Category: Press Release

Stay Vigil And Beware Of The Monsters Around You As Zee Café Brings ‘Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels’

Mumbai: You have seen her manipulative and cunning side as Margaery Tyrell in Game Of Thrones, now watch her raise hell, quite literally, in ‘Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels.’ Natalie Dormer returns, this time deadlier than ever before as fierce demoness Magda in this magnetic and chilling tale that will set your TV screens ablaze. Premiering on Friday, July 10, 2020 weeknights at 10 as part of Zee Café’s weeknights block ‘Mystery Café’, the show, a spin-off to Penny Dreadful, is a gripping exploration of darkness and light. Created by the three-time Academy Award-nominee for ‘Gladiator’, ‘The Aviator’ and ‘Hugo’ – John Logan, the horror historical drama features a stellar cast comprising the ‘Don’t Breathe’ and ‘It Follows’ actor Daniel Zovatto, the ‘Halt’ and ‘Catch Fire’ fame Kerry Bishé and the actor known for ‘The Imitation Game’ Rory Kinnear among others.

After back-to-back thrilling series like ‘Nancy Drew’ and ‘Evil’ on Mystery Café, here’s another drama that is sure bring you the chills! Set against the backdrop of 1930s Los Angeles amid the Golden Age Of Hollywood, Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels revolves around the Vega family and the deep-rooted horrors that form the cornerstone of a city brimming with deeply infused with Mexican-American folklore and social tension. The dark fantasy opens with a grisly murder that traumatizes the city and pulls Detective Tiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto) and his partner Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane) into the death-defying case. Before long, Tiago and his family are grappling with powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart. While on one side we have the Mexican folklore saint – Santa Muerte (Lorenza Izzo), a guide to the great beyond, the other sees her spiritual sister, the demoness Magda, who believes mankind is inherently evil and committed to let the world burn! All it takes for Magda is soft whispers to bring the City of Angels to destruction.

Amid radical policing, the looming threat of war, and Nazi conspiracies that threaten to derail the Vegas, what follows is a classic good vs evil encounter. Only this time, will good triumph all evil?

July 6, 2020
Star World Invites You to Its ‘Weekend Watch Party’

After a long week of work, some leisure time is essential. With all our weekends now being spent within the confines of our home, there is no better time to catch-up on some of the most talked-about, mind-bending drama series on television! So, tune-in to Star World Weekend Watch Party every weekend and catch up on entire season of your favourite shows – all in one weekend, starting Saturday, 4th July, every weekend from 7 PM onwards.

Whether you’re in the mood for an out-of-the-world fantasy show, a mystery spy thriller, or a brilliant drama that can transport you to the 70s, Star World has you all covered!

The Weekend Watch Party kick-starts with the series finale of Season 8 of the engrossing spy thriller, Homeland. Based on the Israeli series ‘Prisoners of War’, the show that follows the life of a bipolar CIA officer who is on a lookout for an American prisoner and stars Starring Claire Danes and has won many prestigious awards including Golden Globes, Primetime Emmys and more.

Up next, critically acclaimed television series, Watchmen and His Dark Material. Based on the DC comics of the same name, Watchmen is a stunning superhero drama starring Academy Award winner Regina King that takes viewers to an alternate history in which superheroes are considered outlaws. Fantastical drama series, His Dark Materials is also based on a famous trilogy of the same name starring X-Men fame James McAvoy, Wolverine fame Dafne Keen and award-winning actors Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ruth Wilson.

Following suit, Mrs America starring none other than Academy award winner Cate Blanchett is a political miniseries loosely based on the 1970s battle over the Equal Rights Amendment & the backlash. Adding more fun and thrill to your weekends, Star World also brings the sixth and the final season of How to Get Away with Murder, the all-new sci-fi thriller Devs, Season 6 of crime drama Queen of the South, comedy drama Mrs. Flitcher, Season 5 of Golden Globe winning series The Affair, and Sarah Jessica Parker starrer comedy drama – Divorce.

Here is the ‘Weekend Watch Party’ line-up that will showcase one entire season of each of the following blockbuster series, every Saturday and Sunday, 7 PM onwards, only on Star World:

Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

July 3, 2020
MensXP’s latest ‘Fathers: Then Vs Now’ Video Promoting Philips OneBlade is A Content Marketing Gem

This father’s day, leading appliances brand, Philips collaborated with the country’s largest lifestyle platform, MensXP to launch a branded video titled ‘Fathers: Then vs Now’ across major social media channels. The light-hearted sketch poignantly emblematized father-son relationships and upheld the core values of unwavering support, trust & confidence.

Conceptualized by ILN Studios, the 8-minute long video brings out a thematic contrast between fathers in the 90s to those of today. It also amplifies the invariable core idea that a father always pushes his son to do the right thing. The video has garnered more than 17 million views across social media, soliciting well over 400,000 positive reactions. The novelty of this concept was in its relevance – viewers developed analogical or aspirational syncs with the situations depicted in the video and contributed via comments, discussions, and over 50,000 shares to the organic growth of viewership.

Angad Bhatia, Co-Founder & CEO – MensXP said, “Indian Men are starting to care about what they wear and how they groom themselves more than ever before, and they are not stopping just there. At MensXP, we wanted to highlight the pivotal role of fathers both as pillars of strength & confidence, but also as mentors in grooming. To that effect, our video in partnership with Philips helped weave an evocative & relevant story on how fathers groom us for the future.”

“"Philips is India's most loved & trusted personal grooming brand since nearly a decade. We have been pioneers in the category & have continuously innovated to delight our consumers. On the occasion of Father's Day we wanted to celebrate our deep relationship with the modern Indian man. The campaign was very well received and loved by the audience” Gulbahar Taurani, Vice President, Personal Health, Philips Indian Subcontinent said.

“The Fathers: Then vs. Now video co-created in partnership with ILN Studios was an attempt to celebrate the new wave of progressive dynamism Indian men are embracing, both in their values and their grooming. Our primary role was to align Philips’ brand ethos of trust and confidence to spark a dialogue that yields real action. Given the heartening response to the video from our target audience, we’re glad to have been a part of this success story.” Anita Kotwani, Carat India head said.

Watch ‘Fathers: Then Vs Now’ now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1WflR06qlw

Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

July 3, 2020
Dedicated Amazon Prime Video app now available on all Windows 10 devices

NEW DELHI: Customers in India can now access Prime Video through a dedicated app available on the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 devices.

Using the new Amazon Prime Video for Windows app, customers are now able to stream Prime Video content online or download Prime Video content for offline viewing on their device. This feature only works through the app on the Windows 10 operating system and includes desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets. The online streaming experience will be the same as the current experience on the Prime Video website today.

Customers can find the new Amazon Prime Video for PC app through the Microsoft Store on their Windows 10 device.

July 3, 2020
Shemaroo Entertainment to live stream Jaggannath Puri Rath Yatra 2020

With mandated restrictions on public gatherings during religious ceremonies and festivals, many devotees are turning to digital platforms for a solution. Taking the legacy forward, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, India’s leading content house, is live streaming the traditional Rath Yatra from the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha for the third consecutive year. Shemaroo will be streaming Rath Yatra LIVE with all its Telco, DTH Partners & digital platforms: the ShemarooMe mobile app and website as well as the Shemaroo Bhakti mobile app, Facebook page and YouTube channel, at no extra cost.

One of the world’s biggest chariot festivals, Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra is usually attended by millions of devotees from around the world. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court had mandated that the festival be held without public participation this year. Offering an alternative to the countless devotees, Shemaroo’s live stream will enable viewers to enjoy the darshan from the convenience of their homes on their mobile phones, laptops, Smart TVs and tablets.

The Shemaroo live stream is available from 1st to 4th July 2020 on the below Shemaroo owned properties and will stream the Sunabesa on 2nd July from 3pm to 11pm followed by the Adharpana ritual on ratha on the 3rd of July starting 7pm to 10pm and the final Niladri Bije from 2pm to 10m on the 4th and the last day of the procession.

· ShemarooMe Mobile App: Download from Google Play Store and App Store

· ShemarooMe Website: https://www.shemaroome.com/

· Shemaroo Bhakti Mobile App: Download from Google Play Store and App Store

· Shemaroo Bhakti Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ShemarooBhakti/

· Shemaroo Bhakti YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ShemarooBhakti/

July 2, 2020
ICICI Lombard launches #RestartRight campaign Created by Ogilvy

COVID-19 has impacted lives and businesses across the globe. The human society stands at the crossroads of a ‘New Normal’, something that will alter our future completely. Social distancing and curtailed movement have become the norm. Further, in this changing scenario, health protection through a comprehensive health insurance plan gains paramount importance.

Staying ahead of the curve, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, India’s leading private sector non-life insurance company, has revamped its health insurance portfolio and introduced new age solutions. Further, to create awareness of the same among consumers, it has launched a unique #RestartRight campaign in mass media, focusing on digital channels and targeting new age platforms like OTT (Over The Top) video streaming.

The campaign launched by ICICI Lombard is two-fold. The first phase of the campaign involves a brand led communication which exemplifies the current situation where consumers are hesitant given the pandemic but are trying their best to work through the constraints. Depicting various ‘slice of life’ situations, it shows a lady inviting her friend home after a long time, but first makes sure she sanitizes her hands before entering. In another instance, a mother returning home from work stops her daughter from coming close to her, but then hugs her after she has taken a shower. In this way, the communication persuades people to ‘Restart’ life, but in the ‘Right’ way. At the same time, it communicates its own adoption to the ‘new normal’ and upgrading of its health insurance solutions that align to the new normal.

The main communication will be followed by specific benefit driven creatives which bring out the individual offerings that form part of the brand’s health insurance ‘new age’ solutions. These include benefits such as tele-consulting a doctor 24×7, online medicines order & delivery and insurance for treatment availed at home. The benefit driven videos again showcase constraints faced by consumers due to the lockdown and how the revamped offerings remove the said hurdle. For instance, if a consumer is hesitating to visit a doctor, ICICI Lombard’s tele-consult facility enables her to seek expert medical advice on the phone itself including obtaining an e-prescription that can be ordered online.

Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance: Amid the lockdown relaxations, consumers are wanting to restart life but hesitating to do so, amid the heightened health concern. At ICICI Lombard, we understand this ‘new normal’ situation and have accordingly reoriented ourselves by introducing relevant solutions for our customers. Our new campaign that showcases new age benefits reassures customers that by following safety protocols and equipping themselves with our health insurance solutions, they can go ahead and #RestartRight.

Talha Bin Mohsin and Mahesh Parab, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Mumbai The new normal has brought with it new uncertainties that have left us with a lot of unanswered questions. We all are trying to make sense of the new range of do’s and don’ts. But even in these testing times we wanted to tell people that ICICI Lombard has suitably adapted its services to help its customers adapt to the new normal, seamlessly. While the world awaits a restart, our new health insurance solutions are here to make it right.

ICICI Lombard has always been a pioneer in identifying emerging trends and providing effective solutions to customers, in line with its brand ethos of “Nibhaaye Vaade” (Keeping promises).

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIs-WMn0flk

July 2, 2020
Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha show solidarity with budding/aspiring artistes with the launch of ‘The Socho Project’ by MAJ (Mrinal Abhigyan Jha Productions)

India’s foremost television show creator Mrinal and veteran director and serial entrepreneur Abhigyan Jha are set to breathe life into the disgruntled music scene in the country with the launch of ‘The Socho Project’ – the first-ever musical web series in India.

The show that is slated to release later in 2020 revolves around the lives of budding musicians and artists struggling to find a foothold in the Indian music business dominated by one monopolistic music label. The characters’ stories are indicative of the actual problems that the music industry faces today, namely the lack of originality and the slim space for new talent to showcase their work while pushing them into the abyss of commercialization for survival. With an ensemble star cast comprising names like Lopamudra Raut, Gaurav Khanna, Gunjan Utreja, Gurpreet Bedi, Donal Bisht, Sahil Vaid, Alekh Sangal & Arif Zakaria among others, the web-series aims to hit the right note especially among the music – crazy generation dismayed by the rapidly declining standard of music in India.

The show chronicles the journey of 7 musicians, each of whom follow their own passion for a particular genre of music – like Pop, Lo-fi, Rap, Rock and even Ghazal. They are met with resistance by a big evil music company V Series which is responsible for destroying the market for good music with songs having baseless Punjabi lyrics and remixed tracks.

The chronic dearth of authentic and meaningful music and the diminishing chances for real upcoming talent to excel at the hands of the music ‘mafia’ eclipsing the music industry in India today, induced the rising need among the makers to throw light on the matter. Mrinal and Abhigyan aim to become a catalyst in changing the mind-set with regards to fresh releases with a string of 25 original Songs launched through the series – a significant part of the plot. Each song is a concept in itself and Lyric driven. Written First and then composed; something that is no longer done in Indian Music business. The idea is to empower independent artistes to not give up on their dreams and continue rendering original content without falling prey to the perils that lie within the industry.

Commenting on the launch of her dream project, award -winning creator and writer Mrinal Jha said, “I am extremely appalled by the music scene in India which has been stagnant for the past 25 years. Little do people know that the turnover of the recorded music industry has been stuck at pre-2000 levels compared to all other entertainment genres like Films/ TV and events. I have always believed in purpose-driven work and we are extremely proud to be presenting ‘The Socho Project’ – the maiden release by MAJ. I deeply empathize with music artistes and believe that it’s time we give them the opportunity and look beyond our short-sightedness. It’s time we nurture and foster real and genuine talent and help them to segue through the strong circle of the ‘apparent’ tastemakers of the industry and create an environment for them to breathe, survive, be accepted and thrive. We hope that ‘The Socho Project’ will enable this new wave of acceptance in the music industry in favor of these diverse and gifted newcomers.”

Creator-Director Abhigyan Jha who earlier changed the standup comedy landscape with Movers & Shakers and Jay Hind! said, “We aim to create a welcoming nature in the music industry/space and bring to light the plight of music artistes in India. As a second leg of ‘The Socho Project,’ we will be focused on building a platform for young budding talent to connect with one another and put out original content and further help them distribute their work thus opening avenues for their growth in the music space. It is disheartening to know that we still don’t have a mainstream music industry in India that goes beyond the realms of Bollywood and non-film musicians are still not taken seriously. The Socho Project will not just help us bring about a renewed approach towards these talented gems of the country, who more than often are just an opportunity away, but will also build the respect that they deserve.”

The trailer of the web-series consisting a soundtrack of 25 original songs by absolutely Fresh Talent has dropped today. The first song of the web series, Kaato – Zakhm Rap, by Mac Hardy has already won over 160k hearts on Youtube and 300k plus on Facebook and is available on leading music platforms including Apple, Amazon, Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana and Shazam. It captures the unceasing anguish of a musician’s journey juxtaposed against the current suffering of these artistes amidst the lockdown. The second song, “Tujhse Milne se Pehle” a romantic Lo-fi Duet – will be out on 3rd July 2020.

The web-series will be released later in the year through streaming and Pay Per View.

July 2, 2020
Scatter Elevates Founding Members To New Leadership Roles

Scatter, India's leading content marketing company, is excited to announce the elevation of several founding members into new leadership roles. The move comes as Scatter shifts its focus towards developing in-house products that will boost the marketing ecosystem and facilitate growth, both within and outside the company.

Garima Sharma, formerly the VP of Content & Product, will now assume the role of Chief Product & Content Officer at Scatter. Bringing immense knowledge and innovation to the table, she will drive the Product and Content Production teams to new heights.

Martha D'Souza, previously the AVP of Operations and Process Management, will advance as Sr. VP of Finance and Legal. In her role, she will oversee financial management and compliance related matters.

Abhishek Sharma, formerly the VP of Customer Success, will take on the role of Chief Revenue Officer, scaling up business and moving the company from a single revenue stream into multiple ones – Product and Services.

All three founding members have been a part of Scatter from the time of its establishment, and have played a vital part, building and nurturing their teams during the company’s formative years.

In a statement released by the promoters, Mahip Singh and Rajan Srinivasan said “The new leadership roles come as the company launches the Scatter Content Box – India's first Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution. The MarTech platform aims to help agile marketers use the power of AI and ML to take complete control of their brand and marketing assets. The tool helps empower digital marketing, content, and social teams to work collaboratively and ensure business continuity.

July 2, 2020
This July, Immerse yourself in a wonderful world of amazing stories with Privé Collection on &PrivéHD

Be it true love, ghosts, football, killing – you name it and the collection has it all! Here’s an exciting, tragic, creepy, action-packed and funny assortment of tales like no other! From fearless action sequences to epic adventures or maybe a cheerful animation to something hysterically funny, we have you covered in every genre and for your every need. &PrivéHD, the premium destination of nuanced cinema brings to your very step an opportunity to immerse yourself in a world of amazing stories with Privé Collection airing weeknights at 9. Keep yourself engrossed with our list of amazing award-winning movies in the very comfort of your home all at a press of a single button.

`This July, &PrivéHD gives you the key to unlock the ultimate realm of limitless imagination by experiencing a taste of everything that is good. Expect the unexpected with exceptional titles brimming with awesome heroic battles in Django Unchained, Ghostbusters, Charlie's Angels, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and White House Down. The channel also brings to you light-hearted features to cheer up your day with Academy award-winning movies, The Adventures Of Tintin, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Ratatouille and Stuart Little among others.

For all that you desire, &PrivéHD brings to you a little of everything with ‘Privé Collection’ starting Wednesday, July 1 2020, weeknights at 9 only on &PrivéHD

July 2, 2020
Find out what’s trending on TV with Tata Sky’s redesigned Home Screen

NEW DELHI: Keeping the customer at the centre of all tech innovations, Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution and Pay TV platform has introduced a first of its kind feature on its set-top boxes – Trending on TV. This feature enhances the TV viewing experience, offering subscribers a one-stop solution to easily discover trending content under Top Movies and Live Sports categories by simply pressing the yellow button on the Tata Sky remote control. This feature has been integrated across all HD & SD set-top boxes, making it thereby a first of its kind proposition for non-web connected set top boxes in India.

‘Top Movies’, subscribers can choose movie titles from 8 languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali that are filtered basis a rating of 5.5 and above. This not only allows the subscribers to access the best films across the list of available channels but also saves channel-surfing time. Similarly, the feature acts as a guide to live sporting events whenever they air. The new Home App also includes Channel Info and Channel Search options, offering the ease of discovering and subscribing to new channels categorised by channel name, channel number, genre and languages at the simple touch of a button.

Talking about the feature, a Tata Sky Spokesperson said, “At Tata Sky it has always been our endeavour to provide our subscribers with the widest variety of content delivered via best in class technology. The new Home App is another innovation unique to Tata Sky’s set-top boxes, providing subscribers with a readymade content guide thereby making it convenient to choose from trending movies and sporting events by simply pressing the yellow button on the remote control.”

The new features offer subscribers an improved TV watching experience and a hassle-free option of switching to their favourite channels. It comes with a one-stop self-care solution to independently address daily account related requirements like adding channels that are carrying trending content to the bouquet, changing RMN, among others. The steps to easily use the new features are being communicated to subscribers through brand films and digital promotions.

July 2, 2020