Video Age International articles from October 2004

Video Age International archives from October 2004

Haim Saban's Pro7 Zeigt's Allen.
October 1, 2004... One knew that Haim Saban's new offices, located in the Century City section of Los Angeles, were in an important building, when Senator John Kerry was seen visiting it to raise money for his U.S. presidential campaign. Indeed, the 26-story...

Sony expands digital television with a roar.
October 1, 2004... It is said that Sony's future plans tend to be shown only when its present is secure. And, apparently, Sony is so secure to have put a non-refundable deposit of $150 million to buy one of the largest content libraries in the world. Indeed,...

Collecting the uncollectable: a job that someone has to do.(Compact Collections)
October 1, 2004... According to Compact Collections Director and General Manager John O'Sullivan, "it is surprising how many companies don't even know they are owed money, much less how to set about collecting it. In 1994, music publisher Palan Music got...

Fall kicks off 11th hour for shows.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... This year, MIPCOM kicks off a sequence of events that will determine the life, death or crippling of some six industry gatherings. The first on the list is MIFED, the Italian film market now under siege by the AFM, the competing event held...

My two cents.(Communications Industries Inc.)
October 1, 2004... Now, I've been calling for regulations in the communications field since President Richard Nixon invented them for television during his term in office, 1969-74. My regulations, though, are always for the good of all the communications...

AIFF's new Asian cinema.(World)(Asian American International Film Festival )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The 27th edition of the Asian American International Film Festival (AIFF) received sponsorship from HBO and Time Warner, which allowed for Asian American filmmakets to pitch their films. More than 40 features, docs, videos and works-in-progress...

Piracy patrol hits Deutschland.(World)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... In an effort to limit the damage that piracy is causing global box office revenues, the U.S. studios have funded the creation of a German Anti-Piracy Federation. The private investigating organization works in conjunction with local independent...

Satellite birds get into M&A.(World)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Intelsat, the international satellite service provider, is being sold for $3 billion, making this sale the third of its kind this year. Hundreds of locations worldwide receive broadcasts via Intelsat, including a recent addition of 28...

Internet hits German TV.(World)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... German Online provider T-Online International AG, three quarters owned by German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom (DT), is getting a serious competitor for the German pay-TV industry. The new business sector T-Online Vision offers...

Nunez is prez of CBS Paramount.(World)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... After announcing Viacom's formation of CBS-Paramount International in August, Les Moonves, co-president of the media monolith, bestowed the title of president of the newly coupled conglomerate upon Armando Nunez, Jr. Formerly president of CBS...

Taiwan probes suspect bid.(World)
October 1, 2004... Taiwan's current administration is taking action after a bid by U.S. equity fund, Sycamore Ventures, for the media business of Kuomintang (KMT)--the present government's main political opposition party. The government's investigation has also...

Japan joins new and old DVDs.(World)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Thanks to a new technology developed by Victor Co. of Japan (JVC), Blue-ray Discs--the next-generation DVD formats with increased storage capabilities--can soon be produced for a fraction of conventional investment costs. The new technology...

FCC rethinks DTV deadlines.(World)(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Despite the steady spread of digital television across the U.S., only eight percent of the 105 million TV households in America joined the digital revolution by the end of 2003. This lag has caused the U.S. government and Federal Communications...

Famous quotes.(The larger and higher-profile the company the bigger the nutcase who runs it.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... "The larger and higher-profile the company the bigger the nutcase who runs it." Michael Wolff in "Autumn of the Moguls" (Harper Business, 400 pages)

Ah! The good ole days.(Book Review)
October 1, 2004... There is something truly inspirational about listening to people discuss their glory days. Whether among a group of war veterans, politicians or television executives, fond recollections of the past reach and excite many of us too young to have...

Market expected to stay on path to success.(MIPCOM Preview)(IPCOM 2004)
October 1, 2004... IPCOM 2004 hopes to build on the same momentum that re-energized last April's MIP-TV. The annual assemblage of international buyers and sellers will take place from October 4-8 in Cannes at the usual Palais de Festivals, with MIPCOM Junior...

NATPE scaling back while climbing up.(TV Market)(National Association of Television Program Executives)
October 1, 2004... The organizers of NATPE, the premier annual U.S. TV market, announced in late August that on September 27, after VideoAge went to press, they would be making an important announcement. Meanwhile, VideoAge was told that NATPE employees were busy...

Berlin could split two-market war in three.(AFM vs. MIFED)
October 1, 2004... For the second time in its 24-year history, AFM has decided to strike at the jugular of its older sibling, the 44-year-old MIFED, and this time, it looks like it will be a battle to the death. The only question remaining is: Whose? Once...

Classic, retro full forward: brands, toddlers, tweens ahead.(Licensed to Thrill)
October 1, 2004... A large amount of floor traffic, ornate brand licensor booths and an abundance of cartoon characters and company mascots at this year's Licensing Show provided for a market that was bigger and better than ever. Held last June at New York's...

Montreal fighting "shambles" image.(Film Festival)
October 1, 2004... After 28 years, the Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF) has hit a fork in the road and as the U.S. baseball philosopher Yogi Berra would say--it has to take it. On one hand the Festival has to demonstrate to Telefilm Canada and Quebec's...

DISCOP's future is always brighter.(Eastern Europe TV Biz)
October 1, 2004... Something unusual is developing within DISCOP, the market aimed at reaching the Eastern European television industry. No matter how successful the current edition is, there is always more excitement for the next one. At the recent event,...

Monte Carlo gets Latin format biz into its fold.(TV Festival)
October 1, 2004... This year's Monte Carlo TV Festival put great emphasis on Spanish-language television with a "Focus on Latin America" session, centering on formats--the Festival's branded theme. The status of reality shows in Latin America is that they...

No bland brands in NYC for the meet, market.(PROMAX Review)
October 1, 2004... For the first time in 23 years, PROMAX & BDA, the international conference dedicated to marketing and promotion of electronic media, took a bite out of the Big Apple. The three-day conference boasted attendance from design and promotional execs...

The union is finally fully up and running.(Kids and DVDs)
October 1, 2004... As early as two years ago, when it felt as though anyone owning the DVD rights to a carrot could make a reasonable return on their investment, the "Orphan Annie" of this digital goldmine was kids' programming. The reason was simple enough: The...

Europe's hardware sales drive software wave.(The DVD Tsunami)
October 1, 2004... The DVD Entertainment Group Europe is a pan-industry body, which promotes the DVD format and its benefits to consumers across Europe. It also provides information to the consumers and retail industry. It commissions regular market reports from...

Feature-length documentary is back with a vengeance.(Fair & Balanced)
October 1, 2004... "Without doubt," said Peter Kalhan, senior vice president, home entertainment and archive sales at Fremantle International Distribution, "there is a resurgence of the feature-length documentary as a genre." It would seem he has a point. In...

Are Americans good at copying British TV shows?(Trans-Anglo Biz)
October 1, 2004... It seemed like a good idea at the time. With the door nearly closed on Friends last season, NBC executives scrambling for the next big thing decided to try their hand at another series about the trials and tribulations of six sexy young...

Reaching the U.S. Hispanic TV audience.(Demographics)
October 1, 2004... After years of existing under the radar of most advertisers, Spanish-speaking viewers in the U.S. have become some of the most sought after consumers. "The growth in this market is going to be incredible," said analyst Alissa Goldwasser of...

Start-ups struggle to find carriage, but VoD is a start.(Cable TV Channels)
October 1, 2004... The blitz of services being offered by U.S. cable operators, combined with expanding digital tiers, is causing a bandwidth real estate shortage that is threatening new cable channels' ability to ever get on the air. As a result, many cable MSOs...

Eastern Europe has mobile to go.(New Ancillary Rights)
October 1, 2004... Currently there is [great utilization] of SMS in Eastern Europe," said Inbar Wolanski, vice president of Israeli content provider Chooz, which "is a pity, as this is the technology with which you can do the least." Nonetheless, the Eastern...

TV embraces wireless with trepidation.(New Revenue Streams)
October 1, 2004... While games and ring-tones are the current entertainment-based money-makers in the wireless universe, industry experts predict that cross-marketing for, and consumer interactivity with, television and film content will become the next important...

TiVo targets advertisers.(PVR/DVR Revolution)
October 1, 2004... In an episode of Sex and The City, Cynthia Nixon's Miranda replaces a former flame with a newfound adoration for TiVo. Today, 3.5 million U.S. homes have DVRs--1.9 million of which are TiVos. TiVo has partnered with companies such as Sony,...

People meters struggle through growing pains.(Ratings)(Local People Meter)
October 1, 2004... The controversy over Nielsen's Local People Meter (LPM) in the U.S. television rating service, continues to rage on two separate but equally compelling fronts. There is concern over whether Nielsen's select audience accurately reflects the...

Video gamers fish out elusive male demo.(Joystick Nation)
October 1, 2004... Desperate to reach elusive young male consumers who have increasingly turned away from television, advertisers are going gaming. Video game content sites such as GameSpot and Game-FAQs regularly attract large numbers of young people, so...

No bluffs at Banff: it really happened!(Canada)
October 1, 2004... "Phew!" is probably the best way to describe the collective sentiment at this year's silver anniversary Banff TV Festival. Narrowly avoiding bankruptcy and pulling off a successful festival was definitely a unique way to celebrate 25 years in...

Let's do lunch.(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... MIPCOM JR. AND MIPCOM OCTOBER 2-8 Cannes, France TEL: (212) 370-7470 FAX: (212) 370-7471 www.mipcom.com ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL OCTOBER 8-13 Miami, Florida TEL: (305) 447-0233 FAX: (305) 447-4996 ...