Video Age International articles from January 2006

Video Age International archives from January 2006

Product placement's growth causes commotion.
January 1, 2006... Product placement, long a key strategy in the film industry, has proven to be a staple in television as well, albeit on a much smaller scale--until now. Recently, Stamford, Connecticut-based research firm PQ Media published a report that...

NATPE goes Google over digital.
January 1, 2006... It's January again and TV programmers, syndicators and distributors everywhere are glad to be heading back to "Sin City." But, this time, there's a new batch of "suits" coming to the NATPE convention in Las Vegas January 24-26, and those are...

Agents' multi-tier model dominates show biz.
January 1, 2006... After hitting the jackpot by bringing international formats to U.S. networks, Hollywood talent agencies such as William Morris have become some of the most powerful behind-the-scenes players in the lucrative formats business; and now, their...

Cable: a key player in the syndication game.
January 1, 2006... The "new" or resurgent NATPE has now evolved into a full-fledged international market, which not only offers original (first-run) and off-net programming to domestic U.S. TV networks affiliates, but also to cable/satellite channels, and to...

My two cents.
January 1, 2006... Finding growth in a mature business--such as broadcast television--is like Finding Nemo. At the end of the Walt Disney movie the lead character finds its little fish, but not without a dangerous struggle. Similarly, in the television broadcast...

Cable chief bets on a-la-carte pricing.(Charles Dolan of Cablevision Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... No one can accuse Cablevision Systems' chairman, Charles Dolan, of pandering to popular opinion. The U.S. cable exec, who created the Home Box Office (HBO) pay-TV channel in the 1970s, is at odds with just about every other cabler and satellite...

Trade shows see high prices in '06.(WORLD)
January 1, 2006... Besides higher convention prices, TV execs are being faced with new unwelcome expenses: increased airline ticket prices and higher-priced hotel accommodations. These problems are especially relevant in the U.S., where many airlines are filing...

Ramadan shows' high ratings.(WORLD)
January 1, 2006... During the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan--which ended Nov. 1--homebound families fasted in the day and feasted on musalsalat (TV serials) in the evening. An estimated $60 million was spent in 2005 to produce 100 Ramadan multi-episodes TV...

U.S.: the world's satellite leader.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... When it comes to satellites, the United States has every other country beat... by a land--or perhaps more accurate, space--slide. The U.S. boasts more satellites than the rest of the world combined, with America claiming 413 and the rest of...

India, Egypt create joint venture.(WORLD)
January 1, 2006... Asian satellite operator AsiaSat has partnered with Egypt Radio and Television Union (ERTU). ERTU will now use Indiabased AsiaSat 2 to telecast Nile News TV and radio broadcast channels El-Bernameg Al-Aam and El Quran El-Karim across 50...

Japan, Inc. moves to Hollywood.(WORLD)
January 1, 2006... In an effort to bring more Japanese animation over to North America, Japan-based Itochu Corp. will team up with U.S. movie production company Comic Book Movies to create films based on the comics and animated cartoons by Shotaro Ishinomori...

iEmmys get political.( International Emmy Awards presented by Hillary Rodham Clinton)
January 1, 2006... The 33rd edition of the International Emmy Awards, a traditional end of November event, made history by becoming politically charged. The International Emmy Founders Award was presented by New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is not...

Tele-scientist wants respect.
January 1, 2006... In "Tele-Visionaries--The People Behind the Invention of Television," (2005, John Wiley & Sons, 168 pgs., U.S. $49.95), author and television engineer Richard C. Webb presents the technical contributions of scientists and businessmen of...

Spotting a trend, PBS Sprouts a new little channel.(Kids' Television)
January 1, 2006... Many toddlers would like nothing more than to sit in front of a television and watch the same episode of Nick's Dora the Explorer over and over again, day in and day out. But forcing their parents to do the same is enough to make even the...

The expanding reach of Middle Eastern satellite TV.(Territory)
January 1, 2006... Middle East satellite and specialized TV have been expanding their reach throughout the Gulf region, and Egypt--long the cultural and informational center of the Arab world is now trying to catch up. The "Big Five" satellite channels in the...

Israel's TV: HOT & YES; 10 & Palestintans.(Territory)
January 1, 2006... One of the biggest stories in Israel's TV market is the ongoing battle between HOT, the joint marketing arm of the country's cable TV operators, and YES, the country's sole supplier of satellite TV broadcasts. Israel's multi-channel...

Channel ten set to buy, buy, buy.(Territory)
January 1, 2006... Since it began broadcasting more than four years ago, the country's second commercial TV channel, Israel Ten, has had its fair share of problems. It not only had to compete for ratings with Israel's other commercial station, Channel Two--which...

Israeli TV and the Arab world.(Territory)
January 1, 2006... Mixing politics and regional TV audiences for the first time ever, an Arab satellite TV network agreed to take part in a project with an Israeli TV network. Last spring, the UAE-based Abu Dhabi Satellite Channel agreed to simultaneously...

HBO purchases Israeli-made documentary.(Home Box Office Inc)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... U.S. pay-TV network HBO has purchased the rights to the Israeli documentary, 18 Kilos of Love. Produced by Dani Menkin, the documentary is about Ami Ankilevich, a disabled Israeli who weighs just 18 kilos (39 pounds) and is paralyzed in all his...

Las telenovelas afrontan mercados maduros.
January 1, 2006... Durante 25 anos las telenovelas han proveido una dieta estable para los televidentes mundialmente. Desde sus raices en Latinoamerica primero entraron en Italia en 1980 y se expandieron al resto de Europa, luego a Asia y recientemente a Europa...

TV por encima de la Internet.
January 1, 2006... Los dias de platos de satelite, antenas de TV, montones de cables coaxiales, VCR y DVD parecen estar desvaneciendose. En Europa, desde el 2001, FASTWEB, el operador de telecomunicaclones de ancho de banda mils importame de Italia, ha podido...

El crecimiento organico en Europa del Este y Central es el cometido de CME.
January 1, 2006... Fundada en 1994 por Ronald Lauder, la herencia Americana a la fortuna de los cosmeticos Estee Lauder, CME--lo cual significa Central Europea de empresas de comunicacion--(NASDAO: CETV), ahora son duenos y operan ocho cadenas de TV en cinco...

Las ondas aereas no son formas primitivas.
January 1, 2006... Desde hace unos cuantos afios, muchos expertos, eruditos, politicos, emisoras y Dios sabe quien mils, han estado quejandose de que las frecuencias aereas ya no son necesarias para television. Y como, hoy dia, la TV se consume por otras formas...

Key TV distribution companies.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Latin America ARGENTINA America Video Films Sales contact: Enrique Maya Virrey Loreto 2426 1426 Buenos Aires, Argentina Tel: (54 11) 4787 9098 Fax: (54 11) 4787 9094 E-mail: america@americavideofilms.com ...

EBA now a full-fledged Club of Int'l TV channels.(Ethnic TV)
January 1, 2006... It took two years to get underway, but now the ball is finally rolling for the Ethnic Broadcasters of America (EBA). Originally the brainchild of Elie Kawkabani (of Los Angeles, CA-based ethnic channel distributor REACH Media), the non-profit...

Singapore: the Monte Carlo of Asia.(Asia Television Forum Report)
January 1, 2006... The 2005 Asia TV Forum (ATF), which also encompasses the Asia Film Market & Conference and Asia Animation Conference, saw some major increases in sales activities this year--from U.S.$21 million in 2004 to $32.7 million in 2005. The market,...

Challenging times in a changing U.K. market.(Britannia at Crossroads)
January 1, 2006... According to Nadine Nohr, Granada International's managing director, "the key challenge facing Granada International and other British distributors in the ever-changing broadcast market is maintaining the flexibility necessary to adapt to new...

Argentina's Cable TV counts its blessings (and troubles).
January 1, 2006... At Jornadas, the trade convention for Argentina and Latin America's Cable TV industry held in Buenos Aires last month, cablers vehemently defended their right to "live long and prosper." The event, which was organized by the ATVC (Asociacion...

Let's do lunch.(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... NATPE JANUARY 24-26 Las Vegas, Nevada TEL: (310) 453-4440 FAX: (310) 453-5258 www.natpe.org SUNNY SIDE OF THE DOC RENDEZ-VOUS JANUARY 27-29 Washington, D.C. TEL: (33 4) 9504 4480 FAX: (33 4) 9184 3834 www.sunnysideofthedoc.com ...