MUMBAI: Uefa has announced the appointment of the BBC and ITV as the official broadcasters of Uefa Euro 2012 in the UK.

All 31 matches will be transmitted live across BBC and ITV. The broadcasters will further exploit all 31 matches via their respective internet and mobile platforms.

A daily highlights programme will also be shown on each match day during the tournament and the BBC has the right to provide extensive coverage of the competition across its radio channels.

Uefa Events marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein said, "Uefa is delighted to continue its relationship with the BBC and ITV, our traditional broadcast partners for the UEFA European Championships.

"We look forward to working with the UK?s leading free-to-air broadcasters and are convinced that they will provide fans in the UK with an exceptional depth of coverage of the tournament across all media platforms."

The BBC and ITV also confirmed the full split of matches between the two broadcasters across the tournament.

The broadcasters will show a total of 16 matches each including the final, which will be broadcast by both ITV and the BBC.

ITV controller of sport Niall Sloane said, "Major events such as the Euro 2012 Championships have huge significance for our viewers and attract some of the biggest audiences on television. I?m delighted that ITV has secured an outstanding selection of games through the tournament which includes England?s opening game against France as well as a potential peak time group decider against hosts Ukraine.

"ITV1 will also be the home of some terrific clashes between the top teams in Europe including Spain v Ireland, Spain v Italy, Portugal v Holland and Ireland v Croatia."

BBC Head of TV Sport Philip Bernie said, "The BBC is delighted to be showing the UEFA European Football Championship, a huge football event, which, along with the London Olympics, should ensure a fantastic sporting summer for BBC viewers.

"We are happy with the live matches on BBC One, as they give us a strong climax to the event, with both semi-finals, as well as England?s quarter-final if they progress. We also have some very appetising group games, including England?s second match, against Sweden, in peak time, Ireland?s final match, against Italy, and heavyweight clashes between Holland and Germany and Germany and Portugal."

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that five children from the UK will be travelling across the world to find out how the everyday items they take for granted are made, in a new CBBC documentary series - Show Me What You‘re Made Of.

The programme, which is presented by Stacey Dooley and is due to air this year, follows the kids as they travel to Indonesia and the Philippines to work in the factories that make gadgets, toys and clothes.

Through five episodes, the kids report to genuine bosses, sleep in the homes of real workers and see the reality of life for the people who actually make their favourite things.

The children stuff soft toys in an Indonesia factory, join a vast clothing production line, try their hand at intricate jewellery making, and experience the extraordinarily controlled working conditions of a high-tech electronics factory, which makes tiny components for some of the electrical goods that British kids enjoy.

After their working day is finished the kids return home and stay with the workers, and find the poverty outside the factory gates is a real shock. But will their experience make them think twice about the things they take for granted?

CBBC executive producer Melissa Hardinge said, "In the run-up to Christmas, children are often most concerned about ensuring that the latest must-have items are on their wish-list, but this programme illustrates what other people go through to make the things that they take for granted.

"At CBBC one of our goals is to challenge children‘s perceptions of the world around them and make them think differently about the things they see. This programme certainly fits this bill and the children involved in the show have had a once in a life-time experience that they will never forget."

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide president Worldwide Networks and global BBC iPlayer Jana Bennett has announced plans to launch BBC branded channels in Thailand early next year.

In her first appearance at Casbaa since joining BBC Worldwide in February this year, Bennett officially unveiled new channel launches in Taiwan and Indonesia.

BBC Worldwide will launch BBC Knowledge, BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies in Thailand in January 2012.

In Taiwan, BBC Worldwide Channels has concluded a deal with Chung Hwa Telecom to launch BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and BBC Entertainment on MoD, the company?s IPTV platform. This is the first appearance for the channels in Taiwan, and they will be unveiled to press in Taipei on 23rd November.

Growing the portfolio in existing markets: In Indonesia, BBC Lifestyle is now available on NexMedia, joining BBC Knowledge and CBeebies in that market.

Serving audiences with the best content: 1 November sees the launch of Lonely Planet on BBC Knowledge, the ultimate destination of travel-related programming. Arctic with Bruce Parry will launch the new block and Free Rein - an original commission for BBC Knowledge from Lonely Planet?s production arm - will premiere in December.

Starting with season 18 which begins early next year, ?Top Gear? will air on BBC Knowledge within two weeks of going out in the UK.

MUMBAI: There are almost one million young adults unemployed in the UK today and many more in stop-gap jobs. It is getting continually harder to get your foot in the door and interview skills and knowledge of the job market are becoming increasingly important.

UK pubcaster The BBC has announced that in a television first, a new BBC Three series hosted by Richard Bacon and Tina Daheley, Up for Hire Live, is devoting a whole week of primetime to the most important issue facing young people in Britain today: how to get a job. The series takes on the issue of unemployment head on by offering paid work placements via the BBC Three website.

There‘s a range of 23 opportunities being offered by seven companies who are supporting the Up for Hire Live initiative ? Argos, Greggs, Hilton Worldwide, ScottishPower, Starbucks, Timpson and Virgin Media have roles throughout the UK.

Each placement lasts for a minimum of three months and all are paid. It‘s a way for people to get their foot in the door and hopefully kick-start their career.

Working alongside BBC Learning and BBC Radio 1, Up For Hire Live is an ambitious series which will explore the issues faced by young unemployed people as well as offering viewers guidance through the challenging, complex world of work.

Business leaders and celebrity guests will be taking part to share their stories and highlight the reality of the world of work. The series will give an insight into the recruitment process and give viewers tips on applying for a job.

BBC Three commissioning editor Harry Lansdown said, "Obviously a TV series can‘t solve the problem of unemployment but we aim to shine a light on it and offer practical help on how to improve your chances of getting a job. The series will be interactive and have access to business experts and a wide range of companies both in the studio and via social media."

The BBC Three programme will be broadcast live each evening from 17 October. Presenters Richard and Tina can respond to questions asked by viewers immediately and the series will be as current and topical as possible. Radio 1‘s Breakfast Show will also be running an Up For Hire theme and will be focusing on youth unemployment.
 

MUMBAI: AXN will kick off the music-based reality show X Factor on 22 September.

The show will air Thursday - Friday at 7 pm to catch the youth audiences. The repeat at 10 pm the same day is to draw in the channel?s regular viewers.

Said AXN India senior VP Rohit Bhandari, "The aim is to broaden the appeal of the channel and attract an older audience as well."

Simon Cowell, who used to judge American Idol, will be the judge of this show. The panel also includes Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherinzger and Antonio ?L.A.? Reid.

The victor, who could be a single artist, a band or a troupe, gets a $5 million contract with Syco/Sony Music.

The contestants with their vocal ability, charisma and stage presence have the task of not only spellbinding the panel but also engaging fans.

The format originated in the UK.

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide is taking nine new formats to the television trade event Mipcom 2011 in Cannes next month.

They include scripted format ?Misfits?, comedy panel game show ?Epic Win?, reality format ?Hot Like Us? and talent contest ?Show Me the Funny: Stand-up Showdown?.

The other formats available to buyers for the first time at this year?s event are Project Parent, Daddy Daycare, Home Is Where The Heart Is, Chick Fix and Young, Bad and Barking.

BBC Worldwide VP format licensing Europe, Middle East and Africa Elin Thomas said, ?We?re incredibly proud of our colourful Mipcom slate, there?s a real sense that we?ve got something for everyone. ?Misfits? which has sold to over 90 territories, will be available for the first time as a scripted format. Featuring five unruly teenagers forced to do community service as payback for their crimes who turn into superheroes with powers they didn?t choose or want, the UK series has already won over international audiences."

?Epic Win?, which made its UK debut this summer, is a format that fuses panel show comedy with talent show entertainment. The show sees handpicked eccentrics with unusual talents taking on bespoke challenges, in front of a panel of comedians and other famous faces.

Also new to the international market is ?Hot Like Us?, a reality format in which a group of model couples live together and compete in modelling assignments and tasks that test their relationships, with the winners receiving a modelling contract at a top agency.

?Show Me The Funny: Stand-up Showdown?, another new format that made its bow in UK primetime this summer, tracks comedians as they perform in a new location each week, completing themed tasks and performing fresh material in front of a panel of judges.

There are two new family-based formats on the BBC Worldwide slate in the form of ?Project Parent? and ?Daddy Daycare?. ? Project Parent?, aimed at children, gives kids control over their single parents, who are put to the test in quirky challenges as they attempt to change their image and find love.

?Daddy Daycare? sends three men on a parenting crash course. The participants ? who have very little experience of caring for children? try to disprove gender stereotypes by looking after dozens of kids in a busy nursery.

Meanwhile ?Home Is Where The Heart Is?, follows a group of celebrities as they mentor homeless people for two weeks, taking them into their homes in an effort to turn their lives around.

Atomized?s Chick Fix is a feel-good spin on the traditional ?makeover show?. Each episode sees four successful women confront different problems with the help of each other and resident experts.

Completing the line-up of new formats is ?Young, Bad and Barking?. In this series, dog owners with attitude problems are sent to live with families who depend on dogs for their livelihood, with the aim of re-evaluating their lives and improving their relationships with their own dogs.

BBC Worldwide titles returning to Cannes include ?Junior Doctors ? Your Life in Their Hands? and the entertainment format ?Tonight?s the Night?, which were both introduced to buyers at MipTV 2011.