International
How celebrities should use Twitter
MUMBAI: Twitter might limit its users to a 140 characters but it isn’t just a tool to make small talk!
Despite its popularity, not every celebrity seems to have used the platform effectively. Recently, Sylvester Stallone and Megan Fox decided to skip tweeting, calling this a futile effort to connect with fans.
This resulted in a destruction of a perfect bridge between these actors and their fans, causing them to lose out on a substantially large audience online: a loss not echoed by Twitter.
Little did Sylvester and Megan know that the micro-blogging platform has worked wonders for several celebrities online including Justin Bieber, the teenage pop sensation, who currently enjoys the love of 33,931,436 fans on Twitter; Britney Spears, the American singer and entertainer, currently has 23,639,424 fans; and Lady Gaga has 33,760,113 followers.
Twitter is the perfect platform between celebrities and their fans because it allows direct communication. This gives fans the opportunity to read tweets by their favourite personalities in real-time. Also, this communication isn’t one-way, since celebrities too can have a peek at what their fans think about them and respond as and when they wish. Besides celebrities, prominent world figures including Barack Obama and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI are also active on the micro-blogging platform.
Quitting Twitter shows a lack of understanding of the power of social media platforms on a celebrity’s part. Their inability to adapt to it could be cited as a reason for this shift away from the platform.
It’s only a matter of time until every celebrity and world figure understands the true potential of connecting with their audiences online while realising the importance of staying in touch with the quickly transitioning world of technology.
It seems like Megan and Sylvester will be at loss in the long-run, having quit Twitter; certainly not the other way around!
International
Council of Europe to unveil new TV and streaming co-production convention
Series Mania Forum to host landmark signing to boost global TV collaboration
LILLE: The small screen is getting a big policy push. At this year’s Series Mania Forum in Lille, Alain Berset will take centre stage to chair the opening ceremony for a new international convention aimed at reshaping how television and streaming series are co-produced across borders.
Set for March 26 at the Théâtre Marie Curie in Lille Grand Palais, the signing marks the debut of the first legal framework dedicated specifically to the independent co-production of series. In an industry where stories travel faster than ever, the move aims to make collaboration smoother, fairer and more transparent.
Backed by the Council of Europe, the convention is designed to strengthen cultural ties, give independent producers a firmer footing, and bring greater clarity to deals in a rapidly evolving content landscape. With streaming platforms fuelling a surge in global storytelling, the timing feels deliberate.
Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset, underscored the cultural heft of series today, noting how they carry voices and viewpoints across borders. He called on member states and countries beyond Europe to sign on, framing the initiative as a way to turn culture into a tool for cooperation and democratic exchange.
For Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg, hosting the signing is both symbolic and strategic. She described the convention as a step that could widen the range of stories reaching audiences, staying true to the forum’s long-standing mission of championing diverse storytelling.
The ceremony will unfold alongside the Lille Dialogues, a high-level summit that gathers policymakers and industry leaders to debate the future of Europe’s audiovisual sector. Berset is also set to deliver the opening address there, adding political weight to a week already rich in creative ambition.
In short, as screens multiply and borders blur, Europe is putting a framework in place to ensure that storytelling keeps pace, collaboratively and coherently.
