7 June 2012
Fanatix, the leading social platform for sports, has launched a brand new iPhone app for Euro 2012. The new app will be available to the 120,000 fanatix users who have already registered for the service and to new users who visit the iTunes AppStore.
fanatix v2.0 is a fun new way to follow sports with friends and other fans. The innovative service prompts fans to check into live sports events where they can find out which friends are following the action and unlock extra fanatix features. New developments on v2.0 include an intuitive gesture-driven interface, score alerts from all of this summer’s major sports events (Euro 2012, MLB, AFL and International Cricket) and a points reward system.
Points are awarded to fans and their friends when they check in to follow games. Collecting points earns prizes such as tickets to big games or 3D TVs. To kick-off the new service, the prize for June’s top player will be two tickets to any game anywhere in the world and, as if that wasn’t enough, there will also be a special prize for checking in to England’s first game of Euro 2012.
The new app is housed on the fanatix social platform, which provides discovery and communication tools for users so they can find other fans watching the same game and talk to them, either privately in groups or publicly via the fanatix integrated Twitter client.
(Source: Appmarket TV)
6 June 2012
In the latest attack on a journalist in Belarus, police and security agents assaulted and interrogated RFE/RL correspondent Ina Studzinskaja while she was reporting on an opposition meeting outside of Minsk.
Studzinskaja, a free-lancer with RFE/RL’s Belarusian Service, Radio Svaboda, was detained by police and security agents for three hours on May 31 while on assignment in Svetlahorsk to cover a meeting of opposition activists and local residents.
According to Studzinskaja, police Maj. Jauhen Valentsinovich Klepik grabbed and twisted her arm to prevent her from using her mobile phone to call in a live report for the service’s afternoon broadcast. Studzinskaja was then taken to a local police station and interrogated, although no charges were brought against her. Upon her release, she reported the assault in a broadcast that evening.
Studzinskaja filed a complaint against Klepik for “rude behavior” and interference with her journalistic duties. Other agencies, including BelaPAN, , and Charter 97, also reported on activists being manhandled by Klepik during detention.
“We condemn the brutal and continued harassment of our journalists in Belarus,” said RFE/RL President Steven W. Korn. “This most recent incident displays the importance of media organizations to shine a light on these abuses and to defend the rights of journalists who are targeted by authorities for simply doing their jobs.”
Radio Svaboda reporters are often harassed by Belarusian security agencies while covering events. Several correspondents were detained last summer while reporting on the “silent protests” that swept throughout the country. The service’s website was also hit with a cyber attack that for a short period affected its ability to distribute coverage of the protests.
6 June 2012
AIB has published a facilities for broadcasters booklet with recommendations of companies that can offer last minute facilities across OB units, satellite links, radio studios, playout services and more.
The booklet – available free of charge – also includes a small selection of some of the AIB’s favourite restaurants and attractions in London for those who manage to escape the Olympic Park and the IBC.
“This is part of the ongoing support that AIB offers both its members and the wider broadcasting industry,” says Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO. “Since AIB is based in the UK, we know what services are available for broadcasters coming in to cover the Olympic Games, even for very late requirements.”
To obtain a copy of the booklet, complete your details below for instant access to the PDF. Alternatively, call AIB on +44 (0) 20 7993 2557 to order a print edition.
[easy_sign_up]
The facilities guide will be updated regularly. If you have facilities on offer, from studios to production facilities, car-parking to accommodation, contact AIB on +44 (0) 20 7993 2557 to secure a listing.
This year’s AIBs – our international media awards – includes a special category to reward the best coverage of London 2012. Full information is at http://theaibs.tv/best-coverage-of-london-2012/.
5 June 2012
GlobeCast has signed a deal with Phoenix Chinese News & Entertainment Ltd (PCNE) to deliver Info News — one of the broadcaster’s premier news channels — to continental Europe via the EUTELSAT 9A (ex. EUROBIRD™ 9A) satellite. The channel will launch on the satellite on June 1.
Phoenix will bring Info News, already present in Asia and the United States, to the European market for the first time with this launch, giving the channel access to a potential five million homes in the footprint of the EUTELSAT 9A satellite.
The EUTELSAT 9A satellite located at 9° East provides satellite TV homes across continental Europe with a diverse range of channels including a growing offer for Asian communities. Its proximity to Eutelsat’s popular HOT BIRD satellites also enables Info News to tap into the significant direct-to-home audience at Eutelsat’s popular HOT BIRD video neighborhood. The channel will propose reception from both neighborhoods using the Eutelsat-developed ClipSat add-on to a satellite dish.
GlobeCast receives the Info News feed via a dedicated fiber link between PCNE’s facility in the U.K. and GlobeCast’s central London technical operations center. From there, GlobeCast provides uplink to EUTELSAT 9A.
Info News is the first channel to report news across the Greater China region, which includes Mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. This channel was established on January 1, 2001 as a 24-hour channel on news updates and financial highlights worldwide. It also features commentary and analysis on current issues and topics.
GlobeCast has a longstanding relationship with PCNE, delivering the company’s flagship channel to the Sky platform in the United Kingdom since 2005.
www.globecast.com
5 June 2012
Voice of America English teaching programs will soon air on Burmese state radio under the terms of a breakthrough agreement reached Tuesday in the capital, Naypyitaw.
VOA Director David Ensor, who signed the agreement with Thein Aung, Director General of Myanmar State Radio and Television, said the decision by Burma’s long-isolated government is “a small step, but one that is symbolically important.”
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Ensor predicted that “many Burmese will enjoy learning English through VOA programs, and we hope this will lead to bigger things in the future.”
During his visit, Ensor also held talks with Minister of Information Kyaw San, who expressed his support for greater access to the country, including issuing multiple entry visas for VOA reporters.
“The opportunity to provide our audience with firsthand, eyewitness reporting has become more important now, given the pace of change in the country,” said VOA Burmese Service Chief Than Lwin Htun.
“We commend the government of Burma for this important step in opening up its media landscape. We welcome the efforts to increase information access for the Burmese people,” said Michael Lynton, presiding governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees VOA.
Burma, which was renamed Myanmar by military rulers following the suppression of pro-democracy protests in 1988, has been liberalizing since late last year.
Voice of America’s Burmese Service, which provides news coverage on radio, television, Internet and mobile platforms, recently updated the format of its daily TV news magazine and has a wide variety of English language teaching programs and podcasts available.
Under the agreement signed Tuesday, Burma’s radio network will carry VOA’s four-minute feature report (see: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/podcast.html) three times weekly.
www.voanews.com
1 June 2012
Royal landmarks of London will come to life this summer through the video-rich “Diamond Jubilee Tour” iPhone app from AlwaysOnMessage and ITN Source.
Users will be guided on a GPS-enabled walking tour of 15 of London’s most important Royal locations. At each point, Royal fans will be transported to yesteryear as they watch relevant videos of iconic moments from ITN Source’s exclusive video archive. The videos are also available without completing the tour for those abroad.
Particular video highlights include seeing the pomp of last year’s Royal Wedding, the very young monarch feeding the ducks and playing in the gardens of Buckingham Palace from 1937 and King George VI giving a King’s Speech at Parliament in 1950.
The app is for iPhones and is available on the Apple App Store now in time for the Diamond Jubilee weekend and beyond. All footage has been supplied by ITN’s footage licensing arm, ITN Source, which has partnered with mobile agency AlwaysOnMessage in its first foray into providing archive footage for a mobile phone app.
The “Diamond Jubilee Tour” route starts at Westminster Abbey, where users can check in and share with friends on Facebook and Twitter that they are embarking on the tour. The nine mile route finishes at a mystery location, which could be described as the major Royal household. The tour takes about two and a half hours to complete but people short of time or energy can adapt the route or choose to skip particular locations.
“This is a unique and truly regal experience for any visitor to London during the Diamond Jubilee,” said Andy Williams, Acting Managing Director at ITN Source. “The archive footage that we have supplied brings London’s Royal history to life like never before.”
“I think it’s fantastic that we’ve brought new technology to such a historic and traditional event. We’ve worked hard to deliver an experience that makes the jubilee more accessible for people who can’t come to London to experience a very special moment in UK history. The iPhone combined with ITN Source content really brings the event to life,” Peter Swain, CEO AlwaysOnMessage.
Gordon Innes, CEO of London & Partners, the official promotional organisation of London, said, “Royal attractions are already hugely popular, drawing over 3 million visitors each year to the capital. Events like the Diamond Jubilee are a fantastic way to showcase these unique experiences and the Diamond Jubilee Tour app will help visitors learn even more about London’s rich royal history and heritage. The app is a great way of bringing London’s royal story to life by helping visitors to engage with all that the capital has to offer.”
This is the first app to be developed by AlwaysOnMessage using archive footage supplied by ITN Source. After the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the app will be further developed for more platforms and multiple languages and become a comprehensive Royal Tour app of London, featuring greater functionality and more locations. ITN Source is also investigating other ideas of how its archive footage can be incorporated into themed or event-specific apps.
Full list of locations to be featured on “The Diamond Jubilee Tour” app:
· Westminster Abby
· St James Palace
· 17 Bruton Street
· Old War Office
· Victoria Embankment Gardens
· Victoria Embankment
· St Paul‘s Cathedral
· Millennium Bridge
· London Eye
· Jubilee Gardens
· Big Ben
· House of Parliament
· Horse Guards Parade
· Queens Gallery
· Secret Location – (The user will not see this until they have completed the tour)
www.itnsource.com
