2.58 million; Hong Kong welcomes Disneyland

    MUMBAI: The Hong Kong Disneyland opened yesterday (12 September, 2005) to a swarm of Disney lovers. Close to 16,000 people flocked at the $3.5 billion park on Day one as a result of which, Hong Kong Disneyland has been reported to have earned $2.58 million (HK$20 million) on its opening day.

    Against the dream-come-true backdrop of Sleeping Beauty Castle and the natural grandeur of the green Lantau Island mountains, Hong Kong Disneyland officially brought the fun and excitement of a Disney theme park to Hong Kong with a spectacular Grand Opening.
     
     
     

    The Hong Kong Disneyland is the second in Asia after Tokyo and is being touted as a major watershed for Hong Kong tourism. Hong Kong’s Disneyland is the eleventh in the world that include parks in Paris, Tokyo and Anaheim, California.

    According to a media report, the Hong Kong government forecasts that the theme park will bring economic benefits of HK$148 billion in revenue over the next four decades.

     

    The Walt Disney Company has invested HK$3.1 billion in the theme park and has 43 per cent share of equity in the project, while the Hong Kong government has invested HK$29 billion and has a 57 per cent share in the project.

    On the day before Hong Kong Disneyland officially opened to the public, an invited audience of political and business leaders and media were special guests for a Preview Day on 11 September, enjoying an advance look at some of the spectacular shows and attractions in the first Disney theme park in the region. The highlights of the day included preview ceremonies for several of the park’s most eagerly anticipated shows and rides.

    The Walt Disney Company president, COO and CEO-elect Robert A Iger welcomed the special guests to the majestic Theater in the Wild in Adventureland for a preview performance of “Festival of the Lion King,” a unique live theatrical experience created especially for Hong Kong Disneyland.

    The second live show at Hong Kong Disneyland is “The Golden Mickeys,” in the Storybook Theater in Fantasyland. Modeled on a Hollywood awards show, “The Golden Mickeys” brings favorite Disney stories to life with song, dance and special effects.

    The latest Disney theme park innovation — Nine-foot-tall Lucky the Dinosaur — roamed at large in Hong Kong Disneyland on 11 September. Lucky the Dinosaur walks freely and interacts with children and families, even signing his own distinctive four-leaf-clover “autograph.”

    “Hong Kong Disneyland stands before us as a living symbol of the creativity and imagination that are the heart and soul of Disney. With a spirit of goodwill and friendship, we invite the people of Hong Kong, China and all of Asia to share in the magic, imagination and soaring spirit of Disney,” said Walt Disney Company CEO Michael D Eisner.

    “We hope Hong Kong Disneyland will be a beacon reminding us that no matter the language of borders, humankind can accomplish great things when we work together, especially when we can show the world that imagination is alive, that fantasy can be reality and that magic happens,” said Iger.

    In welcoming Disney, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) chief executive of the Government Donald Tsang said,”The arrival of the world’s most widely recognized and best-loved theme park in Hong Kong will allow us to provide visitors from all over the region with a fun-filled and diversified experience. We warmly and wholeheartedly welcome the Disney family to Hong Kong.”

    The vacation resort on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island is a joint venture of The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR Government. It includes two intricately detailed hotels — the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel — with breathtaking views of the theme park and the South China Sea, along with a public recreation area with a sparkling lake and arboretum.

    Following the ceremony, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened its gates for thousands of waiting guests. The Opening Day crowd enjoyed a full day of entertainment including encounters with such famous Disney characters as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Cinderella, as well as adventures on such classic Disney attractions as Jungle River Cruise, Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Space Mountain.

    Other highlights in Hong Kong Disneyland include live Broadway-quality entertainment, distinctive Disneyland gifts and souvenirs, and flavorful Asian and Western cuisine in a variety of restaurants and cafes. Walt Disney’s philosophy that Disneyland would “never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world,” extends to Hong Kong Disneyland, where work is already underway on Autopia, a new Tomorrowland attraction where guests of all ages can drive electric cars along the highways of tomorrow. The new adventure is scheduled to open in 2006.

    However, the company will be not be opening a similar park in China unless the Chinese government relaxed the stringent media ownership regulations that were issued on 1 August.

    Iger said that unless Disney shows were allowed on Chinese television, there won’t be any plans of building Disneyland there. “In order for us to even consider a park there, we need to be sure we have access to television,” Iger was quoted in various media reports as saying.

    Also interesting is the fact that Shanghai has been actively seeking a Disney theme park for several years, with strong support from Beijing’s leaders.

    According to reports, Iger was also planning to pay a visit to Beijing after the Hong Kong Disneyland opening ceremony “to discuss Disney business initiatives in China in general.”

    The new media rules on the Mainland and the possibility of a delay in setting up a Disney theme park in Shanghai are likely to cement Hong Kong’s role as a media hub for China in particular and for Asia over all.

    One of the other media conglomerates apart from Disney, which has been troubled by the strict Chinese media laws is Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

    However, Iger is confident that he would be able to gain access to the Mainland sooner or later. He also said that Disney may open a theme park in Shanghai after 2010.

  • Casbaa welcomes Australia’s move against pay TV theft

    MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has welcomed a decision by the Australian government to criminalise the act of dishonestly accessing pay-TV services throughout Australia.

    Last month Attorney-General Philip Ruddock who represents the Australian government said, “Following a six month review by my Department, the Australian Government has decided that criminal penalties should be available against those who access Pay TV broadcasts without authorisation and payment of the subscription fee.”

    Under the new measures it will also be an offence for a pay TV subscriber to distribute a subscription broadcast to other premises or for a subscriber to use the broadcast for commercial purposes if the appropriate subscription fee has not been paid.

    Pay TV signal theft is a major concern for Australia’s pay television industry which estimates it costs the industry in excess of $50 million per year in lost revenue.

    Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies says, “Australia has made a forward-looking decision on this important question. The pay-TV industry can only thrive if people who enjoy our content pay a fair price for it. This ensures that everyone across the value chain – from the cable-TV installer to the actors, athletes, musicians and news reporters who create our content – earns a fair return on their labours.”

    Casbaa says that it hopes that Australia’s decision will be replicated by other governments in the region which do not already treat pay-TV signal theft as a crime.

    Casbaa states that it believes the governance and protection of intellectual property rights will play an increasingly important role in encouraging economic growth across Asia and is already one of the criteria utilised by the international investment community to determine which markets receive foreign direct investment.

    The Association notes that while $37.5 million is estimated to be lost on an annual basis to pay-TV piracy in Australia, the figures for the rest of the region are even more startling. In Hong Kong it was $25 million in 2004; in Thailand it was a huge $141 million; in the Philippines it was $70; and in Taiwan it was $114 million.