Shemaroo releases Dhamaal DVD

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Shemaroo Entertainment released the comedy hit Dhamaal in DVD format for Rs 199 and the VCD for Rs 49. This comedy has brought the hit 'jodi' of 'Munnabhai' fame - Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi - together once again.

The DVD has bonus features which includes - making of the film and cast and crew interviews. The story revolves around four friends who live and work together, where their idea of work is doing small time con jobs.

Considering that the film has mass appeal, the affordable pricing may be an attractive bargain for home viewers.

Nielsen to measure online TV viewing for Google

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Google and Nielsen have entered into a multi-year strategic relationship wherein Nielsen will measure online television viewing behaviour and bring demographic data to the Google TV Ads advertising platform.


The Nielsen data is intended to provide advertisers with better demographic data on viewer audiences. It will record the data Google collects through the set-top boxes from its cable and satellite partners.

Google TV Ads, which was launched on trial basis in April, offers a way to better target television commercials. The system offers an auction system to determine prices at certain time slots.

However, TV Ads may not be the only platform on which Google and Nielsen partner up. The two companies said that they would "explore a number of other opportunities " on which to collaborate.


Google has already been expanding its AdWords program, launching programs for radio and print media, along with the TV service.

Google TV Ads is similar to its AdSense program for online advertisements, which charges only for clickable ads.

Advertisers purchase time by bidding on specific time slots within programs. The charges are then determined by the number of television sets that actually display the advertisement.

Xbox Live, Percept tie up for 'Hanuman Returns'

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Call it sheer coincidence or the lure of Bollywood. Both gaming majors Microsoft Xbox Live and Sony Playstation are dangling the Bollywood carrot for their product launches in the competitive festive season ahead.

While Sony launched its game 'Singstar Bollywood' recently, now Microsoft Xbox Live has tied up with Percept Picture Company (PPC) for its upcoming animation film Hanuman Returns. The film is a sequel to the successful Hanuman which released in 2005.



Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan (left) and Percept Holdings joint MD Shailendra Singh.
Through this initiative, Percept will bring a whole new world of gaming and entertainment from Hanuman Returns content on the Xbox 360 Live. Moving forward Percept Picture Company will extend Hanuman through a series of animation films.

"We are excited to showcase the hugely anticipated Hanuman Returns on the Xbox Live service - a next generation platform for complete connected entertainment with an existing community of millions of users worldwide," said Percept Holdings Joint MD Percept Holdings Shailendra Singh.


Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division global president Robbie Bach said, "We have just celebrated the first anniversary of Xbox 360 in the country this year and it is with a celebratory spirit that we offer our Indian consumers even more entertainment options on Xbox 360. This is not only a firm reiteration of our commitment to the Indian market but also an exciting foray into connecting our Indian consumers to a world of 7 million Xbox Live members around the world."

Xbox Live is currently available in 25 countries across the globe. India will be the 26th market to launch Xbox Live.

India to have one million IPTV subscribers by 2011

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India will have one million IPTV subscribers by 2011 but for it to succeed companies need to get their act together in the areas of access, content and technology.


This was a point made at the IBE 2007 Conference in a session that examined IPTV's growth prospects in India. The speakers were IOL wholetime director AS Oberoi, Seachange India MD Vishwajeet Deshmukh and MTNL's Vandana Sethi.

Oberoi notes that IOL offers a content delivery network to MTNL and BSNL. IOL launched commercial operations in August in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore. It has also launched trial operations in other cities like Chennai.

In terms of access, companies need to have fibre optic infrastructure. A strong DRM system is also needed; otherwise, content owners will be wary pf parting with their offerings.

Oberoi says that IPTV offers the most robust DRM system which has made it easier for the company to deal with the Hollywood studios. Its VoD service offers thousands of English and Hindi movies. It has also tied up with companies like Satyam for e-learning. As time goes by, the company will also offer games on demand and music on demand.


He adds that IOL has deals with several firms. They include Seachange which offers servers, Amino for set top boxes and Cisco for routers. HP will help with IOL's Internet data Centre.

Sethi notes that IPTV allows for time shift viewing of television. HDTV can also be transmitted on the same network, provided it is modified accordingly. She notes that newer compression standards are available for more effective video delivery. The challenge is that customers are demanding and will not compromise on the quality of service.

Vh1 Digital announces 3 senior promotions

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Vh1 announced the promotion of Tina Imm as SVP and GM of the Vh1 digital division. The announcement was made by Vh1 GM and EVP Tom Calderone.

In her new role Imm will be responsible for overall strategy, creative direction, content development, and production for Vh1 Digital's platforms including: Vh1.com, Vh1Classic.com, Vh1 Mobile, Vh1 Games, and several of Vh1's existing and planned vertical sites.

In this position, she will also lead the content, promotional, and branding convergence between Vh1 and its digital properties.







Imm will also work under the oversight of Courtney William Holt, EVP of digital music and media for MTV Networks' Music Group, on digital strategy and initiatives, stated an official statement.

"Under Tina's leadership, Vh1 Digital has grown immensely. In addition to video streams on Vh1.com achieving triple-digital growth over the last two years, the last three months were our most streamed quarter ever," said Calderone.

"Tina's team has successfully grown our digital business by developing and launching made-for-mobile and broadband series, new sites like Vh1Classic.com and products like our Vh1.com syndicated video player."

Most recently, Imm was VP, Vh1 Digital a position she held since joining Vh1 in July 2004. Previously, Imm served as COO for Complex Media LLC, a media company that develops creative for youth culture through various media outlets.




Calderone also announced that Tony Carbone and Deb Kadetsky have been elevated to VP digital production and programming, and VP digital marketing respectively.

In his new role Carbone will manage and supervise all production and programming for Vh1 Digital. He will continue to oversee the digital and broadband production and programming departments.

Kadetsky will continue to lead the company's efforts to develop and implement strategic programming and promotional plans to support Vh1's digital initiatives across platforms - online, digital music, mobile and games.

Big FM hits air waves of Ranchi & Vizag

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Big FM has added two more stations to its kitty with the launch in Ranchi and Vizag. This takes its total number of stations across the country to 35.


Big 92.7 FM Ranchi has various programmes like Vandana followed by breakfast show Big Chai, Episode 927, Ye Meri Life Hai, Pyar Pange etc, Big Googly and Raater Chandni Main Aur Kaun.

In Vizag listeners will be exposed to a mixed content of Big Luck, Voice of Vizag, Andhra Soda buddi, Tollywood Tamasha, Style, Serial Killer, Lunchkosthava, Sye ante Sye and Sagar Kinare.

Commenting on its launches in Ranchi and Vizag, Big FM regional head east and south Soumen Ghosh Choudhury said, "We are completely geared and are eagerly looking forward to entertaining the cities of Ranchi and Vizag. It is our aim to create content that is relevant, credible and has an aspirational value for the listeners. We are sure the cities will welcome us with open arms and will enjoy the programmes on our station."

Lycra MTV crowns Shah Rukh Khan as Maha Style Icon

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Shah Rukh Khan has been voted 'Maha Style Icon of the Year', while Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai were voted the 'Most Stylish Actor' in the male and female category respectively at the Lycra MTV awards announced Thursday evening.

The awards held annually, honour the most stylish people in India across various categories. Hrithik and Aishwarya were also voted as the 'Most Stylish Couple of 2007' under a special poll for MTV viewers.

Meanwhile, Karan Johar was selected the Most Stylish Person in Television, while Atif Aslam was recognized for being the most Stylish Person in music.

Dhoom-2 was declared the Most Stylish Film.

Further, Ignatius Camello and Joey Matthew won the awards for the Most Stylish Person on ramp in the male and female category respectively. Abhishek and Nandita bagged the award for 'Lycra Breakthrough Designer of the Year.'




Amongst the lot that turned out to be a part of the awards were the star cast of Farah Khan directorial Om Shanti Om along with Dino Morea, Gul Panag, Gulshan Grover, Kim Sharma, Sanjay Gadhvi, Raghuvendra Rathod, Ashok Amritraj, Pooja Batra and Chak De gang-of-girls, amongst others.

The evening also saw special theme based acts from Atif Aslam with Vikram Phadnis ('My Tee' range), Shafqat Amanat Ali with Abhishek and Nandita ('Uniforms') and Hard Kaur with Vikram Phadnis ('Gangs' collection) and finally Raghu Dixit with Jatin Kocchar (Universe of the Young - Lycra brand line).

Meanwhile, Manish Malhotra displayed his collection based on the 'Retro' theme, with Arjun Rampal and Deepika Padukone walking the ramp.




The panel of judges for the awards comprised Atul Kasbekar, Farah Khan, Neha Dhupia, Anaita Adajania Shroff, Raghuvendra Rathore, Ramona Narang, Sheetal Malhar, Rohit Bal, Prahlad Kakkar, Manoviraj Khosla, Ambika Pillai, Narendra Kumar Ahmed and Mickey Contractor.

The Lycra MTV Style Awards will be telecast on MTV on 3 November at 1 pm.

Lip lock kiya jaye?

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My television screen nearly misted over this week. Conservative, staid television does take a stab or two at bold expressions once in a while. After a very long time, one actually got to witness a lip lock, although a very modest one, on Sab's Love Story this week.

Star Plus' Kasautii Zindagi Kay didn't go as far, but the serial that normally makes a living out of zooming in on Prerna and Bajaj's faces, actually had a pretty intimate scene between a young couple on air this week. Of course, the guy decently turned out the bedside lamp before the information and broadcasting ministry could point fingers at something objectionable.



The last time a Hindi soap bothered with a kiss was on Sony's Hubahu nearly four years ago, when Sandhya Mridul locked lips with Alyy Khan in a swimming pool. The incident created minor ripples (not in the swimming pool, duh!), but didn't jostle the TRPs much either.

Anurag Basu's Love Story shot its scene subtly and the kiss was portrayed as just an expression of young love. Most channels appear to have kept away from such scenes fearing backlash from conservative audiences and a Big Brother government. The result is assumed intimacy between romantic couples, while fights and squabbles are depicted in detail. So, while you may have witnessed a thousand showdowns between Tulsi and Mihir, or Saloni and Nahar, do you remember them getting intimate any time? I don't.



On the other hand, Star One's Chhoona Hai Aasman went a bit heavy on the gore this week. The lead pair who are a part of an air force division apparently ventured perilously close to enemy territory (although their cockpit windscreens stayed curiously stationary, with no shifting reflections) and were nearly shot at. Over in enemy land, there's conflict and some killing ensues. Knife at throat and gun at forehead, the killer prolongs torture for a while with the knife before finishing off his victime. A bit gruesome for prime time actually.

****

The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Sa Ga continues...

Once on to a good property, it must be tough to let go the temptation to keep milking it. Viewers barely breathed easy after the end of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, before being hit by the Lil Champs. Zee has this time roped in a bespectacled Sonu Nigam (who returns as judge after being anchor once upon a time) and veteran singer Suresh Wadkar, who looked distinctly uncomfortable in his new role in the inaugural episodes. It isn't easy bonding with very young participants, who come in from all corners of the world with stars in their eyes. Hope Wadkar settles in his groove as soon as he can.



Another music channel, some more Krazy Kiya Re and Main Hoon Don...The music stays the same, but if the first look of 9XM (INX Media's music channel that's just had its soft launch) is anything to go by, there will be lots of animated characters jumping in and out of the frame to aid proceedings. Apparently, it's just what the doctor ordered for the teenager who needs that bit of extra in his regular dose of Bollywood music. Let's see how the Vs and MTVs react to this one.



Couch potato's pick of the week - The weekends are getting busier, with Jjhoom India too launching on Sahara One. If you haven't got your fill of TV celebs exhibiting their hidden talents, head for this one!

India can become largest pay TV market in the world: Chandra

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During his keynote at Mipcom today, Zee Group CMD Subhash Chandra asserted that India had the potential to become the largest pay television market in the world.


However, Chandra remained steadfast that while newer distribution avenues would eat into the dominant share that cable enjoyed in Indian television households, that was not to imply that platforms like direct-to-home (DTH) would take over.

Chandra made the point during his interaction with Chris Forrester, Rapid TV News Editorial Director, who asked: "Do you see this threat (to television viewing) that today's youngsters will remain on a gaming, animation, or maybe mobile path?"

Chandra dismissed the notion as being higher on hyperbole than fact. "I don't see that day. When we started television everybody in the film industry said this is going to kill the industry. It didn't. It actually enhanced the film experience.



"Today in India, more than 70 films are screened per day and available to 70 million homes but still people watch cinema. Similar things will happen. All these newer avenues (for content to flow) will consume more and more media as they are made avilable at cheaper prices. As the newer applications come, they will all complement each other. Today we are showing gaming on the DTH platform."

Queried over whether going forward, he saw DTH becoming the primary feed into TV homes, Chandra responded: "It will not become the primary feed because regulation will not allow it, which is a good thing. But I do agree that other delivery platforms will take 40-50 per cent of the distribution market over next five-seven years."

On the issue of there being only one dominant or at the most two competing DTH platforms in other television markets, Chandra said: "India is a country of surprises. We will still be able to see two or three DTH platforms operating. Not five or six as is the case now though. So in that sense we will see consolidation."

On regulation, Chandra was quite clear that India needed it if the industry was to be able to grow in an orderly fashion. Said Chandra, "There should be regulation. Actually there is no regulation in India today. Only some guidelines on FDI caps and this kind of thing, nothing else."

Moser Baer acquires 800 Hindi films from Ultra Video

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Moser Baer India's aggressive play in the home video market continues. In a bulk deal, the Mumbai-based company has acquired over 800 Hindi and 100 Gujarati titles from home video major Ultra Video.

Ultra Video currently has a library of over 2200 movies.

Some of the Hindi titles are Sholay, Koi Mil Gaya, Andaz Apna Apna, 36 China Town, Iqbal, Dillagi, Bombay to Goa, Hero No 1, Saagar, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, Aradhana and Amar Prem.

The Gujarati movies include Desh Re Joya Dada Pardesh Joya, Gaam Ma Piyaryu Ne Gaam Ma Sasar, Unchi Medi Na Uncha Mol, Hiran Ne Kanthe, Jode Rahejo Raj and Moti Verana Chawk Ma.

Moser Baer will be releasing these titles in the home video market on DVD and VCD formats at attractive price points. It will use its proprietary and patented technology.

Says Moser Baer CEO Entertainment business Harish Dayani, "With this acquisition, we own or have license for over 2500 Hindi titles and for over 400 Gujarati titles. This acquisition enables us to offer some latest hit titles to consumers at affordable prices points between Rs 28 - Rs 39 for VCD / DVD, by leveraging upon our patented and proprietary technology."

The company will leverage its distribution reach to market these titles. Moser Baer has already lined up over 475 distributors across the country and stocks shall be soon available in around 100,000 outlets.

Moser Baer says its new division is close to acquiring copyrights / exclusive license for more than 9,000 titles in all major Indian languages, which comprises a third of all movies produced till date in India.

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Raj TV plans to launch Tamil news channel on 14 November

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Chennai-based Raj Television Network (RTN) has said that it plans to launch a Tamil news channel on 14 November.
The company has received approval from the information and broadcasting ministry for the news channel.

The proposed channel will have a mix of general and business news, the company said.
Raj Television is expanding its bouquet of channels as it strives to increase audience share in a Tamil market which is dominated by Sun TV Ltd.
Raj TV shares dropped 4.82 per cent on Monday to close at Rs 218.25 at the BSE.

DishTV targets 8 mn users; to invest Rs 1100 cr

Betting big on its new campaign with Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan along with its new offerings, Essel Group promoted DishTV is expecting over three-fold increase in its subscriber base to 8 million by 2011.

The DTH player has also earmarked Rs 1,100 crore in the next two years for expansion.

"We will invest Rs 1,100 crore in the next two years for expansion which includes introducing new services, advertising among other things," DishTV CEO Arun Kapoor told media.

The company, which currently has a subscriber base of 2.3 million, is targeting 8 million users by 2011, he said.

DishTV, which has roped in Shahrukh Khan as its brand ambassador, would seek to make people aware about the DTH technology and its benefits through the new advertising campaign.

It is aggressively targeting people all across the country through print, electronic media, outdoors and other media of advertising to strengthen the company's brand and maintain its dominant position in this industry.

Apart from DishTV, two other operational DTH players include Prasar Bharati owned DD Direct (2 million users) and private player Tata Sky (1 million users).

However, the DTH market is expected to witness a lot of competition in the near future with Bharti, Reliance, Sun TV and Videocon slated to enter the field.

Commenting on the upcoming competition in the DTH sector, Kapoor said, "we welcome competition as this will open up the DTH market".
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Enjoy first day, first show of latest movies at home

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Indian movie buffs may soon be able to watch the latest movie first day, first show in the comfort of their homes. US-based media solutions company, DG2L Technologies, plans to launch one of the first HD (hi-definition) interactive media services through an advanced set top box (STB). The company would launch its services under BOX Networks in the first quarter of 2008. The company would invest about Rs 300 crore to launch its hi-definition services in India.

DG2L Technologies chief executive officer Ankur Sheth said, “ In the first phase, our MPEG4 set top boxes would offer Bollywood content on demand. In the second phase, we would source live cricket content on hi-definition.” The company is initially looking at tapping about 1.8 million subscribers in metros.

“We are in talks with several top Bollywood content makers to be able to release their movies on our interactive hi-definition services. We are also looking at getting a strategic investor which would be a content maker in our company,” he said.

Besides launching its own hi-definition media services, DG2L Technologies is also looking at tying up with operators for live hi-definition content.” We are already providing our set-top boxes to WWIL and are in talks with several DTH operators,” he added.

The company is working on a subscription model. Besides selling individual STBs , the company has also tied up with Panasonic Plasma TV and will bundle its STBs. Currently, DTH and MSO operators offer pay per view services on digital cable.

Under this model, a consumer can watch a movie at a particular time and pay for the number of times he/she watches it. In video-on-demand , the consumer can pay for a movie and own that content for 24 hours and pause, forward and rewind the movie.

Last year, the digital media solution company had entered into a joint venture with UFO Moviez for end-to-end digital solution. The company has already digitised about 1,000 screens pan-India.

NDTV Good Times launches ACTVE Cooking on Tata Sky

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For viewers of NDTV Good Times on Tata Sky, the channel will showcase 'ACTVE Cooking' a feature service with round the clock cooking recipes and demonstrations along with tips and trivia.

All subscribers of Tata Sky across the country can access the ‘ACTVE Cooking’ service to plan their menu of the day and see dishes being prepared, at the click of a button.


Viewers will be able to access ‘ACTVE Cooking’ service from the ACTVE services bouquet menu on Tata Sky. The recipes and demonstrations can also be availed by clicking the red button icon that will appear on the channel every time the viewers tune into the channel.

The ‘ACTVE Cooking’ menu will have four window options with four recipes for that day - breakfast, lunch, dinner and an International recipe. Viewers can click on any of them, watch the recipes, and scroll the text on the side to note down their favourite recipes using the service. The recipes will change on a daily basis.


NDTV Lifestyle CEO Smeeta Chakrabarti said, "ACTVE Cooking is a novel concept and a unique interactive experience for our urban audiences comprising of working mothers and bachelors. The service will offer them easy access to cooking recipes and will allow them to cook, eat and relish some of the best dishes at the click of a button, wherever and whenever they want to, courtesy NDTV Good Times. It's like catching the cricket highlights of the day, whenever you can."

NDTV Good Times is a lifestyle channel targetted at a largely cosmopolitan, socially upbeat audience. NDTV has come together with the Kingfisher Brand in a first-of-its-kind media alliance for the promotion of the channel.


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Tata Teleservices launches Hindi infotainment zone on Indicom phones

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Tata Teleservices has unveiled 'Tata Zone' an infotainment space on Tata Indicom BREW-enabled mobile phones, in Hindi.


The company states that the rationale behind launching this is that about 66 per cent of all Indians speak Hindi, while less than 5 per cent understands English. Hence it is trying to increasingly embrace Hindi to drive adoption of data services among the non-English speaking population.


The Tata Zone - Hindi facility hosts a variety of applications like cricket, faith and prayers, Bollywood and Hollywood movies, news, astrology, funzone and games. The entertainment-packed zone also features an impressive and latest collection of ringtones and wallpapers.


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Google faces hacker threat

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You may need to be careful when you next log in to your Gmail account. Government has sounded an alert that the popular Google system, including its search engine, email and photo-sharing software, has reported "multiple vulnerabilities".

The prime official agency on computer security has issued an advisory that these Google products, and others like its Blogspot, have loose ends. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERTIN), working under the department of information technology (DIT), has also noted a "persistent email theft issue" affecting the popular Gmail service.

The advisory has been put on CERTIN's website — www.cert-in.org.in — amid reports that many government websites and emails of senior Union ministers and officials were being hacked.

CERTIN's director Gulshan Rai refused to specify factors that led to the advisory but said it was backed by valid reasons.

"We work on the principle of complete confidentiality. I cannot tell you any more than the advisory which is in the public domain," Rai said.

Google India's R&D head Prasad Ram recently announced that its vision for India was to empower users "by providing organised, easily accessible information and products which encourage the creation and consumption of locally relevant content".

The IT major's media managers said they were examining the advisory and would respond soon. An active Indian white hat — a hacker who operates in an "ethical or legal" domain on cyber security tasks — said while hacking was an ongoing activity, he was not aware of the Google system turning vulnerable.

As opposed to white hats, black hats indulge in activity that is criminal in nature while there is also a community of grey hats who, as might seem obvious, stride both fields.

CERTIN claimed that cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities — of "high" severity rating — have been reported in Google. XSS, it said, occurred when a web application gathered malicious data from a user. "The data is usually gathered in the form of a hyperlink which contains malicious content within it. The user will most likely click on this link from another website, instant message, or simply just reading a web board or email message," CERTIN explained.

CERTIN aims to become the "most trusted referral agency of the Indian community" for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.

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Tata Indicom festive offers

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Tata Teleservices Ltd has announced exciting schemes for Tata Indicom customers that could potentially win a brand new Tata Indica (diesel) car, which is the bumper prize.

As a part of Pandaga Samabralu offer, this is applicable for purchase of Huawei C2285 phone and a Walky for Rs 1,199 plus EMI of Rs 99 for three months.

The scheme also has other offers that come with a Pantech Slider colour phone and a Walky for Rs 1,999 plus EMI of Rs 99 for ten months. The customer also gets other assured gifts.

Commenting on the scheme, Mr S. Ramakrishna, Chief Operating Officer, AP Circle, Tata Teleservices Ltd, said this is a follow up of similar schemes offered by the operator in the past and hope this would motivate more customers.

20 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS


In another statement, TTSL announced that it had crossed the 20-million subscriber mark, which has come through in four years, which is the shortest among operators.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr Ashok Sud, President, Corporate Affairs, TTSL, said, “We have achieved this in four years while it was about 10 years in the case of other operators.”

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Dish TV signs on Shah Rukh

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Direct-to-home service provider Dish TV has signed on actor Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. The actor will feature in the new advertising campaign that the Essel Group company is launching shortly.
“Shah Rukh is a natural fit with the personality of the brand as we are harbingers of entertainment in this country and there is none better than him to symbolise the epitome of entertainment in India,” said Mr Arun Kumar Kapoor, CEO, Dish TV, in a statement.
Designed by Mr R. Balakrishnan, Executive Creative Director, Lowe, the campaign would be launched “simultaneously through a multi media blitzkrieg across the country”.
“I like the futuristic product idea and a fabulous brand theme that is simple but very interesting and very me. I hope people will warm up to my new look with Dish TV,” Shah Rukh Khan is quoted as having said.

Zee Sports America launches on Dish Network

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Zee TV USA has launched its sports channel Zee Sports America on EchoStar's satellite service platform Dish Network.

The channel was launched on 26 September on the Dish Network on channel 576.


The channel will provide coverage of South Asian sports such as Indian football, cricket, golf, and motor sports including Zee's original productions such as the Daily Sports News, Sports Café, Football Café, Sports Sunday, World Motor Sports Magazine, Twenty Two Yards, Cricket Talk and Cricket First.

"Zee Sports is the first homegrown Indian sports channel and through its grassroots activities redefines the traditional role of a television channel. Launching in the US is the first step in its continued attempts to spread its wings," stated Zee Sports CEO Himanshu Mody.

Zee Network head of Americas S Venkatasubramanian said, "This is a very important channel to the south Asian community in the US and we are very pleased to expand on our long term relationship with Dish Network that dates back to 1998. Zee Sports programming is broadcast today throughout south Asia and with the launch of this channel much of that quality content will now be available to the South Asian community in the US."



Zee TV USA manages the America's business of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) and it commenced operations in 1998. It operates four 24x7 South Asian television networks, Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Alpha etc Punjabi and Zee Gujarati. Zee Sports America is the fifth television channel from its stable.

Eros International acquires 100+ new Hollywood titles

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Eros International has announced plans to expand its library of Hollywood films by acquiring 146 English titles.

The new titles include Rambo 4, Rush Hour 3, Lonely Hearts, The Accidental Husband and Incubus.


Eros International director and president India Sunil Lulla says, "We are excited about adding to our existing range of home entertainment and as part of our consolidation strategy, tapping into new markets and reaching out to a wider spectrum of home viewing audiences”.

Eros senior VP – India operations Hanif Khatri says, “Eros plans to add a further 1000 titles to its international repertoire shortly and offer customers a wider range of premium Hollywood films”.


With this acquisition, Eros adds to its catalogue of Hollywood titles which include the Kill Bill series, the Oscar winning Aviator, Finding Neverland, Scary Movie III, My Boss’ Daughter.

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Airtel crosses 50 million customers in broadband & telephone

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Bharti Airtel has announced that it has crossed the 50 million customer mark.

The customer base covers mobile as well as broadband and telephone customers.

Commenting on this landmark, Bharti Airtel joint MD Akhil Gupta said, "We are delighted to have achieved this major landmark, which puts Bharti Airtel amongst the top telecom companies in the world. It underlines the strength of our unique business model and our vision to provide affordable services like lifetime prepaid to customers across the length and breadth of the country."




"This milestone highlights the emergence of India as one of the top telecom markets in the world and we are proud to have been at the forefront of this growth. Going forward, we believe this growth momentum will remain intact and we are gearing towards the 100 million customers mark," added Gupta.

To establish presence in all census towns and over 500,000 villages across India by 2010, the telecom major has plans to invest in network expansion. The company's focus will be on further strengthening the Airtel brand through better customer service, which is backed by wide national distribution.

In the Enterprise business, Bharti Airtel will invest substantially in the long distance business to achieve the scale of a global carrier within next 2-3 years.




In Broadband and Telephone SBU, Bharti Airtel will initiate large-scale deployments of broadband network infrastructure in 94 towns, with a focus on the home and SME segments. It is readying to offer triple play to its customers with the launch of its IPTV service. The company is also looking at commencing national DTH operations by the end of the current fiscal, stated an official release.

Bharti Airtel president and CEO Manoj Kohli added, "We are committed to create a world-class organization and benchmark it with the best in the world. As the market gets ready for the next wave of growth, we are committed to expanding our telecom networks wider and deeper across the country and partner India's growth story."

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Zee TV launching weekend prime time show 'Naaginn…'

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Zee TV will be launching a new weekend show Naaginn…waadon ki agniparikshaa on 5 October in the 8:30 pm slot.

The show, airing Friday to Sunday, is produced by AK Films.


Naaginn is a tale of an Ichadhari Naaginn who transforms herself to take revenge from the Rathod family that had killed her parents for attaining the invaluable Naagmani. She gets married in the same family but her duty as a wife and her love towards her husband comes in between her desire for revenge.


Zee TV business head Punit Goenka said, "The past one and a half years has seen Zee TV recover its sheen and glory through an excellent mix of programming and marketing. We have always believed in creating subjects in viewers' interest. The concept of Naaginn and it's unfamiliarity with the masses has always been of intrigue with the Indian audiences and I am confident that this show would largely appeal to them."

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'Boogie Woogie' goes international, to hold auditions in Dubai

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Sony Entertainment's long running dance show Boogie Woogie has gone International.

Auditions have now been extended outside India with participation invited from across the globe with the first destination being Dubai.

This first ever international audition for the show will be held in Dubai from 18 October to 20 October. Naved Jaffrey and Ravi Behl will be present on the grounds to hand pick contestants who they think can be the part of Boogie Woogie.


Speaking about the reasons for conducting auditions in Dubai, Sony Entertainment Television president Rohit Gupta says, "Dubai is a key market for Sony Entertainment Television and we always attempt to bring big entertainment opportunities for our viewers and advertisers here. After the huge success of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa event last year during Dubai Shopping Festival, followed by our first ever International auditions for Indian Idol 3 in Dubai, we now bring Sansui Boogie Woogie for the first time to Dubai."

For 11 years, Boogie Woogie has been running innumerable themes, special shows, championships that have given a platform to a cross-section of people from all ages, and cities to showcase their talent on the small screen.



"Opening the platform for participation to talented and aspiring dancers of all age-groups, we are sure that our Dubai viewers will welcome the show with a huge response as always. I would like to thank all our associates and partners in Dubai for their consistent support and commitment in making our every effort in Dubai a huge success and look forward to coming back with more such surprises to Dubai," Gupta added further.

To make participation and registration easy, Sony Entertainment Television has set up an exclusive SMS gateway. Aspirants of all age-groups can participate by sending and SMS DANCE to 3536.


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Big FM to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti in 'Gandhigiri' style

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Big FM Kolkata is celebrating Gandhi Jayanti by hosting a daylong activity to promote camaraderie between commuters and drivers of public vehicle.


As a part of the campaign the FM station is organising a meet and greet for drivers and commuters of Kolkata at three important bus stands. Eminent Kolkatans and RJs of Big FM will speak about the important issue in the meet.


Big FM Kolkata station director Bodhayan Roychaudhury said, "An eye for an eye will only lead to blindness, and what better way than through Gandhigiri to assuage the friction between drivers and commuters. We invite all Kolkatans to join hands in a Big way for this initiative. We are confident that our drive will unite the entire city on a common platform as they come together for this common cause."

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Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon gets positive response

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The Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon takes place next month.

Some big names in long distance running, led by the defending champions among men and women, Francis Kibiwott and Lineth Chepkirui, have confirmed their presence for the third edition of the event.


Promoters Procam International say that they have been swamped by a deluge of last minute entries. The firm claims that indications are strong that all the categories will be oversubscribed, with the event getting 30,000 participants.


The 2,500 running places in the Senior Citizens’ Run and the 200 in the Wheelchair Category have been filled up, with figures fast piling up for the Half Marathon and the Great Delhi Run. In view of this, and accounting for some amount of rejections, promoters Procam International are yet accepting entries because a window of opportunity still exists for runners desirous of enjoying the half marathon experience.
The response to the charity drive has also been encouraging, with personalities from all walks of life signing up for the Dream Team, while major corporate entities are lining up for the Corporate Challenge and the Corporate Sporting Challenge. In the past two editions the event has generated in excess of Rs 20 million towards charity and concerted efforts are on from GiveIndia, the Official Charity Partner, to ensure that the figure is eclipsed this time around.

Powerful Charity Drive: Film actresses Yana Gupta, Nafisa Ali, Ajay Bakaya of the Sarovar Group of Hotels and Ajay Bijli of the PVR Cinema Group are some of the prominent names already confirmed for the Dream Team, while some of the corporate majors who have signed up for the Corporate Challenge include HSBC, HDFC, Google, Apollo Tyres, Cannon, American Express Bank, Coca Cola, TV 18, NDTV, ABN Amro, ONGC, DELL, Ericsson, to name a few.

World Class Field: The best timing among men in the elite athlete field is credited to Kenya’s Patrick Makau, whose personal best is 58.56 minutes. The other names with sub-hour personal bests are Kenya’s Philip Rugut (59.45), the winner in 2005, Kenya’s Evans Cheruyiot (59.12), the winner at Rotterdam in 2007 and defending champion Francis Kibiwott of Kenya ( 59.26). Makau’s and Cheruyiot also have the distinction of recording the second and third fastest timings in the half marathon this year

Among the women, defending champion Lineth Chepkirui of Kenya will have to contend with the 2005 winner Irina Timpeyeva of Russia. The other big names in the field include Kenya’s Pamela Chepchumba, and Alice Timbilil, the winner and runner-up respectively at the Philadelphia half marathon 2007.

One of the new initiatives for the third edition of the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon has been the Marathon Training Programs being conducted by Reebok, the Official Training and Sportswear Partner. The training programs have received an encouraging response from the people of Delhi and the corporates and will be one of the major vehicles towards improving and bettering the physical standards of running enthusiasts in the years to come.

Vodafone Initiatives: Vodafone has announced an invitation to the Residents Welfare Associations (RWA’s) of Delhi to be part of the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon. It will provide an ideal platform to bring the welfare associations to centre stage by motivating the residents to participate in spirit and body. The best RWA will be judged by a noted celebrity on the race day basis certain predefined criteria.

The winning team will be given a cash prize of Rs. 100,000 which can be used effectively for the benefit of the RWA. In addition, the team members of the winning team will also get a cash prize of Rs. 5000 each. Besides, the three runners up teams will also get a cash prize of Rs. 20,000 each.

Hamster wheels have been put up in high congregation areas around the NCR region for people to get a feel of running the marathon. Young and energetic fitness enthusiasts are cheerleading those running on the Hamster wheel

Test your Stainless Will: An event like the half marathon throws up stories of the triumph of the human spirit and very few of these come to light during the event. The build-up till Race Day is as important as the actual run – the discipline, the practice, the teamwork, the motivation, the camaraderie and obviously the stainless will!

In another initiative, supported by Associate Sponsor Jindal Stainless, Procam International invites those who have experienced the magic of the half marathon to tell the world his or her story. The best stories will be put up on the official website and the top stories will be rewarded with Jindal Stainless art d’inox products.

Your Race Day Photos : Procam International has tied up with Marathon-Photos.com. For the first time in India, each runner will have an opportunity to own his/her momentous running highlights captured in photographs by Marathon-Photos.com, the official Photographer of the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon.

Sahara One launches prime time daily 'Main Aisi Kyun Hoon'

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Sahara One Television launched its new serial Main Aisi Kyun Hoon which will start airing from 8 October.
Slotted for primetime at 8:30 pm, this is a daily serial that will air weekdays from Monday to Thursday.
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Sahara One Television programming head Kalyan Sundaram said, "This is our attempt to present our viewers with varied shades of entertaining storylines through our shows. With Biggest Loser doing so well for the channel, I am confident about this one as well."
Main Aisi Kyun Hoon is a story of a 26-year-old girl brought up in a conservative middle class Maharashtrian family. Sanjana is hyper imaginative girl with modern outlook towards life. Her family is pressurizing her to get married but Sanjana is against it. Her life takes an unexpected twist when her childhood love Siddharth returns from US married. Nearing her 30s Sanjana refuses to let go her past and move on in life.
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Sundaram further added, "Our programs are an outcome of researches done to find out what our audience wants. Latest research concluded that viewers want regressive storyline."
"This show tells us the story of today's changing times where Indian women are highly progressive yet practising and respecting their cultural values. Main Aisi Kyub Hoon will show Sanjana;s relationship with everyone around her," added Sundaram.
The show is produced by actor Paresh Rawal's Playtime Creations which has also produced Shubh Mangal Savadhan for the channel earlier.
The lead character of Sanjana is played by Nazneen Patel and Khalid Siddiqui will play Siddharth.

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Microsoft storms Google’s turf

Microsoft has used its might, clout and smarts to take on any number of products and services—the browser, the operating system, the portable music player, to name just three—with varying degrees of success. Now, it is taking solid aim at a business that is arguably outside its core competence: advertising. And it is deliberately facing off against a specialist, Google.

The general in charge of part of Microsoft’s assault, Brian McAndrews, joined the company just last month and is still learning its way of doing things. But he does know the Internet ad business, having run aQuantive, the advertising company that Microsoft acquired for $6 billion last month.

AQuantive’s main competitor in technology is DoubleClick, the ad company that Google announced it would buy for $3.1 billion in April, so the competition will be face to face. Google, the dominant force in Internet advertising, has a running start, but Microsoft has a leg up: Its deal for aQuantive is done, while Google’s bid for DoubleClick still faces scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission.

McAndrews has a long-term strategy that boils down to divorcing online advertising from Internet searches. The two have been viewed as a couple, because so many people use portals and search engines as their home base on the Web, but McAndrews says that model shortchanges advertisers and Web publishers.

McAndrews’ proposed system, called “conversion attribution”, would track all of the online places where consumers see ads and give advertisers a fuller picture of the various ways that consumers reach them. Tracking is important, because the site that gets credit for prompting a user’s visit is the one that gets paid for it.

McAndrews contends that search engines, which long have claimed credit for sending people to companies’ websites, do not deserve it all.

“Google gets all the credit, and in fact, you might have just gone to Google to type in the URL,” McAndrews said, pointing out that people often search for companies’ names after seeing their ads elsewhere.

Using technology from aQuantive’s Atlas division, Microsoft will be able to provide advertisers with a log of all the places on the Internet where people see ads before going to the advertisers’ websites. The data is based on individual computers’ electronic signatures, not individual people.

Atlas, which delivers online ads to websites, has been working on such a system for more than a year and is running pilot tests with it.
DoubleClick introduced a similar technology in July.

But Atlas contends that the system will be expensive to deploy without Microsoft, because it requires vast server capacity to analyse billions of ad impressions each day, said Young-Bean Song, a vice-president of Atlas. He said that Microsoft would be able to use the new tracking capability to prove the value of its ad space, much of which is unrelated to search.

“Microsoft recognises that in order to get TV dollars and traditional advertising dollars, you need this type of measurement to really show this value; otherwise the answer over and over again is: ‘buy more search’,” Song said. “All the portals, including MSN, have a lot to gain from this.”

While this system is still a work in progress, Microsoft will announce a more modest advance: changes to the MSN Video site that are supposed to make the ads there less intrusive and more ubiquitous. This development is a response to Google’s announcement in August that its YouTube site would overlay advertisements on the bottom of some online videos.

MSN Video will play fewer video ads in a session, but increase the reach of the ads by showing them once every three minutes. Until now, video ads have appeared at the start of every two clips, even if those clips were only 10 seconds long. The change is also meant to make sharing videos easier, which MSN hopes will encourage more online video watching.

Since announcing the deal to buy aQuantive, Microsoft has been expressing its online advertising ambitions more loudly. “We are hell-bent and determined to allocate the talent, the resources, the money, the innovation, to absolutely become a powerhouse in the ad business,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, at the company’s financial analyst meeting in July.

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