4 October 2010
euronews, the international news channel, has signed a partnership agreement with Panasonic, a worldwide leader in consumer electronics, for the launch of euronews on Panasonics VIERA CAST platform.
From now on, every Panasonic VIERA CAST user can access euronews content in 4 languages (English, French, German and Italian, new languages to be added in the future). Viewers can easily watch the latest news bulletin as well as the lifestyle magazines cinema and le mag. In addition to that, viewers can enjoy the “No Comment” section, one of euronews’ best known and award winning programme thanks to its originality and concept based on striking images, unedited with original sound from around the world.
VIERA CAST was launched in Europe in May 2009 and is available on Panasonics VT20, V20, G20, D28 (37- and 32-inch models) and D25 VIERA TVs, as well as Panasonics 2010 line-up of Blu-ray Disc and DVD players and recorders. This innovative feature allows users to access online content directly from the living room via an Internet connection without using a computer. euronews programmes are accessible through the easy-to-use VIERA CAST interface, which users can access by pushing the VIERA CAST button on their remote control.
According to the research institute In-Stat, more than one third of the TV sets sold across the world will be connected to internet in 2013. Panasonic estimates that on the over 4 Mio.TV sets due to be sold in 2010 in Europe, over 30 % will feature VIERA CAST.
4 October 2010
NHK/NHK Educational Corporation, and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel are happy to announce that their first co-production series Discover Science is gaining interest from broadcasters around the world. Already German broadcaster SWR; UR from Sweden, and EBS from Korea have come on board as co-producers since the series started calling out for partners in April; Astro will also broadcast the series in Malaysia and Brunei.
Discover Science is a new science entertainment series that offers a chance to understand the theories of science by seeing it in action through ridiculously huge experiments. The creative visualization paired with NHKs latest shooting techniques has yielded fascinating ways to visualize scientific phenomena.
Walter Sucher, Head of the Department of Science and Education at Sudwestrundfunk (SWR), the first to come on board as a co-producer explains, Our producers were excited about this series because it brings scientific phenomena from the lab into the real world. And in doing so it also helps us to understand better what may be called ‘the unnatural nature of science’. Because what seems to be logic in little things does not necessarily have to work on a larger scale – or does it? It does, and Discover Science makes us understand why.
Kenichi Murakami, President and CEO of NHK Educational Corporation (NED) which led the production comments, We are very happy that so many broadcasters have shown interest at such an early stage. We believe this shows how much need there is for good science programs presented in a fun way. We did produce the series with the mindset to make it something that would fit in any country or any program, so we are happy to see so many people taking interest.
Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel (JCC), stated: We are pleased to see the fruit of our co-production with NHK/NED being positively received by broadcasters around the world for both English and Arabic versions; we are also looking forward to more co-productions with the NHK on science, technology and environment.
Now that the 26 episodes are complete, NHK/NED/JCC are looking to expand the territories which the program will be shown. They have appointed NHK Enterprises (NEP) as their official distributor.
Vice-President, Yukihiko Amagi, who oversees international distribution at NHK Enterprises (NEP) says NEP is very happy to be given the opportunity to be the Official Distributor of this series. We have high expectations for this series as it is designed to fit to broad genres, like science, children, education, and pure entertainment.
4 October 2010
The short-list for the 2010 AIBs, the international media excellence awards, has been published.
The 2010 AIBs have attracted a record number of entries from more broadcasters and production houses than ever before, along with technology companies keen to demonstrate innovative new technology.
You can download the short-list
here.
You can reserve places for the AIBs gala evening where the awards will be
presented to winners – it takes place at LSO St Luke’s on Tuesday 9 November
at 1800 starting with a champagne reception sponsored by
Bloomberg Television.
Reserve tables of 10 online
here, or individual places
here.
You can also download a fax-back reservation form
here.
29 September 2010
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson tonight announced a new direction for U.S. international broadcasting that “seizes on the latest media tools and technology to stay one step ahead of those who seek to repress free information around the world.”
As Chairman of the BBG, Isaacson oversees RFE, VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio/TV Marti, Radio Sawa, and Alhurra TV, which have a combined weekly audience of more than 171 million people.
“The challenges we face in the new global struggle against repression and intolerance are as great today as they were during the Cold War,” he said at a reception marking the 60th anniversary of RFE’s first broadcast.
“And just as the founders of Radio Free Europe succeeded in developing creative and innovative ways to get news and information to people suffering behind the Iron Curtain, so too must today’s U.S. international broadcasters respond to modern threats to freedom in new and inventive ways.”
Speaking at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Isaacson said, “America cannot let itself be out-communicated by its enemies.”
“Our traditional role of delivering the news top down needs to be complimented by a new approach that catalyzes social networks,” said Isaacson. “By creating peer-to-peer global communities, we help guarantee the universal human right of access to the free flow of information.”
Tonight’s reception honored six decades of RFE. On July 4, 1950, Radio Free Europe went on the air for the first time with a broadcast to communist Czechoslovakia from a studio in New York City’s Empire State Building.
Today, RFE reaches nearly 20 million people in 28 languages and 21 countries from Europe to the Middle East. In Afghanistan, RFE’s Radio Azadi is the most popular media outlet in the country. In Iran, RFE’s Radio Farda is influential – its Facebook page has more than 50,000 fans.
“We remain a lifeline for people living in war zones and under authoritarian rule who seek accurate and reliable news,” said RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin, who moderated tonight’s reception.
ABOUT RFE
RFE is an independent, international news and broadcast organization whose programs — radio, Internet and television — reach influential audiences in 21 countries such as Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the republics of Central Asia. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). You can follow RFE on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
29 September 2010
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a leading provider of comprehensive content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, has announced that it has expanded the responsibilities of Eric Larsen, recently hired as Senior Director of Sales for RRsat America, to include the development of strong business relationships with major US media organizations and to increase exposure and awareness of RRsat throughout the North American market.
Larsen, who will be based in Los Angeles, comes to RRsat with over twenty-five years of experience in the international television industry, with a particular focus on content aggregation and distribution, marketing, production and operations. Prior to joining RRsat, he was the Senior Director of Key Accounts for Intelsat Corporation. Larsen provided strategic account management for many of Intelsat’s premier North American customers, and was responsible for securing one of its largest contracts.
We have big plans over the coming year to bring all of RRsats globally recognized broadcasting services and capabilities to the U.S. market said Lior Rival, Vice President, Sales and Marketing of RRsat. Eric, with all of his experience and industry knowledge, is the perfect person to extend our North American initiative and we are excited to support his progress in the region.
27 September 2010
Radio Netherlands Worldwide was among the winners with three English-language programmes at the prestigious New York International Television and Radio Festivals 2010. The radio documentary The Lonely Funeral was crowned with a gold medal. The radio programme The State Were In won two awards, a silver medal for Babahs Day In Court and a bronze medal for Otto and Lucy. The festival received entries from over 30 countries. The awards were presented during a ceremony in New York on 24 September 2010.
A gold medal was awarded to programme maker Michele Ernsting for The Lonely Funeral, a documentary about a poet and a civil servant who create an extraordinary ritual for people who die alone in Amsterdam. Their shared respect for the dead forges an unlikely friendship.
www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/lonely-funeral
Programme makers Jonathan Groubert and Greg Kelly of the radio programme The State Were In won a silver medal for their report entitled Babahs Day In Court. Babah Tarawallys world was turned upside down by Charles Taylors war in Sierra Leone. He musters the courage to go to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to see to make what he calls his confrontation with history.
download.omroep.nl/rnw/smac/cms/tswi_section_a_15_august_2009_redux_newest_20090818_44_1kHz.mp3
The bronze medal went to programme maker Chris Chambers of the The State Were In for his report entitled Otto and Lucy, featuring a young British man with Downs Syndrome and his mother as they talk openly and funnily about his quest to discover the sexual side of love.
www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/right-sex
New York Festivals
The NYF International Television and Radio Broadcasting Awards, also known as the Radio Oscars, are presented to outstanding radio productions from all over the world. Each year hundreds of entries are judged by various panels of international experts for a number of criteria, including production level, presentation, originality, and creativity.
