MUMBAI: Thinkbox has announced that European entertainment network RTL Group and e UK entertainment and communications company Virgin Media have joined the organisation as Associate Members.

RTL Group and Virgin Media are Thinkbox?s first Associate Members, which entails consultation and involvement across Thinkbox activities and with Thinkbox?s working groups. Full shareholder status is currently reserved for TV broadcasters and their sales representatives.

Thinkbox CEO Tess Alps said, ?We?re delighted that both RTL and Virgin Media have decided to support Thinkbox?s mission by becoming our first Associate Members. We?re also grateful for the acknowledgement of the work we are doing and their desire to help us do more to explain the commercial opportunities in TV?s rapidly developing future, be that TV on-demand, addressable advertising or product placement. We look forward to working with them and our shareholders to continue helping advertisers enjoy the unparalleled success that TV advertising, in all its forms, brings.?

VMDS for Virgin Media commercial director Mark Brandon said, ?Virgin Media is pleased to become an Associate Member of Thinkbox. The TV advertising value chain is evolving fast, with next generation TV platforms such as Virgin Media playing an increasingly prominent role in this evolution. We look forward to bringing our content knowledge, on demand expertise and business perspective to Thinkbox.?

Thinkbox?s shareholders are Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media, Turner Media Innovations and UKTV. Thinkbox represents over 90 per cent of the commercial TV market in the UK through its shareholders? owned and partner channels.
 

MUMBAI: Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers from Operation Elveden in the UK have arrested four current and former employees from The Sun newspaper.

Searches have also taken place at the homes and offices of those arrested.

News Corp. commissioned the Management and Standards Committee (MSC) to undertake a review of all News International titles, regardless of cost, and to proactively co-operate with law enforcement and other authorities if potentially relevant information arose at those titles.

As a result of that review, which is ongoing, the MSC provided information to the Elveden investigation which led to today?s arrests.

No comment can be made on the nature of that information to avoid prejudicing the investigation and the rights of individuals.

The MSC gave the MPS every assistance during the searches of News International premises while ensuring that all appropriate steps were taken to protect legal and journalistic privilege. It also provided the option of immediate legal representation to those arrested.

News Corp. said it will continue to give its total support to the continued work of the MSC and to ensure that legitimate journalism is vigorously pursued in both the public interest and in full compliance with the law.

The MSC was established by News Corp. in July 2011 to take
responsibility for all matters in relation to phone hacking at the News of the World, payments to the police and all other related issues at News International.

The MSC structure is independent and autonomous from News International. It is authorised to conduct internal investigations to fulfil its responsibilities in relation to News International?s papers. It has powers to direct News International staff to co-operate fully with all external and internal investigations, and to preserve, obtain and disclose appropriate documents.

These internal investigations are being conducted by the law firm Linklaters, who are the strategic legal advisers to the MSC.

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks is expanding its UK presence by wholly acquiring the channels business of Dolphin Broadcasting and taking a majority stake in ad sales house, Dolphin TV.

The five Dolphin television channels are Movies4Men, Movies4Men+1, Movies4Men2, Movies4Men2+1 and Men&Movies. The channels target an older, male demographic, offering movies and television content including war, western and action films. They are available on Sky and Freesat, as well as Freeview in Manchester.

The acquisition of Dolphin?s channels business will add five new channels to SPT?s UK network portfolio, building on SPT?s launch of the Sony Entertainment Television channel in April this year.

The stake in Dolphin TV Ltd is an important step in SPT?s long term goal to build an advertising sales business across Europe, joining other SPT advertising joint ventures in territories including Romania and Croatia.

SPT senior VP, networks, Europe, Middle East and Africa Eddie Nelson said, "Increasing our foothold in the UK is an important part of our EMEA growth plan. As a well established specialist in the UK?s multichannel market, Dolphin is an ideal fit for SPT as we develop our channel portfolio and focus on expanding Dolphin?s market share of advertising sales. We are extremely excited about working with Dolphin?s existing clients and developing the teleshopping business."

Dolphin?s channels business will now merge with SPT?s existing UK networks business, led by SVP broadcast and channel development, Kate Marsh, who reports into Nelson.

Dolphin TV MD David Goffin said: "Sony Pictures Television is a great strategic fit for our own channels and our advertising sales business. Naturally we are delighted to become part of SPT. The UK sales market is rapidly evolving and this allows us to invest in our core areas of spot and teleshopping sales."

Dolphin TV, the ad business, will continue to operate under the same name and management team, and from the same office in London. The business is led by Goffin, who now reports into Nelson. Current Dolphin TV spot advertising clients include CSC Media Group?s True Movies and the Welsh broadcaster, S4C; with teleshopping clients Channel 4, ITV, BskyB, Chello and Ulster TV.

MUMBAI: Amid a global economic downturn, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) is looking at a 9 per cent growth from its international business this fiscal.

India?s leading broadcasting network overseas will see international income up from advertising, syndication and other operations while subscription revenue will stay almost flat.

?Historically, we were very subscription-led. But for the last three years we have developed other revenue streams like mainstream advertising and syndication, which are posting growth. That enabled us to launch many products,? said Zeel international business head Bharat Ranga in an interview with Indiantelevision.com, while refusing to disclose any financials.

Zeel had posted an international subscription revenue of Rs 4.09 billion in FY?11, degrowing by 2 per cent over the year-ago period. In the first six months of this fiscal, the company has reported revenue of Rs 1.93 billion.

Zeel announces its international subscription revenues, but does not disclose the break-up of its advertising income from India and other markets.

The depreciation of the rupee against the dollar would somewhat help Zeel in the second half, but the economies of UK and Europe still remain terribly stressed.

?Europe and UK remains a huge challenge but within this turmoil, the South Asians are somewhat better placed. However, because our competitors sell very cheap or even make free content available, growth is still a challenge,? said Ranga.

Zeel launched Zee Caf?, a hybrid channel, to arrest degrowth in that market. The channel airs cricket and regional fiction shows sub-titled in English, among other lines of content.

So will the company launch more channels in global markets? ?We are very selective about launching Indian channels in these markets. We launch only when we spot gaps. In UK, we felt that there was a male product gap. We would like to launch when we see that there is an instant market need. We want to first harness the growth of these new launches,? said Ranga.

Zeel has also paced up its localisation strategy in global markets, which keeps it far ahead of its rivals. Zee Aflam, for instance, has seen reasonable growth and reached break-even status within three years. Other localisation experiments are already on in Malaysia, Russia and, to a limited extent, in France in partnership with Canal.

Will Zeel launch local products in more markets? ?There are plans in additional markets but we can?t disclose now because it is strategic in nature. We have developed homegrown tools to identify markets,? said Ranga.

MUMBAI: Alan Yentob, BBC?s Creative Director, will join the board of BBC Studios and Post Production as a non-executive director.

A commercial subsidiary of the BBC, the company offers world-class studios, post production and digital media services to the media industry.

Based at London?s Television Centre, Elstree and Bristol, it works in partnership with media companies creating and managing content across all genres for a variety of broadcasters including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and the BBC.
 

Yentob said, ?I am delighted to be joining the BBC Studios and Post Production Board as it continues to build on recent strong performance. I look forward to working with colleagues on the board to further develop a successful business model for the future.?

BBC Studios and Post Production chairman John Tate said, "I am delighted that Alan is joining the BBC Studios and Post Production Board. He brings a wealth of experience from the UK creative sector, and I?m very much looking forward to working with him and building a strong future for the business."

As the BBC?s Creative Director, he is at the creative helm of the BBC and has oversight across the BBC?s services in all media. He is BBC Films chairman and is the focal point for talent management across the whole of the organisation.

Previously BBC One andBBC Two controller, he became director of programmes in production in 1997 before becoming Director of Television with responsibility for BBC Television?s terrestrial and digital channels. Alan has held his current post since 2004.

His other responsibilities have included membership of the boards of The South Bank and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and Chairmanship of the Institute of Contemporary Art. He is currently Chairman of children?s charity Kids Company.

Under CEO Mark Thomas, BBC Studios and Post Production is the largest studios and post facilities provider in the UK. Last year it worked with over 250 media companies and other customers. The business has just completed its best ever year with the highest profitability since it was formed in 1998.