Video Age International articles from May 2002

Video Age International archives from May 2002

'Tis the new TV season to be jolly.(television networks plan 2002-2003 season)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... With ratings down 24 percent in the current season, ABC commissioned 30 pilots -- more than any other network -- for the 2002-2003 season in the hopes of finding a fix for its problems. It is estimated that ABC will eventually replace over 30...

Berlusconi's TV Empire: Italy, Spain ... Germany?(Silvio Berlusconi, Rupert Murdoch and KirchMedia GmbH und Company KGAA)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Among many other names, Italian broadcaster-turned-Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is called Napoleon because, like the French leader, he can turn any criticism into a public relations coup. Like the former Italian, Napoleone Bonaparte (who...

Productions outside the U.S. face new rules, regulations: blame Canada ... again.(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... As countries such as Canada, Australia and Ireland continue to lure American productions overseas with tax incentives and an increased number of locally trained crews, the fight over runaway production has taken a curious twist, with the Screen...

Canada braces for a U.S. showdown.(U.S entertainment industry unions lobby for Canadian workers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... The powerful U.S. Teamsters Union is attempting to take over representation of 500 transportation workers on film and TV sets in Toronto, sparking industry fear of labor unrest in the city's $1 billion a year, U.S.-dominated movie-TV industry....

My two cents.(Warner Bros.' sale of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone television rights to Disney's ABC)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A recent article in Variety made me come up with the following observations. If a division sells a product outside its group for more money than the internal division is willing to pay, does the group benefit? For example, when Warner...

TV tuner mandate. (World).(Consumer Electronics Association responds to high-definition television proposals)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The U.S. Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) responded recently to new proposals set forth by U.S. national TV authority; the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), regarding the high-definition TV (HDTV) transition. CEA vice president of...

Eutelsat gets more HISPASAT. (World).(stake increase)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Eutelsat, the France-based provider of satellite communications solutions, announced in mid-April that it had increased its stake in HISPASAT, Spain's regional satellite system operator. Eutelsat's holdings jumped from 21.15 percent to 27.69...

Indian TV gathers to face changes. (World).(Indian Television Academy conference)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Various TV conferences held in Mumbai over the past several months have focused on the growing innovation in Indian television. According to Sony TV CEO, Kunal Das Gupta, these discussions are distracting attention from the many problems facing...

Addressing the "digital divide". (World).(International Telecommunication Union holds "World Telecommunication Development" conference)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The recent 10-day "World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC02)," organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), gave focus to telecommunications access issues facing the developing world. Held in Istanbul in late...

Polish TV net penalized for sex. (World).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Explicit sexual and violent content earned Poland's TVN television network a record fine of 82,000 euro in March. TVN was accused of airing "sex without morality" in a recent episode of a popular reality series. The show, which follows the...

U.K. dominates Pulcinella Awards. (World).(Cartoons on the Bay annual festival)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... As Cartoons on the Bay, the annual festival of television animation organized by Rai Trade, drew to a close in Positano, Italy, on April 22, it was clear that Great Britain was going home this year's biggest winner. The U.K. nabbed four of the...

Sun TV gets Media Pioneer. (World).(Sun Television Cybernetworks)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... In an $11.5 million deal that took place in April, audio and visual content distributor Media Pioneer has become part of Sun Television Cybernetworks (Sun TV), a Hong Kong-based program producer and distributor. The acquisition involves a...

Hooray for Bollywood. (Book Review).(Bollywood: The Indian Cinema Story)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Movies make the world go 'round. OK, so maybe not, but that's the message one gleans from Nasreen Munni Kabir's appropriately titled homage to Indian cinema, Bollywood: The Indian Cinema Story (Channel 4 Books, pp. 230). It's an often powerful...

MIP-TV leaves its mark: cost increases hurt. (Market Report).(Palais in Cannes )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... MIP-TV organizers were walking the Palais in Cannes to reassure outraged exhibitors that cost increases were to be dealt with at the local government and hotel association levels, so that they will not be repeated next time. Many distributors...

Indie programming slate. (L.A. Screenings 2002).(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... ADMIRA Kachorra/Runaway Lady 120 x 60' Telenovela 1000 Millones/One Billion Dollars 120 x 60' Telenovela Franco Buenaventura, El Profe/Tango Lover 120 x 60' Telenovela Rebelde Way/Rebels' Way 170 x 60'...

2002-03 new season series. (L.A. Screenings 2002).(Illustration)
May 1, 2002... By International Distribution Company ALLIANCE ATLANTIS CSI: Miami (CBS) Production Team: Jerry Bruckheimer, Ann Donahue, Anthony Zulker, Carol Mendelsohn Format: One-Hour Drama CSI spinoff set in Miami. BUENA VISTA...

Who's screening. (L.A. Screenings 2002).
May 1, 2002... INDIES & STUDIES GUIDE ADMIRA Silvana D'Angelo, Michelle Wasserman Carlos De Muns, Gabriela Lennox Park Hyatt Suite 816 ALDEBARAN FILMS Park Hyatt Suite 1721 ALFRED HABER DISTRIBUTION Park Hyatt Suite 1014...

Acquisition execs. (L.A. Screenings 2002).
May 1, 2002... ARGENTINA Artear: Walter Sequeira, Julian Rodriguez Azul: Eduardo Gonzalez, Nora Seoane Telefe: Patricia Daujotas, Axel Kuschevatzky, Bernarda Llorente, Claudia Villareal AUSTRALIA Foxtel: Brian Walsh, Ross Crowley ...

David Short reports from Johannesburg: media critic unbashful about South African TV. (Territories).(Brief Article)(Column)
May 1, 2002... The British used to boast that they had "the best television in the world." It used to puzzle me as a kid in the U.K. how those doing the boasting knew. Had they sampled all the TV in the world? On the other hand, I feel sure of what country...