Join us for paidContent Entertainment: Everything Everywhere event on November 3rd in West Hollywood, our one-day, fast-paced conference that explores the nexus of digital media and the entertainment industry. This interactive, single-stage event will take an incisive look at the biggest challenges facing in the entertainment world. In this constantly…

Times Of India’s online division is getting mobile and internet highlights of English soccer’s Premier League, after cutting a deal with online sports rights operator and broadcaster Perform Group.

If you, like millions of others, witnessed any of today’s Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton on the TV, Internet or in person, you will have seen the crowds that assembled down the Mall, around Westminster Cathedral, in front of Buckingham Palace, and in many other places. But…

Forget iPads and smartphone apps - in India, the real “new media” are basic feature phones. Media companies aren’t letting the market’s relative technological immaturity stand in their way - they’re embracing new opportunities using old media

I’m pleased to announce that Andrew Wallenstein will be joining us to write about the digital-entertainment business, based in Los Angeles. Andy, who will be a senior editor for us, will also help develop new editorial features for the sites. If you had any doubts about the newsiness of the…

CBS (NYSE: CBS) Studios International and Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) Wednesday announced a deal to launch television channels in India through a joint venture company to be called BIG CBS Networks Pvt. Ltd. BIG CBS will be incorporated in India, and CBS and RBNL will each have a 50%…

Round 1 goes to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL). The iPad, as expected, has caused a big stir, and given people like Walt Mossberg reason to gush with enthusiasm about the death of laptops. Throughout, as various members of the press have mused about the death of Amazon’s Kindle, I feel compelled…

Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) CEO Ken Lowe is betting heavily on international growth over the next year. In a presentation at the UBS Media Week conference, Lowe ticked off some recent deals: last month, the company took a 69 percent stake Indian broadcaster NDTV; it struck a JV with…

Now that the deal is done for Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) to acquire 51 percent of NBC Universaal from GE, pending regulatory approval, here’s a look at how it all unfolded: —Reaction To The Comcast-NBCU Deal In Tweets—Comcast-NBCU: Hulu Board Meetings Could Get Interesting; Premium Hulu ‘Not In The Cards’?—Video: Comcast-NBCU…

Direct-to-home service provider Dish TV Ltd today said it is raising $100 million through an issue of global depository receipts, or GDRs, to US-based private equity firm Apollo Management. The company will issue 117,035 GDRs of $854.5 each. Each GDR represents 1,000 underlying equity shares. Post the issue, Apollo will…

Rohit Bansal, COO at Independent News Service Pvt. Ltd, which runs India TV, has stepped down. Bansal, who has worked at the firm for five years since 2004, has been active in the broadcast policy circles and was a familiar face at industry gatherings. Bansal confirmed the development. August 31…

The Union Cabinet today approved information and broadcasting ministry’s guidelines on Headend In The Sky (HITS), a technology that enables satellite transmission of digital broadcasting signals. Unlike DTH, or direct-to-home technology, HITS requires last mile cable operators to receive signals and transmit it via cable to the consumer’s home. However,…

BAG Films & Media Ltd today said its board has approved a plan to raise up to $30 million (Rs142 crore) from the international market through an issue of global depository receipts or foreign currency convertible bonds. The board has also approved an increase in the authorized capital of the…

The Internet Service Providers Association of India, an industry body of ISPs, has moved the Competition Commission of India alleging that the government’s delay in allowing Internet telephony is “favouring mobile operators and preventing fair competition,” Business Standard reports.  

US-based SoftBank Capital and India Capital of Hong Kong have bought a 2% stake in Sameer Manchanda-promoted cable firm DEN Networks, The Economic Times reports. The transaction reportedly happened at Rs205 per share and the aggregate investment is to the tune of Rs50 crore, the report said.

For the past few months, Star Plus, Zee and Colors have been playing musical chairs with the top three slots in GEC ratings, with marketshares of all three channels mostly falling in the 18-22% range. Colors has broken away for the first time this week, with a lead of 7…

Chennai-headquartered Sun TV Network Ltd today said net profit for the quarter ended 30 September was at Rs130.56 crore, up 21% year-on-year. Revenues grew 35% y-o-y to Rs320.39 crore. For the half year ended 30 September, net profit rose 18.74% to Rs250.36 crore. The company operates 20 television channels in…

Broadcaster NDTV Ltd will buy back a minority interest in its non-news subsidiary NDTV Network Plc. from NBC Universal (NYSE: GE). The company had sold a 26% stake in the UK-incorporated subsidiary, which acts as a holding company for the group’s non-news businesses, to the American media conglom in May…

ET Now, the business news channel from Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, has hired Shaili Chopra, markets and corporate affairs editor at NDTV 24X7, a source at the channel said. Chopra confirmed she has left NDTV. She worked at sister channel NDTV Profit for five years before she was moved…