Mumbai: Global broadcast industry magnates will attend the Indian broadcast industry?s annual global festival that starts this year. The inaugural Indian TV Festival will be held in Goa for two days from 2 November 2012, providing for the first time a platform to network and exchange ideas for television executives and people who create and ideate.

Zee TV?s Subhash Chandra, Star Network?s James Murdoch, Sony America CEO Michael Lynton, Disney International chairman Andy Bird, Channel 4 head commercial marketing and research Hugh Johnson and HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink and executives from companies Comcast and Fremantle will speak at the festival.

The festival is being organised by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). It will have interactive seminars, keynote sessions, as well as a marketplace with 60 stalls exhibiting content relating to every television genre.

Star india CEO Uday Shankar, who is also IBF president, said the event had been in the making for a year. "We wanted to create and sustain a platform where the broadcast community can meet to exchange ideas. It will be an annual event where members of the broadcast industry and their allied partners will come."

The event will be used by industry members to share their vision and the way forward. "We do not come together to share ideas and best practices. The aim is to meet away from our workplace and competitive mindsets. The aim is to make this event the most iconic television gathering of creativity, minds and strategy," said Shankar.

Sunil Lulla, Times Television Network MD & CEO, and his team have put together the event.

Turner International India GM Entertainment Networks South Asia Monica Tata noted that the industry is worth Rs. 330 billion and is expected to reach Rs 1000 billion by 2017. "We have to set ourselves for the future. Television penetration is 60 per cent which means that there is opportunity for growth. New technologies like high definition, DTH offer opportunities."

"This is an event that is of, by and for the industry. The event will look at ideation across all genres including general entertainment, news, sports. The television industry needs to collaborate more strongly. Media Partners Asia is our knowledge partner and they will release a report at the event," Tata said.

Times Television?s Sunil Lulla said the event is for people who make TV happen. "For the industry to grow three fold you need conversation which will allow for new ideas to be formed. You need confidence so that competitors can also be collaborators. You also need commitment. The event will allow people who offer technology and services to meet people. Goa makes magic happen which is why we are holding the event there. We will announce more speakers in due course. The aim is to have an event that is full of dialogue."

MUMBAI: HBO Asia and creative services company Infinite Studios have announced the production of an English language action-horror feature film in Asia, Dead Mine. This is the first time HBO Asia is producing a feature in Asia.

HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink said, "HBO Asia is very excited to be working with Infinite Studios on our very first original feature film co-production. This is truly a landmark announcement and is another important milestone for HBO Asia."

Infinite Studios CEO Mike Wiluan added, "Infinite Frameworks? rich cinematic pedigree has enabled the company to evolve into a fully fledged studio that now develops and produces quality content with international strategic partners such as HBO Asia. This unique co-production will be the first under our new incarnation as Infinite Studios, the first to utilise our new soundstage facilities in Batam, Indonesia, and will help contribute to the growth of our industry in South East Asia. I?m delighted at the prospect of working with HBO Asia on their first venture in original content production."

Shot entirely in Batam, Indonesia in a new 30,000 sq ft studio facility and featuring a mix of international and regional actors, creative and technical talent, Dead Mine will be given theatrical releases in regional Asian territories followed by television premieres across the HBO Asia network next year.