ITV

Category: Press Release

  • Dentsu Webchutney’s #HappyHourRewind concept; clocks up happiness

    Dentsu Webchutney’s #HappyHourRewind concept; clocks up happiness

    MUMBAI: Coming fresh out of the Dentsu Webchutney Innovation Labs, a subsidiary of the Dentsu India Group, is a campaign that gives the over abused category of Happy Hours a much needed twist. Launched at Turquoise Cottage, a youngsters frequented pub, #HappyHoursRewind allowed people to, simply, turn back time. With a quick tweet, they could rewind the clock and make sure that happy hours never ended!

     

    “Hundreds of bars all over the world run the same old schemes of extending Happy Hours, which begs the question – what does a bar have to do to stand out?” said Dentsu Webchutney Innovation Labs chief creative technologist Gurbaksh Singh.

     

    Elucidating on the campaign he said, “The aim was to infuse freshness into the concept of ‘Happy Hours’ through technology.  For this idea, we experimented with an old school analogue clock, and integrated it with the digital sphere through twitter. We hacked into the clock and engineered it to move anti-clockwise when specific tweets were sent, giving us a way to rewind time.”

     

    This campaign received more than 250 tweets in a single night, and resulted in Happy Hours going on till midnight even though the clock still showed 9pm!

     

    The installation was set up in Turquoise Cottage and patrons were invited between 7pm – 9 pm to tweet with their views on ‘Why happy hours shouldn’t end’ using hashtag #Happyhoursrewind.

     

    This is a pilot campaign that was undertaken at Saket outlet and will be replicated at other locations too, shortly.

  • HBO’s #SelfieInSpacecontest breaks records on social media

    HBO’s #SelfieInSpacecontest breaks records on social media

    MUMBAI: Taking consumer innovation and engagement to new heights, HBO launched a digital contest called ‘Selfie in Space’ that gratified the winner by sending their selfie into space and capturing it on video – the first time ever in India.

     

    The contest leveraged through #SelfieInSpace on the HBO Facebook page and Twitter handle received over 52 million impressions in just two weeks while reaching 7 million people and encouraging 409,819 interactions.

     

    To participate in the contest, fans had to click their selfie, write a catchy caption using #SelfieInSpaceand post it on the HBO Facebook page, exclusively created microsite or the HBO Twitter handle. The winner of the grand prize received a one-of-a-kind video of their selfie’s journey into space andanXbox 360 with Kinect. The overwhelming response prompted HBO to select additional consolation prize winners.

     

    The Selfie in Space contest was organized to promote the premiere of HBO’s Blockbuster Movie of the Year– Gravity, on 21 January 2015. The premiere was the #1 film in the slot with the highest GVTs and Reach. Additionally, HBO ranked #1 in the week of Gravity’s premiere (wk 52 of 2014).

     

    Gravity is an academy award winning, sci-fi movie that won seven Oscars including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Director.

  • ICC launches official Fantasy League for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

    ICC launches official Fantasy League for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the launch of the most detailed ever Fantasy League game for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, with multiple game modes and chances to win exclusive ICC Cricket World Cup merchandise and other prizes.

     

    Cricket fans across the world can now participate in the newly-launched, official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fantasy League that has been designed to ensure fans can get closer to the tournament than ever before, with opportunities for everyone to cheer on their favourite players and teams, and feel part of the action wherever they are in the world.

     

    The game is the most in-depth ever created in cricket, with great detail for the passionate fantasy league player, but equally great ease of access for the casual fan to play on a one-off match day.  

     

    Participants will get to create their own Virtual XI from across all 14 ICC Cricket World Cup teams and a total of 210 players, each of whom will have a profile, detailed statistics and photo. Points will be gained based on how the selected players perform on the field, with points awarded for batting, bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping.

     

    Every manager will get one million credits to select their own ‘fantasy’ team from. Each player carries a virtual value and has a designated role.

     

    Players have been given a virtual ‘value’ based on an advanced statistical algorithm that takes into account a huge number of factors ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. This includes the players’ overall ODI record, ODI experience and current form. Career statistics considered include their batting average and strike rate, frequency of big scores, number of fours and sixes hit, bowling average, overs bowled per match and economy. Since players can also earn fielding points, catches and stumpings have also been factored in.

     

    The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 already promises to be the most anticipated cricket event the world has ever seen, and now, there’s one more reason for fans to connect with the tournament that will get underway in Australia and New Zealand onFebruary 14. To register for the competition, and to see all the player values, please go to fantasy.cricketworldcup.com.

     

    There is a wide range of prices for each team in order to allow participants to create valid squads and select players, depending on the teams facing off on the particular day. To make it easy for managers, there is even an ‘auto-select’ function which will randomly select a squad for the users. 

     

    The ICC Fantasy Cricket League will have two game modes – Tournament Mode and Match Mode. Tournament Mode is the primary game and runs for the entire duration of the tournament and users can make substitutions for every match. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament wins. In Match Mode, people create a squad for each match/game day and there is a winner for every match/game day.

     

    The tournament mode will have four distinct phases, with users being able to remake their teams afresh after each phase and having plenty of substitutions during each phase to keep their team up to date.

     

    Phase 1 – League Stage February (21 Games), Phase 2 – League Stage March (21 Games), Quarter Finals – (4 Games) and Semi-Finals and Final – (3 Games) 

     

    Users will have to select teams as per the following guidelines, with each team having:

     

    – At least four designated batsmen
    – At least one All Rounder
    – At least two Bowlers
    – One Wicket Keeper

     

    No user can have more than six players from one country in a single team.

     

    To add to the fun and competitiveness, participants will have the option to create their own leagues to compare scores among friends, colleagues or groups. Each participant will also automatically be entered into the league of the country they are supporting at the World Cup so that they can compete against other fans from their team at the #cwc15.

     

    The top fantasy teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fantasy Game win exclusive ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 memorabilia and prizes.

     

    There is a detailed scoring system that rewards all aspect of performance with particular reward on runs, the speed of scoring, wickets, bowling economy and fielding. To see the scoring system in full please visit fantasy.cricketworldcup.com.

     

  • A fun-filled rendezvous with Nicktoons Motu Patlu at Imagica

    A fun-filled rendezvous with Nicktoons Motu Patlu at Imagica

    MUMBAI: This Friday saw the awesome twosome Motu Patlu give a treat to their little fans at India’s favourite theme park, Imagica. A host of interactive activities were planned around Motu Paltu’s new movie – Motu Patlu aur Khazaane ki Race for the kiddies at the park.

     

    The highlight of the day was the exciting Treasure Hunt that was spread across various rides and attractions at Imagica. As a part of the activity organized for the kids, they were divided into various teams and each team was allowed to pick a name for their teams.  The kids were engrossed and thoroughly enjoyed running all over the park and looking for clues to win the Treasure Hunt. The winners were awarded goodies by Motu Paltu who happily engaged and posed for pictures with the children.

     

    Post the activities, Motu Patlu and the kids set out to explore the enchanted world of Imagica and had a gala time experiencing the 25 themed rides & attractions, 5 themed restaurants offering a variety of global cuisines and many more activities. They were also spotted enjoying the visually delightful Grand Imagica Parade in the evening.

     

    Motu Patlu aur Khazaane ki Race is a new comic adventure airing on 26th January at 10.15 am on Nick. After saving a cute doggy from villain Mr. Chamko’s men, MotuPatlu realize that the goons were after a locket around the dog’s neck which has a map to a hidden treasure on the Christmas mountain. While Motu Patlu want the locket for the betterment of Furfurinagar, the villain Mr. Chamko has evil intentions. He hires Jon the Don while Motu Patlu take the help of Inspector Chingum, Dr. Jhatka & Ghaseetaram who all start a chase to the mountain for the hidden treasure.

     

    Cherish special moments with your loved ones only with Nickelodoeon and Imagica.

  • Mika and Alka Yagnik sing a duet on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs

    Mika and Alka Yagnik sing a duet on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs

    MUMBAI: It sure will be a vibrant, colourful, musical evening, when the Li’l Champs of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa celebrate Republic Day this Saturday and Sunday at 9pm. The episode with the theme of different colours of India will see these little wonders dressed in traditional attires of various states of India, singing regional songs. Adding to the fun element of the show, will be the power-packed performer and singer Mika Singh who will be seen as a special guest on the show.

     

    Mika, was ecstatic to be amidst the Li’l Champs and brought the house down with his performance on ‘Mohe rand de basanti’. He was also quite elated to be with his buddy Shaan and was on the show to support his team of ‘Cool Boys’. The singer, who started his musical journey in 2006 has belted out quite a few chartbusters since then but never has he got the opportunity to sing with the queen of melody and Mahaguru of Sa Re Ga MaPa L’il Champs Alka Yagnik. So apart from having fun with kids and awarding them shagun of Rs 5000 each for their outstanding performances, Mika also took this opportunity to fulfill his long-standing dream.  He expressed his desire to share the stage with Alka and requested her to sing a duet with him. Well, the gracious Alka Ji immediately obliged and happily came on stage. The two then sang together the popular song ‘Koi mil gaya’ from the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It was their first duet together and the glee on Mika’s face on his dream coming true was pretty evident. The Captains Monali and Shaan couldn’t keep themselves far away on this historical moment and soon joined the duo on stage.

     

    The Li’l Champ who stood out with her exceptional performance this week was 11 year old, Arunita Kanjilal from West Bengal. Bringing alive the flavour of Maharashtra, dressed aptly in a green Navvari saree, she enthralled the audience and Captains alike with her performance on the famous lavani song ‘‘Haath Naka Lau Maajha Saadi La’. So apt were her expressions and harkats, that special guest Mika almost thought that this young talent hails from Maharashtra. Mahaguru Alka Yagnik went to say ‘she can be taken straight for recording and she is perfectly studio ready’. Other Li’l Champs who gave stellar performances were Aravind Nair from Cochin who sang his rendition of Sonu Niigams popular non-film number ‘Bijuriya’ and Aishwarya Saha who sang ‘Morni baga maa dole’.

  • Network18 & ORF present The India – US dialogues

    Network18 & ORF present The India – US dialogues

    New Delhi : Against the backdrop of the US President Barack Obama’s visit to India on the occasion of Republic Day, Network 18 in association with The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) brings together notable dignitaries from our two great democracies on one platform. The aim of this endeavour is to discuss shared challenges and common goals in an effort to chart a blueprint for an ambitious & constructive India – U.S. strategic partnership.

    This is a historic moment in bi-lateral relations between the two countries as President Obama is not only the first sitting president to visit India for the second time but also the first to attend the festivities of Republic Day as Chief Guest. In this context, The India-US Dialogues aims to mirror this emerging dynamism in our relations.  

    The initiative will see some of the most respected names from both sides examining key areas that are pivotal in this partnership. Topics ranging from Trade and Business, Regional Security Challenges, Energy Security and Sustainable Development, to Defence and Technology Cooperation will be deliberated upon in separate panel discussions. At the same time, the expert panel will also ideate out-of-the-box solutions for the two governments to consider, providing the audience with informed, in-depth analysis of the issues at hand.

    The US is represented by thought leaders who have either worked in the administration or are a guiding force in the US rebalance to Asia, with a central role for India. The Indian side is being represented by key ministers tasked with shaping the next big leap in Indo-US ties. The business side is duly represented by heavyweights from both sides.

    Policy makers and thought leaders in attendance would include Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways; Ram Madhav, General Secretary, BJP; Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance; Vikram Singh, Former Assistant Secretary Defence; Phil Shaw, CEO, Lockheed Martin India; Tom Cutler, President, Cutler International LLC; Diane Farrell, President US-India Business Council and Anand Mahindra, Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra Group.

    The full day event will be hosted on Sunday, January 25 at ‘The Oberoi’, New Delhi with a curtain raiser, held a day prior on Saturday, January 24 at 8 PM. The event will also be telecast across the leading news channels of Network18 channels including CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18, IBN7, CNBC Awaaz, IBN Lokmat and News18.

    Talking about the initiative, Umesh Upadhyay, President, News, Network 18 Group said, “We at Network18 take immense pride in announcing The India-US Dialogues in light of President Obama’s visit to India. Marking this prestigious occasion, this conclave aims to give our viewers an in-depth analysis of the relationship between India and the United States and set the agenda for taking it to the next level.”

    Sunjoy Joshi, Director, Observer Research Foundation said, “This Republic Day will be historic for India-US ties. Keeping the same in mind and our objective to build partnerships for a Global India, this forum, in the presence of eminent personalities, will bring forth discussions and solutions that will help the two nations to further cultivate their relations and get together on the path of growth for all.’

  • The first-of its-kind crowd-sourced Book on Ummeed

    The first-of its-kind crowd-sourced Book on Ummeed

    MUMBAI: Zee TV, India’s leading broadcaster, recently announced an evolution in its core proposition to ‘Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed’– A line that captures the beauty of re-discovering a new ray of hope with every moment of life. The channel, with its rich programming content that resonates with this proposition, has emerged as a beacon of hope to millions of viewers over the years. Apart from setting inspiring examples for the masses through the journeys of its strong, resilient fiction show protagonists and lending a national platform for celebrating the common man’s talent through its non-fiction formats, Zee TV’s endeavors of spreading hope have extended beyond the realms of just television content – the most recent case being ‘Hum Hai … Ummeed-e-Kashmir’ where the channel, along with its philanthropy partners, organized star-studded charity concerts to raise funds and provide shelters for the rehabilitation of flood-afflicted citizens of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam & Vishakhapatnam. As an interesting extension of its constant mission of spreading Ummeed, Zee TV recently invited its loyal viewers to share their personal ummeed stories – Real life accounts of their journeys of hope, successes and triumphs over any daunting obstacles and challenges life posed them with.

     

    The channel has received an overwhelming response and some very intriguing and inspiring stories of tiding over trials with the power of hope! Zee TV believes that the country has a lot to benefit from reading about these motivating accounts of Ummeed and plans to bring them to the masses in a book specially written and curated by author Rashmi Bansal — a writer, entrepreneur and a youth expert with six best-selling books on entrepreneurship, each of which have sold more than 1 million copies and been translated in 10 languages. She is also one of India’s most sought-after motivational speakers. Her books – be it I Have a Dream, Poor Little Rich Slum, Follow Every Rainbow, Take Me Home or Arise Awake, have captured the journeys of enterprising women, students, slum-dwellers and small-town entrepreneurs.

     

    Every single Ummeed entry shared by Zee TV’s viewers will be showcased on the channel’s official website, 10 entries per week will be featured on air through astons on Zee TV, the top 25 will make their way into the special book being curated by Rashmi Bansal while perhaps a select handful of the best stories will go on to inspire Zee TV’s upcoming shows.   

     

    Elaborating on Zee TV’s plans in this regard, the channel’s Business Head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “Zee TV has and will always stand for Ummeed. It is its articulation that will change to reflect the changing times. So, as we recently evolved our core proposition to Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed, making it even more relevant to our viewers’ daily lives, we set out in search of inspiration. We called out to our own viewers to share their most moving, motivating accounts of triumphs and victories – stories where they held on to Ummeed and stayed afloat, tiding over tribulations and challenges, only to emerge winners. We’ve received an overwhelming response with thousands of people writing in with diverse subjects and issues. These are stories waiting to be told, as they have the potential to inspire. With Rashmi having made a significant contribution towards encouraging India’s youth, shaping careers and fostering entrepreneurial spirit, we are pleased to partner with her in bringing alive some of these most impressive crowd-sourced stories of Ummeed. Rashmi will curate and author a special book for Zee TV that will tell each of these truly inspiring Ummeed stories in the way only she can!”

     

    Rashmi Bansal said, “Zee TV understands the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the common man of India. While my passion as an author, has been writing about those who’ve made such dreams come true. So, when their team approached me to write and curate a book based on stories of ‘ummeed’ shared by thousands of their viewers, I thought – wow, what a powerful idea! Such a book will definitely create a huge and positive impact.  The challenge now lies in identifying the most deserving entries whose stories provide true inspiration and hope. The task is not easy, as fascinating stories continue to pour in … but it’s very satisfying. My work on the book has just begun and we hope to showcase some truly inspiring role-models who will lend ummeed to countless others!”   

     

    The book will be released on 2nd October, 2015 – the anniversary of Zee TV.

  • Disney Channel celebrates ‘Togetherness’ with Indian families

    Disney Channel celebrates ‘Togetherness’ with Indian families

    MUMBAI: For over ten years, Disney Channel India has entertained Indian kids with stories and characters that they have come to love and creating wonderful uniquely Disney memories along the way. Starting January 31st Disney Channel will airfive new heartwarming and uplifting live-action shows that will capture emotions and evolving aspirations whilst celebrating the joys of the progressive Indian Family of today.

     

    January 31 will see the launch of five new live-action shows premiering on the weekend on the channel – ‘Kabhi Aise Geet Gaya Karo’, ‘Maan Na Maan Main Tera Mehmaan’, ‘Goldie Ahuja Matric Pass’, ‘Lage Raho Chachu’ and ‘Zindagi Khattee Meethi’, all backed with a talented star-cast including television veterans like Renuka Shahane, Mahesh Thakur, Sudhir Pandey, Maninee Mishra, Ashwin Kaushal, Harsh Vashisht amongst others. With heartwarming stories, moments of humor, celebrations and distinctly quirky personalities, each of the shows promise to touch your hearts and make you smile. 

     

    Launched in 2005, Disney Channel has been the key destination for the Disney brand for kids in India. Disney Channel provides widely-enjoyed and unique, high quality branded entertainment that kids love and parents trust.Now with a promise of ‘Shanivaar, Ravivaar only for Parivaar’, the channel is extending this experience for families over weekends and will continue to entertain the kids with compelling animation stories and characters on the weekdays.

     

    “Globally Disney is a family entertainment brand and in India, Disney Channel has represented the brand by providing viewers a decade of quality entertainment for kids.  With entertaining stories and campaigns that have encouraged them to express, believe in themselves and follow their dreams, the channel has defined television viewing experiences for kids. Now, with a renewed promise, the channel is progressing to provide a wholesome, uplifting entertainment experience for the entire family”, said Vijay Subramaniam, VP- Content and Communications, Media Networks, Disney India.

  • Pogo and Graphic India presents ‘Sholay Adventures’

    Pogo and Graphic India presents ‘Sholay Adventures’

    MUMBAI: Pogo, Graphic India and Sholay Media and Entertainment have announced that they will bring “Sholay Adventures,” an animated reinvention of the beloved classic, to the small screen. The first movie in the series will premiere on POGO on Monday, January 26th at 12pm.

     

    Sholay Adventures will be the first of four television animation films that introduce Jai and Veeru in new and mischievous kid avatars. Parents will remember the enduring qualities of friendship and loyalty from the original film, while kids will experience heroes like Jai and Veeru for the very first time. Sholay Adventures will bring together two generations in a new fun adventure.

     

    Commenting on this partnership, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International said, “With Pogo, we have always strived to create local content that resonates with Indian kids. By partnering with Graphic India and Sholay Media Entertainment to reinvent an iconic movie like Sholay, we hope to engage and entertain not only kids but also parents.”

     

    “Sholay is beloved by millions of people across the country. We are thrilled to be working with Sholay Media and Entertainment and POGO to take these iconic characters into exciting new stories through animation for the first time,” commented Graphic’s Co-Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan “The legendary friendship of Jai &Veeru has captivated generations. Now, with this fun and action-packed, kids animation, both fathers and sons will be able to experience Sholayin a whole new way together.”  

     

    Veeru and Jai are back! As 10 year olds working for Thakur Uncle’s secret SHOLAY police agency, they’re on a mission to stop Gabbar Singh and his villainous group of monsters and criminals known as the Fright Force! The fate of the world is in the hands of these two best friends! The animated films take the well beloved characters that populated the original Sholaymovie and reinvents them in a fun animated way for kids.

     

    Devarajan is an Executive Producer of the animated film with Sascha Sippy, Chairman of Sholay Media and Entertainment. The new animated look of the beloved movie characters were created by Graphic India’s SVP Creative, Jeevan J. Kang with the script for the animated series written by acclaimed writer, Alok Sharma, a lead writer on Cartoon Network’s originally produced hit series, Roll No. 21.

     

    Beyond animation, Graphic India and Sholay Media and Entertainment will also introduce books, merchandise and other products for kids based on the new Sholay Adventures.

  • ‘Dr. Subhash Chandra’s Show’ to focus on time management

    ‘Dr. Subhash Chandra’s Show’ to focus on time management

    MUMBAI: The latest episode of the Dr. Subhash Chandra (DSC) Show, Zee Media Corporation’s flagship show, will focus on the topic of Time Management. Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group and ZEE will address Management students at one of the country’s premier institutions, IMT Ghaziabad on 23 January, 2015.

     

    Speaking on the upcoming episode, Dr. Chandra said, “Effective time management not only helps to improve productivity but also helps you to achieve your goals. As an entrepreneur, one has a limited amount of time and needs to use it wisely.”

     

    Dr. Subhash Chandra (DSC) Show is aired every Saturday at 10 pm on Zee News and 7pm on Zee Business and on Sundays at 11 am on both Zee News & Zee Business.  This show is also aired on other channels of Zee Media.

     

    Dr. Chandra is rightly referred to as the Media Moghul of India. With his pioneering vision and entrepreneurial mindset to achieve growth, he revolutionized the television industry by launching the country’s first satellite television channel – Zee TV in 1992 and later the first private news channel, Zee News. Dr. Chandra started the Essel Group which is among India’s most prominent business houses with a diverse portfolio of assets in media, packaging, entertainment, technology-enabled services, infrastructure development and education.