The Jeetendra Kapoor family-promoted Balaji Telefilms Ltd announced today the appointment of V Devarajan as chief financial officer of the leading television software production house.
Devarajan, who takes charge in mid-July, comes to Balaji from Du Pont India, where he was V-P finance. He is a chartered accountant with around 15 years experience, company representatives say.

They are firming their presence in the land of the rising sun. Singapore-hqed CNBC Asia Pacific and GE Equity - the private equity arm of the General Electric Company - today announced that they were pumping in $15 million in Japanese broadcasting major TV Tokyo and picking up three per cent of its total outstanding equity.
This marks the first time that an American television network has made an investment in a major Japanese broadcasting company and places the duo as its seventh largest shareholder. As a result of the transaction, CNBC Asia Pacific will become the provider of choice for business news to TV Tokyo - one of the five principal TV networks in Japan -- and its affiliates. Currently, approximately 10% of TV Tokyo‘s programming is focused on news and business. TV Tokyo plans to enhance further its business news offerings, bolstering its coverage of markets around the world. The two companies will continue to explore further areas of potential collaboration.

TV Tokyo covers 67% of national households through five network local stations in the major cities. Its programming includes original entertainment, news (with an emphasis on financial reporting) and animated series including Pokemon and Duel Monsters.

Concurrently, TV Tokyo will invest in Nikkei-CNBC, CNBC Asia Pacific‘s Japanese language television business news network. TV Tokyo will take a 14% stake in Nikkei-CNBC. CNBC Asia Pacific and Nikkei, together with Jupiter Programming, have been partners in Japan since 1999. Nikkei-CNBC currently reaches over 4.2 million homes in Japan, offering 18 hours of Japanese language business news daily, including Tokyo Squawk Box, Market Watch and Tokyo Power Lunch.

"This investment is a major building block in CNBC‘s global strategy. Over the past several years, CNBC has become the major means by which investors can get business news information on any company in the world - as soon that news happens." said Bill Bolster, NBC‘s Chairman of CNBC‘s international operations. "It‘s no longer enough to know what‘s happening in the markets where you live - you have to know what‘s happening in markets all around the world. CNBC can give investors that information. Our investment in TV Tokyo is cementing our position as the number one provider of television business news on a global basis."

"This investment underscores our commitment to quality global business news coverage in Japan and around the world," added Karen House, President, Dow Jones International. "CNBC Asia Pacific is Asia‘s premier business and financial information network - drawing on the vast resources of CNBC and the Dow Jones Asia network. This partnership with TV Tokyo further strengthens the brand and our ability to reach critical audiences in Asia."

Alexander Brown, President and CEO of CNBC Asia Pacific, said, "We welcome TV Tokyo‘s participation in Nikkei-CNBC as part of the broadening of CNBC‘s commitments to the Japan market. It is our belief that these investments will most importantly benefit Japanese viewers through the delivery of better business and financial news programming.

Irdeto Access, a leading player in content protection and management, has signed a license agreement with Zhengzhou Broadcasting & TV Information Network for delivery of its content protection system, Irdeto M-Crypt.
Irdeto Access, a subsidiary of MIH Limited, the Subscriber Platforms group and its Chinese partner, Shenzhen Advanced Video Info-Tech will together offer advanced technologies for the digital upgrade programme underway in the Zhengzhou cable TV network. The network currently offers 500,000 subscribers many analogue, digital and interactive multi-function valued-added services, says an official release. In addition, Zhengzhou provides data transmission and full network application solutions to government bodies, financial securities, education and enterprises.

Irdeto Access will provide a series of advanced digital conditional access (CA) system solutions for the project, including the digital CA system head-end and smart cards. The first order of smart cards has already been delivered to Zhengzhou Broadcasting & TV Information Network. Shenzhen AVIT is Irdeto Access‘ licensed partner in China that provides related products and STBs with integrated Irdeto Access‘ technologies, the release states.

Irdeto Access CA technology was localised for the Chinese market in 2001. From January 2002 when the Irdeto Access‘ technology was approved by the China State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), the deployment of its products has increased rapidly in China, the company claims.

Dubai will play host to the Global Entertainment and Media Exhibition (GEMEX) from 4 to 6 March 2003.
The exhibition, this time round, will feature an enhanced product profile in 2003 and be complemented by a series of seminars, conferences and workshops, aimed at providing media professionals with an opportunity to learn about the newest trends and technologies fuelling growth of the media industry in the region and globally, says an official release.

Star Vision, E-Vision, Pinnacle, Procast, Technosat, Mediacom, Triax and Tek Signals are among those who have confirmed their presence at the exhibition as well as several international companies, including Viaccess of France, Newtec of Belgium, Egyptian Satellite (Nilesat) and Worldspace of the UK and Jaeger of Taiwan. Other companies which have already confirmed their participation at GEMEX 2003 include Bond Communications, Broadnman, EVS, Glocom, Intelsat of the U.S., New World Media, Seven Star, Studiotech, Thales, Wafa and WISI.

GEMEX will also provide students and media graduates with unique opportunities to learn more about the media industry‘s newest trends and technologies as well as network with representatives from a range of key organizations in the field. Organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Media City with the support of International Conferences & Exhibitions is being built on the success of the former CABSAT event last year. It will feature an enhanced product profile and will be supported by a series of seminars, conferences and workshops organised by Gambate.

Not one, but three. Television software production house Creative Eye is making a splash into the movie making business with the announcement of three Hindi feature films, all slated for launch before the end of the calendar year.The first production goes on the floors in the first week of July and has been tentatively titled Tum Jo Mil Gaye. Produced by Dheeraj Kumar, the film has been scripted by ZD Lari, with the music composed by Pyarelal, and directed by Amol Shedge. The film, a "social romantic film" with a new pair in the lead role, is to be shot in India and New Zealand and is slated for a January 2003 release. The other two films are to be launched by the end of August and September 2002 respectively.

The company has so far produced more than 1,700 hours of programming consisting of social, suspense thrillers historical and mythological programmes. According to an official release, the current eight hours of programming per week on Doordarshan will be increased to 16 hours in 2002-03.