News

New Top Gear host, Chris Evans, is joined by The Stig at MIPCOM in Cannes, France

Top Gear host Chris Evans has hinted that there may not be co-hosts with him at all times throughout the new show.

Evans suggested that the old format, which saw Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May front the show, may not be a fixture in every show going forward.

Speaking to the Press Association at annual trade show MIPCOM (International Market of Communications Programmes) in Cannes, he said: “We are going to do things differently, because we have to, we want to.”

“And also, the second you wander off into the ‘Well, I’m the main host, and this is my mate over here and my mate over here, if there’s three of you and you go and make a film together, suddenly you’re doing what they did, why would you do that?”

“Because they were brilliant at it, I’m not going to do that. So, one thing is for sure, there’s not going to be me and one guy there, and one guy there, that’s not going to happen.”

He added: “They’re the Three Stooges, they are the Bee Gees, they are that and I’m not, I’m me. I’m a solo artist at the moment, I’m on my own, so do I form a band or not?”

Earlier this year, Evans called on Top Gear fans to send in short audition clips, with the aim of finding presenters to join him.

“We’ve screen tested some people from the videos at the Top Gear studio so some people who sent those videos in have reached the final stages,” he revealed.

As a fan of the show through the years, he reckons he’s seen “85-90%” of Top Gear episodes.

He said while watching the shows he realised the format was four links and three VTs, but was adamant: “We’re going to change that. I can’t tell you into what, I know, by the way, but I can’t say at the moment. We are going to keep some things that I like, and my kids like, and my friends like, and that I liked anyway, but we are not going to throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Evans was also re-united with The Stig, who joined him for a photo shoot along the Boulevard de la Croisette.

“I don’t want to say anything specific, but The Stig is here today… that might be a clue as to whether he’s here tomorrow.”

The BBC Radio 2 presenter has signed a three-year contract for the new series of Top Gear, and the first season will be eight shows.

He admitted taking over the show was “formidable”, adding “It’s the biggest job I’ve ever had in my life.”

When asked if he’s terrified, he said: “Of course, I still am terrified, you have to be, and if you’re not then you’re not the right person for the job.”

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For more information, please contact:

For BBC Worldwide:
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BBC Worldwide
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Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com

Gladys Sim
BBC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: Gladys.Sim@bbc.com

About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC’s brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally.

In 2014/15, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £138.6m and headline sales of £1,001.8m and returned a record £226.5m to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview
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Lights. Camera. Eco-Action! – ZEE pledges to go Green!

Mumbai, October 07, 2015: A pioneer in the Media & Entertainment industry, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) once again leads the way by pledging to go Green with the launch of its ‘ZEE is Green’ initiative today. As a pilot project, ZEE has successfully transformed the set of &TV’s ‘Gangaa’ as a ‘Green’ set.

Speaking on this initiative, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL said, “Every industry has environmental responsibilities and the Media & Entertainment Industry is no exception. Film making and content creation is like any manufacturing activity with high fuel and electricity consumption, raw material and manpower usage, and production of landfill waste. With ‘ZEE Is Green’ we aim to translate our environmental commitment into action by integrating sustainability across our organization, in front of the cameras as well as behind it.”

Elaborating further, Mr. Goenka said, “Since the last three months, we have been working closely with all the stakeholders, from the production houses to the studio owners to our vendors. We have tried to study their problems, their needs, and their work processes. After doing an in-depth analysis, we have devised eco-friendly systems which do not disrupt their normal processes drastically but will still make a significant impact in the reduction of carbon emissions and production cost, over a period of time.”

Discussing the initiative, Roland Landers, Chief Brand Officer, ZEEL commented, “In line with our corporate brand philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, ZEE has been embracing the world as One Family. As a caring corporate, we want to touch people’s lives, not just through our entertainment but by building a sustainable enterprise that fosters action towards a better world. Our ‘ZEE is Green’ initiative aims at developing the next generation of production practices that puts people and profits in sync with the planet.”

The mission of ‘ZEE is Green’ is to raise awareness, build capacity and foster the widespread adoption of economically viable, environmentally restorative and socially constructive processes. The pilot project under this initiative was the successful greening of the set of &TV’s popular show ‘Gangaa’. Green measures introduced on the set include the installation of colour-coded bins for waste segregation, an organic waste converter to transform wet waste into manure and a plastic shredder that prevents wrongful reuse of plastic bottles and also saves on the fuel associated with their transportation.
Other measures adopted include the use of eco-fonts to print scripts which will reduce ink consumption by approximately 35%, the installation of water coolers with RO purifier to eliminate the use of 20 liter plastic water jugs, the use of rechargeable batteries in sound recording and the commissioning of solar street lights in the studio complex.

In the next phase, these policies will be extended to other productions with the aim of cutting carbon emissions by 10% in the coming year. Further, ZEE will also be launching Zeeisgreen.com, a portal which will host unique green guides, the green experiences on different sets and useful information which will be easily accessible to all stakeholders. The site will host a unique module which will list vendors who provide environment friendly goods to be used in production.

By creating eco-wealth, ZEE is confident of building a stronger business and a more sustainable world in the process.

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Note to Editors

About Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL):
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited is one of India’s leading television media and entertainment companies. It is amongst the largest producers and aggregators of Hindi programming in the world, with an extensive library housing over 210,000 hours of television content. With rights to more than 3,500 movie titles from foremost studios and of iconic film stars, ZEE houses the world’s largest Hindi film library. Through its strong presence worldwide, ZEE entertains over 959 million viewers across 169 countries. ZEE has been selected Business Superbrands 2010-11, Industry Validated.

Pioneer of television entertainment industry in India, ZEE’s well-known brands include Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Anmol, Zee Smile, &TV, Zee Action, Zee Classic, &pictures, Zee Salaam, Zee Cafe, Zee Studio, Zee ETC Bollywood, Zindagi, Zing, Living Foodz, Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action, and Zee Q. The company also has a strong offering in the regional language domain with channels such as Zee Marathi, Zee Talkies, Zee Bangla, Zee Bangla Cinema, Zee Telugu, Zee Kannada and Zee Tamil. The company’s recently launched HD offerings include Zee TV HD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Studio HD, &pictures HD, &TV HD, Ten HD and Ten Golf HD.

ZEE and its affiliate companies have leading presence across the media value chain including television broadcasting, cable distribution, direct-to-home satellite services, digital media and print media amongst others. More information about ZEE and its businesses is available on www.zeetelevision.com
=============================================================================

Media Contact:
Jayshree Kumar / Arantxa Gonsalves
Corporate Brand – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)
Mobile: +91-9769286661 / 9820336890
Landline: +91- 22 – 7106 1367 / 7108 5464
Email: jayshree.kumar@zee.esselgroup.com / arantxa.gonsalves@zee.esselgroup.com

Philippine Video Documents Interference with Cable TV Broadcasts – LTE is the Culprit

About a year ago, in a few cities in the Philippines, tens of thousands of cable TV customers began reporting that the TV channels they were used to watching on their local cable systems weren’t working right. The reason was that a telco, putting an old frequency license to new use, had begun rolling out an LTE wireless system in those cities in the 3.5 GHz band.

As time passed, more and more cities have been affected. Mitigation measures took months to implement, with cable customers and cable operators bearing the cost in terms of equipment upgrades and huge customer disruptions. Some channels are lost forever; others can be restored.

The Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTA) an association of small-to-medium cable TV enterprises in the provinces, who have been most affected by the interference, produced a short video documentary, recording the problems their members have suffered…..and their urgent hope that the problem can be brought under control. On the video, Jose Luis Dabao (PCTA VP for the Visayas islands) says

“The cable TV community is extremely worried that as the rollout continues…the cable TV customers may experience even more problems than we currently are. More channels and many more cities and towns will be affected. If telcos start deploying LTE signals in standard C-band, as we have heard they may, we will not be able to receive any of our satellite C-band channels at all.”

The video is an important testimony from the grassroots, in a tropical developing country – typical of so many tropical countries which rely heavily on C-band satellite transmissions. It gives the lie to the mobile industry lobbyists who claim that their signals (ubiquitous and powerful) can co-exist in near frequency bands with others. It’s well worth watching.

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Season Two of Emmy®-Winning Cinemax Series The Knick Directed By Steven Soderbergh and Starring Clive Owen Premieres October 17 On Cinemax

SINGAPORE, OCTOBER 6, 2015 – Starring Clive Owen (Emmy® nominee for HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn”; Oscar® nominee and Golden Globe winner for “Closer”), André Holland (“Selma,” “42”), Eve Hewson (“Enough Said“) and Juliet Rylance (“Frances Ha”), THE KNICK kicks off its ten-episode second season same day as the US – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 at 10pm, exclusively on CINEMAX (StarHub TV Channel 611). New episodes air every Saturday at the same time on Cinemax.

Viewers can watch seasons one and two of THE KNICK anytime anywhere on HBO GO / HBO On Demand on StarHub Go. Additionally, non-subscribers can watch the first episode for free on cinemaxasia.com and youtube.com/HBOAsia from October 21 to Nov 4.

Steven Soderbergh (Oscar® winner for “Traffic”; Emmy® winner for HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”; Emmy® nominee for season one) directs the entire season of the show, which recently received an Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period Program (One Hour or More).

New York City, 1901: The Knick faces an upheaval, as Dr. John Thackery’s absence (due to his hospitalization for cocaine addiction), a dearth of affluent patients, and financial missteps have led to the board’s decision to shutter The Knickerbocker Hospital in favour of a new building uptown. In this world of corruption, invention and progress, everyone is searching for the new path that will help him or her survive. Whether it’s a path toward justice, freedom, love or just plain survival, nothing comes easy.

As relocation plans proceed, the gifted but under-appreciated Dr. Algernon Edwards jockeys to become Thackery’s successor as chief of surgery, while fellow doctors, nurses, nuns and administrators grapple with challenges at work and in their private lives.

The returning ensemble cast includes Jeremy Bobb (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “House of Cards”), Michael Angarano (“The Stanford Prison Experiment,” “Empire State”), Chris Sullivan (“The Drop,” HBO’s “The Normal Heart”), Cara Seymour (“I Origins,” “An Education”), Eric Johnson (“Rookie Blues”), David Fierro (“Birdman : Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”), Maya Kazan (“Frances Ha,” HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”), Grainger Hines (“Lincoln”), Leon Addison Brown (“Lincoln: A Walk Among the Tombstones”), Tom Lipinski (“Sometimes I Lie”), Charles Aitken (“The Girl on the Train”), Jennifer Ferrin (“Falling Skies”), Perry Yung (“Royal Pains”), Rachel Korine (“Spring Breakers”) and Michael Nathanson (“Side Effects”). Cast newcomers include Andrew Rannells (HBO’s “Girls”), Zaraah Abrahams (“Da Sweet Blood of Jesus”), Annabelle Attanasio (“Anchovies”), Arielle Goldman (“The Zebra Room”) and Emily Kinney (“The Walking Dead”).

Gregory Jacobs (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”; “Magic Mike XXL”), Steven Soderbergh, Michael Sugar (“The Fifth Estate,” “Rendition”) and Clive Owen executive produce. The writing team of Jack Amiel & Michael Begler (“Raising Helen,” “Big Miracle”) writes and executive produces. Michael Polaire (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”) produces. Steven Katz is the writer of season two episodes five and eight, and is co-executive producer.

The production designer is two-time Emmy®-winner Howard Cummings (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”); the costume designer is Emmy®-winner Ellen Mirojnick (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”); and the casting director is Emmy®-winner Carmen Cuba (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”). Composer Cliff Martinez (“Drive”) is responsible for THE KNICK’s critically acclaimed score. Emmy®-winner Justin Raleigh (“American Horror Story: Freak Show,” Emmy® nominee for season one) designed the special effects makeup and prostheses for the series.

Rich in period detail, THE KNICK captures the era’s unique zeitgeist, when huge strides in technology transformed medicine and treatments that were once thought impossible became commonplace. The series also addresses slowly changing social norms at a time when the gulf between rich and poor was profound, and the idea of racial equality a distant dream.

Creating 1901 New York was left to production designer Howard Cummings, who recently received his second Emmy® for season one of THE KNICK. Exteriors were recreated in and around Brooklyn and in downtown Manhattan, while interiors of the Knickerbocker Hospital, along with additional sets, were filmed at Cine Magic East River Studio soundstages. The streets of Yonkers, NY were used to recreate Chinatown in San Francisco.

Season two’s eye-catching costumes were created by Emmy®-winning costume designer Ellen Mirojnick. From period hospital uniforms to men’s impeccably tailored suits, from women’s ornate ball gowns to provocative dance-hall attire, she definitively captures the disparity in the clothing of the haves and the have-nots in the turn-of-the-century New York.

Episode S201
Premieres same day as the US: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 10pm on CINEMAX
Primetime encores on CINEMAX: Oct. 18 at 11.55pm, Oct. 21 at 10pm.

As Barrow (Jeremy Bobb) and The Knick prepare to move uptown, Dr. Edwards (André Holland) lobbies the hospital board to be appointed permanent chief of surgery in Dr. Thackery’s (Clive Owen) absence. Though his suspension has been lifted, Dr. Gallinger (Eric Johnson) refuses to return as Edwards’ subordinate, so he heads to Cromartie Hospital in hopes of getting Thackery to return to work.

Lucy’s (Eve Hewson) attempts to make amends with Bertie (Michael Angarano) are rebuffed; Cleary (Chris Sullivan) schemes to make extra money; Ping Wu (Perry Yung) demands regular medical check-ups for his prostitutes; Speight (David Fierro) attempts to trace the origins of a new plague; Cornelia (Juliet Rylance) nourishes a quarantined neighbourhood in San Francisco.

Written by Jack Amiel & Michael Begler; directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Episode S202
Premieres same day as the US: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10pm on CINEMAX
Primetime encores on CINEMAX: Oct. 25 at 11.45pm, Oct. 28 at 10pm

Dr. Thackery sets his sights on a return to The Knick – a request that doesn’t sit well with the board. After a shocking discovery, Cornelia enlists Cleary to do a dirty job, for a price. Bertie makes a change; Robertson (Grainger Hines) pushes a new subway initiative; Barrow drives up construction costs; Lucy is surprised by an unexpected visitor from home.

Written by Jack Amiel & Michael Begler; directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Episode S203
Premieres same day as the US: Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10pm on CINEMAX
Primetime encores on CINEMAX: Nov. 1 at 11.45pm, Nov. 4 at 10pm.

Thackery enlists Edwards to help him test a new hypothesis. After rejecting Robertson’s advances at The Knick, Lucy learns that confession isn’t always good for the soul. Young journalist Genevieve Everidge (Arielle Goldman) works on a story about one of Thackery’s rivals. Cornelia is dismayed by the limits of her husband’s (Tom Lipinksi) sympathies; Barrow faces a new adversary at Tammany Hall; Gallinger is intrigued by a discussion of eugenics at a class reunion; Edwards deals with a surprise visitor.

Written by Jack Amiel & Michael Begler; directed by Steven Soderbergh.

# # #

About HBO ASIA
Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia and offers a bouquet of channels and services including 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels in standard-definition and high-definition – HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS, CINEMAX and RED – as well as HBO GO and HBO ON DEMAND. HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in Asia. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

VTV, FPT bring Australia Plus TV to Vietnam

Australian Broadcasting Corporation has signed carriage agreements with Vietnam Television and FPT Telecom. As per the deal, ABC’s Australia Plus TV (A+ TV) is being broadcast on VTV’s cable TV and FPT’s IPTV services.

Australia Plus (formerly known as Australia Television International and ABC Asia Pacific and Australia Network) is an international satellite television service operated since 2001. The channel broadcasts programmes on various genres including lifestyle, drama, sports, English-language learning programmes, children’s programming and news and current affairs. The channel is available in over 44 countries across Asia Pacific.

Read more at NexTV Asia

SBS unveils new channel in November, partners Scripps Networks

Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Australian free-to-air television channel will launch a new channel, SBS Three in November which will air culinary and travel-related programmes. SBS has entered in to an output and licensing agreement with Scripps Networks Interactive.

The new channel will air content sourced from around the world, alongside some of the network’s locally made shows. Scripps Networks will supply programming from across the food category including cooking competitions, culinary adventures and home entertaining. SBS operates four free-to-air channels viz SBS One, SBS Two, NITV and World Movies…

Read more at NexTV Asia

Eutelsat and Facebook to partner on satellite initiative to get more Africans online

Paris, 5 October 2015 – Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) and Facebook today announce they are partnering on a new initiative that will leverage satellite technologies to get more Africans online. Under a multi-year agreement with Spacecom, the two companies will utilise the entire broadband payload on the future AMOS-6 satellite and will build a dedicated system comprising satellite capacity, gateways and terminals. In providing reach to large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Eutelsat and Facebook will each be equipped to pursue their ambition to accelerate data connectivity for the many users deprived of the economic and social benefits of the Internet.

Spot beams for community and Direct-to-User access

Scheduled for start of service in the second half of 2016, the Ka-band payload on the AMOS-6 geostationary satellite is configured with high gain spot beams covering large parts of West, East and Southern Africa. The capacity is optimised for community and Direct-to-User Internet access using affordable, off-the-shelf customer equipment. According to the terms of the agreement, the capacity will be shared between Eutelsat and Facebook.

State of the art satellite technology to meet pent-up demand

Using state of the art satellite technology, Eutelsat and Facebook will each deploy Internet services designed to relieve pent-up demand for connectivity from the many users in Africa beyond range of fixed and mobile terrestrial networks. Satellite networks are well suited to economically connecting people in low to medium density population areas and the high throughput satellite architecture of AMOS-6 is expected to contribute to additional gains in cost efficiency.
Eutelsat steps up Internet activity in Africa

The capacity will enable Eutelsat to step up its broadband activity in Sub-Saharan Africa that was initiated using Ku-band satellites to serve professional users. Eutelsat is establishing a new company based in London that will steer its African broadband vision and business. The company will be led by Laurent Grimaldi, founder and former CEO of Tiscali International Network, and will focus on serving premium consumer and professional segments.

Facebook continues Internet.org initiative

Two years ago, Facebook announced Internet.org, an effort to accelerate the rate of connectivity by addressing the physical, economic and social barriers that are keeping people from getting online. For Facebook, this satellite system represents one of many technology investments to enable cost-effective broadband access to unconnected populations. Facebook plans to work with local partners across Africa to utilise satellite and terrestrial capacity to deliver services to rural areas.

“Facebook’s mission is to connect the world and we believe that satellites will play an important role in addressing the significant barriers that exist in connecting the people of Africa,” said Chris Daniels, VP of Internet.org. “We are looking forward to partnering with Eutelsat on this project and investigating new ways to use satellites to connect people in the most remote areas of the world more efficiently.”

Commenting on the agreement, Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat Chairman and CEO, said: “We are excited by this opportunity to accelerate the deployment of our broadband strategy and to partner with Facebook on a new initiative to provide Internet access services in Africa. Eutelsat’s strong track record in operating High Throughput Satellite systems will ensure that we can deliver accessible and robust Internet solutions that get more users online and part of the Information Society.”

For more information from Facebook: Derick Mains, derickmains@fb.com

About Eutelsat Communications
Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.

Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location.

Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 37 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat please visit www.eutelsat.com

Press
Vanessa O’Connor Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 voconnor@eutelsat.com
Marie-Sophie Ecuer Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 mecuer@eutelsat.com

Investors and analysts
Joanna Darlington Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com
Cédric Pugni Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 cpugni@eutelsat.com