MUMBAI: The Asia-Pacific mobile video services market is expected to see huge growth potential as mobile operators continue to spend millions on developing innovative services and content to arrest the declining average revenue per...
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Eisner’s Vuguru, Dinosaur Diorama launch web series
MUMBAI: Michael Eisner’s independent media studio Vuguru, along with Dinosaur Diorama Productions, creators of the hit web series The Burg, launched the fully scripted internet series The All-For-Nots. Created by Thom Woodley and Kathleen...
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FilmClick.com launches film hosting website
MUMBAI: FilmClick, a film hosting website and online community, formally announced the launch of the beta version of www.FilmClick.com. FilmClick aims to deliver a library of original feature-length films and shorts, as well as...
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Big Screen, William to film The Shiva Club
MUMBAI: Big Screen Entertainment Group (BSEG) CEO Kimberley Kates has announced that plans are in motion to begin pre-production on the new William Shatner helmed comedy The Shiva Club aka Shiva Crashers. The story,...
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Genius Products in distribution deal with Pure Flix
MUMBAI: Independent home entertainment distribution company Genius Products announced a distribution agreement with Pure Flix Entertainment, greatly expanding Genius’ content offerings in the Christian marketplace. The announcement was made by Genius Products president and...
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Phonecasting.com launches SongNumbers Service
MUMBAI: Phonecasting.com has launched a new SongNumbers Service to provide artists and record labels a new critical mass media utility from SongNumbers.com. Fans can now preview, listen to, and share, as well as purchase...
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TiVo to provide YouTube videos directly to the television
TiVo has inked an agreement with YouTube that will offer access to YouTube videos directly from the TV via a TiVo DVR....
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DTS installs FilmStore players at Harrisburg Mall
MUMBAI: DTS Digital Cinema has announced the installation of its FilmStore Digital Cinema Player on twelve theatre screens at the Great Escape 14 Theatres in the Harrisburg Mall, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Part of the DTS...
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Warner Bros. Nancy Drew movie editions On Demand
MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) announced that Nancy Drew and Nancy Drew: Drew’s Clues, a full-length Movies that Pop edition of the film, are now available via On Demand and for Download. Using...
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Xenon CEO sees brighter economy with Blu-ray Disc
MUMBAI: Xenon Corp CEO Lou Panico predicts an uptick in the economy and a safer, cleaner environment thanks to the sales and production of the new Blu-ray discs and equipment. According to Panico, following the...
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Mark Horak is President Warner Home Video NA
MUMBAI: Mark Horak has been named President, Warner Home Video North America, it was announced by Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders. Horak, who most recently served as Executive Vice President & General Manager, Worldwide...
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Marc Gareton promoted to EVP at Warner Bros.
MUMBAI: Marc Gareton has been promoted to Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution it was announced by Warner Bros. Digital Distribution president Thomas Gewecke, to whom Marc directly reports. As Executive Vice President,...
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Ratatouille video game scores on Xbox, PlayStation2
MUMBAI: THQ’s Ratatouille video game, based on the Disney/Pixar film of the same name, has achieved the Microsoft Xbox 360 Platinum Family Hits collection and Sony Computer Entertainment America Greatest Hits sales milestones. THQ...
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Imax signs 35 theatre deal for South, Central America
MUMBAI: Imax Corporation has inked an agreement with Giencourt Investments S.A., a member of the RACIMEC International Group (RACIMEC) to purchase and install 35 Imax Digital projection systems in Central and South America and...
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BBC to launch iPlayer for iPhone on 27 July
MUMBAI: BBC’s on-demand TV service BBC iPlayer for Apple’s iPhone will launch on 27 July 2008. The announcement was made by BBC director of future media and technology Ashley Highfield. "BBC iPlayer is a free...
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The Boat That Rocked starts shooting
MUMBAI: Universal Pictures and Working Title Films announced that principal photography began 3 March on The Boat That Rocked, the new comedy about rock and roll, boys and a boat from filmmaker Richard Curtis...
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Sony/ATV signs QTRAX digital license contract
MUMBAI: Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman and CEO Martin Bandier announced that Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed a digital distribution licensing agreement with QTRAX, the free and legal ad- supported peer to peer music network....
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EMI Music Publishing extends agreement with QTRAX
MUMBAI: EMI Music Publishing has signed an extension to its digital distribution licensing agreement with QTRAX, the free and legal ad-supported peer to peer music network. "EMI Music Publishing came on board with QTRAX...
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MPAA, Weekly Reader Campaign goes to the dogs
MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Weekly Reader unveiled a new curriculum that will be used to educate millions of children about the importance of protecting copyrights. The new curriculum features...
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NYASA film festival opens in Manhattan
MUMBAI: The New York Arab and South Asian Film Festival (NYASAFF) opens its 2008 festival with an international event that celebrates collaboration across cultural and artistic boundaries. The documentary film I Love Hip Hop...
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Thomson adds ArcLight Cinemas for digital projection systems
MUMBAI: Thomson, through its Technicolor Digital Cinema business, has signed an agreement with ArcLight Cinemas, the Los Angeles, Calif.-based theater circuit, to provide digital projection systems at the prestigious ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. The...
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$100 mn iFund launched for iPod, iPhone apps development
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers launches $100 million iFund to invest in companies developing applications for Apple's iPhone and iPod. ...
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Vivendi expands into theatrical releasing
MUMBAI: Vivendi Entertainment, formerly Vivendi Visual Entertainment (VVE), an established player in the DVD space, has expanded into theatrical releasing. As part of this expansion, Vivendi will partner with filmmakers to distribute a slate...
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Dennis W Shuler is EVP, HR officer at Walt Disney
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company president and CEO Robert A. Iger named Dennis W. Shuler as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for The Walt Disney Company. Shuler will be responsible for...
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Kulabyte presents live concert webcast via MySpace
MUMBAI: On 10 March, Kulabyte, together with MySpace.com, using Adobe Flash Media Server through Akamai’s content delivery network, will distribute live HD video on the web from Operation MySpace. This live concert webcast from...
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90 million IPTV subscribers in 2013: ABI
ABI Research forecasts that subscribers to IPTV services worldwide is slated to grow to more than 90 million by the end of 2013....
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Move Networks inks deal with Microsoft
MUMBAI: Move Networks, a provider of online television services, announced at the MIX08 Conference plans to partner closely with Microsoft to enable Move Networks’ high quality video streaming technology within Microsoft Silverlight. Microsoft Silverlight,...
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Cineworld inks advertising JV with Odeon Cinemas
MUMBAI: Cineworld Group in association with Odeon Cinemas Limited has formed a 50:50 joint venture Digital Cinema Media (DCM) to address cinema advertising. DCM has reached agreement in principle to acquire certain assets from...
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GDMX deploys Sonic Solutions to up Blu-ray production
MUMBAI: Sonic Solutions, the leader in digital media software, announced that Global Digital Media Xchange (GDMX), a key Hollywood authoring facility, has selected Sonic’s Scenarist HDMV and BD-J authoring and CineVision AVC video encoding...
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Jaman.com offers free women-oriented films
MUMBAI: In honor of International Women’s Day (8 March), the leading online destination for quality international and independent entertainment, Jaman.com, is offering free downloads of an exciting collection of films reflecting the experiences of...
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Dish Network, Star strike multi-channel distribution deal
MUMBAI: Star Group announced the launch of five popular Asian television channels on the Dish Network platform. Dish Network is one of the largest satellite TV service providers in America. The deal represents the...
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Thought Equity inks library license deal with Paramount
MUMBAI: Thought Equity Motion, supplier of online motion content licensing and management services, and Paramount Pictures announced a collaboration to offer the entertainment production community digital access to Paramount Pictures’ stock footage library. "Whether...
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Geoffrey Ammer is president at Marvel Studios
MUMBAI: Geoffrey Ammer has been named president of worldwide marketing and home entertainment for Marvel Studios, the Hollywood division of Marvel Entertainment. The announcement was made by Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel. One of...
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IFC Entertainment, Blockbuster ink rental deal
MUMBAI: In a move designed to make independent films available to a wider audience, IFC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, and Blockbuster Inc. have inked a two-year agreement that gives Blockbuster...
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iTunes behind only Wal-Mart in music retail
MUMBAI: Apple’s iTunes is now the number two music retailer in the US, behind only Wal-Mart, based on the latest data from the NPD Group. Apple also announced that there are now over 50...
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Global & US box office hit all-time highs in 2007: MPAA
In 2007, eleven movies grossed $200 million or more in the US, which is nearly twice that of 2006; global box office grew 4.9% to $26.7 billion....
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Nielsen announces team for Entertainment Group
MUMBAI: Nielsen Business Media has promoted three executives to senior leadership roles within the organization’s recently created Entertainment Group. The new team includes: Howard Appelbaum, who was named vice president/publisher of Billboard; Eric Mika,...
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SPTI promotes Kalle to SVP, Chien as VP
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International’s (SPTI) international networks group announced that Superna Kalle has been promoted to senior vice president with oversight of the group’s television networks business in India. SPTI vice president international...
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Weinstein Co to produce first film on Bob Marley
MUMBAI: The Weinstein Company has acquired the rights to develop, produce and distribute the first ever biopic about the legendary Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist Bob Marley and his wife Rita Marley. The feature...
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Belgrad, Tolmach made presidents of Columbia Pictures
MUMBAI: Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach have each been named president of Columbia Pictures and have extended their employment agreements with the studio through 2011, it was announced by Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and...
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Walt Disney’s ESPN to launch ESPN Films
MUMBAI: Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN will launch ESPN Films to present scripted and documentary film projects for television and theatrical release. ESPN Films, a new initiative announced by ESPN senior vice president, content...
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MPA donates sniffer dogs to K-9 unit
MUMBAI: In what may be the most determined statement yet of its intention to rid the country of optical disc piracy, the Malaysian Government announced today the establishment of a canine (K-9) unit to...
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Drew Barrymore donates $1mn on Oprah Winfrey Show
MUMBAI: Drew Barrymore, one of the world’s most recognized film stars, announced a personal donation of $1 million on the Oprah Winfrey Show to help the World Food Programme (WFP) feed thousands of school...
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Panasonic to release DivX Certified Blu-ray DVD Player
MUMBAI: DivX, a digital media company, announced the DivX Certification of Panasonic’s Blu-ray Disc (BD) Player. The Panasonic Blu-ray Disc player, which joins a number of existing DivX Certified products from Panasonic, is scheduled...
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Chinese web portal sued over music
MUMBAI: China’s top search engine Baidu.com has been sued by a local music industry group for alleged copyright violation. The Music Copyright Society of China official Qu Jingming accused Baidu.com Inc. of "providing...
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Tim Allen dons the director’s hat with comedy film
MUMBAI: Hollywood actor Tim Allen is set to direct and star in comedy flick Crazy on the Outside. The movie is about an ex-con’s adventures outside after he is released from prison. Ray...
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Mel Gibson buys Australian cinema chain
MUMBAI: Hollywood actor-director Mel Gibson has signed a $19.44 million deal under his company Icon Film Distribution to takeover a cinema chain in Australia and New Zealand. As per media reports, Gibson and his...
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Jack Nicholson boosts Clinton campaign via YouTube
MUMBAI: Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson has put his weight behind Hillary Clinton as she stands for election as the Democratic presidential candidate. Nicholson created a video in which he takes clips from many...
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GekTV adds 3 Star channels to IPTV platform
MUMBAI: Star and GekTV will be launching three Mandarin language Star channels on the US based GekTV IPTV platform on 15 March. The three channels include Star Chinese Channel, Channel [V] Taiwan and Star...
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Miller appointed VP legal affairs at Brash
MUMBAI: Brash Entertainment has appointed Melissa Miller as vice president of legal affairs. Miller joined Brash from Fox Filmed Entertainment, where she handled legal affairs for domestic and global licensing and merchandising initiatives; working...
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Social.FM, Handmark sign global distribution deal
MUMBAI: Social.FM, a social music service for mobile and web users, and Handmark, a global leader in the development and distribution of mobile media, announced a strategic distribution agreement whereby Handmark will market and...
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New Madonna album to release 28 April
MUMBAI: Madonna’s 11th studio album for Warner Bros. Records, Hard Candy, is scheduled to have a global release on 28 April and a US release on 29 April, it was confirmed by her label....
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Strategic buyers for entertainment in 2008: PwC
MUMBAI: With private equity on the sideline, 2008 M&A activity in the Entertainment and Media (E&M) industry will likely be dominated by strategic buyers, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ E&M Transaction Services practice. Private equity firms...
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Novartis, Sony Pictures campaign for breast cancer
MUMBAI: Novartis and Sony Pictures Television International’s (SPTI) Latin American advertising sales group launched SER, a breast cancer prevention and early detection campaign in support of Latin American women. The groundbreaking campaign combines Novartis’...
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Disney-ABC Television launches media content studio
MUMBAI: The Disney-ABC Television Group launched Stage 9 Digital Media. Focused on creating original short-form programming by merging innovative creativity with superior production quality, the studio’s experimental new media content premiered with the comedy...
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MPA, Microsoft launch online video contest in China
MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association (MPA), partnering with Microsoft (China) and in collaboration with Tudou.com, announced the launch of the ‘Love Genuine, Protect IPR’ online video contest promoting respect for IPR. Online users in...
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World Music recording market to reach $40.8 billion by 2010
MUMBAI: World Music Recording market is forecast to post a modest CAGR of 0.94% over the 2000-2010 analysis period and reach in excess of $40.8 billion by 2010. The US, with a share estimated...
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Universal Music Group to acquire Univision Music Group
MUMBAI; Universal Music Group (UMG) is planning to acquire Spanish-language media company in the US – Univision Communications Inc. UMG will acquire Univision Music Group including its music recording and publishing division. Univision Music...
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Dragonfly gets funds to build out GenX HD Video Network
MUMBAI: Dragonfly, an Internet video distribution provider, announced it has closed over $3 million in funding to date from a group of strategic individual investors. Dragonfly is using this investment to enhance its world-class...
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Time Warner consolidates Warner Bros., New Line Cinema
MUMBAI: Time Warner Inc. has consolidated its filmed entertainment businesses, Warner Bros. Entertainment and New Line Cinema. The combination brings together New Line’s 40-year legacy as the world’s most successful and innovative independent film...
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TMZ to provide video content to MySpaceTV
MUMBAI: Social network MySpace and TMZ announced a content partnership to bring new video content to the MySpace video platform, MySpaceTV (http://www.myspacetv.com). TMZ will populate a branded channel on MySpaceTV, providing MySpace with a...
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Chinese film industry box office returns up 20%
MUMBAI: Greater China Media and Entertainment Corporation, an integrated professional media and entertainment company, released its summary of the 2007 Chinese film industry. According to a report reviewing the Chinese film industry, box office...
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Relativity Media, Universal ink 4-Year co-financing deal
MUMBAI: Relativity Capital, a newly announced partnership between Relativity Media and Elliott Associates, announced that it had signed a deal with Universal Pictures to co-finance a significant portion of Universal’s release slate through 2011. ...
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ANS – The Mobile Movie Network launches
MUMBAI: Application service provider Ettix Software Solutions Inc. and distributor of niche and ethnic programming PathFinder World Video, in conjunction with ANS-TV (Afresh New Station) launched the ANS-The Mobile Movie Network. Utilizing the Tulix...
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Nielsen Business Media forms Entertainment Group
Nielsen Business Media forms Entertainment Group that houses its entertainment brands into one unit....
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