UNIVERSAL CHANNEL UNVEILS INTERNATIONAL BRAND REFRESH WITH NEW, “100% CHARACTERS” POSITIONING

The New Logo, Look and Tagline Will Premiere First in Asia on April 28

Singapore, April 24, 2013 – The channels’ division of NBCUniversal International Television today announced the refresh of its flagship brand, Universal Channel (Starhub Channel 512). The evolution focuses on character-driven entertainment as the channel unveils its brand new positioning, logo, on-air packaging and tagline – “100% Characters” – beginning in Asia on Sunday, April 28. The worldwide roll-out of the refreshed channel will then follow throughout 2013.

“Our investment in Universal Channel underscores our long-term commitment to the brand and its key role as a portfolio driver of Universal Networks International’s entertainment brands. Universal Channel is one of the fastest-growing general entertainment channels in Asia, and we are certain the refreshed channel will provide an even greater connection with Asia’s entertainment seekers, advertisers and platforms,” said Christine Fellowes, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Universal Networks International.

“We arrived at our unique positioning because we believe that great characters are the magnets that draw viewers back to their favourite shows – week after week,” added Lee Raftery, EVP, Marketing, NBCUniversal International Television. “Universal Channel’s new logo, look and ‘100% Characters’ tagline are simple and intuitive enabling us to connect with the hearts and minds of our audiences, everywhere, and maximize the potential of this global entertainment brand.”

As part of the brand refresh, on May 29 Universal Channel Asia will premiere Bates Motel the critically acclaimed prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s genre-defining film, Psycho – which has already been renewed for a second season.

A core channel brand for Universal Networks International, Universal Channel is seen in 103 countries and delivered in 16 languages around the world. The channel’s new positioning – as the home of character-driven entertainment – comes to life across Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, Latin America, Brazil, the UK and Australia throughout the coming months.

The Universal Channel brand refresh was developed via collaboration between NBCUniversal International Television’s Central Marketing Team, the award-winning Creative division of Red Bee Media and world-leading TV brand strategist, Lee Hunt.

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About Universal Networks International
Universal Networks International, the international channels division of NBCUniversal, is one of the world’s premier entertainment portfolios, delivering quality content and compelling brands to over 176 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The brands in the portfolio include Universal Channel, Syfy, 13th Street Universal, Studio Universal, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network, DIVA Universal and Golf Channel. These unique brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe. Universal Networks International also operates Movies 24 and has a controlling interest in the KidsCo joint venture.

Universal Networks International is a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation.

For more information, please contact:
Marlene Ee
Communications Manager, Asia Pacific
Universal Networks International
marlene.ee@nbcuni.com
Phone: +65 6326 1872

Regina Yeo
Strategic Public Relations Group
regina.yeo@sprg.com.sg
(65) 6325 8232

Sarah Sanusi
Strategic Public Relations Group
sarah.sanusi@sprg.com.sg
(65) 6325 8185

Cisco Enhances Its Videoscape Architecture In India With Video Delivery Platform From Apalya Technologies

Tuesday, April 23, 2013: Cisco has added live TV and mobile video capabilities to its Cisco Videoscape architecture by integrating the Video Delivery Platform from Apalya Technologies Private Limited, a leading managed service provider of video streaming to telecom operators, handset manufacturers and content owners. This capability was demonstrated last week at the Cisco Video Summit in New Delhi, an annual event for the company’s customers and partners in the cable and broadcast sector.

Read more at EFYTimes.com

NEW YORK/TOKYO (April 23, 2013) – Asia Ireton has been appointed General Manager for The History Channel® Japan Corp., a joint venture between A+E Networks® and Super-Network, Inc. The announcement was made today by Alan Hodges, Managing Director, Asia Pacific for A+E Networks and Shoji Iwamoto, President, Super Network/Representative Director, The History Channel Japan Corp.

Based in Tokyo, Ms. Ireton is responsible for all channel operations including programming, production, marketing, affiliate distribution, sales activities, financial reporting and new business development. She reports to Hodges and Iwamoto. Ms. Ireton was previously General Manager of HISTORY Japan from 2001 – 2004.

“Ms. Ireton’s passion for our content, knowledge of the Japanese media market, and roots on both sides of the Pacific make her uniquely qualified to manage the growth of A+E Networks’ brands in this vital market,” said Hodges.

Prior to joining HISTORY Japan, Ms. Ireton was Head of Marketing & Distribution for Marza Animation Planet. She also held senior marketing positions with several U.S. companies including Allied Integrated Marketing and Imagi Studios. Ms. Ireton was also Editor-in-Chief of leading trade publication Movie/TV Marketing.

About A+E Networks®
A+E Networks is an award-winning, global media content company offering consumers a diverse communications environment ranging from television networks to websites, to home videos/DVDs to gaming and educational software. A+E Networks is comprised of the following networks and divisions: A&E®, Lifetime®, HISTORY®, LMN®, bio.®, H2™, HISTORY en Español™, Crime & Investigation Network®, Military HISTORY®, LRW™, A&E IndieFilms®, A+E Networks International™, A+E Networks Digital™ and A+E Networks Consumer Products™. A+E Networks’ channels and branded programming reach more than 425 million households in over 150 countries. Worldwide, A+E Networks is a joint venture of Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

About Super Network, Inc.
Super Network, Inc. is a joint venture established in Tokyo, Japan by Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Incorporated, a fully integrated media company, and Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, a leading entertainment media company. A licensed satellite broadcaster, Super Network operates two channels – “SUPER! DRAMA TV”, presenting top imported dramas, and, through its affiliated company The History Channel Japan Corp., “HISTORY”, a history-themed entertainment network. Super Network is also engaged in program planning and production, as well as acquisition, distribution, sales and promotions.

# # #

PRESS CONTACTS:
Kerri Tarmey, +1 212 551 1504
Kerri.tarmey@aenetworks.com 

Shannon Kerr, +1 212 641 3341
Shannon.kerr@aenetworks.com

Magena Media:
Celine Xerri-Brook, +44 1273 719 340
Gibraltar.brook@virgin.net

Fashion One Commissions First Local Production in Taiwan

The Bigfoot Ventures Subsidiary Partners with Banana Production to Explore Street Styles from Taiwan

Hong Kong, April 23, 2013 – Fashion One, the international channel for fashion, entertainment and lifestyle television, has produced the series, Freestyle, through Hong Kong and Taiwan based production company Banana Limited. The new on-going lifestyle series offers viewers a chance to see different styles from the chic trendsetters and trendy places around Taiwan.

Featuring the latest trends mixing and matching of the hottest styles with the latest fashion collections and accessories, Freestyle will take viewers around Taiwan in search of various luxury lifestyles and authentic cultures from the Taiwanese perspective. From the street corners of Taipei and Taichung, to the biggest events in Kenting, viewers will follow two local, stylish and energetic hosts to visit the trendiest places, and join them dining in prominent restaurants and shopping in well-known, and unknown, fashion boutiques.

“This is our first local production taking place in Taiwan with a local team who know the best about fashion and trends in the region. Not only are shopping and dining in Taiwan amazing, but so are its people and their lifestyle. Our local viewers will feel inspired to find their own style through the programme. Fashion One is looking forward to shooting more productions in Taiwan for our local viewers that receive the dedicated Taiwanese feed of the channel,” said Ashley Jordan, CEO of Fashion One.

Freestyle, a Fashion One production, and will make its Taiwan debut on Fashion One this summer as an on-going series on Chunghwa MOD (channel 97) and CNS (channel 315).

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About Fashion One
FASHION ONE is a global lifestyle and entertainment TV network for women focused on glamorous and inspirational fashion in all aspect of life. With the latest updates and in-depth interviews with designers and celebrities, female audiences will be entertained with Fashion One’s original programmes including reality shows, documentary, travelogue, entertainment news and lifestyle magazine. The Fashion One Network is a subsidiary of Bigfoot Entertainment launched in 2010. For more information, please visit www.fashionone.com.

For media queries, please contact:
Fashion One
Gorden Li
gorden@fashionone.com
+852 5808 3450

22 April 2013 – Kantar Media has secured a multi-year audience measurement contract in partnership with Tata Sky, one of India’s fastest growing Direct to Home (DTH) TV providers. The company will measure the behaviour and viewing habits of Tata Sky’s rapidly increasing number of pay TV subscribers.

The service, launching later this year will take full advantage of Kantar Media’s return path data technology – RapidView – to collect complex audience data directly from set top boxes and provide insights into subscriber behaviours not easily captured elsewhere.

Read more at Asia Media Journal

SONY PICTURES TELEVISION NETWORKS TO ACQUIRE 50% OF INDONESIAN TELENOVELA CHANNEL TELEVIVA FROM DORI MEDIA GROUP

CULVER CITY, CA and ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (April 23, 2013) — Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks and Dori Media Group (DMG) announced today that they have entered into an agreement for SPT Networks to acquire 50% of Televiva, DMG’s telenovela channel in Indonesia.

Televiva, which offers viewers top quality first-run telenovelas dubbed into Bahasa Indonesia, is carried exclusively by Indovision, the nation’s largest pay TV provider. The channel is popular among women ages 15 and over and boasts high viewership loyalty for its programming.

Andy Kaplan, president, worldwide networks for Sony Pictures Television, said: “The joint-venture agreement demonstrates our continued commitment to the Indonesian pay TV marketplace. Televiva complements our bouquet of channels and we look forward to working closely with DMG for continued success.”

SPT Networks has a considerable presence in Asia, including Indonesia, where five of its channels – AXN, Sony Entertainment Television, beTV, One and Animax – are offered across pay TV platforms. The pay TV market in Indonesia, which boasted a 6.6% penetration in 2012, is expected to grow from 2.4 million to 5.5 million TV households by 2016.

Nadav Palti, president and CEO of DMG, commented: “We are very excited and appreciative that SPT Networks has chosen to partner with us in Indonesia, which has become a major market in Southeast Asia. We have developed a successful business over a number of years, but we are certain that SPT Networks’ involvement will contribute to our operations in Indonesia, as well as venture to other regions.”

-ends-

ABOUT SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
Sony Pictures Television (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the television industry’s leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, around the world and for a multitude of platforms. In addition to one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT has 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 13 countries outside the U.S. and also maintains offices in 33 countries. SPT’s worldwide television networks portfolio includes 124 channel feeds available in 159 countries, reaching more than 840 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE’s premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of cable channel Game Show Network (GSN), 3D channel 3net, premier horror/thriller website and VOD service FEARnet and national U.S media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in SPT’s syndicated series as well as in U.S. digital businesses including FEARnet, DrOz.com and PlayStation.

ABOUT DORI MEDIA GROUP
Dori Media Group (http://www.dorimedia.com) is an international group of companies involved in all aspects of TV and new media. The group produces and distributes TV and new media content, broadcasts various TV channels and operates video-content internet sites. The group owns approximately 5,500 TV hours of telenovelas and daily series which it sells to a wide variety of audiences in more than 100 countries. It also owns and distributes a rich catalogue of non-scripted formats. Dori New Media develops and produces formats especially tailored for the internet and cellular platforms, and exploits new opportunities enabled by these new technologies.

Contact:
Paula Askanas Michal Nashiv
Executive Vice President, Communications Vice President, Marketing
paula_askanas@spe.sony.com michal@dorimedia.com
310-244-3790 +972 3 647 8185

Michael Maney
Director, Communications
michael_maney@spe.sony.com
310-244-8834

Calvin Wong
Manager, Communications
calvin_wong@spe.sony.com
+65 6622 4203

(April 22, 2013) SINGAPORE – Viacom International Media Network Asia has just signed an exclusive licensing deal for its MTV Thailand division with AppleTool, a local entertainment provider, to introduce localised content this year.

Read more at Campaign

CCM is now the Most Widely Carried Classic Chinese Movie Channel in the World

Hong Kong, 22 April 2013 – Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), the operator of the largest bouquet of pan-Asian channels dedicated to Asian entertainment, announced three new deals today that further expand Celestial Classic Movies’ (CCM) reach in the Asia Pacific region. The deals include securing a branded primetime programme block on Central Motion Pictures channel (channel 66) in Taiwan, carriage with Cablelink in the Philippines, and carriage with Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited’s (HKBN) bbTV in Hong Kong.

“The momentum for Celestial Classic Movies’ footprint expansion keeps building. The channel is now in 8 territories and on 16 platforms, making it the most widely carried classic Chinese movie channel in the world,” said Ofanny Choi, Executive Vice President, TV Networks. “Even more fans around Asia will now get to enjoy some of the best Kung Fu movies of all time and other Chinese cinematic gems in digitally remastered as well as high definition quality.”

In Taiwan, CTE will launch a CCM branded HD primetime programme block on Central Motion Pictures channel (channel 66) in May. Central Motion Pictures channel, owned and operated by Golden Media Corporation, is available on Chunghwa Telecom MOD, the largest IPTV platform in Taiwan. This will be CTE’s first channel brand presence in Taiwan. In the Philippines, CCM will launch on Cablelink, a premier cable TV and cable broadband operator covering the southern part of Metro Manila. CCM will be made available on Cablelink’s Digital Movies and Chinese packs. And HKBN, a leading telecommunications service provider in Hong Kong, will carry CCM on its branded IPTV service, bbTV. bbTV currently carries CTE’s KIX and Thrill channels as well.

CCM presents masterpieces from Chinese cinema by tapping into the world-renowned and digitally remastered Shaw Brothers Film Library as well as other Chinese movie libraries. In April, CCM is featuring the iconic actress Cherie Chung as this month’s Celestial VIP. Four of her hit movies will be shown every Saturday at 9pm including Cherie, Hong Kong Hong Kong, Maybe It’s Love and Prince Charming. CCM is now available in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.

###

Media Contact:
Pauline Poon
Celestial Tiger Entertainment
T: 852 2239 6131
E: pauline.poon@celestialtiger.com

About Celestial Tiger Entertainment
CELESTIAL TIGER ENTERTAINMENT (CTE) is a diversified media company dedicated to entertaining audiences in Asia and beyond. The company focuses on the operation of branded pay television channels, content creation and content distribution targeted at Asian consumers.

CTE operates a powerful bouquet of distinct pay television channels including: CELESTIAL MOVIES, the most broadly distributed 24-hour Chinese and Asian movies channel in the world; CELESTIAL CLASSIC MOVIES, the gateway to an unparalleled array of Chinese movie masterpieces; CELESTIAL MOVIES HD, the latest Chinese movies in high definition; KIX, the ultimate in action entertainment; Thrill, Asia’s only horror and suspense movie channel; and KIX HD, featuring the best of action with a late-night dose of thrillers in high definition.

As one of Asia’s largest vertically integrated independent entertainment companies, CTE produces original content which complements its channels business. CTE is also the exclusive sales agent for Hollywood studio Lionsgate in Greater China and Southeast Asia, and represents Lionsgate’s television content and vast feature film library in Japan and Korea as well.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, CTE is a joint venture among Saban Capital Group, a leading private investment firm specializing in the media, entertainment and communications industries; Astro, the owner and operator of the leading DTH platform in Malaysia; and Lionsgate, the world’s largest independent filmed entertainment studio.

Luxembourg, April 19, 2013 – SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced today that, together with its partners Harmonic, the worldwide leader in video delivery infrastructure, and Broadcom Corporation, a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions, it has pioneered the first Ultra HD transmission in the new HEVC standard live from an ASTRA satellite at 19.2 degrees East. The HEVC standard features an up to 50 percent encoding efficiency improvement, compared to previous test broadcasts in MPEG-4 AVC (H.264).

The end-to-end demonstration which was presented at the SES Industry Days in Luxembourg used Harmonic’s ProMedia Xpress and a HEVC decoder reference-design system based on Broadcom’s BCM7445 device for receiving HEVC encoded Ultra-HD television transmission. The signal was broadcast in DVB-S2 using a data rate of 20 Mbit/s.

The live demonstration for the first time broadcasts a full 3840×2160 pixel Ultra HD picture in HEVC, while previous demonstrations were either broadcast in H.264 or using 4 HD pictures in parallel. SES first live-broadcast a full 3840×2160 pixel Ultra HD picture using the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) standard at IBC 2012.

Thomas Wrede, VP Reception Systems, SES, said: “We are very proud to present the first Ultra HD demo in the HEVC standard on satellite. SES has once again taken a leadership role in the industry by broadcasting the first real Ultra HD picture in a commercially realistic bandwidth. We are convinced that the HEVC standard will become the option of choice for TV operators broadcasting Ultra HD content and expect the industry to develop prototype Ultra HD receivers in the coming months. With this initiative SES will be significantly driving the Ultra HD ecosystem forward and provide a 24/7 test channel to its industry partners.”

Ian Trow, Senior Director of Emerging Technology and Strategy, Harmonic, said: “SES has achieved an important industry first with Harmonic and Broadcom. This DVB-S2 transmission clearly demonstrates the benefit of HEVC encoding using the Harmonic ProMedia in a live to air Satellite application. A significant compression improvement has been achieved using HEVC when compared to previous Ultra HD deployments using MPEG-4 AVC (H.264).”

“Broadcom is working to advance the adoption of HEVC technologies – and ultimately the distribution of UltraHD content – with SES,” said Joseph Del Rio, Broadcom’s Associate Product Line Director, Broadband Communications Group. “HEVC is the catalyst that will drive UltraHD television with its telepresence-like resolution to consumers.”

About SES

SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 52 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.

For further information please contact:

Markus Payer

Market Communication & PR

Tel : +352 710 725 500

Markus.Payer@ses.com

Lightning International to distribute Shanghai Media Group’s “China’s Challenges”

17th April 2013, Hong Kong: Lightning International today announces an agreement with China’s Shanghai Media Group (Shanghai WingsMedia) to distribute their new production in English, China’s Challenges, (5 x 60′) around the world.

China’s Challenges was produced for The International Channel of Shanghai (ICS), and is a “warts-and-all” look at some of the problems that China faces as a result of its economic boom – including rich vs. poor, urban vs. rural, and other social issues. These are China’s current critical challenges, the results of which will likely define the country’s future, and the development of Chinese society.

Through interviews with high-level officials, experts, scholars, and ordinary people, China’s Challenges reflects the changes and progress in the country after China’s opening up, especially during the past ten years, examining efforts made by the government in confronting those challenges.

Episodes of China’s Challenges are: (1) Where is China’s Economy Going?, (2) Are the Chinese People Happy?, (3) Are the Chinese People Real Citizens?, (4) China can produce. Can China create?, and (5) What do the Chinese people believe?

Signing the distribution agreement for the series on behalf of Shanghai WingsMedia was Ms He Xiaolan, General Manager, and on behalf of Lightning International James Ross, CEO, who commented. “China’s Challenges is a landmark production from SMG tracking China’s progress, and we look forward to distributing the programme to broadcasters and other platforms around the world “.

– ends –

For more information:

Lightning International
James Ross, CEO
james@lightninginternational.net
+852-9185-9194

Michelle Yeung, Operations Manager
michelle@lightninginternational.net
+852-2815-7482

About Lightning International:
LIGHTNING INTERNATIONAL is a TV channel, programme and format distributor headquartered in Hong Kong. The company currently represents content from producers around the world including Imagine Group (Singapore), Radio Television Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Creative Media Partners (UK), Southern Cross Austereo (Australia), Fox International Channels/CJ Media Inc. (Hong Kong), The Group Entertainment (Singapore), A+E Networks (Singapore), Shanghai Media Group (China), and others.

Lightning International was launched by CEO James Ross in 2011. Previously he pioneered Bloomberg Television in Asia as programming director, and later media marketing and distribution director (1996-2005). Subsequently in 2006 he launched the UK’s ITV into Asia, opening the Hong Kong office, developing the ITV programme and formats syndication business, and creating the ITV Choice channel in 2009.