17 June 2010
The Voice of America Swahili Service announces the launch of Mitaani, or From the Streets, a new video feature produced exclusively for mobile phone users in Kenya and other parts of Africa.
The short video reports, which debuted on the VOA Swahili mobile site this week, can also be viewed on the Swahili Service website: http://www.voaswahili.com.
“Our audience uses mobile phones to get news, get health information and to share their thoughts about events that affect their lives,” says VOA Africa Division Director Gwen Dillard. “Features designed especially for cell phones help to make that possible,” Dillard adds. And she says, “We’re committed to bringing people mobile news and programs that go where they go.”
The Swahili-language features are shot by three mobile journalists in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu using pocket-sized video cameras. The features capture the opinions of average Kenyans who are invited to comment on political and social issues facing the nation.
Upcoming topics include the World Cup, proposed changes to Kenya’s constitution, and the sex trade in Mombasa.
“In Africa people consume information through mobile devices, rather than the Internet,” said Steven Ferri, VOA Africa Division Senior Web Editor. “It is very natural for us to offer this type of program.”
Mobile phone users can find Mitaani at http://sw.voa.mobi. VOAs Swahili Service first introduced news content via mobile phone earlier this year. For a list of other VOA language services, go to www.voanews.com.
17 June 2010
New in the App Store: owners of the iPhone can create content with My No Comment TV.
The No Comment TV application can be downloaded for free in the News section.
The World Cup and UGC (user generated content)
euronews is launching this application for the World Cup and invites viewers and iPhone owners to provide any videos and comments relevant to this world sporting event.
With the No Comment TV application, these videos and photos can be posted as soon as they are made.
My No Comment
In the My No Comment section, users can create and share their own content.
Therefore, any No Comment entry created can be viewed via the No Comment TV application for iPhone, the nocommenttv.com website and it will also be broadcast during the No Comment programme on euronews global network to 153 countries.
This instantly shared live news service, provided by No Comment reporters, can be accessed in the Galleries section.
iPhone owners can also access the following pages:
– Latest the latest 25 No Comment entries by euronews
– Top Videos the months most-watched videos on euronews.net
– Categories every day, 50 No Comment entries are grouped by themes or by geographical area.
17 June 2010
BTs Media & Broadcast division and RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd (RRsat) announced today a five year strategic alliance. The alliance will enable their customers to benefit from high quality broadcast services over a deeper global reach as well as being a catalyst to facilitate both companies growth in their global media businesses.
The alliance will combine RRsats world-class capabilities in content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries over satellite, fibre and IP with BTs Global Media Network and existing satellite portfolio,
RRsat will gain access to BTs media switch in London linking in to its Global Media Network, satellite services and offering dedicated bandwidth for short-term event coverage, while BTs media customers will benefit from the RRsat Global Network which offers extensive distribution coverage currently provided to more than 550 channels using over 50 satellite platforms in more than 150 countries.
Each company has agreed to bring between £5-£10million of additional business to the other party.
BT Wholesales Media & Broadcast director of global sales & marketing, Mark Wilson-Dunn, said: This is an important step towards the formation of a global ecosystem to support the creation, movement and monetisation of content, and we are delighted to be taking that step alongside RRsat.
David Rivel, founder and CEO of RRsat Global Communications Network, said Bringing together the energy, culture and capabilities of both parties and both our high quality service standards promises exciting new prospects in the global broadcast and satellite market, delivering significant benefits for all our customers.
4 June 2010
On 1 June 2010 Radio Netherlands Worldwide is starting RNW Classical, a 24-hour web radio station playing classical music from the Netherlands: www.rnwclassical.com.
The emphasis in this English-language programme is on Dutch classical music, performed by orchestras, ensembles and soloists based in the Netherlands. The major international repertoire will, of course, be represented too. RNW Classical will also open up RNWs extensive music archives to international audiences.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is programming RNW Classical 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Both the daily radio programming and background information can be found on the new stations website.
RNW Classical can be heard at www.rnwclassical.com and via RNW’s websites in ten languages.
1 June 2010
euronews, Europes leading international multilingual news channel, and Google, the popular search engine, announce the launch of trends, a new programme based on Europes top Google searches and beginning 1st June 2010.
What interests Europeans? Each week trends compiles the list of the 5 most popular terms that have seen the greatest increase in searches on Googles search engines across Europe. In collaboration with Google, trends, euronews new programme, explores tendencies and behaviour in society today.
Find trends on the euronews website at: euronews.net/sci-tech. trends is available on air and online in 9 languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
People can also do their own exploration of global and local search trends using Google Trends, which compares search volume patterns across queries. www.google.com/trends
“We are excited Euronews is bringing Google Trends to viewers across Europe and the Middle East,” said Bill Echikson Google Head of Communications and Public Affairs Southern, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Google Trends reveals the hottest topics in news, sport, business and entertainment and we are glad that its insights will enhance euronews’s programming.”
Michael Peters, Managing Director of Euronews added: “euronews is proud to have this exclusive agreement with Google which allows the channel to provide to its worldwide audience a barometer of news interest on the web. This medium is both a news source and a tool that has changed the perception and the consumption of information. We are glad to be associated to Google, a top web property in all major global markets, who has contributed to this new way of keeping people informed all around the world.”
trends
Frequency: twice-weekly
Duration: 1
Online :
www.euronews.net/sci-tech
28 May 2010
On the eve of the new Apple iPad release in France and eight other countries, FRANCE 24 new application, exclusively developed for the iPad, has already been downloaded 8,000 times (including 6,000 downloads in the USA) since its release on April 3rd.
Acclaimed by the public and many professionals, the FRANCE 24 application is, for example, the only application with a score of 4 stars (on a scale of 5) in the classification established by an influential American blog. Ergonomically pleasing and offering innovative service, the application is ranked in the top 10 news applications.
Accessible on the App Store, FRANCE 24s application is free and allows users to tailor their approach to the news, choosing from a variety of innovative functions.
iPad users can enjoy the live broadcast of FRANCE 24s three channels (English, French and Arab) as well as watch the latest newscast (updated every half hour), business report, world weather forecast and sports flash. The application also offers them a wide range of videos available on demand in three languages (magazines, debates, special reports).
In addition, an innovative mapping tool allows users to find news according to their location thanks to FRANCE 24s automatic and geographical referencing of news articles and videos.
Building on its multimedia strategy FRANCE 24 was the first international news channel to broadcast live on the iPhone FRANCE 24s iPad application will evolve in the coming weeks to include more features and new services.
FRANCE 24s application was developed by the LAB, FRANCE 24s Multimedia Studio, in cooperation with Backelite.
