2 February 2016
Rani R. Raad has been appointed to the new role of President, CNN International Commercial.
In this role, Raad will continue to be responsible for CNN’s commercial functions outside the U.S. In addition, the development of Turner International’s programmatic trading strategy will be facilitated under his leadership.
Previously as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, CNN International, Raad has led the CNN International Commercial group since it was created in 2013 to directly align all of CNN’s international commercial activity into one organisation. This activity spans core business activities such as advertising sales, content sales and partnerships, business development, marketing and research.
Gerhard Zeiler, President, Turner International said: “Rani has a remarkable track record in leading a diverse portfolio of commercial initiatives across international markets. He has built a new digital team that is the authority in this space and has transformed the commercial operation for CNN internationally, bringing in a new leadership team to deliver best-in-class and award-winning ad sales solutions as well as re-setting the licensing and content sales businesses to yield a suite of new branded initiatives around the globe.”
Rani Raad said: “I’m excited and passionate about the role that CNN continues to play in today’s fast-changing news and media landscape. As the world’s news leader, our commitment to innovation underpins our commercial activities as well as the brand’s editorial output. I look forward to being part of this change as we bring to market even more sophisticated, data-driven and creative solutions for our wide range of commercial partners.”
About Rani Raad
Raad previously held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, CNN International, and prior to that was Senior Vice President and Managing Director for CNN International Ad Sales. He will continue to have responsibility over Turner’s Kids and General Entertainment businesses across Turkey and the Middle East.
Raad began his career with CNN in New York and is now based in London. In 2013, Raad was listed at number 71 in the Arabian Business Power 500 list of the world’s most influential Arabs, and in 2015 Raad was named by Arabian Business as the 13th most powerful Arab under 40. In 2011, the World Economic Forum recognised Raad as a Young Global Leader, for his contributions to the media industry. In 2015, Raad was named as one of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ 50 Forward – 50 alumni selected from Newhouse School’s 50-year history for their achievements in the media sector.
Raad graduated with a B.S. from The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in New York.
About Turner International
Turner International operates versions of core Turner brands, including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, and TCM, as well as country- and region-specific networks and businesses in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It runs Pay- and Free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and is a commercial partner with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner’s global reach. Turner operates more than 180 channels showcasing 38 brands in 34 languages in over 200 countries. Turner International is a subsidiary of Turner, a Time Warner company. (Source: CNN press release)
28 January 2016
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, today announced that Intelsat 29e, the first of the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellites, was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle. Liftoff occurred at 6:20 pm EST. The Intelsat 29e satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage 38 minutes after launch, at 6:58 pm EST, and signal acquisition has been confirmed.
Manufactured by Boeing and equipped with the most advanced digital payload on a commercial spacecraft, Intelsat 29e will bring high throughput capacity in both C- and Ku-band to North and Latin America and the North Atlantic region. Intelsat 29e will be placed into service at 310° East, where it replaces Intelsat 1R.
Intelsat 29e is the first satellite of Intelsat’s next generation, all digital EpicNG satellite platform, which combines wide beams and spot beams with frequency reuse technology and the sector’s most advanced digital payload. The digital payload will provide customers with unprecedented security and flexibility, enabling customers to seamlessly access and shift capacity to match their usage needs in a particular region or timeframe. Intelsat EpicNG is optimized to provide satellite connectivity for applications including the Internet of Things, enterprise, wireless infrastructure, aeronautical and maritime mobility, and government, which are expected to provide a combined $3 billion incremental opportunity by the year 2020.
“Today’s launch represents a truly ‘epic’ moment in communication’s history, as we begin a new era of high throughput satellite services for our customers,” stated Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “This is a testament to the innovation and creativity of the Intelsat team who envisioned the Intelsat EpicNG platform nearly four years ago. Through design expertise and a deep understanding of our customers’ requirements, the Intelsat EpicNG platform will deliver high performance, improved economics and simplified access that will expand the addressable market for our solutions.”
The Intelsat EpicNG platform design reflects the company’s innovative approach to introducing high throughput technology into the world’s largest community of enterprise-grade satellite networks which operate on the Intelsat fleet. Intelsat EpicNG is backwards compatible and fully interoperable with Intelsat’s existing satellite fleet and terrestrial infrastructure, allowing customers to use currently deployed network hardware to access the high performance connectivity. The platform’s open architecture allows customers to have control over service offerings and hardware selection, providing differentiation of service offerings.
The payload will deliver carrier-grade services to fixed and mobile network operators, and broadband for applications such as enterprise, aeronautical and maritime mobility, and government throughout the Americas. The satellite also features spot beams for mobility customers serving the heavily trafficked North Atlantic region. Companies such as Harris CapRock, Panasonic, EMC (formerly MTN), Axesat and leading national telecom operators in Latin America will be among the first to deploy services on the platform.
Intelsat 29e is the 56th Intelsat satellite launched by Arianespace. Intelsat expects to launch the second Intelsat EpicNG satellite, Intelsat 33e, which will serve Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, in the third quarter of 2016, also aboard an Arianespace launcher. (Source: Intelsat press release)
26 January 2016
CNN International is offering a comprehensive CNN Politics package to international TV and digital publishers that will enhance their coverage of 2016’s biggest news event – the US Presidential Elections.
Through CNN International Commercial, publishers around the world can access exclusive CNN content and reporting about the race for the White House, taking in all of the major events, debates and news stories, including:
- Daily video packages from CNN’s Ryan Nobles and his team on the political news of the day. One of Politico’s “50 to Watch” list during the 2012 campaign, Nobles will provide news coverage and analysis of the day’s events
- Text and picture content from CNN Politics – the #1 political news site, which finished 2015 with 25 million unique visitors in December alone
- Elections graphics to provide greater depth to reporting and data visualisation
- Live shot opportunities to use CNN facilities and reporters, and access to CNN guests and commentators for live talkback
All of these products and services are available to existing CNN affiliates as well as new linear and digital publisher partners.
“Without doubt, the 2016 elections is lining up to be a truly international event, with foreign policy and the US’s global economic, cultural and diplomatic role at the heart of the debate,” said Greg Beitchman, Vice President, Content Sales and Partnerships, CNN International. “CNN has developed this CNN Politics product to give our linear and digital publisher partners the opportunity to utilise our journalism and
SIMI VALLEY, CA – SEPT 16: The CNN Republican Candidate Debate at the Reagan Presidential Library on September 16, 2015. Jake Tapper will be the moderator for the CNN Republican Presidential Candidate Debate from the Library on the 17th.
expertise in telling the story of the elections. Adding our dedicated reporters, multi-media content and the power of the CNN Politics brand will give publishers an edge over the competition.”
“The engagement and interest in this election cycle is unprecedented. And CNN Politics has been the number one political news destination since the campaign officially kicked off in March of 2015, outranking all other competitors month after month,” said Ed O’Keefe, Vice President, CNNMoney and CNN Politics. “We’re using every tool in the toolbox to tell this story in striking and compelling ways and it’s resonating with our audience all over the world.”
25 January 2016
Globecast, the global solutions provider for media, has been chosen by Russian broadcaster Bestseller Channel, distributed by Signal Media International, to extend its reach to the European market via HotBird,. Globecast has also been selected by Soyuz TV, which celebrates the Russian Orthodox Church, to provide distribution services via HotBird.
Working with Globecast brings Bestseller Channel’s high-quality original drama, long-running bestselling series and award-winning made-for-TV movies to the Russian diaspora across the region. Signal Media International’s portfolio consists of 14 Russian language TV channels distributed across CIS, four in Europe and three worldwide. Bestseller is one of the most loved and is highly popular. Globecast is initially redistributing the Russian SD version of the channel via Ku-band for DTH reception using its new Moscow PoP to handle the uplinking.
Soyuz TV, a channel that celebrates and explores the values of the Russian Orthodox Church, is also now being distributed by Globecast Moskva. It’s being uplinked from Globecast’s Paris headquarters after the signal has been received by fibre from Moscow. The channel was looking to improve the quality of its signal and reception for its viewers across Europe and hence selected Globecast.
Biliana Pumpalovic, General Director at Globecast Moskva in Russia, said, “We are delighted to have signed new customers Bestseller Channel and Soyuz TV and that they recognise our unrivalled ability to provide a high-quality service that helps them reach new viewers, expanding their customer base. This is another example of how successfully we have grown Globecast’s business in Russia since 2006. We provide cross-media reach, both into and out of the country, as well as tailored content management and delivery services, including localisation, with access to Globecast’s worldwide network. We can get customers’ content to anywhere they want, in whatever format is suitable for a given market.”
CSTB 2016 sees Globecast in Russia celebrate ten years of successful operation and significant growth in the country, including the establishment of a PoP in Moscow.
Pumpalovic added, “We started small in Russia but the last decade has seen us expand in terms of personnel, local technical capabilities and of course the global reach that Globecast provides. We are leading the charge into providing services – media management, for example – that allow our customers to create precisely the content and channel offering for their specific audience in an efficient way. With our unrivalled connectivity and market knowledge, we are looking forwards to the next 10 years.”
Globecast is exhibiting in Hall 3, Booth 3-302 at CSTB, 26th-28th January. (Source: Globecast press release)
21 January 2016
The announcement by international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney that she will defend RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova before the European Court of Human Rights has raised the profile of the case along with hopes among media freedom advocates that the additional attention will help secure Ismayilova’s release.
Ismayilova told RFE/RL today through her Baku lawyer that she accepted Clooney’s offer because of the courage Clooney demonstrated while defending imprisoned Al-Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy in Egypt in 2014.
RFE/RL Editor in Chief Nenad Pejic welcomed the announcement, saying “Amal Clooney’s decision to take the case is a powerful affirmation of Khadija and her journalism,” adding, “It’s a triumph for media freedom already. I know that with their combined strength they will win.”
Ismayilova, an internationally recognized investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, was sentenced in September, 2015 to over seven years in prison on spurious tax and finance-related charges that are widely believed to have been brought in retaliation for her reporting on corruption linked to members of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s family. Not a single witness testified against Ismayilova in a trial that rights groups called a “sham.”
International criticism of the Azerbaijani government and Ismayilova’s imprisonment reached a high point in December, 2015 with the introduction of H.R.4264, the Azerbaijan Democracy Act. Introduced by Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), the bill would impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials implicated in human rights abuses.
Clooney will represent Ismayilova together with Nani Jansen, head of the London-based Media Legal Defence Initiative. (Source: RFE/RL press release)
