Animation major Pentamedia Graphics has announced positive results for the quarter ended 30 June 2001. The company posted a 38 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 417.2 million compared to RS 308.3 million the previous year, an official release states. Sales increased to RS 1580.9 million from RS 1144.9 million in June 2000.

The growth in turnover, operating profit and profit after tax is 38 per cent, 54 per cent and 35 per cent respectively, the release states. Revenue contributed by animation, special effects, web entertainment and other multimedia services were 55 per cent, 15 per cent, 10 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

The company is planning to launch a new children‘s entertainment television channel "Splash" on the Asiasat satellite. Pentamedia subsidiary Intelivision Ltd is responsible for the channel launch and is looking at an investment of about RS 120 million with revenues of RS 140 million from advertising and other rights in the first year.

Intelivision has secured permission from the information and broadcasting ministry for uplinking the channel through VSNL (the government-owned internet gateway provider). A teleport at Kelambakkam in Chennai is envisaged in the near future.

Test transmission is scheduled to begin by 1 August via ST teleport, Singapore. Intelivision has decided to uplink through Singapore as it is cheaper. Once the teleport at Kelambakkam becomes operational, the uplink service will be shifted to Chennai. The programme grid for the initial two months of on air presentation has been finalised, the release says.

The future projects of Intelivision include a bouquet of Indian satellite channels to be broadcast through KU Band from an Indian platform to ethnic Indian populations in US, Europe, Middle East and South Africa.

PENTAMEDIA, FILM ROMAN REACH SETTLEMENT: On 9 July, Pentamedia and Film Roman closed the chapter on what has been a PR disaster for the media major. The $15 million buyout plan for 60 per cent stock in Film Roman never materialised and after a number of modifications Pentamedia called off the whole thing. A settlement agreement was reached where Pentamedia paid Film Roman $350,000 to release it from all possible liabilities arising out of Pentamedia‘s failure to keep to the schedule of payment.

And at a meeting held on 13 July the company board approved the allotment of 12.7 million Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) at the rate of $1.50 per GDR for cash to investors as advised by Investment Banking Division of Amas Bank, Geneva. The allotments raised $19.05 million and diluted the firm‘s equity by 2.3 per cent. The listing agents for the GDRs are M/S. Deutsche Bank Luxemburg SA and the legal Counsel is M/S Jones Day, London. These GDRs along with the existing GDRs of Pentamedia Graphics Ltd, will be traded at the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

There seems to be no end to the modifications that are being envisaged for the Communications Convergence Bill. The revised draft of the Communications Convergence Bill 2001 has just been re-revised. Industry sources indicate that at the latest meeting of the Group on Telecom and IT (GOT-IT) held on 21 July, it has been proposed that within the ambit of high-powered Communications Commission of India that the bill envisages, there should be two separate bureaus - a carriage bureau and a content bureau.

Earlier talk was around content management remaining a part of the convergence bill. And the information and broadcasting ministry was to convene a forum for the media industry to discuss the nature of the "content" bureau within the CCI.

Information and broadcast minister Sushma Swaraj‘s idea was that all content, including that relating to the Internet, should be regulated by a content bureau. Swaraj wanted that communications should be delinked from the ambit of the bill, the sources say. The telecom and communications ministries strongly opposed this pointing out that the it negated the whole concept of convergence. It was after this that a compromise formula was adopted where there would be two bureaus - a carriage bureau and a content bureau.

The revised bill prepared by the sub-group under Fali Nariman will have to be sent to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, who heads GOT-IT, and the prime minister. Then it will probably be referred to the Standing Committee. After which we can expect it to be put on the government website for invitations for further suggestions from the public. In this scenario how the government plans to keep to its stated aim of tabling the Bill in parliament during the upcoming monsoon session remains a mystery.

One thing has been agreed upon though. When the bill is finally ready for introduction in parlaiment it will be piloted by the communications ministry, the sources say.

To read the January 2001 modification of the convergence bill click on the link below.

It‘s hoping to act as a guide in the maze that is Indian cable & satellite television today. Channel Guide a specific preview and menu channel which began its test run on 12 April 2001 may go for a formal launch tentatively on 15 August 2001, "We are in talks with major companies, the outcome of which will decide its formal launch," informs Ravi Deshmukh chief operating officer, Channel Guide India Ltd.

The channel is programmed to provide couch potatoes with a ready reckoner on TV shows. Its interactive menu allows viewers to explore, select and watch a variety of programmes, while browsing listings. "Channel Guide airs the programme listings of different channels between 9 am and 11:00 pm, reminding viewers about their favourite programme timings," says Deshmukh.

Currently the free to air channel has a million strong viewership, and receives inputs from 27 major channel among which are Star, Zee, Sony, HBO, ESPN, he reveals. The channel is available in nine states nationally: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa and Assam.

"So far we have received a good response, and we will do better after the channels which have been reluctant in providing us with information drop their inhibitions," emphasizes Deshmukh. "But the response is improving. English, Hindi entertainment and infotainment channels like Discovery and National Geographic, and other sports channels are already supporting us. Next month Bengali and Punjabi channels will join our bandwagon and the rest of the regional languages will soon be added."

Currently, the channel is carrying TV promos and listings gratis for its broadcasting partners. In time to come, it plans to start charging for its air time wherein channels like Sony or Zee or Star would be in a position to sponsor their own promo and interstitial programming blocks. Five of the 10 hours the channel will air will be free to air. Of the remainder, three will be set aside for broadcaster-sponsored promos, while local commercial advertising will go to account for the remainder two hours.

With an initial investment of Rs 100 million (10 crore), the channel has also plans to foray into to webcasting and cater to web savvy viewers and international audiences interested in Indian television fare.

"We have a long term vision for Channel Guide India. We cannot really commit when we will really break even, but our target has been set as June 2002," points out Deshmukh.

Fire & Ice, the popular nightclub in Mumbai‘s Parel suburb, now has its own in-house channel. Launched last Friday as Fire & Ice Weekend TV, the name given is because content is being developed over the weekend and the programmes are subsequently played throughout the week.

The content changes on a weekly basis. It is essentially in-house TV with music videos being played on the screen. "Though you won‘t get to hear what is being played as the DJ is playing music of his own, you can read interesting tidbits and background about the concerned artiste rolling at the bottom of the screen," says Clyde D‘Souza, president of Immersive Television, which produces the content for the channel. "You can also check out the action at foreign nightclubs, which have their own brand of merchandising - like leather jackets. For instance Ministry of Sound in the U.K.," D‘Souza said.

D‘Souza calls the concept "club TV" and hopes to take it to discos across India. D‘Souza pointed out that international sponsors have already shown interest and the ads for sponsors are done in an innovative manner. Citing an example, he said the ads for popular soft drinks have three-dimensional images "which kind of interact with the viewer and is a welcome change from the dry and drab audio video commercial."

The programming block also covers a wide array of events. From the Ritu Beri fashion show in Paris to the just-concluded Love Parade in Germany. There is also a small movie section where trailers of Hollywood films are shown along with the top three recommendations. The trailers are outsourced from film companies abroad. Adventure sports like bungee jumping are also featured.

D‘Souza said there was also an interactive element involved. For this he has tied up with UK-based OpenTV, the leading interactive television and media solutions company. However, before rolling out the service, he was waiting to see what kind of set top boxes would be introduced. D‘Souza said he had the expertise to develop the content for interactive television but there were still some final technicalities to be resolved.