Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending Feb 5th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!
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17 Feb 2016 – NBCUniversal Brand Development Group has appointed Black White Orange as its licensing and merchandising agent in India and South Asia.
Under the agreement, Black White Orange will manage licensing for NBCUniversal’s expansive portfolio, including major franchises such as Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures’ Despicable Me, as well as Universal and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World and Universal’s Fast & Furious; upcoming films like Illumination and Universal’s The Secret Life of Pets; and classic films from the studio’s library, including Back to the Future and Jaws, amongst others.
Read more at Indian Television
18 Feb, 2016 – THAI FOOTBALL fans look set to be able to watch forthcoming seasons of the Barclays Premier League after TrueVisions said yesterday that it was in talks with Qatar-based BeIN Sports over a sub-licensing agreement to air the top-flight English matches.
Despite the absence of official confirmation about it winning the main rights, BeIN Sports has reportedly secured the audio-visual broadcasting rights for the next three seasons of the Barclays Premier League for Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
“We are in discussions with our partner BeIN Sports, seeking a sub-licensing contract for all media rights to telecast 380 live matches to TrueVisions’ subscribers, as well as to True4U’s audience. The negotiations appear to be constructive,” Birathon Kasermsri na Ayudhaya, head of commercial and business development at TrueVisions, said yesterday.
Read more at the Nation
17 Feb, 2016 – Angela Santone has been promoted to executive vice president and global chief human resources officer for Turner. She will continue to have executive oversight of all HR functions for the company’s U.S. and international networks and businesses, a role she has successfully carried out since being named senior vice president and chief human resources officer in June 2013. Last year, Santone’s duties expanded to include corporate responsibility. She was also named a member of Turner’s executive committee. Based in Atlanta, Santone reports to John Martin, chairman and CEO of Turner.
“Angela is a highly skilled executive who has touched nearly every corner of our business and helped drive the company’s momentum in many ways,” said John Martin. “Her strategic guidance and swift expertise have been invaluable to me and the company’s leadership team, and her innate passion for growing and developing our talent is pivotal to our continued success and as we transform our company and culture. This well-deserved promotion reflects the outstanding job she has been doing since taking the reigns in 2013.”
Santone has held various roles within Turner’s HR organization since first joining the company in 2001. She has provided extensive strategic management support to the corporate, sales, sports, distribution and entertainment divisions. Santone joined Turner from S2 Systems, Inc., where she served as education and documentation manager and HR generalist.
Passionate about developing new talent, Santone has served as a mentor for the Southeast Chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and its Agnes Scott mentoring program, as well as the internal Turner Women Today organization. She also serves on the board of directors for the Emma L. Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests, as well as the national WICT organization. In addition, she is a Pathbuilders Achieva class graduate and a Class XXII fellow in WICT’s Betsy Magness Leadership Institute.
Santone earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and a master’s degree in counseling from Troy University. She is also a certified facilitator for the Benchmark 360 assessment by the Center for Creative Leadership and a qualified facilitator for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
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About Turner
Turner, a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., HLN, CNN International and CNN.com, TBS, TNT, TCM, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, iStream Planet and ELEAGUE.
Paris, 17 February 2016 – Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) has crossed the threshold of 6,000 channels broadcasting via its fleet, further consolidating its position as a premium satellite operator and service provider to the global broadcasting industry.
This new record reflects three key trends where Eutelsat continues to outperform: strong channel growth in fast growing markets; continued deployment of pay-TV platforms; and a diversified offer of Free-to-Air channels.
Soaring channel growth in emerging markets
Eutelsat continues to register strong channel growth in fast growing markets, notably in the Middle East and Africa, with one out of three channels on its satellites targeting these fast-growing regions. In Sub-Saharan Africa, half of the 1,136 satellite channels broadcast today are transmitted by Eutelsat. The share of Eutelsat channels in the total satellite offer in the Middle East and North Africa is even higher, with two out of three channels choosing Eutelsat, notably the 7/8° West neighbourhood where 80 channels were added in October 2015 on the new EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite.
Record Pay and Free-to-View platforms
Eutelsat is an industry-leading partner of Pay and Free-to-View platforms, reflecting an exceptional inventory of regional video neighbourhoods hosting high power satellites with bandwidth to grow. A total of 50 platforms have selected a Eutelsat video neighbourhood, with Africa showing the most pronounced regional dynamic as the continent accelerates the transition to digital. Over the last 12 months, six platforms have launched or expanded their activities at Eutelsat’s African video neighbourhoods at 7° East, 16° East and 36° East.
Industry-leading Free-to-Air line-up
With over 2,200 channels available free-to-air, Eutelsat is the satellite company broadcasting the highest number of subscription-free channels. New features will be introduced in 2016 giving channels higher visibility and offering viewers more information on the exceptional line-up of free content. They will start with the HOT BIRD position that offers over 400 subscription-free channels across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Through continued investment in advanced broadcasting infrastructure, Eutelsat will continue to develop its offer in mature video markets and accelerate partnerships in fast-growing regions, notably Latin America that is set to benefit from two new satellites: EUTELSAT 117 West B and EUTELSAT 65 West A. Renewed capacity across Eutelsat’s global footprint will also answer viewer demand for higher signal quality. HDTV already accounts for over 12% of the total channel count and continues to rise, notably in Europe and the Middle East. Ultra HD, the next step-up in image quality, represents a future driver for growth. Eutelsat has been validating the Ultra HD broadcast chain with leading players and is now transmitting its first commercial Ultra HD channels in Russia and Europe.
Commenting on the new milestone of 6,000 channels, Michel Azibert, Commercial and Development Director at Eutelsat, said: “Broadcasting is at the heart of Eutelsat’s DNA. We have invested in and developed video neighbourhoods across the globe, spearheaded the transition to new formats and compression rates, partnered with anchor Pay and Free-to-View platforms and are developing solutions in step with changing viewing patterns. In the fast-evolving world of video content distribution we are continually focused on supporting broadcasters to enhance their relationship with viewers and expand their reach. The milestone of 6,000 channels sets a new record for Eutelsat and reflects our resolve to be the satellite company of choice for the broadcasting community.”
17 Feb, 2016 – Media conglomerate NBCUniversal is getting its popular brands like Jurassic World, Minions and Fast and Furious to India.
NBCUniversal’s consumer products division has signed a licensing and merchandising deal with Mumbai-based Black White Orange Brands to bring its brands to South Asia, Economic Times has reported.
Black White Orange will handle licensing of NBCUniversal’s entire portfolio in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives, the report said.
Read more at the Television Post
16 Feb, 2016 – Much like young general entertainment channels, emerging SVOD services to offer a bit of everything, usually anchored a good collection of movies to draw viewers in.
Up till now, more specialized forays have tended to concentrate on mainstream genres, such as kids and sports.
Now, NBCUniversal is testing consumer willingness to pay for other kinds of content online.
Read more at Media Business Asia
After assuming full operational responsibility for HBO in India in January, Turner International is gearing up to push the business through rebranding of the flagship channel, launching its high-definition (HD) version in April and introducing a mobile app in March.
On Sunday, the flagship HBO channel wore a fresh new look, reflecting a complete revamp of content and audience engagement.
The big-budget ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ leads the launch of a new programme and content strategy, complemented by a large-scale social media campaign featuring fun facts, trivia and contests. Its 1 pm premiere on 14 February marked the official channel refresh, with four upcoming back-to-back Sunday premieres lined up—’American Sniper’, ‘Wild Card’, ‘San Andreas’ and ‘A Walk among the Tombstones’.
Read more at the Television Post
15 Feb, 2016 – Zee New Media has launched what is said to be India’s first and only OTT TV distribution platform dubbed Ditto TV.
The aim is to offer live TV channels and on-demand video content to consumers on their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, entertainment boxes and connected TVs.
Read more at Telecom Asia
15 Feb, 2016 – Viacom International Media Networks is launching its Paramount Channel in Asia in May after signing its first distribution deal in the continent with CTH, a major pay-TV operator in Thailand.
“The introduction of Paramount Channel in Asia is a key, strategic step in deepening our presence both in Thailand and in Asia, while expanding our portfolio of adult-targeted brands. We’re thrilled CTH has come on board for this highly anticipated launch in Asia and look forward to seeing Paramount Channel expand further in the coming months,” said Mark Whitehead, executive vice president and managing director for VIMN Asia.
Read more at Advanced Television
