ITV

Category: Press Release

  • ZEE5 SIGNS KUNAL KEMMU FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL ‘ABHAY’

    ZEE5 SIGNS KUNAL KEMMU FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL ‘ABHAY’

    Mumbai: ZEE5 is known to create and present great content across genres and with the launch of Abhay, it announces one of the first procedural format crime thrillers; a genre not explored in the OTT space yet. Produced by B.P. Singh’s (popularly known for the famous crime TV series CID) Fiction Factory Productions, the series marks the digital debut of popular actor Kunal Kemmu who essays the role of SP Abhay Pratap Singh. The eight-episode crime thriller premieres 7th February, with two episodes unfolding each month, disrupting the traditional binge viewing habit of content on OTT platforms.

    Based on real crime stories, Abhay is a crime thriller that follows the inverted detective format of storytelling. In his digital debut, Kunal Khemu plays an investigative officer who solves bone chilling murder cases while dealing with his own personal demons.

    Speaking on his digital debut, Kunal Kemmu said, “It’s exciting to explore new formats and push your boundaries as an actor, and Abhay had it all. I am an avid consumer of long format web series like everyone else, and hence I know that a series such as Abhay has all the ingredients that the OTT viewer is looking for. Very excited to partner with ZEE5, given the content that they have produced and are planning to do in the coming months and I look forward to reach out to the audience with this action-packed concept.”

    With over 3500 films, 500+ TV shows, 4000+ music videos, 35+ theatre plays and 90+ LIVE TV Channels across 12 languages, ZEE5 truly presents a blend of unrivalled content offering for its viewers across the nation and worldwide. With ZEE5, the global content of Zindagi as a brand, which was widely appreciated across the country, has also been brought back for its loyal viewers.

    Availability: The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store http://bit.ly/zee5 and iOS App Store http://bit.ly/zee5ios. Also available at www.zee5.com, as a Progressive Web App (PWA), and on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. ZEE5 also supports Chromecast.

    Pricing: Freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content (including Originals) to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the ZEE5 subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content using the limited period special subscription offer – 99/- for 2 months and 499/- for a year. Offer valid till 31st October.

  • Regional Roles for Ipsos India Senior Honchos

    Regional Roles for Ipsos India Senior Honchos

    MUMBAI: Ipsos India has announced regional roles for two senior honchos. Vidya Sen, Executive Director, Innovation, Ipsos India, will now, in addition to her responsibilities as the Country Head for the Innovation Service Line, play an expanded role stretching across the entire Asia Pacific (APAC) Region for Ipsos Innovation. And Arun Agarwala, IT Director, Ipsos India will take up duties of some of the key markets in the APEC (Asia Pacific Excluding China) region, of Philippines, Indonesia & Vietnam. 

    Ipsos India is one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the region and is defining key benchmarks for specializations.     

    Vidya Sen’srole will now extend toregionally deploying training and ensuring compliance with the Innovation certification program. In addition, she will support the roll out and adoption of the New Innovation initiatives across the region.  Vidya will also work closely with Alison Harvey, Senior Director, Global Service Line, Innovation, to ensure full global alignment with all initiatives.

    “Ipsos is the world’s number one Product Testing Company. Ipsos Innovation has been engaging with clients in providing counsel and carrying out product tests for innumerable categories and brands across FMCG, Durables, Automotive, Healthcare, Personal Care, Telecom among others, helping clients innovate and reinvent in today’s changing world,” said Vidya Sen, Executive Director, Ipsos Innovation, Asia Pacific Region. 

    “In the pipeline are new improved  tools for Ipsos Innovation,” Sen added.

    Ipsos Innovation partners with clients in the end to end requirements on Innovation, ranging from opportunity identification, evaluation, optimization, and launchof their Innovation initiatives with proprietary products for idea screening, concept testing, product testing, full mix testing, pack testing, line optimization, pricing and sales forecasting.

    On the other hand, Arun Agarwala, IT Director Ipsos India has taken up additional responsibilities for the key markets of Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, with the local IT teams for these markets reporting to him.

    “Ipsos aims to strengthen IT service support and IT management in APEC. My remit is to help the countries further increase local IT performance and service quality, includingIT services (support and training, knowledge sharing, meet KPIs, resource planning). Support and execute Global IT infrastructure, IT services projects andensuring ITas an enabler and business partner,” said Agarwala.

    Agarwala in his new role reports to Mu Na, IT Director for APEC and China. He joined Ipsos in 2006 in the UK for Ipsos MORI, then moved to Ipsos India in 2011 and was elevated to IT Director in 2014.

  • One Take Media Co brings “Invention Stories” to India

    One Take Media Co brings “Invention Stories” to India

    MUMBAI: One Take Media Co(OTMC), pioneer name in Movies, OTT, VAS and kid contents is proud to launch much awaited property  “Invention Stories” to India .  OTMC has more than 2000 hours of kids’ content which includes most Popular Kids series, Kids Animated Movies and kids Nursery Rhymes.

    The acquired rights includes for broadcast, OTT and Value Added Services. OTMC is one of leaders in providing Value Added Services to DTH, Telecom and Cable industries whichincludes Hollywood Movies, Hollywood Movies dubbed in Hindi & regional languages, South Movies dubbed in Hindi, Celebrity based Cooking show and Korean tv series.

    Invention Story is a 3D CGI 104 x 11’ series with a promising premise. It’s the tale of Kit, a clever fox who, in each episode, comes up with a new invention. His adopted home, Carrot Town, is home to a population of rabbits, most of whom admire Kit. A few, however, are envious of his abilities and want to stop him — or steal his ideas. They include the mayor, who has only one big invention to his name. Kit, by contrast, can’t stop inventing. He also tends to be a touch undisciplined, which can sometimes lead to hilarious accidents and silly situations. But he does learn — and so does his audience.

    It is amazing to see how knowledgeable and skilled our younger generations are these days.You don't have to be a rocket scientist to inspire your kids to reach for ideas beyond their traditional realm of thinking. Use these ideas to help your children learn to think outside the box and experiment with common materials around them.

    Mr Anil Khera, Founder & CEO, said “Invention Stories is an animated comedy-action series for children combiningfun and learning .This show offers four- to seven-year olds an insight into the world of science. And as we all know, where there’s a conflict – there’s a story!!”

    We have 104 Episodes full of entertainment in our library. The series has richness of intelligence,thoughtfulness and creativity which leads to lot of inventions. 

  • Zee TV partners with comedian Jeeveshu Ahluwalia for a parody on India’s ‘Rajaa Betaa’ Culture

    Zee TV partners with comedian Jeeveshu Ahluwalia for a parody on India’s ‘Rajaa Betaa’ Culture

    MUMBAI: Leveraging the strength of humor in driving a potent message across to its audiences, Zee TV recently collaborated with stand-up comedian Jeeveshu Ahluwalia for the launch of its new fiction offering Rajaa Betaa. The show, that went on air on 15th January and currently airs at 6:30 PM every Monday to Saturday on Zee TV, takes viewers through the journey of an ideal young man, Vedant (played by Rrahul Sudhir) – a highly qualified gynaecologist, an orphan at birth who was adopted in his early childhood. Despite being raised by a family which never truly accepted him as their own and turned to him largely for their vested interests, Vedant flowers into a fine young man who keeps giving back to the people who gave him a surname. Whether this ideal son will be finally acknowledged by his foster family for his true worth forms the crux of the show.

    Bringing alive the concept of the show while adding a humorous punch to the mix will be stand-up comedian Jeeveshu Ahluwalia who has penned down a parody of the entire ‘Rajaa Betaa’ phenomenon in India and our obsession with it. For every Indian mom, her son is a ‘Rajaa Betaa’. In Indian society, a Rajaa Betaa is a son who is spoilt and pampered. For a mother, he can never be wrong, and the mother believes that he is the best son in the whole world and nobody can be better than him. These pampered boys grow up to be over-entitled, self-centered chauvinists – basically the anti-thesis of everything that Vedant represents. While the fairly ridiculous ‘Rajaa Betaa’ culture flourishes across the length and breadth of the country, men like Vedant are exceptions to the rule that need to be acknowledged, recognized and lauded.

    In the video, Jeeveshu is seen narrating his daily encounters with his mother through a satirical stand-up act. He draws our attention to the different aspects of a Rajaa Betaa, owns up to being one himself and how he is pampered by his doting mother. Jeeveshu’s words are relatable, his hilarious set tickles the audience’s funny bone and makes them root for the protagonist, Vedant, who is the ideal ‘Rajaa Betaa’ that our Indian households aspire to raise.

  • #BreakKeBaad, Hero ISL 2019 resumes as the race to the playoffs begins!

    #BreakKeBaad, Hero ISL 2019 resumes as the race to the playoffs begins!

    MUMBAI: The heroes of the Indian football team return from the AFC Asian Cup as the ongoing season of Hero Indian Super League – season 5 resumes on Friday, January 25th with arch rivals Kerala Blasters locking horns against the 2-time champions ATK.

    The opening weekend will also feature other marquee matches involving defending champions Chennaiyin FC as NorthEast United FC host them on Saturday, January 26th.

    The week will end with the top of the table clash between Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC on Sunday, January 27th. All games will begin from 7.30 pm IST and will be broadcast LIVE on the Star Sports Network.

    After a morale boosting AFC Asian Cup, the Blue Tigers have now returned on the home soil to don their Hero ISL franchise colours aiming further to win fan’s hearts from across the country. The opening three games of the Hero ISL season after the break will see stars from national team Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Udanta Singh (all Bengaluru FC), Anirudh Thapa (Chennaiyin FC), Rowllin Borges (NorthEast United FC), Subhasish Bose (Mumbai City FC), Pronay Halder (ATK) and many more back in action for fans to look forward to.

    ATK, currently sixth in the table, are just four points away from the third-placed FC Goa. With ATK’s glorious history, the recent acquisition of Edu Garcia and the appointment of former Crystal Palace first team coach and West Bromwich Albion assistant head coach Ben Garner, the team looks to bounce back to chase their third Hero ISL title.

    Bengaluru FC narrowly missed out on the Hero ISL title last year and are unbeaten after 11 games, with this form the team could very well be the champions this season. The current standings in the league table also indicates that the league could have a new winner with Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC all in contention for the playoff spots.

    Kerala Blasters in an aim to regain momentum have replaced David James with Nelo Vingada and would look at the game against ATK on Friday, January 25th as a perfect opportunity to regain their lost confidence.

    There is much in store for football fans across the country as the teams’ clash for a chance at attaining the coveted Hero ISL trophy.

  • Twitter hosts ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival’s first-ever digital panel

    Twitter hosts ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival’s first-ever digital panel

    MUMBAI: As the literary world prepares for ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival 2019, the largest convention of writers, thinkers and cultural icons in India, Twitter today announced that it will co-host the Festival’s first-ever digital panel, #PowerOf18, which can be attended exclusively on Twitter.

    The panel, named after Twitter India’s recently launched social initiative #PowerOf18 to encourage young Indians to take part in the public conversation, will take place at 5.30pm on 25th January, on National Voters Day. It will bring together young, dynamic Indians who’ve both, chronicled and shaped the zeitgeist, to discuss the transformative power of civic action and the importance of making your voice heard on Twitter, and beyond.

    The panel will feature:

    ● Ravinder Singh (@_RavinderSingh_) – One of India’s best-loved romance authors, Singh has sold over 3 million copies of his novels and runs Black Ink, a publishing platform for debut authors

    ● Zuni Chopra (@zuni_chopra ‏) – At 17, Chopra is a prolific writer, having already published two poetry books, a novel and a collection of short stories

    ● Snigdha Poonam (@snigdhapoonam ‏) – The award-winning journalist covers national affairs with a focus on young India. Her first book Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World and Yours won the Crossword Book Award in 2018

    ● Nishtha Satyam (@SatyamNishtha) – Satyam is the youngest Deputy Country Representative for UN Women across 193 countries, and a staunch advocate of mainstreaming women in the marketplace, workplace and community

    ● Reshma Qureshi  (@reshmaqureshi_b)- Qureshi, who survived an acid attack at 17, is an activist, model and vlogger. She is the face of NGO Make Love Not Scars, has walked at New York Fashion Week and co-authored a book about her incredible journey

    The discussion will be moderated by Amrita Tripathi (@amritat), author and Head – News Partnerships, Twitter India.

    In addition to the  #PowerOf18 panel, ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival will also live-stream a selection of sessions featuring some of the world’s best and brightest thought leaders, on Twitter. Audiences can tune into these and the  #PowerOf18 panel via @ZEEJLF. (See Appendix for the full list of panels that will be broadcast live on Twitter via @ZEEJLF.)

    Simultaneously, Twitter is collaborating with Penguin India (@PenguinIndia) and HarperCollins India (@HarperCollinsIN) to bring authors closer to their fans. These include creative challenges and author-driven Q&As, allowing to capture live content from the authors. Often found at major award shows and talk show green rooms, the Twitter Challenger allows and encourages celebrities to take engage with fans. The photo or video is then sent out through ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival’s Twitter feed, driving conversations amongst fans and followers.

    Commenting on the initiatives, Keya Madhvani Singh (@keyamadhvani), Head. Entertainment Partnerships, Twitter India said: “Twitter is a frontier of creative experimentation, showcasing what’s happening in India and around the world. Our partnership with the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival has enabled us to serve cultural and literary affectionados with real time updates on their favorite panels over the years. As we move closer to the upcoming election in India, we are thrilled to take this association a step further and reach out to more young people in India, with an objective to encouraging and empowering them to make their voice heard and realizing their #PowerOf18.”

    Sanjoy K. Roy, MD of Teamwork Arts, Producers of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, said: “Twitter has always been an important part of our social media mix for the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, connecting us to various stakeholders and audiences who love literature. This year we are taking our partnership to the next level. We are happy to announce the first ever digital-only session in the history of the 'biggest literary Festival on Earth.”

  • Amazon Prime Video launches the music album of Prime Original Series, Four More Shots Please!, with music by Mikey McCleary

    Amazon Prime Video launches the music album of Prime Original Series, Four More Shots Please!, with music by Mikey McCleary

    MUMBAI: Following the launch of two stand-out tracks from Prime Original Series Four More Shots Please!, Amazon Prime Video released the show’s original soundtrack album available exclusively on Prime Music. Composed by Mikey McCleary, the album is an eclectic mix of energetic party numbers, ballads, romantic and soulful tracks that celebrate the perfect friendship of the four imperfect girls in the show, the many moods of the characters and their journey. The album, as much as it is an intrinsic part of the story, can also be enjoyed independently as there’s something for everyone to relate to. The Four More Shots Please! album is exclusively available on Amazon Prime Music till 27th January and will subsequently be available on other music streaming services.

    The original soundtrack has been composed by songwriter, composer, performer and producer Mike McCleary, with powerful vocals by singers including Naquita D'Souza, Sharvi Yadav, Saachi Rajadhyaksha, Rachel Varghese, Abbey Fizardo, Medha Sahi and many more.  The album also features a ballad on friendship composed and sung by Darshan Raval called Yaara Teri Yaari.

    “This album has a wide variety of moods and genres as the songs highlight the ups and downs of the characters and their individual journeys and friendships. Regardless of the situation, each song portraits real women with all their strengths and weaknesses, not clichés or stereotypes. The album features several new indie singers, voices that are unique and add depth to the songs and the characters. I am thrilled to collaborate with Prime Video and Pritish Nandy Communication, to create a full-length album for a long-format series, marking a first for the digital video streaming industry,” – Mikey McCleary, Music Composer, Four More Shots Please!

  • &pictures invokes the feeling of Indian-ness by ‘Saluting the Heroes of India’ this Republic Day

    &pictures invokes the feeling of Indian-ness by ‘Saluting the Heroes of India’ this Republic Day

    MUMBAI: Celebrate the Republic weekend on a high note as &pictures, Naye India Ka Blockbuster Movie Channel brings to its viewers three blockbuster movies on 26th and 27th January. The channel has planned a line-up of entertaining movies that will invoke the patriotic feelings in its viewers. These movies are not just stories of freedom and struggle but also of persistence,leadership, sacrifice and battles.

    Date     Time    Movie Title 
    26th January     8pm    Raazi 
    27th January    12pm    SatyamevaJayate
        8pm    Gold 

    Directed by the celebrated filmmaker MeghnaGulzar and depicting the events preceding the Indo-Pakistani War, Raazi is the official adaptation of the novel Calling Sehmat. The movie features Alia Bhattalong withVicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapoor, Shishir Sharma and JaideepAhlawat in crucial roles. This patriotic film will premiere on 26th January at 8pm and see the real life mother-daughter duo – Alia Bhatt and SoniRazdanshare screen space for the first time. MilapZaveri’sSatyamevJayate is an action entertainer that narrates the story of a cold-hearted killer who is on the loose. The names on his hit-list have two things in common – they are all policemen and each one is reputedly corrupt. Starring John Abrabham and Manoj Bajpayee in the lead along with debutant Aisha Sharma in a pivotal role, the thriller will premiere on 27th January at 12pm. Directed by ReemaKagti, the sports patriotic film Goldfeatures Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Kumar Singh, Amit Sadh and Sunny Kaushal essaying pivotal characters. This film is not just a film on hockey, the story also reminds us of the painful reality of partition and how it brutally tore apart our nation.

  • ET NOW Unveils Mega Pre-Budget Line-Up

    ET NOW Unveils Mega Pre-Budget Line-Up

    MUMBAI: Setting the agenda for the interim budget, ET NOW, India's leading English business news channel from Times Network, has unveiled special programming in the run-up to Budget 2019. Themed ‘Poll Vault’, ET NOW will capture the economic and political fervour of the Interim Budget, as the country gets into the election mode.

    Starting January 25 to February 01, ET NOW will focus on the growth agendas by bringing industry leaders from across sectors face to face with top policy-makers.

    1. STREET VIEW: Anchored by Nikunj Dalmia, Managing Editor, ET NOW and Ayesha Faridi, Senior News Editor, ET NOW, the show will have top market veterans decoding D-Street’s expectations from Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley.

    2. BUDGET DEBATE:  Supriya Shrinate, Executive Editor, ET NOW will bring top economists and experts on a special edition of ET NOW’s the India Development Debate. The power-packed show will highlight the problems being faced by the common man. 

    3. MACROS WITH MYTHILI: “Is India on the right fiscal path and what should the Finance Minister do to bridge the twin deficit?” As Arun Jaitley unveils the Modi government’s last Budget in the current term, ET NOW’s Consulting Editor, Mythili Bhurnurmath will put in perspective the challenges for the finance minister.

    4. FAMILY BUDGET: “How to beat inflation and stay the course when it comes to the family budget?” The show will answer the common man’s burning question even as it offers insights on how to manage one’s finances for a stress-free tomorrow. This show will be anchored by Taneia Bhardwaj, ET NOW Anchor and Senior News Editor.

    5. CAMPUS BUDGET: The coming years will see the increasing role of the Millennials in nation-building. This special programme will focus on the expectations of the Millennials from the Union Budget. The show will be anchored by ET NOW’s news anchors Rahul Dayama, Ruchi Bhatia and Avanne Dubash.

    6. THE MUTUAL FUND: Nikunj Dalmia, Managing Editor, ET NOW will guide the viewers on where to put their money and hedge oneself from market volatility. This special show will help our viewers shield them against volatile moves through mutual fund investments.

    7. BUDGET ROUNDTABLE: The two-part special chat show will see industry experts sharing their thoughts on the key ingredients for Budget 2019. The show will be anchored by Nayantara Rai, News Anchor & Chief of Delhi Bureau, and Ruchi Bhatia.

    8. THE BUDGET HOTLINE: Forget complex tax tweaks and jargons, this show will demystify technical terms to help the common man make most of Budget 2019. In this special call-in shows, viewers will get their queries answered by experts. The show will be anchored by Nayantara Rai.

    9. STATE OF THE ECONOMY POLL: ET NOW will get the on-ground report of the state of the economy. This special show will provide our viewers a true picture of the economy as seen by top CEOs. This show will be anchored by Supriya Shrinate, Executive Editor, ET NOW.

    10. AGENDA FOR FM: On the eve of the Union Budget 2019, ET NOW will broadcast a special show setting the agenda for the Finance Minister on February 1, 2019. The show will be hosted and anchored by Supriya Shrinate.

    ET NOW will be a torch bearer of pre-budget debates 2019 with its power packed shows anchored by Nikunj Dalmia, Ayesha Faridi, Supriya Shrinate, Mythili Bhurnurmath, Nayantara Rai, Ruchi Bhatia, Taneia Bhardwaj, will ensure that the viewers get a comprehensive insight on Budget 2019.

  • Movie Partnership PUBG – URI: The Surgical Strike

    Movie Partnership PUBG – URI: The Surgical Strike

    MUMBAI: Movie promotions broke new ground when URI: The Surgical Strike, produced by RSVP (Ronnie Screwvala Productions) Movies, became the first Indian movie to join hands with PUBG Mobile to launch a surgical strike on Pochinki, one of the largest and most popular towns in the game’s maps. The event, which was conceptualized and deployed by Publicis Entertainment, took place on 6 January 2019 with a large number of PUBG enthusiasts taking part.

    Talking about the decision for the tie-up with the game, Pashan Jal, Marketing Head RSVP, said “The movie and the game were a natural fit as both are based on teamwork, precision, survival skills, remote communication, and strategy. What’s more the game has players being airdropped into Pochinki, just like our para commandos who did the surgical strike. With Uri: The Surgical Strike being the first big release of 2019 and PUBG Mobile being one of the top games in the world, we thought this was a match made in entertainment heaven. We feel proud that it is the first Indian film to tie-up with the game.”

    Pranay Anthwal, Executive Director, Publicis Entertainment, said, “We have always tried to push the envelope when it comes to movie promotions. So, when RSVP movies gave us the brief for Uri, we knew that a regular installation or a fan-interaction activity won’t cut it. Our challenge was to dial up the surgical strike and the gameplay on PUBG was completely in sync with the action in the movie. And since millions already play the game, we thought of getting Vicky Kaushal, the lead of the movie, to play the game and talk us through the experience of making the movie.”

    Speaking about the activity, Saurabh Mankhand, Vice President & Business Lead of the Campaign said, “The brief was clear – dial up the mission and help fans experience a para commando’s journey during the strike. Through our research, we found out that PUBG Mobile was a platform that matched most of our requirements. The gameplay resembled a surgical strike – being airdropped into danger, strategizing survival, teamwork, combat style – and thus was a natural fit. To further amplify the activity, we got Vicky Kaushal to play the game live with the top gamers, and other players who were selected through a contest.