MUMBAI: Ficci has lined up heavyweight speakers at its annual media trade event Frames taking place next month. Sony Pictures president World-wide networks, Television Andy Kaplan will deliver a keynote on ?The Future of TV?, while Viacom International Media Networks president, CEO Bob Bakish and Network18 Group CEO Sai Kumar will talk on ?Breaking the Barrier Between the Local and the Global.?

The overarching theme of Frames this year is ?Engaging a Billion Consumers?.

Also giving keynotes are Disney Media Network co-chair and Disney ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney and Walt Disney International chairman Andy Bird. UCLA Film School, USA dean Teri Schwartz will talk about ?Skills in M&E: The Next Big Leap towards creating greater talent?.

There will also be masterclasses. A master-class on ?Screenwriting for TV Audience? will be given by American screenwriter and television producer Tim Kring. He is best known for his creation of the drama series ?Strange World?, ?Crossing Jordan?, ?Heroes? and ?Touch?. Another master-class will be on ?The Effective use of Music in Cinema? by Warner Bros Music VP Seymour Stein.

Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha will give a master-class on ?Engaging Diaspora Audiences?. A master class on Animation will be given by Turner International Asia Pacific creative director Glenn Bartlett.

MUMBAI: Former Walt Disney Company executive Giorgio Stock is set to join Turner International as president of Turner Broadcasting System Europe, Middle East and Africa, effective April.

Stock joins Turner after a 15-year career at Disney. He was most recently EVP and GM- Disney Consumer Products, Publishing and Retail, EMEA.

He will lead Turner International?s portfolio in EMEA. He will have executive oversight for all entertainment and kids networks and media services offered in EMEA, the distribution and commercial operations of CNN?s services in that region, and all licensing and merchandising activity in EMEA.

Turner Broadcasting System International president Gerhard Zeilers said, "We are delighted that Giorgio is joining us. His success in international licensing and merchandising, his experience in launching kid?s programmes and channels, as well as his deep understanding of digital commerce make him the ideal choice to lead our business in EMEA into the next stage of growth. Looking with fresh eyes at our business as a true leader, he will be a strong addition to Turner Broadcasting System International. We all look forward to working with him to extend our core brands and build international scale."

Stocks said, "I am excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to working with Gerhard, the EMEA leadership team and our colleagues throughout the region to build on a history of creativity and innovation. Opportunities abound to expand our brands and franchises across both existing and emerging platforms and to build the foundations for new consumer relevant propositions, leveraging the vast creative output and resources of both Turner and Time Warner."

Turner Broadcasting System currently broadcasts 17 branded channels via 53 feeds in 27 languages to over 100 territories in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The channels include CNN International, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito, Boing, Adult Swim, TNT, TCM and Glitz.

MUMBAI: The New Year might well be the beginning of battle between Walt Disney?s ESPN and News Corp?s Fox Sports Media Group (FSMG) for supremacy in the US sports broadcasting business.

Fox has taken the inorganic route to take on the market leader ESPN. Close on the heels of buying 49 per cent stake in Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (Yes), the News Corp-owned sports network has now snapped up SportsTime Ohio for $230 million.

The Cleveland-based regional sports network offers local telecasts of Cleveland Indians games.

Additionally, FSMG has secured the exclusive long-term local telecast rights for Indians baseball, ensuring that the Indians will once again be part of the Fox Sports portfolio of regionally televised hometown teams. Prior to the 2006 season, Indians games were locally televised by Fox Sports Ohio.

Fox Sports Ohio serves more than five million homes throughout the state of Ohio, as well as portions of Kentucky, Indiana, western Pennsylvania, western New York, and West Virginia. Fox Sports Ohio is the exclusive regional TV home of the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, Xavier Musketeers, and Cincinnati Bearcats.

SportsTime Ohio also offers other locally relevant sports content, including Cleveland Browns programming, OHSAA football and basketball playoffs and championships, and Mid-American Conference events.

"The acquisition of SportsTime Ohio solidifies our business in Ohio, and Fox Sports Media Group?s new long-term agreement with the Indians reunites the team with the FOX Sports family," said Fox Sports Networks EVP Jeff Krolik.

"We look forward to once again showcasing the Indians to their fans, as well as working with the Indians ownership to continue to enhance the value of this iconic franchise."

Cleveland Indians Chief Executive Officer Paul Dolan said, "We look forward to a long-term partnership with FOX that will continue to bring state-of-the-art broadcasts of Indians games to the fans while strengthening the franchise and enhancing our ability to build competitive teams."

Through its subsidiary Fox Sports Networks (FSN), Fox Sports Media Group runs 20 owned-and-operated regional sports networks, which collectively produce over 5,000 live local events each year and serve as the exclusive regional TV home to more than half of all MLB, NHL, and NBA teams.

In Asia, News Corp had acquired ESPN?s 50 per cent stake in Asian sports broadcasting joint venture ESPN Star Sports for $335 million. It was followed by a $1.99 billion bid for a complete takeover of Australian billionaire Packer?s Consolidated Media Holdings, which holds 50 per cent of Fox Sports and 25 per cent of Foxtel.