10 December 2010
The Associated Press, the worlds leading source for news and information, announced today a new major agreement to market Los Angeles-based agency CelebrityFootages video archive. The deal is part of APs strategy to build the worlds leading entertainment stock footage offering.
Under the terms of the agreement, AP Archive, the APs footage sales division, will distribute CelebrityFootages video to the APs global customer base. The videos will be sold alongside videos by the AP and its content partners. The CelebrityFootage archive dates back two decades and is refreshed with new footage every day. The entire collection has been added to the AP Archive website where it can be searched and viewed alongside all of APs existing entertainment video. AP currently produces four daily entertainment video news feeds and its own entertainment news archive comprises approximately 100,000 videos.
AP is committed to expanding content and coverage to meet the changing needs of our customers. We are firmly in the age of the celebrity and entertainment content accounts for a rapidly growing proportion of our total sales, Alwyn Lindsey, APs director of international archives, said. By adding the CelebrityFootage collection to our own entertainment content, we have created the definitive one-stop-shop for celebrity-based video and I dont believe that any other supplier can claim to be close to the depth and breadth that we now offer.
The CelebrityFootage collection represents a comprehensive video archive of Hollywood stars and international celebrities for the past two decades.
Michael Goldberg, CEO of CelebrityFootage, said, Were really excited to be working with AP and our video adds a new dimension to their already impressive portfolio. APs global distribution network exposes our footage to a vast international audience.
The content partnership with CelebrityFootage is the latest in a growing number of significant partnerships with broadcast and media organisations that AP Archive now represents, including Democratic Voice of Burma, ABC News, Chinese Central Television, Vatican Television and WWF, the conservation organisation.
6 December 2010
Journalists across the Democratic Republic of Congo are learning about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a series of eight workshops organized by the Voice of America.
We are very happy with the VOA initiative and its contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS, said Dr. Aime Mboyo, coordinator of the national HIV/AIDS program in DRC.
The workshops, organized by Ferdinand Ferella of VOAs French-to-Africa Service, include a mix of information about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in DRC, along with practical information about covering health issues such as HIV/AIDS. The VOA workshops are supported by the U.S. Department of State through its embassy in Kinshasa.
Dr. Mboyo said, We are already seeing the first results. Participants in the Kinshasa and Lubumbashi workshops have decided to set up a network to stay in touch and exchange information. The role of the media is crucial, particularly community radio because 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas, she said.
The workshops also drew praise from participants, such as Zacharie Lunda of Radio Parec in Mulongo. I live in a remote town in Katanga, Lunda said, I was very touched to be invited to the Lubumbashi workshop, just the idea that someone out there cares for me.
The workshops began in Kinshasa, in late November, and more are scheduled for Goma, Dec. 7-8, Bukavu, Dec. 10-11, and Kisangani, Dec. 14-15. Early next year, VOA will also organize programs in Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga and Matadi.
The U.N. estimates between 400,000 and 500,000 in DRC are living with HIV/AIDS. There was a1.3 percent prevalence among adults at the end of 2007, and recent studies suggest the prevalence may be increasing. More than 40,000 children are born with HIV/AIDS each year.
6 December 2010
Al Jazeera Childrens Channel today concluded an agreement with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) that will give unique learning opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children across the Middle East.
The new initiative will involve the use of the educational website Taalam.TV, launched by Al Jazeera Childrens Channel in January 2010, across UNRWA schools in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. As part of an agreement signed today in Doha, students and teachers alike will be able to use tailor-made multimedia by Talaam.TV to support the normal curriculum.
The agreement also heralds a long term partnership, under which JCC would provide UNRWA and the young Palestine refugee students with special online educational material in their classrooms.
The project was given the green light after Dr. Caroline Pontefract, UNRWAs Director of Education and Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel, signed an agreement at JCCs headquarters in Doha.
The signing event was attended by Dr. Yehia Al Agha, the Cultural Attaché of Palestine to Qatar.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Pontefract said, UNRWA is looking forward to using the groundbreaking online materials in its schools. Dr. Ayman Murad, Head of Partnership, Advocacy, Communication and ICT at UNRWAs Department of Education praised the spirit of long-term cooperation in which the agreement was signed.
For his part, Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel thanked UNRWA for showing trust in Taalam TV. The agreement, he said, would allow thousands of Palestine refugee students to learn more through fun and interactive technology.
Bouneb also stated that JCC in collaboration with QF aim to make Taalam.TV the leading reference centre for Arab schools, educators and students all over the world. The aim of this, he said, is to improve upon traditional education in the Arab world, which is typically based on memorization and rote learning. Al Jazeera Childrens Channel is looking to deliver education that focuses on interaction, participation and specialization, he said.
Taalam.TV has been designed in collaboration with a group of Arab teachers and educational experts making it the first educational Video-on-Demand online platform in the Arab World. The websites rich database of educational audiovisual materials extracted from JCC TV content along with curricula-based supporting documents assist Arab educators in making teaching more stimulating and engaging allowing students to store, process and recall information more rapidly.
JCC has also signed a MoU with the Sultanate of Omans Ministry of Education in April 2010 granting schools access to its educational website. Taalam.TV is currently benefiting over 100,000 students in 178 schools across 28 countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, France, Britain, USA and Canada
30 November 2010
Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) and Al Jazeera Childrens Channel (JCC) launched today the first series of books for preschoolers featuring the magical world of Fafa and her friends, at the first Doha International Childrens Book Festival, being held at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre till 4 December 2010.
Malika Alouane, Director of Programming of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel and Baraem TV stated: Today marks a new milestone in the life of JCC as we expand our contents footprint into the publishing industry. As an edutainment TV channel, we are committed to providing our viewers with safe and educational content across all platforms, and more importantly to encouraging them to develop their mental abilities and expand their vocabulary in Arabic and other languages. She added, We encourage mothers, care-takers, and nursery teachers to read to children in order to foster a love for reading.
Written by one of the UKs best childrens writers and beautifully illustrated, the Fafa and Friends books are a wonderful example of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishings commitment to producing books of excellence in English and Arabic for the children of the region said Anne Renahan, Managing Editor at BQFP.
FaFa and her friends Moumou, Oti and Douka offer a daily set of segments on Baraem TV designed to add rhythm to childrens lives, provide caring advice on appropriate behaviour, and place them in a stimulating and educative environment full of new information to nurture their curiosity. FaFa and her friends are the central characters in the various adventures featured in the four illustrated books that will bring additional exploration to the readers.
The titles are part of BQFPs commitment to developing quality, original work in Arabic and English to inspire a love of reading at an early age. The series author, Sally Grindley, and illustrator, are in Qatar for the launch and are conducting workshops in the literary festival attended by children from independent schools and co-sponsored by the SEC.
25 November 2010
The entire 2010 AIBs is now available in a double DVD, complete with the shortlisted entries shown on the night to our packed gala dinner with guests from all over the world.
The two DVDs are available to order for a modest £6 (around 7.50) to cover AIB’s duplication costs, plus postage.
Order online here:
19 November 2010
Vizrt, a leading provider of content production tools for the digital media industry, announced today that it has entered into a terms sheet with Swiss company LiberoVision AG, a leader in the field of virtual sports enhancements.
According to the proposed terms sheet, Vizrt Ltd. shall purchase all of the issued and outstanding share capital of LiberoVision in three installments: 60% upon signing of the definitive agreement, 20% upon approval of the financial statements of LiberoVision for the year 2011 and 20% upon approval of the financial statements of LiberoVision for the year 2012. The consideration for the first 60% of the issued share capital of LiberoVision shall be CHF 6 million (approx. USD 6.12 million) and may be increased by an additional 1 CHF million (approx. USD 1.02 million) should the EBIT for the year 2010 of LiberoVision exceed CHF 1 million.
The consideration for each of the additional 20% of the issued share capital of LiberoVision shall be calculated as 20% of ten times the EBIT for the applicable fiscal year.
All installments shall consist of 80% cash and 20% Vizrt Ltd. shares. As part of the transaction the founders of LiberoVision are committed to continue their employment with LiberoVision for a period of at least two years.
The transaction is subject to a financial and legal due diligence to Vizrt’s satisfaction and the parties reaching a definitive agreement.
Martin Burkhalter, Chief Executive Officer of Vizrt said: “LiberoVision brings to Vizrt best of class additional capabilities to enhance sports broadcasts. Their products allow for live on-air review and analysis of events on the field, also from points of view not captured by cameras, a large and growing market. In creating a seemingly 3D environment for normal 2D broadcasts, this type of analysis provides yet another compelling way to tell a story, a key driver behind all our BG products. Efficiency, another key component, is provided in that LiberoVision’s technology does not require any additional in-stadium infrastructure.” “It is this ability to provide broadcasters with great additional functionality that makes such a strong case to content owners. It has always been our strategy to help clients increase the economic value of their digital assets and LiberoVision fits seamlessly with this strategy. Integration of both systems will allow us to take the combined offering to our existing customers and attract new ones.”
Dr. Stephan Würmlin Stadler, CEO for LiberoVision AG, stated, “Many of our clients who are already using Vizrt systems have indicated they would like to see the two systems more closely integrated. Combining our companies therefore seemed to most logical way forward.” “We bring to the table a technology that differs greatly from other providers in that other systems produce results that clearly look like virtual animations, like avatars. With our virtual instant replay technology, on the other hand, you know that the player is Lionel Messi, it feels like you are there on the field. That realism is due to LiberoVision’s patented image processing technology that transforms the camera feeds into 3D representations. Although certain great and complex technologies can achieve this in a way that is pixel perfect, it takes two days to do so. In our markets, no one is interested in two days. We can do it instantly.
“We see great opportunities in joining forces with Vizrt, as it will allow both organsiations to expand their product offering to a large and growing customer base. We at LiberoVision are very excited to pursue these opportunities as part of the Vizrt organisation, which has proven to be commercially very successful and, like us, is very driven by innovation, quality and customer requirements.”
LiberoVision currently offers two product lines. Libero Highlight provides realistic 3D replays that are indistinguishable from images produced by on-site television cameras. It enables the broadcaster to move the viewer’s perspective to areas not covered by the in-stadium cameras, such as over-the-shoulder of the quarterback.
Libero Offside was developed for instant offside analysis during soccer games. It is a dedicated application aimed at resolving offsides disputes during soccer games.
