MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced that the live streaming of the India- Pakistan semi final World Cup match on espnstar.com brokethe previous online streaming record for events delivered by Akamai Technologies. The live streaming of the match on www.espnstar.com/cwclive exceeded 70 Gbps of video steaming data at its peak in India according to Akamai. Over 10 million streams were delivered on the India - Pakistan match day.

The broadcasters says that throughout the tournament, the free live streaming section received more than 100 million views across the globe, serving 64 million video streams with the semi-final setting the new record.

www.espnstar.com has generated more than 275 million page views from 15 Feb - 3 April 2011. On the India-Pakistan match day, espnstar.com delivered 29 million page views.

ESPN Software India MD Aloke Malik said, "ESPN Star Sports has leveraged the power of broadcast, digital and mobile platforms to deliver Indian fans the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - wherever, whenever and on the best screen available. The response to our offering of live streaming of the event on www.espnstar.com has been stupendous. Consumers have enjoyed the high quality online stream which worked well even with low bandwidth. "
Akamai MD India Sanjay Singh said, "Working together, we‘ve been able to exceed all expectations and deliver high quality live video streaming to cricket fans around the globe during the World Cup. Via ESPN Star and Akamai, cricket fans have been able to watch reliable content anytime, anywhere. A number of records were broken during the tournament with millions watching the action unfold on their computers, smart phones and tablet devices. We look forward to working together in the future to bring more top class sporting events to any Internet-connected device."

Akamai‘s HD Network is designed to allow content owners and publishers the ability to deliver a personalised and interactive consumer experience through advanced features, such as DVR, multi-camera angle switching, and adaptive bitrate streaming technology.

MUMBAI: Amrita TV gifts its viewers with a largesse of unforgettable programmes as a harbinger of good fortune and prosperity all through the coming year.

Mummy and Me , the super hit blockbuster movie starring Suresh Gopi, Kunchacko Boban, Archana Kavi, Urvasi and Mukesh makes its world premiere at 9.00 am on Vishu morning.

Amrita TV offers a double treat showcasing both the mega stars of Malayalam from 8.30 to 9.30 prime time : Mammootty opens up to Srinivasan in a confidential heart-to-heart talk in which they discuss the emerging trends in films, the current state of Malayalam Cinema, the direction in which it is headed etc in Paurushathinte Meda Vishu at 8.30 pm. Mohanlal holds forth on his forthcoming movies, films on the cards and challenges thrown up by new roles in Abhinayathinte Kaineettam at 9.00pm.

Carrying on the auspicious mood set by glimpsing the kani at the crack of dawn, Vishukani at 6 am too starts the propitious day with a ritual offering to the Divine. It presents a refreshing feast of devotional melodies by the contestants of Raga Ratnam Junior-2 in the form of 3 keerthanas- Kani kanum neram, Gopala ka pahima and Bhajare Gopalam.

Situated in the pastoral beauty of Thanikudam, a picturesque village on the border between Palakkad and Thrissur and one of the last bastions of agriculture in Kerala, Manninte Kaineettam at 7.00am is a depiction of the thanksgiving that an agrarian society offers for its rich Vishu harvest, which is Earth‘s bounty to the villagers. They place the yield at the foot of the local deity and express their gratitude for the generosity of Mother Nature through folk songs, dance and other art forms.

Kanikonna Pookkalum Vishukaineetavum at 7.30 am visits virtuosos from various creative fields : C.Radhakrishnan, acclaimed writer &film director, Sumangala the Enid Blyton of Malayalam, Mundoor Sethumadhavan short story writer of renown, K.P .Ramanunni prominent novelist of works such as Sufi Paranja Katha, Janardhanan Puthussery folk singer and Sadanandan Anikath distinguished painter and collects their remembrances of Vishu, to form a glorious floral pattern of recollections.

From the heart of the agrarian tranquility of Kuttanad comes Naadan Paattinte Kaineettam at 8.30 am
with a splendid crop of koithu pattu, vanchi pattu and kali pattu that depict the gaiety and festivity of the simple rustic farmers, at the end of a good harvest season .

It is verse time at 3.30 pm in the elite company of Mahakavi Akkitham, Kendra Sahitya Academy Award winner, along with Alangode Leelakrishnan and P.P Ramachandran, eminent poets who drop in at the Akkitham Mana to pay their respects to the celebrated bard in Kavithayude Kaineettam . In an atmosphere throbbing with mellifluous rhymes, the poets quote lines from their own work as Akkitham bestows a Vishu memento by reciting couplets from his best compositions.

Providing a humorous interlude is Narmathinte Kaineettam at 4.00pm in which well known comedy stars from the film and television fraternity pull out all stops to provide a half an hour of sheer hilarity through game shows, anthakshari and droll exchanges .

From the comical, one moves on to the warmth of friendship in Sauhridathinte Kaineettam at 4.30 pm
in the vivacious company of the generation X of Malayalam films, Kunchacko Boban, Indrajith, Samvritha Sunil, Ann Augustine, Kathal Sandhya and director V.K. Prakash. Totally relaxed and informal, these effervescent youth horse around and make merry perching atop trees or loll on the floor and compare notes on their filmy experience during the shoot of ‘Three Kings‘.

Dance takes centre stage at 5.00pm in Nrithyathinte Kaineettam in which Padmashree Kalamandalam Kshemavathy interacts with Rajashree Warrier, Dr. Neena Prasad and a couple of her students who call on her on Vishu morning. She enacts a poem composed by Sugathakumari, gives brief dancing lessons for her students and depict the myriad lasya bhavas of Bharatanatyam.

An intimate chat with M.S Vishwanathan follows in Snehathinte Kaineettam at 5.30 pm.

Abhinayathinte Kaineettam features cosy tete-a-tetes with Dileep at 7.00pm and young frontline heroine Bhama at 8.00pm.

Touching up the Vishu morning with the dazzling hues of talent is Nirangalude Kaineettam at 7.30pm
spotlighting veteran painter Artist Namboothiri, J .R Prasad retired Chief Artist of Mathrubhoomi and Sekar Ayyanthole art teacher and former president of Kerala Chithrakala Parishath . They relive previous Vishu celebrations through the tinted glass of their memories at the end of which Artist Namboothiri gifts the others with a couple of his classics in canvas as a souvenir.

This years Vishu celebrations finishes off on a high note in Viplavathinte Vishu Pakshi at 9.30pm when Amrita TV catches up with V.S Achuthanandan on his blistering campaign trail. The Chief Minister pauses in the heat and dust of electioneering to flip back to the tempestuous times of his youth when revolution brewed in the blood of the firebrand leader, to reminiscence about the Vishu of those stormy days.
 

MUMBAI: Nothing succeeds like success.

In September 2010 two of the Star network‘s channels - Star Plus and Star Gold went live on BARB (Broadcaster‘s Audience Research Board) and have since confirmed the widely held market belief by officially capturing the top spots, with Star Plus officially rated as the UK‘s No.1 Hindi Entertainment Channel and Star Gold - the UK‘s No.1 Bollywood Movie Channel.

The Star network seems to be making a habit of what looks like a series of unstoppable success stories. The latest viewership figures on the recently held Star Parivaar Awards 2011 held in Macau , shown on 3rd April , has sky-rocketed Star Plus as the No. 1 watched pay channel and the 12th most watched channel between 20:00 - 23:30 amongst all BARB rated channels in the UK, beating the likes of Sky 1, E4, Comedy Central, and Sky Movies Premiere.
[* Source: BARB/Infosys - All Individuals, Live]

Star Plus introduced the Star Parivaar Awards as an exclusive 100% homegrown awards property in 2003 as the first ever official recognition for the creative television community. Over the years, Star Parivaar has grown to be the biggest and the most eagerly anticipated awards in the Hindi entertainment space.

In what seems to be the hallmark of a true market leader - Star has yet again changed the game.
 

MUMBAI: Welcome to the world of Nickelodeon where all the super stars of 2010-2011 including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Johnny Depp, and many more converged for the 24th annual Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2011. As the oldest and most credible kids? awards, Nickelodeon KCA truly empowers kids by allowing them to vote for their favorite celebrities and sports athletes from the past year. Slated as one of the biggest events across the world, Nickelodeon KCA includes categories like kids? favorite movie, favorite cartoon, kids? favorite song and kids? favorite male and female athletes.

Held in Los Angeles this year, kids cast a record-breaking 200 million votes for favourites in 20 categories. Followed closely by millions of fans worldwide, the Kids Choice Awards 2011 is being telecast for the very 1st time in India on April 17th at 8.00pm, exclusively on Nickelodeon.

A swell looking orange carpet saw Jack Black make a grand entry in the Kids‘ Choice monster truck ? kicking off the show with a rocking version of The Black Eyed Peas‘ "I Gotta Feeling.?

Orange blimps were presented to Johnny Depp for ?Favorite Movie Actor?; The Karate Kid for ?Favorite Movie? and Despicable Me for ?Favorite Animated Movie?. Will Smith continues to be the highest KCA award winner. Stars like Ashley Judd, Kristen Stewart and Emma Watson were nominated for the same category. Pin-up boy Justin Timberlake received Nickelodeon‘s The Big Help Award!

It?s only here where viewers will see their much loved international stars like Jim Carrey, Heidi Klum, Snoop Dogg, Josh Duhamel, Jason Segel, The Big Show and Jack Black being doused With Green Goo!

So get set to embark on the most extreme, slime-tastic night as Nickelodeon honors your favorite celebrities from TV, music, sports and films!
 

BANGALORE: Preparations for the launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) carrying RESOURCESAT-2 satellite are progressing well at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota according to an Indian Space Research Centre (Isro) release. In this mission, PSLV-C16 will launch RESOURCESAT-2, YOUTHSAT and X-SAT satellites.

RESOURCESAT-2 built by Isro - the primary satellite is an advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1206 kg for facilitating the study and management of natural resources.
YOUTHSAT weighing 92 kg is a joint Indo-Russian satellite for stellar and atmospheric studies.

X-SAT weighing 105 kg is a microsatellite for imaging applications built by Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

Integration of all the three satellites to the launcher has been successfully accomplished. After successful completion of final phase of vehicle checkout operations, pre-launch and launch rehearsal
procedures will be carried out.

The Launch Authorisation Board scheduled to meet on April 16, 2011 will review the readiness of the launch vehicle, satellites and ground stations and authorise the launch of PSLV-C16/RESOURCESAT-2 Mission.

The countdown is expected to begin in the early hours of April 18, 2011. The launch of PSLV-C16 is tentatively scheduled on April 20, 2011 at 1012 Hrs (IST).
 

MUMBAI: As the country progresses towards witnessing another battle royale in IPL season 4, TIMES NOW, India?s No.1 English News channel continues to bring the viewers unabated action and excitement that promises to keep the adrenaline rush going post the euphoria of the World Cup.

For three years in a row during the IPL, TIMES NOW has been the viewer?s choice, in the English news channel space, emerging as the clear winner with its unrivaled analysis and views by the best in the game. TIMES NOW has stayed significantly ahead of competition in the previous editions with an 8% lead over its closest competitor in IPL 2008, 9% lead in IPL 2009 and an overwhelming 13% lead in the 2010 season. This year too, TIMES NOW promises to engage the viewers with its distinct programming.

With its line-up of experts like Arun Lal, Atul Wassan, Mandira Bedi and Anand Narsimhan, TIMES NOW will present a bird?s eye view as all the action unfolds in IPL 4.

TIMES NOW IPL initiative SUMMER SLAM 4 will feature half hour specials shows covering the pre and post-match analysis along with a morning edition. The programming will include exciting properties like:

? Star Speak: An interview based segment will feature cricketing legends like Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, amongst other gathering their views on the matches

? Odds: An interesting analysis stacking the odds & calculating the chances of individual teams in the matches

? Pick your dream team: An interactive contest giving a platform to the viewers to pick their dream team

? IPL Buzz: Will cover the news wraps featuring the News of the day from various teams

Arnab Goswami, Editor-In-Chief, TIMES NOW said, ?Cricket forms a very integral part of our programming and we are geared up to bowl over our viewers with this year?s edition of the IPL. After the recent and nail-biting World Cup win, we are looking forward to this cricketing extravaganza with renewed zeal and enthusiasm.?