IAC and NBC’s Ben Silverman team up in new venture, but details remain scarce

July 27th, 2009 IAC in new venture with NBC's Ben SilvermanNEW YORK — Ben Silverman will be leaving his job as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Movie Studios to head a new venture with Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp focusing on producing and distributing multimedia content. NBC named Jeff Gaspin, president and chief operating officer of the company's cable entertainment group, to replace him.

July 27th, 2009 Silverman leaving NBC to head multimedia ventureNEW YORK — Ben Silverman will be leaving his job as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Movie Studios to head a new venture with Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp focusing on producing and distributing multimedia content. NBC named Jeff Gaspin, president and chief operating officer of the company's cable entertainment group, to replace him.

July 7th, 2009 NBC's 'Talent' is a hit, but CBS wins ratings weekNEW YORK — Nielsen says NBC's got a hit with "America's Got Talent." In its second week, the talent competition show claimed three of the Top 10 ratings slots. But in a rerun-laden holiday week, CBS took the lead in prime time overall, bolstered by its hit scripted dramas like "NCIS" and "The Mentalist." NBC was runner-up.

May 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is set to open its first wholesale or cash-and-carry store in India next week and has chosen Amritsar as the location to kick-start the venture, company officials said. The US-based giant has also decided to call its cash-and-carry venture BestPrice Modern Wholesale to offer retailers bargains that would eventually benefit end consumers, the officials added.

May 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Venture capital (VC) funding has fallen nearly 25 percent in recent months on account of the global slowdown, industry officials said here Tuesday. 'There have been an overall dip of 25 percent in venture capital funding since last year,' Rahul Chandra, director of venture capital firm Helion Advisors, told IANS.

May 11th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Despite growing labour trouble, tobacco giant ITC's joint venture in Nepal remains one of the top tax payers in the Himalayan republic, coming second after the state-run Nepal Telecom. Surya Nepal, ITC's joint venture with British American Tobacco and private Nepali shareholders including members of Nepal's former royal family, was the second-highest tax payer in 2007-08, according to Nepal's apex bank Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).

April 29th, 2009 'Celebrity Apprentice' rehired by NBC next seasonNEW YORK — Donald Trump will be firing more stars next year when "Celebrity Apprentice" returns for another round. NBC announced Wednesday that it's rehiring Trump for a ninth season of the reality series, scheduled to air in spring 2010.

April 10th, 2009 NEW YORK - Jessica Silverman from New York has won 25,000 dollars after guessing the exact number of jellybeans in a jar - 7,954. However, it's not the first time she's successfully guessed how many jellybeans are in a jar.

March 21st, 2009 CHENNAI - Bangalore-based biotech company Avesthagen Ltd has signed a joint venture agreement with Uxmal SA of Chile to promote research and development (R&D) of bioactives, a top official said here Friday. The joint venture, Avesthagen Latam, will be funded through a mix of equity and a Chilean government grant, Avesthagen chairperson and managing director Villoo Morawala Patel said.

February 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Wednesday approved a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Maharashtra Airport Development Co (MADC) - promoted by the Maharashtra government - for developing the Nagpur airport as a multi-modal international passenger and cargo hub. The government in a statement said AAI, India's airports operator, would hold 49 percent while MADC will have a 51 percent equity in the joint venture.

February 5th, 2009 MUMBAI - In the headlines for buying stakes in the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals with boyfriend Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty admits candidly that she has joined in to add glamour to the team and not because of her business acumen. 'Well I am not going to bullshit myself into believing I've been brought in for my business acumen.

February 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Thursday approved a proposal to set up two greenfield electric and diesel locomotive factories in Bihar at an estimated investment of Rs.20 billion (Rs.2,000 crore). The factories will be set up in Madhepura and Saran districts as a joint venture between Indian Railways and an international manufacturer.

February 2nd, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The first edition of the 'Leverage 2009', a two-day venture capital and private equity conference, will begin Friday at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). In the conference, industry experts, practitioners, advisers, academicians and students will talk on key issues and trends related to venture capitalists, private equity investors and entrepreneurs, organisers said Tuesday.

January 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Engineering and construction major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Friday said its joint venture in Oman has bagged orders worth $245 million (Rs.11.98 billion). The orders cover construction of a hotel and apartments for the second Asian Beach Games and a mosque and underground cabling in Oman, a statement by L&T (Oman) LLC said.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - There is a mix of machismo and sensuality in the inaugural edition of the Vijay Mallya-owned Force India Formula One 2009 calendar promising an adrenaline rush. With a combination of speed and beauty, the calendar features models Shruti Agarwal, Monikangkana Datta and Sheetal Menon sharing space with Force India Formula One drivers Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella.