|
 News From You
We receive dozens of news tips and press releases each week from ftm contributors. We want MORE. And we want to share the raw information as quickly as possible. NEWS FROM YOU is the forum for adding what you know to what we know. Share what you know...or what your hear. We will apply the light-touch of the editors axe for clarity. We will also accept NEWS FROM YOU in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese...without translation. (We do insist on being able to understand what you contribute.) You also must clearly indicate that your contribution is for publication in NEWS FROM YOU.
Please note: we cannot use PDF files, only text and .doc files.
Send us NEWS FROM YOU
Hot topics click link for more
Week ending September 20, 2008
Central European Media Enterprises Ltd., a leading television broadcaster in Central and Eastern Europe, and MTV Networks International, a division of Viacom Inc., today announced a multi-year licensing agreement granting CME rights to launch a localised MTV channel in the Czech Republic, as well as the opportunity to distribute the channel via cable and satellite platforms in the Slovak Republic.
MTV Czech, which is slated to launch in the first half of 2009, will operate as a fully-localised, 24-hour youth lifestyle channel, providing the very best in international and local music and long-form programming. MTVNI will work closely with CME and TV Nova to offer viewers a mix of locally produced content, Czech adaptations of MTV formats and internationally renowned programs such as Pimp My Ride and Cribs subtitled in Czech. MTV Czech will be available as part of TV Nova's family of terrestrial and cable entertainment and thematic channels.
Bhavneet Singh, Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Emerging Markets, MTVNI commented: "The Czech Republic has been a priority market for us for some time now and we're delighted to announce this deal and the extension of our strategic partnership with CME. This is the very first MTVNI service to launch in the Czech Republic, marking a real milestone in our network's history, and further strengthens our MTV brand footprint across Central and Eastern Europe. Our aim is to provide the best content across multiple media platforms and create the ultimate go-to entertainment destination for Czech youth."
Michael Garin, CME's Chief Executive Officer, added: "We are thrilled to be launching MTV in the Czech Republic. Our strong partnership with MTV enhances our ability to deliver our multichannel strategy. We now have 22 networks across our markets and look forward to working with MTV to expand further."
Petr Dvorak, General Director of TV Nova, said: "We are excited to have the opportunity to include MTV into the TV Nova group of channels. We believe that MTV Czech will complement our existing portfolio of channels, giving our viewers and advertisers an even more complete media offering. With the digitalisation processes in the Czech and Slovak Republics already underway, we will be able to offer the audience additional program diversity under the Nova umbrella."
MTVNI's Emerging Markets group is one of the fastest growing regions in MTVNI's portfolio of multi-platform businesses. The Emerging Markets group manages 26 television channels, 24 websites, one broadband channel and three mobile TV channels encompassing the MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, VIVA and Comedy Central brands in Central & Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East. MTVNI is owned by Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
CME operates 22 broadcast networks, as well as pay-TV channels, Internet properties and other media businesses in seven countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine - with an aggregate population of 97 million people. In the past five years CME has shown 31% compound annual revenue growth rate and has been one of the fastest growing media companies in the world.
Europa selects its best productions: Television - Radio - Emerging Media
"There is a growing readiness within the broadcasting organisations to let real life tell its stories, and not to look the other way - even if it hurts", says Festival Director Susanne Hoffmann about the nominations 2008. "The subjects that are dealt with are often hard-hitting and sometimes cross the borders of the familiar. But the approach is always full of respect and the results are highly authentic."
"The best stories are written by life itself" - could be the motto for the Fiction categories this year. Many productions involve a current affairs backdrop, e.g. the Austrian film about the neo-Nazi Franz Fuchs becoming a letter-bomb terrorist or the British nomination "The Mark of Cain" about a soldier returning from Irak. The Georgian radio drama "Caleidoscope or Before the Examination" deals with the psychological and social consequences of the war in Abchasia at the beginning of the 90s.
Personal fates are shown in detail but without voyeurism, sometimes even by those directly affected, like actress Sandrine Bonnaire in her documentary about her autistic sister "Elle s’appelle Sabine" or in the film "NoBody's Perfect" directed by Nico von Glasow, who himself suffers from the disabling side-effects of the drug "Contergan".
The subjects integration and migration are very present. They not only dominate the multicultural category IRIS but also provide a red thread in television documentary, fiction and radio docs. Even five of the 22 nominated websites are built around these themes.
Interestingly, TV Current Affairs, focuses on economic rather than political themes for the first time. The Ukrainian film "Bomb under Chernobyl" deals with an international corruption scandal, the Norwegian production "Dirty Cargo" shows how inferior petrol is produced for the African market.
Belarus is a European region that provides another focus for PRIX EUROPA 2008, with four entries, one Belarusian tv-documentary nomination and two Polish productions about Belarus.
Comedies were rarely entered, but the radio- and television nominations are full of humour. Remarkably few crime stories or literary adaptations are found this year, and science fiction scenarios only appear in two radio drama nominations.
Of the 582 entries 213 productions from 31 European countries managed to get into the competition. They promise controversial and explosive topics for heated discussions among the 1000 journalists and media professionals, who will be coming to the festival from all over Europe.
Many good, fascinating and important programmes could not be included in the competition due to lack of presentation time during the festival week. For this reason PRIX EUROPA offers a series of special programme packages at the programme library for the first time. Radio- and television productions will be put together under specific themes for interested participants and guests. In addition, for the first time the TOP 5 television and radio programmes in each category will be presented on the day of the Awards Gala!
Following the launch of the - second edition of the Eurovision Dance Contest this month in Glasgow, UK, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is also enlarging its Eurovision family of events by bringing the popular Eurovision Song Contest to Asia. The ESC format for the Asian region was purchased from the EBU by ASIAVISION Pte. Ltd.
The plan is to organize the first ever Asian Song Contest in mid-2009, with 15 participating countries, including China and India. It will be based on the highly popular Eurovision Song Contest, which is an annual competition for active Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), represented by the public broadcasters in their respective countries. The first contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland in 1956. Since then, the contest has become a true European tradition with more than 40 countries participating.
"Having brought the European version of the ESC to the Middle East and North Africa, we are now delighted that viewers across Asia will enjoy one of the best established entertainment shows in the world.” says Bettina Brinkmann, Head of Formats and Special Events at Eurovision TV. "The ESC format has proven it can travel worldwide. We are looking forward to other versions of it developing internationally," concludes Brinkmann.
“The format is highly suited to the Asia region and its people who love popular music and have a strong national pride”, says Andreas Gerlach, CEO of Asiavision Pte. Ltd. “Asia today is all about competition, economically and politically. The Song Contest is a friendly competition between cultures. Like in Europe, the universal language of music will help to bring people closer together and nurture mutual understanding in the region,” Gerlach believes.
The annual Song Contest is planned to be a 6 month regional and national tournament culminating in the Grand Final. The Song Contest will be distributed in the following countries: China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Targeting the most populous region in the world with more than 3 billion people the show has a potential audience of over 500 million viewers. A number of broadcasters have indicated their desire to be the host broadcaster for the first ever ESC in the region.
NRJ launch launches television project - September 18, 2008
from Lea Maier/NRJ GmbH
As announced last year, the private radio and multimedia company NRJ launched a
television project in Germany. The online platform for music and music entertainment,
NRJ TV, went live on September 5th under http://www.nrjtv.de. With the new web television
channel NRJ continues to place emphasis on the internet.
NRJ TV offers its consumers a broad spectrum of content. The range goes from music
videos, exclusive NRJ interviews with artists, reportages from NRJ events to recordings
of live concerts and in-house produced comedy. Here, the synergies of the
international presence of the NRJ brand can be used: exclusive content can be produced
and shared within the NRJ network. NRJ TV presents its consumers exclusive
topics that are not only produced by the German station but are a compilation of the
best NRJ International has to offer. In the international NRJ network Germany is outrider
in terms of the implementation of the new visual/video and TV platform. Shortly
the concept will be launched by other stations in the whole international network.
Moreover, a streaming of the French music television NRJ Hits is planned that will also
be available on NRJ TV.
"NRJ TV is another brand extension that picks up the internet trend," explains Mathieu
Sibille, CEO NRJ International and CEO NRJ GmbH. "Internet video platforms are
booming these days. At the same time video advertisement is growing in the interest of
advertisers over any other medium. In order to get a piece of the revenue cake we are
offering our additional and exciting media platform to partners like Warner Bros. Entertainment
GmbH. Our brand has to go where the consumers, specifically our targeted
audience of 10 to 35 year-olds, are. The new platform NRJ TV will further
strengthen our image as a brand with multimedia competence.“
The UK’s only green radio station Passion for the Planet helped Endemol TV with their new eco-TV series for children “Green Up your Life”.
The series produced by Endemol for broadcast on CITV weekdays at 15.55, aims to encourage children to lead a greener life.
One of challenges that the children were set was to write and record a green rap to encourage other youngsters to look after the planet.
And the winners got to hear their rap played on Passion for the Planet. The two youngsters visited the Passion for the Planet studios to be interviewed on air and introduce their winning creation.
This was filmed for inclusion in the programme to be broadcast at 15.55 on 18th September on CITV.
“Its really important to help children understand how to live a greener life and a TV series with fun challenges and prizes that gets youngsters motivated is a fantastic idea. The children were so enthusiastic and really enjoyed hearing their rap on air and we were thrilled to help Endemol with this innovative programme,” said Passion for the Planet’s Managing Director Chantal Cooke.
Previous News From You
Week ending September 13, 2008
Week ending August 30, 2008
Week ending August 16, 2008
Week ending August 9, 2008
Week ending August 2, 2008
Week ending July 26, 2008
Week ending July 19, 2008
Week ending July 12, 2008
Week ending July 5, 2008
Week ending June 28, 2008
Week ending June 21, 2008
Week ending June 14, 2008
Week ending May 17, 2008
Week ending May 10, 2008
Week ending May 3, 2008
Week ending April 26, 2008
Week ending April 19, 2008
Week ending April 12, 2008
Week ending April 5, 2008
Week ending March 29, 2008
Week ending March 22, 2008
Week ending March 15, 2008
Week ending March 8, 2008
Week ending March 1, 2008
Week ending February 23, 2008
Week ending February 16, 2008
Week ending February 9, 2008
Week ending January 26, 2008
|