14 Dec, 2015 – To mark its twenty years of operation in India, Multi Screen Media has been officially rebranded as Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India. The focus of SPN India will be centered on becoming the leader in digital entertainment and television.

“Our focus will remain on becoming the first choice in digital entertainment and television in the country,” said Sony Pictures Networks India CEO N P Singh.

He added: “Sony Pictures Networks India will continue to serve its audiences across geographies. More channels, more genres, more content, more movies, more digital and more television. This is our six-fold path to serve the multitude of viewers whose hopes and expectations, we are aiming, to exceed.”

Read more at NexTV India

15 Dec, 2015 – Viacom18 has adopted ‘Daughters of Mother India’, the award-winning documentary that explores the aftermath of the Nirbhaya rape incident in 2012.

The documentary will air across the entire Viacom18 network on 27 December to mark the death anniversary of Nirbhaya.

Produced by Academy Award winner Maryann Deleo and directed by national award winner Vibha Bakshi, ‘Daughters of Mother India’ is a 45-minute documentary that explores the effect of Nirbhaya’s brutal gang rape on the collective psyche of India.

Read more at Television Post

15 Dec, 2015 – Discovery Communications will consider rolling out its over-the-top (OTT) platform Dplay in India once 4G services are established across India.

“We have introduced our OTT offering in some European countries. I am sure as the bandwidth constraints get eliminated and once 4G is really in place in the country, that is the time we will start evaluating the Discovery offering in India,” Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific EVP and GM-South Asia Rahul Johri told PTI.

In June, Discovery Communications had launched Dplay in Europe, powered by the best in general entertainment, live sports, and exciting non-fiction. Dplay is an all-access pass to the shows and sports every family member can watch, anytime and on any device.

Read more at Television Post

14 Dec, 2015 – The BBC iPlayer, which has been available on devices such as Roku and Chromecast, has finally launched on Apple TV in the U.K.

The dedicated app rolled out in time for the holidays. It features a 30-day window for catch-up content, plus streaming of shows from BBC One, Two, Three and Four. Programming available on the iPlayer includes the exclusive Luther: The Journey So Far, Star Wars at the BBC, EastEnders: Back to Ours, Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright, The Voice UK: Meet the Coaches and Matt Berry Does… Happy New You.

Read more at World Screen

15 Dec, 2015 – Arnab Goswami, President-News & Editor-in-Chief, Times Now and ET Now, today won the IMPACT Person of the Year, 2015 Award, instituted by the exchange4media Group to recognize excellence in the Advertising, Media and Marketing domain. Goswami was given the award for revolutionizing news presentation and production on television, driving it to altogether new heights with his single-minded passion and taking Brand Times Now to consistent leadership position.

Read more at exchange4media

PCCW (SEHK:0008) – HONG KONG, December 10, 2015 – now TV, Hong Kong’s largest pay-TV and leading OTT provider, today unveils its strong content lineup for the first quarter of 2016 with more exclusive, express and live content, as well as opportunities of experiencing our programs up-close.

• Largest Exclusive Library – now TV will introduce two more exclusive channels in January 2016. The Oh!K channel broadcasts popular Korean dramas and top-tier variety hits, including Glamorous Temptation starring Choi Kang-hie and Joo Sang-wook. FOX Action Movie channel provides all-day action entertainment. Exciting favorites from around the world include American Heist, Pompeii and Sabotage. now TV currently offers more than 80 exclusive channels – the most in Hong Kong – with fabulous exclusive programs like The Game of Thrones, _Wife, Full Strike and Helios.

• Most Express Content – Over the last year, dramas screened on the now TV platform have scored more than 80 Emmy awards. These included over 30 titles that aired within a week after being premiered in their countries of origin. Titles coming up in 2016 will include the new season of Game of Thrones exclusively from HBO, which is awarded 12 Emmy awards, thriller hits such as The Walking Dead exclusively from FOX, which is screened within 12 hours of being shown in the U.S., plus other top-tier Asian dramas such as Glamorous Temptation.

• Comprehensive Live Coverage – Being Hong Kong’s “Home of Sports”, now TV offers the most comprehensive lineup in Hong Kong of world-class sports action such as Premier League for the next three seasons, LaLiga and Bundesliga, NBA games, plus major golf tournaments (PGA Tour, European Tour, Masters Tournament, US Open Championship, The Open Championship and PGA Championship) and tennis tournaments (ATP, Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and US Open). HKT’s Content Distribution Network (CDN) and dedicated Quality of Service (QoS) mean that now TV customers have assurance of excellent video quality second to none when viewing sports and other programs.

• Best Experience – now TV will launch a new user interface in January 2016, enabling customers to discover programs with utmost ease, by genres or channel, and create their personal TV channel with the new My now feature. And in a new TV industry twist, now TV will launch a “Money Can’t Buy Reward Experience” campaign giving customers an opportunity to become a participant or contestant in their favorite programs, such as “Asian Master Chef” in January and “Voice of Nature” in February. In March, sports fans will have the opportunity to win a trip to Spain watching the Deportivo vs Barcelona match at Deportivo’s home stadium.

Meanwhile, now TV continues to offer customers various means of viewing their favorite programs via Video-on-Demand and now Record anytime, and via now Player OTT app anywhere. In addition, the Video Express First pay-per-view platform co-operates with major studios, including 21 Century FOX, Warner Brothers, Disney, Paramount, and NBCUniversal to deliver the latest and greatest Hollywood, Asian and Bollywood movies – some of which are made available on the same day as their DVD release.

Ms. Loke Kheng Tham, PCCW’s Executive Vice President of Pay TV, said, “Being the leader in the pay-TV market, we will continue to provide the best content lineup to our customers. Our multi-screen strategy enables customers to enjoy content via TV, Internet and mobile devices. In addition to continually enhancing content lineup, we launched a new pack pricing model in the second quarter of this year, whereby customers can select their preferred genre packs such as movie, Asian, International Entertainment, kids and sports. Looking forward to 2016, we will continue to join hands with over 200 top-notch partners worldwide to provide our customers with 180 plus channels and yet more exclusive, express and live content as well as an unbeatable overall TV experience, making now TV the perfect choice for the entire family entertainment.”

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LUXEMBOURG, 10 December 2015 — SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that SES-9 has safely arrived at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is being processed for a mid-January 2016 launch on board Space X’s newly upgraded Falcon 9 rocket.

SES-9 will be positioned at 108.2 degrees East and provide both replacement and incremental capacity for a prime video neighbourhood over Asia which already serves over 22 million households with high quality broadcast solutions. The spacecraft will be co-located with SES-7 and increases SES’s global video capabilities to serve fast-growing markets in Asia, such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

The spacecraft is also designed to deliver reliable data connectivity to homes and enterprises across Asia, and provides dedicated beams to support growing mobility communications needs across the Indian Ocean.

SES-9 was built by Boeing Satellite Systems and is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7-kilowatt payload and 57 high-power Ku-band transponders (equivalent to 81 × 36 MHz transponders). SES-9 will use a chemical bi propellant apogee motor to quickly achieve a 24h synchronous orbit and then electric propulsion to circularise the final orbit and to remove eccentricity at 36,000 kilometers over the equator. Subsequent on-orbit manoeuvres will be executed with electric propulsion.

Martin Halliwell, Chief Technical Officer at SES, commented: “SES-9 is the latest step in the globalisation of SES’s video capabilities, and provides additional capacity to serve a range of Next Generation Data and Mobility applications in the Asia-Pacific region. As SES’s first spacecraft to use electric propulsion, SES-9 incorporates some of the latest innovations, helping SES to reduce cost and deliver the next generation of satellite today.”

For further information please contact:

Markus Payer
Corporate Communications
Tel. +352 710 725 500
Markus.Payer@ses.com

(11 December 2015, Singapore) – After thousands of applications from hopeful home-cooks across Asia, 15 talented contenders, and 15 weeks of intense culinary competition, it all boiled down to last night’s grand finale of the inaugural MasterChef Asia on A+E Networks’ Lifetime (StarHub TV Ch 514). Woo Wai Leong flew the Singapore flag high as he clinched the coveted title over his competitor from across the causeway, Marcus Low.

Leong was a strong contender from the get-go; he delighted the judges with his “Chili Crab Pâte à Choux Gnocchi”, which fused Asian and Italian cooking styles to present a bold European twist to Singapore’s national dish.

The judges, and guest chef, Janice Wong, were also wowed by the taste, creativity and presentation of Leong’s dessert in celebration of SG50. Leong created a “Financier with Vermouth Cherries and Mascarpone Kaffir Lime Sorbet”. His dish resembled a junk boat, featuring financiers, a type of sponge cake, and meringue shards as the sails of the boat; infusing flavours of the Singapore Sling. An experienced bartender, the qualified lawyer likes to infuse alcohol with his cooking.
“Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve felt a deep passion for the kitchen.” said Leong, “This competition has been a real life changing experience and being Asia’s first MasterChef is definitely the proverbial icing on the cake. I am stoked about writing my first cookbook and you would definitely see unique food pairings and fusion of cuisines.”

Audra Morrice, judge on the inaugural season of MasterChef Asia, and former MasterChef Australia finalist commented “It has been an enriching journey to see Leong grow throughout the competition, and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve outside of the MasterChef kitchen.”

Hong Kong born “Father of Fusion” and MasterChef Asia judge Susur Lee added, “Leong’s strong understanding of the foods he works with, and his ability to create bold fusion dishes has made him an outstanding contender throughout the competition.”
Bruno Ménard, three-Michelin starred chef and MasterChef Asia judge credited Leong for his technical skills. He said “The high level of technique Leong possesses, was what won him the competition. We are proud to be a part of his culinary journey and wish him the best in his career.”

“We are elated by the success of MasterChef Asia” said Michele Schofield, Senior Vice President, Programming & Production, A+E Networks Asia. “The strong support we received from viewers is true testament to A+E Networks’ commitment to providing engaging content for Lifetime audiences across Asia. MasterChef Asia is the latest in a long line of A+E Networks local commissions, which we are excited to continue to build on in 2016.”

Leong walks away with his very own cookbook, USD$50,000 cash prize, USD$10,000 worth of unique leisure experiences in Singapore, USD$15,000 worth of Panasonic home appliances, a one-year paid internship at one of Carlton Hotel Singapore’s restaurants and a one week stay at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

And of course, Leong has the bragging rights to the coveted title of being Asia’s first MasterChef.

For more information, please visit masterchefasia.com.

December 10, 2015: Tata Sky, the pioneer of innovative services in the DTH industry has launched a new interactive service ‘Dance Studio’, powered by ‘Dance With Madhuri’ (DWM), in collaboration with RnM Moving Pictures Pvt Ltd. (founded by the renowned actor & dancer, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Dr. Shriram Nene). This service, on a DTH platform, enables Tata Sky’s subscribers to learn dance forms in the comfort of their homes.

The highlight of Dance Studio is Madhuri herself, teaching dance to her popular Bollywood songs, including Ghagra, Ek Do Teen, Tamma Tamma, Aaja Nachle and more. The service also has an impressive line-up of legends of dance like Pt Birju Maharaj, and ace choreographers like Saroj Khan, Remo D’Souza, Terence Lewis, Salman Yusuff Khan, Deepak Singh, Savio Barnes, Shampa Gopikrishna, Meher Malik, who will provide introduction to different dance forms ranging from Bollywood dance to specialized forms like Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip-Hop along with Salsa, Tango and more.

With a launch offer for the first ten days as FREE, and economically priced at Rs 59 per month, the service makes learning dance from the experts accessible to subscribers everywhere, across age-groups and beyond geographical and socioeconomic boundaries. This is a 24×7 service available in two languages; Hindi and English on channel no 123. The subscriber can choose between two Bollywood songs every week, one for beginners and one for advanced learners and learn the dance step-by-step. There is even a unique ‘Catch Up’ section to cover what has been missed in case of starting late for the weekly lesson.

Dance Studio was launched by Madhuri Dixit Nene, at a press conference in Mumbai’s Yash Raj Studios in the presence of Pallavi Puri, Chief Commercial Officer – Tata Sky, Malay Dikshit, Chief Communications Officer – Tata Sky and Dr Shriram Nene, MD, FACS – Managing Director – RnM Moving Pictures Pvt Ltd. and, along with the team of choreographers who are part of the movement. The event kick started with a captivating dance performance of various dance forms by eminent choreographers who are part of the movement. This was followed by the much awaited launch of Tata Sky Dance Studio powered by Dance With Madhuri. The occasion was also graced by Saroj Khan.

“Tata Sky is delighted to launch ‘Dance Studio’ in an exclusive partnership with Dance With Madhuri. Now, our subscribers can not only learn dancing to the best Bollywood numbers, but also specialized dance forms like Kathak, Jazz, Street,etc. All of us often have an occasion to dance but not everybody has access to the best choreographers to help us learn a few easy steps and get over our inhibitions.
Dance Studio powered by Dance With Madhuri, on Tata Sky, will make this possible. From the actor and dancer, Madhuri Dixit herself, to Pt. Birju Maharaj, Saroj Khan, Remo D’Souza, Terence Lewis, and many more, will now be accessible to everybody who wants to learn how to dance.” says Pallavi Puri, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky.

Commenting on RnM Moving Picture’s association with Tata Sky, Madhuri Dixit said, “Our vision was to take the passion of dance to everyone and we believe our collaboration with Tata Sky will ensure that millions of people can now learn how to dance right in their living rooms in India. It has been our endeavour to spread the joy of dance for which, we put in a lot of effort to select the best choreographers, who help us create content that teaches how to dance in the most systematic, authentic and convenient way possible.“

Dancing to Bollywood songs is a part of every occasion, from birthdays to weddings. But not everybody has the confidence to get up and shake a leg on the dance floor. Through this new innovative service, Tata Sky is confident that more people will shed their inhibitions and get up to dance at the next event they attend.

Content Features of Dance Studio:
• Monday to Friday: Two Bollywood songs taught progressively, one being Beginner level, and the other Advanced. Every Monday a new song with its choreography will start and by Friday the song will be taught completely.
• Saturday + Sunday: A new form of dance is shown every weekend, from Kathak to Hip-Hop and many more.
• ‘Easy Dance Moves’ is an interactive section that teaches a quick cool dance moves in just a few steps.
• Interesting trivia related to the song or the dance style being taught is also shared through the interactive layer.
• The service is available in both Hindi & English language on channel no 123

Malaysian pay-TV firm Astro has reported a five per cent increase in revenue, to RM4.1 billion ($955m), amid a tough economic environment, but the company’s CEO has warned that 2016 will be an even tougher year given high sports rights costs and the low valuation of the ringgit.

In its nine-month results for the financial year ending 31 January 2016, Astro saw EBITA – the truest measure of a company’s growth – rise by eight per cent to RM1.4 billion.

Read more at mumbrella