ITV

Category: Video On Demand

  • Diwali for poor: SonyLiv, UNICEF call for #FairStart

    Diwali for poor: SonyLiv, UNICEF call for #FairStart

    NEW DELHI: A #FairStart campaign which seeks to offer a better future to the underprivileged children through financial empowerment has been launched by the digital entertainment platform SonyLiv in collaboration with UNICEF for a short film on the subject.

    The film invites viewers to make contributions towards the goal of equal opportunity in whichever way they can. The poignant film sheds light on how many grudge the circumstances until they see someone who is less fortunate yet more content with the smaller joys of life.

    The video explores how street children revel in Diwali festivities and a small gift by an onlooker can enhance their joy manifold. It underlines the fact that the true spirit of Diwali lies not in extravagant spending, but in sharing the festive joy with others. The video ends with a heartfelt appeal to the viewers to donate to the #FairStart campaign and share their good fortune with those less privileged than them.

    With #FairStart, UNICEF has joined hands with SonyLiv to address the persisting inequities that large groups of children in India face and is aimed at engaging public debate and ensuring every child can have a fair chance in life. SonyLiv’s Diwali video supports this noble initiative by fostering greater public involvement and raising awareness about issues affecting the survival, growth and development of children in India. The heart-warming video can be viewed on YouTube, as well as on SonyLiv’s web and mobile platforms.

    Make India, Ek India Happywala.

    Link: http://www.sonyliv.com/details/short%20film/5187347703001/

    Donate here: http://bit.ly/FairStartLIV

    SonyLiv EVP and head – digital business Uday Sodhi said, “Children are the future; they are the builders of tomorrow’s India, the cornerstones of a better nation. This year, we at SonyLiv are focussing on sharing the festive joy with those who need it the most – the children. Through our Diwali video, we aim to highlight how just a small donation can bring untold happiness and joy in the life of an underprivileged child. We would urge all viewers to contribute to this initiative and truly help in giving a #FairStart to children across the country. As a specialised content provider, SonyLiv has taken initiatives on special occasions in the past e.g. Independence Day, Diwali – last year, reaching out to the millennials by leaving behind a social message.”

  • Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    MUMBAI:  Culture Machine has launched its new digital brand on devotion and spirituality, titled “Om Bhajan Bhakti”. The channel explores the spiritual and devotional space by providing unique experiences and learning to viewers.

    It will combine stories from the world of devotion, pairing them with innovations such as Facebook Live and 360 degree videos of rituals, marking a first on all counts on Facebook. 

    The platforms’s content caters to the robust spiritual community across the globe, who can experience live streaming of some of the most visited religious places in India and participate in the actual darshan through 360 degree videos and a lot more. 

    “Culture Machine’s aim is to create great digital media brands that people love. As India goes digital in smaller towns and villages, our endeavour is to create brands that will reflect passions for an emergent digital audience. Facebook offers a rich toolkit for video and has become the platform of choice for us to innovate on, through both our technology and content partnership with them, we are stoked to see ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’getting off to a great launch,” said Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla.

    All devotees who are longing to visit the sacred Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir, but are unable to do so, can now virtually offer their prayers and darshans through Facebook Live on Culture Machine’s Facebook page Om Bhajan Bhakti.

    The channel also has exclusive live video access to holy shrines across India like Kashi Vishvanath Temple in Varanasi, Somnath temple in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, Mahavir Mandir dedicated to Lord Hanuman located in Patna and Iskon in Vrindavan.

    The content on the channel is beneficial to both learned and laity, as it brings home the main theme in a simple and easy to understand format.

    “Devotional content is one of the more popular categories of content in India.Innovative endeavours like ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’, will provide people an opportunity to engage with and share things that deeply matter to them with family and friends.”said Facebook India media partnerships TV and original content Vishu Ray. 

  • Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    MUMBAI:  Culture Machine has launched its new digital brand on devotion and spirituality, titled “Om Bhajan Bhakti”. The channel explores the spiritual and devotional space by providing unique experiences and learning to viewers.

    It will combine stories from the world of devotion, pairing them with innovations such as Facebook Live and 360 degree videos of rituals, marking a first on all counts on Facebook. 

    The platforms’s content caters to the robust spiritual community across the globe, who can experience live streaming of some of the most visited religious places in India and participate in the actual darshan through 360 degree videos and a lot more. 

    “Culture Machine’s aim is to create great digital media brands that people love. As India goes digital in smaller towns and villages, our endeavour is to create brands that will reflect passions for an emergent digital audience. Facebook offers a rich toolkit for video and has become the platform of choice for us to innovate on, through both our technology and content partnership with them, we are stoked to see ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’getting off to a great launch,” said Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla.

    All devotees who are longing to visit the sacred Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir, but are unable to do so, can now virtually offer their prayers and darshans through Facebook Live on Culture Machine’s Facebook page Om Bhajan Bhakti.

    The channel also has exclusive live video access to holy shrines across India like Kashi Vishvanath Temple in Varanasi, Somnath temple in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, Mahavir Mandir dedicated to Lord Hanuman located in Patna and Iskon in Vrindavan.

    The content on the channel is beneficial to both learned and laity, as it brings home the main theme in a simple and easy to understand format.

    “Devotional content is one of the more popular categories of content in India.Innovative endeavours like ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’, will provide people an opportunity to engage with and share things that deeply matter to them with family and friends.”said Facebook India media partnerships TV and original content Vishu Ray. 

  • Amazon Prime announces exclusive partnership with Vishesh Films

    MUMBAI: Prime Video, which is coming as an added benefit for Amazon Prime members in India, will be the exclusive subscription video streaming home for upcoming new releases from Vishesh Films. The releases will stream on Prime Video before their television premiere.

    Prime Video will premiere releases from Vishesh including the recently released “Raaz 4” starring Emraan Hashmi and forthcoming releases like “Begum Jaan” starring Vidya Balan. Also, Prime members will have access to blockbuster films including the blockbuster franchises of Raaz, Murder, Aashiqui and Jannat, Humari Adhuri Kahani, Ghulam, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi; all of which will be available for unlimited streaming at no additional cost to a Prime membership.

    This is the first time ever that Vishesh Films’ movies will be available on a video streaming service. Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience.

    Amazon and Vishesh today announced a long-term agreement that will make Prime Video India the exclusive subscription streaming destination for all existing and new release films from Vishesh.

    “Vishesh Films is one of the most successful Indian film production houses and we are excited to premiere their content on Prime Video.” said Amazon Prime Video India director and country head Nitesh Kripalani.

    “I believe this move will be a game changer for the industry. We are proud to be working with an iconic partner like Amazon” said Vishesh Films managing director, Vishesh Bhatt.

    Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free One-day and Two-day delivery to over 100 cities on eligible items from India’s largest selection of products, 30 minutes early access for members on top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience.

  • Amazon Prime announces exclusive partnership with Vishesh Films

    MUMBAI: Prime Video, which is coming as an added benefit for Amazon Prime members in India, will be the exclusive subscription video streaming home for upcoming new releases from Vishesh Films. The releases will stream on Prime Video before their television premiere.

    Prime Video will premiere releases from Vishesh including the recently released “Raaz 4” starring Emraan Hashmi and forthcoming releases like “Begum Jaan” starring Vidya Balan. Also, Prime members will have access to blockbuster films including the blockbuster franchises of Raaz, Murder, Aashiqui and Jannat, Humari Adhuri Kahani, Ghulam, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi; all of which will be available for unlimited streaming at no additional cost to a Prime membership.

    This is the first time ever that Vishesh Films’ movies will be available on a video streaming service. Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience.

    Amazon and Vishesh today announced a long-term agreement that will make Prime Video India the exclusive subscription streaming destination for all existing and new release films from Vishesh.

    “Vishesh Films is one of the most successful Indian film production houses and we are excited to premiere their content on Prime Video.” said Amazon Prime Video India director and country head Nitesh Kripalani.

    “I believe this move will be a game changer for the industry. We are proud to be working with an iconic partner like Amazon” said Vishesh Films managing director, Vishesh Bhatt.

    Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free One-day and Two-day delivery to over 100 cities on eligible items from India’s largest selection of products, 30 minutes early access for members on top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience.

  • YouTube Red announces list of new originals; ‘Step Up’ to release in 2017

    YouTube Red announces list of new originals; ‘Step Up’ to release in 2017

    CANNES: With Japan being the country of honour this year, one of the biggest content markets in the world MIPCOM took off with a great start by having Sony Corporation CEO and president, Kazuo Hirai, delivering a keynote session on the company’s work and its recent Playstation VR launch. While Japan promises to be 8K-ready by 2017, there was another interesting keynote session by YouTube global head of content Susanne Daniels about the original series and movies being featured on YouTube Red.

    She was joined on stage by: Lionsgate TV chairman Kevin Beggs and Rooster Teeth co-founder and chief creative officer Burnie Burns.

    Susanne Daniels starts off by introducing what YouTube Red is. While YouTube’s content is available at free of cost, YouTube Red is a paid membership that enables the ultimate YouTube experience. Members get all of YouTube uninterrupted, a premium YouTube music experience, and exclusive access to new original series and movies from top YouTube creators. YouTube Red is currently available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, with plans for additional international expansion throughout 2017.

    “People have asked me what’s our original programming strategy? Are we planning to mirror Netflix or Amazon in bringing TV to digital, or recreate the programming themes of MTV? The answer to those questions is no. Our goal is to be uniquely YouTube. And our thesis is simple: Identify YouTube’s most engaging stars and top genres, and invest in the content that fans tell us they want. In other words, let our community drive our content.”

    Daniels goes on to mention that over the last year, YouTube Red has seen its original series become one of the leading drivers of subscriptions, with viewership that rivals cable shows in the US. Over half the time people spend watching originals on their mobile phones. And in the living room, Red members watch over 75 per cent more YouTube on their TV’s than the average YouTube viewer.

    Talking about their digital strategy, Kevin Beggs says, “At Lionsgate, we pride ourselves on going new places and forming innovative new partnerships that have never been tried before. Time and again, we’ve been first movers on new platforms. I believe YouTube is embarking on something big, a new chapter in its history that has the potential to change the way people think about its brand in a way that can benefit all of us here.”

    “I often get asked about the secret of our success. And to me, it easily comes down to two things: community and conversation,” a cheery Burnie Burns says. Talking about his journey, Burns elaborates, “When Rooster Teeth was born there was no YouTube and no real online advertising opportunity. So we had to engage our audience not only to watch our content, but also invest in it as well. We learned early on that talking “at” our audience was not enough. We knew we had to start a conversation, take them from being just viewers, to fans and friends, and ultimately create an engaged community around our brand for our business to succeed.”

    In the end, good news came in for YouTube fans as new season renewals and shows was announced. These include:

    Renewal of another season of the series Foursome, the sequel to Burnie Burns’s Lazer Team movie, and season two of Scare PewDiePie.

    They have greenlit a second season of Joey Graceffa’s murder mystery series, “Escape the Night.”

    YouTube Red has commissioned a drama with Universal Cable Productions called IMPULSE, from director Doug Liman. IMPULSE is a sci-fi thriller about a young girl who discovers her ability to teleport away from danger. The series will feature top YouTubers and will have Jeff Lieber – best known for the TV series “Lost” – attached to write and produce.

    Next is a scripted comedy series from Dan Harmon’s Emmy Award-winning production company Starburns Industries. The series will feature YouTube stars Dan Avidan and Arin Hanson of Game Grumps and follows a newly-formed team of eSports players trying to make it to the top in the cutthroat world of competitive gaming.

    The next original is going to excite you as together with Studio 71 and Corridor Digital, Dwayne Johnson will executive produce a new half hour action series about a life insurance company that send its agents forward 33 days in time to prevent the accidental deaths of its clients.

    Along with these, the announcement made by Kevin Beggs would be loved by all the dance lovers as he disclosed that Lionsgate will be coming out with episodes of their hit movie franchise Step Up in 2017.

  • YouTube Red announces list of new originals; ‘Step Up’ to release in 2017

    YouTube Red announces list of new originals; ‘Step Up’ to release in 2017

    CANNES: With Japan being the country of honour this year, one of the biggest content markets in the world MIPCOM took off with a great start by having Sony Corporation CEO and president, Kazuo Hirai, delivering a keynote session on the company’s work and its recent Playstation VR launch. While Japan promises to be 8K-ready by 2017, there was another interesting keynote session by YouTube global head of content Susanne Daniels about the original series and movies being featured on YouTube Red.

    She was joined on stage by: Lionsgate TV chairman Kevin Beggs and Rooster Teeth co-founder and chief creative officer Burnie Burns.

    Susanne Daniels starts off by introducing what YouTube Red is. While YouTube’s content is available at free of cost, YouTube Red is a paid membership that enables the ultimate YouTube experience. Members get all of YouTube uninterrupted, a premium YouTube music experience, and exclusive access to new original series and movies from top YouTube creators. YouTube Red is currently available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, with plans for additional international expansion throughout 2017.

    “People have asked me what’s our original programming strategy? Are we planning to mirror Netflix or Amazon in bringing TV to digital, or recreate the programming themes of MTV? The answer to those questions is no. Our goal is to be uniquely YouTube. And our thesis is simple: Identify YouTube’s most engaging stars and top genres, and invest in the content that fans tell us they want. In other words, let our community drive our content.”

    Daniels goes on to mention that over the last year, YouTube Red has seen its original series become one of the leading drivers of subscriptions, with viewership that rivals cable shows in the US. Over half the time people spend watching originals on their mobile phones. And in the living room, Red members watch over 75 per cent more YouTube on their TV’s than the average YouTube viewer.

    Talking about their digital strategy, Kevin Beggs says, “At Lionsgate, we pride ourselves on going new places and forming innovative new partnerships that have never been tried before. Time and again, we’ve been first movers on new platforms. I believe YouTube is embarking on something big, a new chapter in its history that has the potential to change the way people think about its brand in a way that can benefit all of us here.”

    “I often get asked about the secret of our success. And to me, it easily comes down to two things: community and conversation,” a cheery Burnie Burns says. Talking about his journey, Burns elaborates, “When Rooster Teeth was born there was no YouTube and no real online advertising opportunity. So we had to engage our audience not only to watch our content, but also invest in it as well. We learned early on that talking “at” our audience was not enough. We knew we had to start a conversation, take them from being just viewers, to fans and friends, and ultimately create an engaged community around our brand for our business to succeed.”

    In the end, good news came in for YouTube fans as new season renewals and shows was announced. These include:

    Renewal of another season of the series Foursome, the sequel to Burnie Burns’s Lazer Team movie, and season two of Scare PewDiePie.

    They have greenlit a second season of Joey Graceffa’s murder mystery series, “Escape the Night.”

    YouTube Red has commissioned a drama with Universal Cable Productions called IMPULSE, from director Doug Liman. IMPULSE is a sci-fi thriller about a young girl who discovers her ability to teleport away from danger. The series will feature top YouTubers and will have Jeff Lieber – best known for the TV series “Lost” – attached to write and produce.

    Next is a scripted comedy series from Dan Harmon’s Emmy Award-winning production company Starburns Industries. The series will feature YouTube stars Dan Avidan and Arin Hanson of Game Grumps and follows a newly-formed team of eSports players trying to make it to the top in the cutthroat world of competitive gaming.

    The next original is going to excite you as together with Studio 71 and Corridor Digital, Dwayne Johnson will executive produce a new half hour action series about a life insurance company that send its agents forward 33 days in time to prevent the accidental deaths of its clients.

    Along with these, the announcement made by Kevin Beggs would be loved by all the dance lovers as he disclosed that Lionsgate will be coming out with episodes of their hit movie franchise Step Up in 2017.

  • Amazon, UFA Fiction tie up to premiere Deutschland83 on Prime in ’18

    Amazon, UFA Fiction tie up to premiere Deutschland83 on Prime in ’18

    MUMBAI: Amazon and UFA Fiction announced that the sequel to the nationally and internationally award-winning series Deutschland83 will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Germany in 2018.

    In addition, all episodes of Deutschland83 are now available for streaming for Prime members in Germany and Austria.

    Created by Anna Winger (Head Writer) and Jörg Winger, and executive produced by Jörg Winger, Sebastian Werninger, and Ulrike Leibfried, the shooting of Deutschland86 will commence in 2017.

    Under the terms of the agreement, RTL Television, which commissioned Deutschland83 in 2014 and aired the first season in autumn 2015, has secured a first-look option for the linear TV rights and expects to air the sequel on German free-to-air television in 2018/2019 after Amazon’s first window.

    FremantleMedia International, the global distribution arm of FremantleMedia, will continue to sell the high-end drama series to broadcasters and streaming services around the world. Season two of the German thriller, will debut in the US on SundanceTV, who will continue as co-production partners in the US, followed by Hulu (US), Channel 4 and Walter Presents (UK), Sundance Channel (Canada), Crave (Canada), Super Ecran (French-speaking Canada), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), RUV (Iceland), CMore (Scandinavia), RTE (Eire), Canal+ (France), Movistar+ (Spain), Sky Italia (Italy), Paramount (Italy), OTE (Greece), Telenet (Belgium), RTL Klub (Hungary), HRT (Croatia), Hotvision (Israel), Sinema TV (Turkey), with more deals to be announced.

    FremantleMedia International sold the first season, Deutschland83, to 38 broadcasters and SVOD platforms globally, which took the series to over 110 territories worldwide. The series was the first ever German-language drama to have aired on a major US cable channel (SundanceTV) and became the UK’s highest ever rated foreign-language drama launch when it debuted on Channel 4.

    UFA co-CEO Nico Hofmann says, “With this latest collaboration between Amazon, RTL Television, FremantleMedia International and UFA, a long-awaited wish comes true. This latest deal is a milestone in co-production history. It will be resetting standards for the upcoming years.”

    FremantleMedia International CEO Jens Richter says, “Deutschland83 achieved tremendous ratings worldwide and together with our fantastic group of partners we were able to help turn the series into the most successful German drama of our time. The storyline for season two looks to be as thrilling as the first and we’re looking forward to working with Amazon and our distribution partners to accomplish further success.”

    Amazon Prime Video Germany managing director Dr. Christoph Schneider says, “After the Amazon Original You Are Wanted with Matthias Schweighöfer and Michael Bully Herbig’s Bullyparade – Der Film, Deutschland86 is the latest German-made production that will be available exclusively on Prime Video. German series and movies are very important for our Prime members and we are happy to continue to build on our engagement with German production industry and bring great new shows to our customers.”

    RTL Television programming managing director Frank Hoffmann says, “Practically no other German drama series has attracted so much attention or generated so much buzz over the past few years, especially on the international markets. As the rights holder and broadcaster of Deutschland83, it has been our clear goal to ensure that this exceptional UFA Fiction and FremantleMedia International series could continue – and this has now been achieved with a new partner. It goes without saying that we are looking forward to broadcast Deutschland86 free-to-air on RTL Television.”

    The ground-breaking agreement with Amazon Prime also demonstrates the growing success of FremantleMedia’s push into high-end scripted content. In August, Amazon and FremantleMedia International announced that the fantasy drama American Gods will launch exclusively for Prime members in Germany, Austria, UK and Japan in 2017. In September, much acclaimed
    The Young Pope – produced by FremantleMedia’s Wildside for Sky, HBO and Canal Plus – celebrated its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. At this year’s MIPCOM, the world’s entertainment content market, UFA Fiction will show the two high end drama-series The Same Sky (Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel; Screenwriter: Paula Milne), which joins the line-up of world premiere TV Screenings, and Charité (Director: Sönke Wortmann) which deals with the history of the world famous Berlin hospital.

    Created by Anna Winger and Jörg Winger, Deutschland86 returns three years later and picks up the story of East German Agent Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) and his compatriots in the Stasi Foreign Intelligence in 1986. Martin has been banished to Africa until Aunt Lenora recruits him to fight for the last gasp of Communism abroad. Set against the backdrop of real events during the last “Summer of Anxiety,” when terrorism raged across Western Europe, Martin’s dark mission takes him to Johannesburg, Tripoli, Paris, West Berlin and finally back to East Berlin, where he is forced to face new realities at home – and to make an impossible decision.

    Deutschland83 was awarded many national and international awards, among them a Grimme Preis, a Goldene Kamera, a Peabody and a Satellite Award. For his role as Martin Rauch, Jonas Nay won a Golden Nymph award at the Festival de Télévision in Monte Carlo, and the German Television Award. Deutschland83 is also nominated for the International Emmy Awards 2016 in the category “Drama Series”. Deutschland86 is a production of UFA Fiction in cooperation with Amazon,FremantleMedia International and UFA Distribution.

  • Amazon, UFA Fiction tie up to premiere Deutschland83 on Prime in ’18

    Amazon, UFA Fiction tie up to premiere Deutschland83 on Prime in ’18

    MUMBAI: Amazon and UFA Fiction announced that the sequel to the nationally and internationally award-winning series Deutschland83 will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Germany in 2018.

    In addition, all episodes of Deutschland83 are now available for streaming for Prime members in Germany and Austria.

    Created by Anna Winger (Head Writer) and Jörg Winger, and executive produced by Jörg Winger, Sebastian Werninger, and Ulrike Leibfried, the shooting of Deutschland86 will commence in 2017.

    Under the terms of the agreement, RTL Television, which commissioned Deutschland83 in 2014 and aired the first season in autumn 2015, has secured a first-look option for the linear TV rights and expects to air the sequel on German free-to-air television in 2018/2019 after Amazon’s first window.

    FremantleMedia International, the global distribution arm of FremantleMedia, will continue to sell the high-end drama series to broadcasters and streaming services around the world. Season two of the German thriller, will debut in the US on SundanceTV, who will continue as co-production partners in the US, followed by Hulu (US), Channel 4 and Walter Presents (UK), Sundance Channel (Canada), Crave (Canada), Super Ecran (French-speaking Canada), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), RUV (Iceland), CMore (Scandinavia), RTE (Eire), Canal+ (France), Movistar+ (Spain), Sky Italia (Italy), Paramount (Italy), OTE (Greece), Telenet (Belgium), RTL Klub (Hungary), HRT (Croatia), Hotvision (Israel), Sinema TV (Turkey), with more deals to be announced.

    FremantleMedia International sold the first season, Deutschland83, to 38 broadcasters and SVOD platforms globally, which took the series to over 110 territories worldwide. The series was the first ever German-language drama to have aired on a major US cable channel (SundanceTV) and became the UK’s highest ever rated foreign-language drama launch when it debuted on Channel 4.

    UFA co-CEO Nico Hofmann says, “With this latest collaboration between Amazon, RTL Television, FremantleMedia International and UFA, a long-awaited wish comes true. This latest deal is a milestone in co-production history. It will be resetting standards for the upcoming years.”

    FremantleMedia International CEO Jens Richter says, “Deutschland83 achieved tremendous ratings worldwide and together with our fantastic group of partners we were able to help turn the series into the most successful German drama of our time. The storyline for season two looks to be as thrilling as the first and we’re looking forward to working with Amazon and our distribution partners to accomplish further success.”

    Amazon Prime Video Germany managing director Dr. Christoph Schneider says, “After the Amazon Original You Are Wanted with Matthias Schweighöfer and Michael Bully Herbig’s Bullyparade – Der Film, Deutschland86 is the latest German-made production that will be available exclusively on Prime Video. German series and movies are very important for our Prime members and we are happy to continue to build on our engagement with German production industry and bring great new shows to our customers.”

    RTL Television programming managing director Frank Hoffmann says, “Practically no other German drama series has attracted so much attention or generated so much buzz over the past few years, especially on the international markets. As the rights holder and broadcaster of Deutschland83, it has been our clear goal to ensure that this exceptional UFA Fiction and FremantleMedia International series could continue – and this has now been achieved with a new partner. It goes without saying that we are looking forward to broadcast Deutschland86 free-to-air on RTL Television.”

    The ground-breaking agreement with Amazon Prime also demonstrates the growing success of FremantleMedia’s push into high-end scripted content. In August, Amazon and FremantleMedia International announced that the fantasy drama American Gods will launch exclusively for Prime members in Germany, Austria, UK and Japan in 2017. In September, much acclaimed
    The Young Pope – produced by FremantleMedia’s Wildside for Sky, HBO and Canal Plus – celebrated its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. At this year’s MIPCOM, the world’s entertainment content market, UFA Fiction will show the two high end drama-series The Same Sky (Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel; Screenwriter: Paula Milne), which joins the line-up of world premiere TV Screenings, and Charité (Director: Sönke Wortmann) which deals with the history of the world famous Berlin hospital.

    Created by Anna Winger and Jörg Winger, Deutschland86 returns three years later and picks up the story of East German Agent Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) and his compatriots in the Stasi Foreign Intelligence in 1986. Martin has been banished to Africa until Aunt Lenora recruits him to fight for the last gasp of Communism abroad. Set against the backdrop of real events during the last “Summer of Anxiety,” when terrorism raged across Western Europe, Martin’s dark mission takes him to Johannesburg, Tripoli, Paris, West Berlin and finally back to East Berlin, where he is forced to face new realities at home – and to make an impossible decision.

    Deutschland83 was awarded many national and international awards, among them a Grimme Preis, a Goldene Kamera, a Peabody and a Satellite Award. For his role as Martin Rauch, Jonas Nay won a Golden Nymph award at the Festival de Télévision in Monte Carlo, and the German Television Award. Deutschland83 is also nominated for the International Emmy Awards 2016 in the category “Drama Series”. Deutschland86 is a production of UFA Fiction in cooperation with Amazon,FremantleMedia International and UFA Distribution.

  • Amazon partners Green Gold for kids’ entertainment

    Amazon partners Green Gold for kids’ entertainment

    MUMBAI: Amazon has partnered with Green Gold Animation in a multi-year content deal. With this deal, the production houses’s future TV episodes and TV movies like Chhota Bheem, Super Bheem, Mighty Raju, etc will be available on the streaming platform for the first time.

    Prime members in India will have also have access to Green Gold Animation’s vast library of top-rated shows and movies like Krishna Balaram,Chorr Police, Luv Kush, Vikram and Betaal , Krishna, Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure, etc.

    “Green Gold Animation is a leading creator of premium kids’ content and Amazon Prime Video is delighted to offer a home to their much-loved content for kids and their families. This partnership will offer Amazon Prime members the very best content for their kids to watch and be delighted by” said Amazon Video India director and country head Nitesh Kripalani. “This is the first step to exclusively bring the best-in-class kids’ entertainment to children in India.”

    Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free one-day and two-day delivery to over 100 cities on eligible items from India’s largest selection of products, 30 minutes early access for members on top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience.

    “We are excited that Chhota Bheem, India’s #1 Kids show for last 9 years would now be available on Amazon Prime Video. Indian Kids will now have better Digital experience with our imaginative content as now they can view their favourite show when they want and where they want, added Green Gold Animation founder Rajiv Chilaka.

    The service has also partnered with Johar’s Dharma Productions to own exclusive rights to stream all upcoming and backlog of movies under the banner. Whereas the deal with T-Series is only for upcoming releases such as Tum Bin 2 by Anubhav Sinha, Raabta with Sushant Singh Rajput, Noor starring Sonakshi Sinha, and Simran starring Kangana Ranaut.

    It recently tied up wth acclaimed filmmaker SS Rajamouli, Graphic India and Arka Mediaworks. With this the magnum opus Baahubali under its content library which will be turned into a new multi-episode animated series titled Baahubali: The Lost Legends.

    With an introductory price of Rs 499 for a year after which a prime subscription will cost Rs 999 a year. PrimeVideo will have access to Amazon Original Series, movies and TV shows from India and around the world.

    In the U.S., Amazon Prime offers over 40,000 movies and TV shows, a million songs and 500,000 free ebooks for $99 per year. It has begun talks with Bollywood producers and independent production houses for building video content from India. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that $300 mn (approx Rs 2,000 cr) will be invested in its India unit.

    With this, Amazon’s total investment commitment in India goes up to $5 bn.