MUMBAI: Prime Focus Limited (PFL), a global visual entertainment services group that provides creative and technical services to the film, broadcast, and advertising market, has repaid $79 million to its foreign currency convertible bond (FCCB) holders.

With the redemption of all the FCCBs, the entire focus of the management is now to expand and grow the business further.

Last month Standard Chartered Group invested US$35 million to subscribe to equity and another $35 million to subscribe to NCDs issued by Prime Focus Limited. The remaining $9 million towards FCCB commitment was tied up via bank term loans.

Prime Focus CFO Nishant Fadia said, "We are pleased that we have honoured our commitment to shareholders and bondholders by successfully settling the FCCBs on the date of redemption as per original terms and conditions.
 
"Our ability to raise long-term capital in the current volatile economic environment underlines the confidence a renowned investor like Standard Chartered has in our robust business model, strong order book and the overall potential of the global media & entertainment industry which we serve.

"We see Standard Chartered as a strategic partner and look forward to engaging with them over the long term to build sustainable value in the business. The Prime Focus Group will continue on the path of growing its businesses and breaking new ground globally and locally to enhance shareholder value."

NEW DELHI: Both the FM radio channels of All India Radio ? FM Gold and FM Rainbow ? have been given a completely new face this month with several new programmes and other changes.

These changes came into effect from 12 November, which is observed as the Public Service Broadcasting Day in India to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi?s maiden and only visit to AIR studio. In a broadcast on 12 November 1947, Gandhi had addressed refugees from Pakistan stationed at the camp at Kurukshetra.

The most major change in AIR Rainbow has been the rationalisation of western music vis-?-vis Indian music.

On FM Gold, five new shows have been introduced without touching the main programmes that are already popular with listeners.

Realising that long news bulletins were irritants to viewers who were keen to listen to golden melodies for which the channel is known, English and Hindi bulletins are being broadcast for five minutes alternately every hour instead of both being broadcast together. However, the bulletins are being broadcast together four times a day.

Thus, the time for music had been increased substantially.

Long discussions on economic subjects have been reduced to a maximum of 15 minutes once a day. The ?Sports Scan? programme which is broadcast at 8 pm will now be a 15-minute programme that will be broadcast from 8.30 pm to 8.45 pm.

Greater attention will be paid to interviews with personalities, and to listeners? requests.

MUMBAI: Grey Matter Entertainment, the media company providing production services for broadcast, celluloid and digital platforms, has partnered with 10-year-old French company Novovision, a leading non-dialogue gag clips producer.

As part of the partnership, Grey Matter Entertainment will produce around 1200 humour clips for Novovision. Grey Matter and Novovision will co-own IPR for all content produced.

The company says that the content will also be broadcast in over 100 countries and across all platforms worldwide.

It is for the first time that Novovision has partnered with an Asian company to co-produce gag clips. With shows like "POP CORN TV" to its credit, the world leader for providing humour clips is looking forward to producing thousands of videos along with Grey Matter.

Grey Matter, with its celebrated work for the Reebok Pit Stop with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Benz MTV Date with Speed, Grammy Nominees Special 2011 and the like, has reflected as an epitome of ideas and concepts to Novovision.

Novovision CEO Fran?ois-Xavier Poirier said, "We decided to co-produce shows with Grey Matter because we share the same values. Both of us wanted to create a show of very edgy gags produced locally for local and world audience. Grey Matter Entertainment is a largely recognized Indian content production company. This partnership shall result in a successful collaboration of two experienced personalities sharing the same passion for candid camera."

Commenting on the partnership, Grey Matter Entertainment Founder-CEO Chandradev Bhagat said, "It is said that laughter is the best medicine and now this medicine will be available to viewers in an exhaustive package put together by our partnership. The association with Novovision is a tremendous step for Grey Matter, and we are proud to be the first Indian -- indeed, Asian -- company they have partnered with. We believe this partnership will prove to be a milestone for both companies."

MUMBAI: Viacom 18-owned general entertainment channel Colors has entered into a long-term broadcast agreement with Times Group for its coveted beauty pageant Femina Miss India.

Sony Entertainment Television, the GEC from the Multi Screen Media group, was the incumbent broadcast partner for the event, which completed its 50 years recently.

According to a Colors spokeswoman, Femina Miss India 2013 will be telecast live for the first time in the annual event?s history. The GEC broadcaster will also have the right to sell on-air sponsorship.

The title sponsor of the event has also changed hands with Pond?s jumping in as the title sponsor to replace Pantaloons that was the title sponsor for almost five years beginning 2007. Incidentally, Pond?s was the title sponsor of the beauty pageant for almost three years prior to Pantaloons.

Along with the broadcaster and title sponsor, the logo of the event has also undergone a change and will have a new sound track too. PC Jewellers, contemporary and traditional jewellery maker, has joined hands with Ponds Femina Miss India 2013 as the Crown & Jewellery Partner.

Commenting on the acquisition, Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, "We are excited to showcase Femina Miss India?s 50 year milestone journey on Colors as we see a perfect synergy between both brands and audiences. Colors? is synonymous with content that is different and inspiring and therefore, we are happy to welcome Femina Miss India in our bouquet of unique event offerings. As our core audience is the woman, we hope the progressive imagery resonates and inspires them."

Hindustan Unilever VP Skincare Arun Srinivas said, "Pond?s, an iconic beauty brand, has been offering every Indian woman a reason to look and feel beautiful for many decades now. Femina Miss India, the renowned beauty pageant platform, celebrates Indian beauty delivering recognition to beautiful women and helping many others live their dreams through these inspirational role models."

To ensure national representation at the pageant and to encourage participation of contestants from across India in its 50th year, auditions and selections will be initiated from all regions across India, with seven City Pageants being held in Pune, Goa, Indore, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chandigarh & Delhi which will ultimately culminate into the grand Finale in Mumbai.

The winner of the city pageants will get a lifetime opportunity to fast track to the finals at the grand finale of Pond?s Femina Miss India 2013.

NEW DELHI: The permission for uplinking or downlinking given to five television channels has lapsed as they failed to operationalise within the stipulated period of one year.

These channels are: Mallemala, S1 Tadka, Just TV Punjabi, Just TV Music, and Ahimsaa.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had found 37 channels failed to become operational even after one year of permission. Apart from the five whose licences lapsed, three had requested for extension of time against notice of cancellation, and 27 TV channels had sought extension for operationalising their channels and they have been asked to submit Performance Bank Guarantee. The permission of two channels has been withdrawn at the request of the concerned companies.

Meanwhile, the government has given permission so far to 833 satellite TV channels to uplink or downlink into the country.

According to the government, 681 television channels were operational in the country in April this year, out of a total of 825 television channels which had been permitted by the government as on 19 January 2012.

A total of 116 channels are still within the prescribed limit of one year for operationalisation under the Uplinking/Downlinking Guidelines.

The country had 430 news and current affairs channels as on 17 November last year including 35 channels of the national broadcaster, Doordarshan.

NEW DELHI: Indian radio stations, which do not hold the rights to the Olympic coverage will not broadcast or originate play-by-play commentary or analogous coverage of any Olympic material, whether on a live or delayed basis.

Meanwhile, actual commentary of competition events, taped from the television coverage of the rights holder for the Olympics Games in the particular territory can only be used with the express written permission of the rights holder as per the Radio News Access Rules.

The rules also say that non-rights holders shall not broadcast any other material obtained while inside an Olympic venue, including interviews. However the official press conferences held in the main press centre can be covered as long as there is a delay of 30 minutes from the conclusion of the press conference. From India, All India Radio is the only audio station to have the rights for broadcasting live commentary of the Games and events linked to them.

Furthermore, no private channel in the country is at present permitted to broadcast news, though some FM channels occasionally give short highlights.

The Access Rules are clear that Olympic material may be used only as a part of regularly scheduled daily news programs of which the actual news element constitutes the main feature. News programmes shall not be positioned or promoted as Olympic programmes.

Non-Rights Holders, provided they are holders of ENR accreditation, will have access, without equipment, to Olympic venues and, with equipment, to the main press centre.

Specifically, mobile telephone interviews with athletes and team officials are strictly prohibited from Olympic venues, including mixed zones. ENR accredited journalists are not permitted to do telephone voice reports from Olympic venues, including the Olympic Park Common Domain.

AIR will broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics 2102 live on its national channel as well as on AIR FM Gold (106.4 MHz) on 27 July and 13 August respectively.

In addition, the matches relating to hockey where India has qualified and football will also be broadcast live along with the semi-finals and finals.

AIR sources told Indiantelevision.com the public broadcaster has drawn up extensive plans to give live telecast of the women?s hockey final and the men?s football final.

Though these will be carried on the national channel and FM Gold, all state capital Kendras can also relay the beam.

FM Gold will carry highlights of the previous day?s events at 7.05 am every morning. These will be picked up and relayed by all the capital Kendras and also presented later in regional language versions.

AIR will also carry regular updates and breaking news during normal programme whenever any major story breaks.

There will be elaborate news coverage with inputs and feeds from London, the sources said.

AIR had in fact commenced programmes on the Olympics from 10 April, beaming two programme every month till June and one in July. This was also relayed by the Kendras in state capitals and in regional versions. This also included interviews with those Indians who have earlier won medals at the Olympics.

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