Video Age International articles from January 2002

Video Age International archives from January 2002

Where is U.S. TV going? Q&A with Chris Lancey.
January 1, 2002... At 62, Gerald Levin steps down as CEO of AOL TW, the world's largest media conglomerate, in May. Similarly, Edgar Bronfman, 46, will step down in March from his position as executive vice-chairman of Vivendi-Universal. Obviously, if two...

Telemundo's New World.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Will the U.S.' second-largest Spanish-language (Hispanic) TV network end up in the camp of top American network NBC? The answer is a definite maybe. Indicative of this indecisiveness was Columbia TriStar International Television (CTIT)...

NATPE's woes reflect U.S. TV woes.
January 1, 2002... Whatever it was that hit NATPE struck with a big bang -- suddenly and unexpectedly. Sure, there were previous signs of discontent but they were mostly due to the changing economic environment and new business models affecting the local U.S....

Children's shows -- Big in format biz.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Although the frenzy behind such primetime network hits as Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, Weakest Link and Big Brother has abruptly cooled in the wake of 9/11, the business strategy of importing formats is hotter than ever, especially in the...

My two cents.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Since 9/11, Americans have been able to clearly separate common sense from jibberish, idealism from opportunism and honesty from fanaticism. And that's not just rhetoric. We all noticed, for example, that when bad times came, the so-...

China TV market looks West. (World).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The 6th annual Sichuan TV Festival, held October 26-29 in Chengdu (Sichuan), China, was characterized by a large attendance of acquisition executives from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, as well as regional television...

Egyptian film fest misses U.S. presence. (World).(Cairo International Film Festival )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... A range of films from all over the world rep resented their countries at two of Egypt's most important film festivals. In its 25th year as one of the Middle East's premier film festivals, the Cairo International Film Festival (Oct. 9-10)...

Abril's new stake in pay TV. (World).
January 1, 2002... Media company Grupo Abril of Brazil recently announced its decision to increase its financial interest in Tevecap, the holding company of pay TV provider TVA, from 62.6 percent to 82.4 percent. TVA, whose debts and shares will be...

U.K. sweeps Int'l Emmys, again. (World).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... If there really can be a sweep in a six-category film awards format, then the U.K. has done it again, raking home four awards from the 29th annual International Emmys last November 19, including Best Drama (Dirty Tricks Parts I & II), Arts...

Eutelsat study confirms growth. (World).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Eutelsat, the satellite communications company, recently released the results of its 2001 international survey on cable/satellite homes, confirming the marketability and success of its 996 channels in 30 languages, and reinforcing the strategy...

Public TV Back to the People. (Book Review).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Jerold Starr's Air Wars: The Fight to Reclaim Public Broadcasting (Beacon Press, pp. 338, $27.50 hard-cover) is a scrutinous account of the fate of public broadcasting in Pittsburgh, which the author holds up as the supreme model of how...

The changing business of syndication. (New Economy).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... With major distributors like Warner Brothers opting against booth space on the exhibit floor and the sluggish economy causing a further drop in attendance, this year's NATPE conference is looking to reinvent itself in order to accommodate the...

Barter resilient during economic downturn. (Advertising).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... While there seems to be no immediate end in sight to the economic downturn that has chilled the TV industry, the barter market appears to offer some welcome long-term stability. "Barter is the oldest form of commerce," noted Ad Week analyst...

MIFED wins over London. (Film Markets).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Well, the international film industry settled it: the premier European fall market will be MIFED. As anticipated by VideoAge (Nov./Dec. 2001), the pre-MIFED London film market will fall by the wayside. The next move, according to Variety,...

TV programming getting tied to technology. (Interactivity).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Although convergence as first hyped during the early days of the dotcom explosion has failed to revolutionize the television industry as quickly as first imagined, more and more new programs are becoming increasingly tied to digital and...

MILIA: Technology, content meet business. (Webcasting Magazine).(World's Interactive Content Marketplace)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Technology has always looked toward the future; the perpetual question is, how do we get there, particularly in this volatile market? MILIA, the World's Interactive Content Marketplace taking place in Cannes, France, February 4-8, could offer a...

Opening the last mile: Still waiting. (Webcasting Magazine).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... It has been nearly six years since the U.S. Congress passed the Telecommunications Act, promising that it would lead to greater competition, especially in the local phone market known as the "last mile." What the past years have delivered,...

Paving way for digital TV: Kids' TV a catalyst. (Webcasting Magazine).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Whether the delivery system is terrestrial, satellite or cable, children will play a pivotal role in helping define the digital market realities as well as be a driving force behind digital penetration. Susan Ross, vice president and...

Guglielmo Marconi's radio gets futuristic. (Webcasting Magazine).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Between 1901 and 1903 Guglielmo Marconi created and then improved the wireless transoceanic links between Poldhu in Cornwall (U.K.) and the North American Atlantic coast in Newfoundland, Canada, and later in Cape Cod, near Boston. This...

Como Canada distribuye sus dolares de produccion.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Canada tiene una prospera industria de produccion y distribucion de pelicula TV. Este pais se halla cultural y geograficamente mas cerca de la Meca del Cine de Hollywood que cualquier otro pais y su naturaleza multilingue permite a los...

New leaders for a E! new division.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... E! Networks has announced a new division dedicated entirely to ramping up program development both internally and in conjunction with other creative sources in the industry. To spearhead the new division, E! Networks has brought aboard Kary...