News Broadcasting
AOL.com launches broadband network
MUMBAI:To further leverage its position,Warner’s, television division is the latest to get on to the net as a distribution platform.Thousands of episodes from some of the most popular television series of all time will make a comeback exclusively on AOL.com (http://www.aol.com) in early 2006, thanks to a collaboration between AOL and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution to form a new broadband network.
The network called In2TV will allow consumers to stream through full-length episodes from series such as Welcome Back Kotter, Sisters, Beetlejuice, Lois & Clark, La Femme Nikita and Growing Pains free and on-demand on the Web. Along with full-length episodes, In2TV will also include unique interactive features such as games, quizzes, polls, trivia contests and more.
AOL says that its video search engine draws from the AOL Video on Demand archive of more than 18,000 licensed and originally produced assets and over 1.5 million video assets on the Internet indexed through AOLs Singingfish.This first-of-its-kind interactive video experience demonstrates the impact of broadband now in 53 per cent of US households –on the television industry, as broadband provides a new platform for television assets on the Internet.In2TV will leverage the unique capabilities of the online medium, allowing broadband consumers to experience, enjoy and interact with these series in a variety of ways.
AOL Media Networks executive VP, Kevin Conroy, says, With In2TV, we are enabling Web users to experience and interact with television programming in an entirely new way, and creating a new distribution platform for TV content. This is an exciting new way to experience these shows, allowing Web users to enjoy what they want, when they want it. We view this collaboration as truly transformational and yet another demonstration of our commitment to making our next-generation AOL.com portal the best destination for video on the Web.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group president .Kevin Tsujihara, says,Our goal is to be a leader in offering consumers unique and innovative entertainment options so that they can have as many choices as possible when it comes to choosing content. This deal with AOL is a great example of moving in that right direction.We look forward to continuing to work with AOL on this and other exciting entertainment offerings as new platforms and markets are embraced by consumers.”
He adds,”This service will bring an unprecedented collection of popular TV series to a totally new platform, revolutionizing the distribution of television programming. It will enable users the opportunity to be entertained and to interact with the programming that has groundbreaking interactive features. Visitors will be able to programme their own personal network, making it a TV lovers dream come true.
The In2TV site will organize the TV series into six genre-themed channels, listed below. (Additional channels will be launched at a later date.) Fans will also be able to search the series by show titles, cast names, and other key words and phrases. This programming will be combined with highly engaging and interactive editorial, promotional and game content. Fans can enjoy special interactive features, including:
– Starchives- This has episodes featuring stars before they were stars, including Brad Pitt on Growing Pains, and Jay Leno on Alice
– Punchlines – They consist of viral comedy clips
– TV Karaoke – These are sing-alongs with favorite TV show themes
– Classic Crème de la Crème – This is a showcase of the most memorable episodes of a given series
– Betcha Didnt Know!: The Ultimate TV Quiz – In this section fans can test their TV trivia skills
– RetroRunway – This looks at fashion from TV series
– StarFavs – This is a motley collection of the stars favourite episodes
– Where Are They Now? Here viewers can find out where their favourite stars are now
In2TV will also provide 88 interactive experiences in the first year built around specific shows. Examples of these interactive experiences could include unlocking additional material like a famous martial artist commenting on the mysteries of Shaolin in the Kung Fu series, or testing a viewers intricate and arcane knowledge on subjects as diverse as the complex world of Babylon 5 or the 80s in conjunction with an iconic show like Growing Pains.
In2TV will also provide AOLs advertisers with video inventory for instream broadband advertising as well as opportunities for sponsorships and accompanying banner ads. Video ads, 15-second and 30-second spots, will be limited to a total of 1-2 minutes within each 30-minute episode as compared to eigth minutes of advertising on broadcast television.
These series will be offered in a new DVD quality video format called AOL Hi-Q. This new technology, which builds upon AOLs industry-leading online video experience, enables high resolution, full-screen viewing. It will be made available free to any broadband user (along with standard-quality streaming). AOL.com is the first major portal to offer this kind of high quality video experience to consumers.
The television content will serve as a cornerstone of the AOL.com website’s commitment to delivering broadband video through AOL Video on Demand (www.aol.com/video) and AOL Video Search (www.aol.com/videosearch and www.aolsearch.com), as well as through AOL Television (http://www.aol.com/television).
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
