Leslie D' Monte &Amp; Aminah Sheikh In Mumbai

Stories by Leslie D' Monte &Amp; Aminah Sheikh In Mumbai

Star eyes regional TV venture with Asianet

Star eyes regional TV venture with Asianet

Rediff.com   10 Apr 2008

Star India is close to forming a joint venture with Kerala-based television broadcaster Asianet to launch a bouquet of regional channels. The deal comes after the failure of Star's joint venture with Ekta Kapur-controlled Balaji Telefilms to operate regional channels last April to get off the ground. Sources at Star said the broadcaster will hold a majority stake in the joint venture.

Texas Instruments eyes Indian entertainment indust

Texas Instruments eyes Indian entertainment indust

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2008

With hundreds of theatre screens coming up across India in 2009, Texas Instruments (TI) - a leading semiconductor technology company - is eyeing the Indian cinema market with its digital light processing (DLP) technology. TI has patented the DLP technology. In DLP projectors, the image is created by small mirrors laid out in a matrix on a semiconductor chip known as a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD).

Sponsors line up for mega TV shows, IPL

Sponsors line up for mega TV shows, IPL

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2008

With less than a month to go for the two mega television shows - Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai of Star Plus and the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League on Sony - companies have lined up in right earnest for sponsorship deals with the broadcasters. Star Plus has signed on a string of advertisers for the Shah Rukh Khan-anchored show. These include confectionery brand Halls, Pidilite Industries, Havells India, L'Oreal India, Tata Sky, Parle Products etc

Microsoft predicted to win over open standards

Microsoft predicted to win over open standards

Rediff.com   1 Apr 2008

The OpenMalaysia blog -run by advocates and students who support 'open' standards -- indicates that some countries have changed their earlier 'No' votes to 'Yes' for OOXML, helping the software major to get the necessary combination of more than two-thirds 'approve' votes and less than a quarter for 'disapproval'. Lawyer and standards expert, Andrew Updegrove, an advocate of the rival standard Open Document Format, too corroborates this view.

SRK or IPL:  Tough choice for channel sponsors

SRK or IPL: Tough choice for channel sponsors

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2008

Star Plus has signed up telecom major Airtel as the presenting sponsor for the Shah Rukh Khan-anchored Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai. According to sources, the deal has been struck at Rs 40 crore. The Airtel deal follows on the heels of its competitor Vodafone signing up as the presenting sponsor for the Indian Premier League on Sony TV.

No show for Bollywood online

No show for Bollywood online

Rediff.com   29 Feb 2008

Bollywood is yet to catch up with Hollywood when it comes to gaining profits from film websites.

MF ads: Sebi puts brakes on speed-reading

MF ads: Sebi puts brakes on speed-reading

Rediff.com   28 Feb 2008

If you watch television, you just cannot miss the colourful, new fund offering advertisements by mutual funds talking about India's growing economy and how investing in them is likely to fetch great returns

SRK show to fetch Rs 18 crore from callers

SRK show to fetch Rs 18 crore from callers

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2008

Unlike KBC-3, where Airtel, MTNL and BSNL were exclusive telecom partners, this time around, the channel is going non-exclusive. The channel is in the process of getting on board almost every telecom service provider, which means that participants need not just call from an Airtel or MTNL/BSNL number.

Ishant opens a new innings in ad deals

Ishant opens a new innings in ad deals

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2008

Before February 21, Sharma, who has been outstanding in the 13 matches he has played for India, charged Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million) to Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2.5 million) and had signed up with Pepsi and Reebok.

IPL may rake in Rs 600 crore ad revenue

IPL may rake in Rs 600 crore ad revenue

Rediff.com   20 Feb 2008

In the first year, each of the eight team owners will spend around Rs 25 crore on marketing and promotion, which include below-the-line activities, city-based club activations and so on, say sources.

Walt Disney may hike stake in UTV to 32%

Walt Disney may hike stake in UTV to 32%

Rediff.com   18 Feb 2008

Walt Disney is close to increasing its stake in Ronnie Screwvala-promoted media company UTV Software Communications to 32 per cent.

Sony to earn Rs 300 cr from IPL

Sony to earn Rs 300 cr from IPL

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2008

Sony Entertainment Television, which recently bagged the telecast rights of the Indian Premier League, hopes to earn over Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) as advertising revenue in the first season of the Board of Control for Cricket in India-promoted Twenty20 tournament.

IPL Twenty20: Ambani brothers likely to compete

IPL Twenty20: Ambani brothers likely to compete

Rediff.com   9 Feb 2008

RIL, owned by elder brother Mukesh Ambani, had acquired the Mumbai team last month for $111.9 million (about Rs 448 crore) for 10 years. Anil Ambani chose to stay away from the bids for the eight teams last month.

Branding extravaganza in store for IPL

Branding extravaganza in store for IPL

Rediff.com   4 Feb 2008

While the other owners of Indian Premier League teams are gearing up to pick up players in an auction some time this month, Emerging Media and Lachlan Murdoch, the combine which has bagged the Jaipur team, has firmed up its marketing and promotion plans.

IPL: Sachin, Sourav may pocket Rs 2-3 cr

IPL: Sachin, Sourav may pocket Rs 2-3 cr

Rediff.com   31 Jan 2008

The auctions are slated sometime in February, though the exact date is yet to be announced. Expectations are that stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh will rake in close to Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore in just one season of 59 match-days.

'BCCI Inc' among India's top 200 firms

'BCCI Inc' among India's top 200 firms

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2008

If it were a corporate entity, the Board of Control for Cricket in India would have been among the country's top 170 companies in terms of revenues (2007) -- much larger than Zee Entertainment (Rs 1,515.88 crore) for which promoter Subhash Chandra is waging a bitter battle against the official cricket board to develop 20-20 cricket in India.

'Gaming deal with Man U takes us global'

'Gaming deal with Man U takes us global'

Rediff.com   28 Jan 2008

Last week, Reliance Entertainment signed up with Manchester United for an exclusive, global three-year game development deal, which reports estimated at $100 million. Rajesh Sawhney, president, Reliance Entertainment, talked to Business Standard about the company's plans in the gaming, animation and home entertainment space.

Future Group, Sahara pad up for IPL

Future Group, Sahara pad up for IPL

Rediff.com   24 Jan 2008

It is learnt from sources that the two companies today paid Rs 20 crore as guarantee deposit to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

SRK in race to own IPL team

SRK in race to own IPL team

Rediff.com   23 Jan 2008

The likes of SRK, Nirula and Mallya are in the race to own an IPL team for the upcoming Twenty20 series.

Sony TV, Endemol spat over Big Boss sequel

Sony TV, Endemol spat over Big Boss sequel

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2008

Sony TV has locked horns with production house Endemol over airing of Big Boss sequels. Sony maintains that it has the first refusal rights, as per the agreement between the two.