ITV

Category: Press Release

  • Light Up Your Festive Season With The Brightest Pataakhas Only On Zee Café

    Light Up Your Festive Season With The Brightest Pataakhas Only On Zee Café

    It’s that time of the year when the skies are lit with flaming anaars, sparkling phuljadis and smoking rockets. As we gear up for a dhamakedaar festive season, it’s time to shrug off the gloom from the past and celebrate ‘we time’ with the festivities on Zee Café. It’s truly a beautiful sight to behold as friends and families come together for a spectacle of fireworks from Hollywood on ‘Café Pataakha Fest’. Starting Sunday, 19th October, weeknights at 10 and a weekend binge starting 9am onwards, good fortunes are right around the corner with Zee Café bringing you the finest entertainment this month from its archive of titular shows and movies right on your screens.

    The dazzling line-up kickstarts with the all new L.A.’s Finest Season 2 airing weeknights at 10PM. Starring Jessica Alba (Sin City) and Gabrielle Union (Bad Boys II), this is the kind of cop action you are looking for to light up your weekdays with big guns and fiery explosions. It’s time to lock and load as the deadly duo return to take you through the labyrinth of Los Angeles’ gang ridden badlands as they take lead to rain down fury on the bad guys.

    Stay blazed on weekends with the best episodes of your favourite shows staring 9AM onwards airing all day long. Award-winning reality cooking show MasterChef Australia Season 8 takes centre stage this month as home cooks scurry around the kitchen to produce a unique palette of flavours to win the prestigious title of Australia’s finest chef. Situational comedy has always found its place on Zee Café with 80’s hit series Seinfeld starring Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards. The cherry on the top is the iconic television show I Dream Of Jeannie starring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman that tells the story of 2,000-year-old genie who falls in love with an astronaut, her knight in shining armour who rescues her from her recluse confinement into a new world filled with adventure and excitement.

    There are tonnes of more ‘pataakhas’ to look forward to straight from Hollywood with blockbuster movies such as 2020s superhero-hit ‘Bloodshot’ starring Vin Diesel, Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood’ and the Resident Evil series.

  • CNN launches new series ‘Saved by the Future’ with leading names in science and technology exploring the innovations that will shape our future

    CNN launches new series ‘Saved by the Future’ with leading names in science and technology exploring the innovations that will shape our future

    This month, CNN launches ‘Saved by the Future’, a brand-new cross-platform series in which some of the biggest names in science and technology spotlight breakthrough innovations in mobility, automation, energy, sustainability and artificial intelligence that could transform our lives in decades to come.

    In the first of three 30-minute shows, host Nicki Shields guides conversations with Bill Nye, Fabien Cousteau and Kathy Sullivan, who transport us to a world of future possibilities that once seemed like mere science fiction, in everything from mobility in space to electric drones that can predict the weather.

    Shields first speaks with TV Star “The Science Guy”, climate change advocate and social media sensation Bill Nye about the future of space exploration. Nye is CEO of the Planetary Society, which successfully launched its LightSail 2 spacecraft in 2019. The spacecraft is powered by solar winds from the sun, meaning by design, it will never run out of fuel. Nye believes this breakthrough will be the future of sustainable space travel, and discusses the domino effect this science has had on the building blocks for future technology.  

    For Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of renowned explorer Jacques Cousteau, the future of ocean exploration rests on advancements in automation and underwater mobility. In 2014, Cousteau and his crew spent 31 days living under the ocean in an underwater habitat known as ‘Aquarius’ – and reveals that an even bigger version, dubbed Project Proteus, is already in the works. We explore the impact such developments could have upon humankind’s understanding of our own oceans.

    Finally, Shields speaks with scientist and former NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan, who earlier this year became the only person who has both walked in space and visited the deepest known point in the ocean. Sullivan explains to CNN that our oceans are in need of a major technological upgrade: while satellites in space are able to communicate a snapshot of the weather on earth, a networked ocean blanketed with sensors could deliver an extended forecast – helping us accurately understand the state of our earth months, even years, in advance.

  • With Love From Hollywood’s Finest Handpicked Movies Airing Every Sunday Only On &PrivéHD

    With Love From Hollywood’s Finest Handpicked Movies Airing Every Sunday Only On &PrivéHD

    As movies exemplify visual arts in its most original form. &PrivéHD brings to you specially handpicked immersive movies that are bound to give you the pleasant and satisfying experience of watching some of the biggest features on screen. Tune-in to an exclusive preview of nuanced cinema every Sunday at 1PM and 9PM and watch award-winning pioneers behind the lens entertain you with fine panache and passion only on &PrivéHD.

    Here’s a movie that placed India on the map once again by winning a slew of Academy Awards with its unique storytelling of a tale from rags to riches. Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Steve Jobs) tells the story of a young 18-year-old chaiwallah (Dev Patel) through flashbacks that are sewn together in a fateful twist that brings him a step closer to his destiny. Next up, a Sci-fi movie directed by Daniel Espinosa (Child 44), Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds gives the viewers a glimpse of humanities extending reach and unending urge to comprehend matters well beyond their limits. Buckle in for an extended joyride every weekend with movies like Moneyball and Pearl Harbour set you give you the wholesome experience you have been missing out on.

    Take a seat and enjoy movies specially handpicked for you airing Sundays at 1PM and 9PM only on &PrivéHD

  • TV9 enters business content vertical, appoints Rakesh Khar as Editor & Business Head

    TV9 enters business content vertical, appoints Rakesh Khar as Editor & Business Head

    After consolidating its leadership in the linear news TV format, TV9 Network is now turning its attention to revamping its digital business. As a step in this direction, the group has appointed Rakesh Khar to set up and lead the business content vertical of its upcoming digital offerings.

    Having served the newsroom in a leadership role for over two decades, Khar last served as Editor (Special Projects) at Network 18 Group, driving campaigns and special initiatives across its media assets. Khar earlier worked with India’s top news brands that include The Economic Times, Television Eighteen, Zee News, DNA and Deccan Chronicle. He also serves on the Executive Council of India’s premier media institute, the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

    Commenting on Khar’s appointment, Barun Das, CEO, TV9 Network, said: “As the digital landscape evolves at a breakneck pace, we are coming up with multiple offerings cutting across various geographies, languages and catering to myriad consumer interest areas. Cutting edge technology will be at the core of our digital expansion plans and one can expect some industry-first products. Rakesh Khar joins us to lead one of the critical verticals.”

    On his new assignment, Khar said, “I am looking forward to being part of the TV9 family as it embraces new benchmarks. The digital architecture has enabled both access and empowerment and time is ripe to bring into the ambit of financialization each and every citizen irrespective of the size of his or her savings. We are here to enable this shift at the grassroots level.”

    Welcoming Khar, B V Rao, Group Editor, TV9 Network, said: “The mainstream business media is traditionally focused on select top conglomerates and there is an urgent need to reflect the aspirations of other enterprises. Given our strong penetration in language markets, it is time to tell the economy story from a pan India perspective. Our digital offerings will be the most credible vehicle to beam success stories while offering investors an opportunity to draw the right dividends from their investments.”

    TV9 Network is India’s No. 1 News Network with more than 29 crore average weekly impressions as per the most recent data from television audience measurement body BARC.

    The network comprises four regional language leaders in TV9 Telugu, TV9 Kannada, TV9 Marathi and TV9 Gujarati, and the national Hindi news channel, TV9 Bharatvarsh, which has earned a place for itself in the league of the Top 3.

  • Sony BBC Earth concludes a successful run of photography contest and IP ‘Earth in Focus’

    Sony BBC Earth concludes a successful run of photography contest and IP ‘Earth in Focus’

    Sony BBC Earth, India’s most loved factual entertainment channel, recently concluded another edition of its photography based digital IP ‘Earth in Focus’ but this time, it was bigger and better. While the channel is home to spectacular visuals, moments and stories captured by the world’s foremost filmmakers, with ‘Earth in Focus’, Sony BBC Earth decided to celebrate the beauty of the world through the eyes of its audience. The initiative is a great platform for every photography enthusiast who has the passion and a keen eye to capture moments in time, with or without professional skills or equipment.

    The channel roped in Amoghavarsha JS – an award-winning photographer and natural history filmmaker with over 15 years of experience and global accolades to his credit – as the expert judge and announced the contest on World Photography Day (19th August). With a relatable theme of ‘Freedom in Focus’, the month-long contest kickstarted on 30th August where the channel invited photography enthusiasts to capture their take on freedom considering the subcategories of Nature, People and Hobbies.

    The contest, which was promoted extensively on the channel and on digital platforms, received approx. 2500 splendid entries which were then open to a round of public voting. After a phenomenal response of over 1,35,000 votes, the top 15 most voted entries from each category – 45 in all – went for the judge’s review and Amoghavarsha in turn handpicked 3 final winners – 1 from each category. This was a moment of great pride for the winners since they not only received a swanky Sony ILCE 6000L camera and recognition from Sony BBC Earth but also witnessed an exclusive and insightful masterclass with Amoghavarsha himself, on the topic of ‘The art of storytelling through photography’.

    From unique people and expressions to awe-inspiring beauty and moments in nature, these breath-taking and powerful images will be successful in transporting viewers to an unseen world and in making them feel alive. With over 8 lakh views already, the website is open to all who want to view the winning and the most rated entries.

  • ZEE5 Partners with Kellton Tech to Shift from Legacy to Hyper-Scalable, Cloud-Native CMS

    ZEE5 Partners with Kellton Tech to Shift from Legacy to Hyper-Scalable, Cloud-Native CMS

    Kellton Tech (BSE&NSE: KELLTONTEC), a global leader in digital transformation and integration, announced that it has been chosen by ZEE5, India’s Entertainment Super-app, to build a next-generation, cloud-native content management system (CMS) that delivers relevant, real-time content experiences across all constituents of business. 

    As a strategic digital partner, Kellton Tech will blend automation with smart cloud capabilities to build a hyper-scalable content management system that facilitates the capture, aggregation, management, and record of informationfaster and more conveniently through a plug-and-play approach.The new CMS will be built on a foundation of self-learning, analytical technologies to enable personalized content recommendations and deliveryforboosting viewer engagement and maximizing the value of subscription-based revenue constantly. 

    Karanjit Singh, CEO – Kellton Tech India, said: 

    “Our collaboration with ZEE5 marks the beginning of an important collaborative milestone for Kellton Tech. This is a huge opportunity for us to showcase our forward-looking digital capabilities and deploy our bespoke integrated planning approaches. This project, powered by new-age digital technologies, will provide access to relevant insights and help ZEE5 gain operational efficiency, resulting in faster creation, moderation, and dissemination of content. We look forward to creating long-lasting value for ZEE5 and supporting its growth momentum.”

    Rajneel Kumar, Business Head – Expansion Projects & Head Products at ZEE5 India, said: 

    “ZEE5 is a classic consumer first brand and it takes the best of content, data and cutting-edge technology to delight users on the go. Our partnership with Kellton Tech is one such strategic step taken towards optimizing the platform capabilities to stay relevant, facilitate greater user engagement, conversion, and retention. We are committed to invest aggressively in technology that enables us to deliver a superlative content viewing experience for our audiences anytime, anywhere.”
     

  • Zee Tamil Kutumbam Viruthugal 2020 returns with its third season in a brand-new avatar

    Zee Tamil Kutumbam Viruthugal 2020 returns with its third season in a brand-new avatar

    Since its inception in 2008, leading Tamil General Entertainment Channel – Zee Tamil has been reputed for constantly innovating fresh formats and novel shows across the fiction and non-fiction segments. Following the immense success and fan-following for Zee Tamil shows among Tamilians across the world, the channel has announced the third season of Zee Tamil Kutumbam Viruthugal 2020 – a celebratory awards event that seeks to recognise the best in-house talent across various categories. The official launch announcing the event took place over a one-of-a-kind virtual press event for the first time in South TV Media landscape that brought alive the magic of small screen glitz and glamour like never seen before.

    Incepted in 2018, Zee Tamil Kutumbam Viruthugal seeks to recognise the enormous talent within the channel. It celebrates the journey of the stars and technical crew across top shows in the fiction genre such as Sembaruthi, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Oru Oorla Oru Rajakumari, Sathya, Neethane Yendhan Ponvasantham, Gokulathil Seethai, Poove Poochudava, Endrendrum Punnagai, RajaMagal, Rettai Roja and non-fiction shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Dance Jodi Dance, Genes, Super Mom and Junior Super Stars.

    The novelty of Zee Tamil Kutumbam Viruthugal 2020 this year lies in its unique prelude event for the nomination process of the ‘Best awards’ categories and the voting process for ‘Favourite Awards’ categories going completely digital. The Zee Tamil Kutumbam will be brought together in a single bungalow, set-up for a three-day event where they will compete against each-other, performing fun-filled tasks and playing interesting games, in a bid to secure a spot in the final nomination list. This season in keeping with the new normal, the entire process of collection of fair votes from the viewers has been completely moved onto digital through voting from Zee5 (www.ztkv.zee5.com), Zee Tamil Facebook Page and giving missed calls from mobile phones. Whereas in the last 2 seasons the collection of votes was also done through on-ground mobile canters. The categories of the ‘Favourite awards’ include Favourite Hero, Favourite Heroine, Favourite on-screen pair, Favourite Villi, Favourite Anchor, and Favourite Serial.

    In adherence to government regulations and in the interest of audience safety, the event this year will be held in a restricted studio set-up, with due process being followed including regular sanitisation and social distancing. The dates for TV telecast of the event are as listed below:

    Prelude – 17th & 18th October
    Red carpet – 25th October
    Main Event Part 1 – 25th October
    Main Event Part 2 – 1st November
    Main Event Part 3 – 8th November

    The prestigious trophy and categories for the awards this year was unveiled in the presence of Mr. Siju Prabhakaran, EVP & Cluster Head-South Business– Zee Entertainment Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Tamildasan, Programming Head – Zee Tamil, Actor Priya Raman, Director and Anchor Karu Palaniappan, Actor Shree Kumar, Actor Jai Akash, RJ Vijay, Actor Reshma, Actor Ayesha and Actor Dharsana from the Zee Tamil Kutumbam.

    The Zee Tamil Kutumbam Viruthugal voting lines and digital platforms are open. Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite Zee Tamil stars!

  • This Dussehra, punch out the supervillain of our lives ‘the year 2020’ and get ready for a new beginning with Zee Cinema

    This Dussehra, punch out the supervillain of our lives ‘the year 2020’ and get ready for a new beginning with Zee Cinema

    2020 is an unforgettable year! It tortured us, made us crib, canned our plans, got us locked up at homes and even made us pull our hair. Its been one bumpy roller coaster ride which changed our lives drastically. But now its high time we put an end to it. This Dussehra, get ready to punch out the biggest villain of our lives ‘the year 2020’ with Zee Cinema in full cinema style.

    So, get your game faces on and join Zee Cinema to punch out the year 2020 and open the doors for a new beginning. Bringing alive the essence of the campaign, Zee Cinema has specially created an interactive microsite www.2020katheend.com, where everybody can give it back to 2020 by power packed punches and kicks. A huge sigh of relief is surely to follow once they show 2020 who the actual boss is. Post this, one can let the world know how they plan to move over 2020 by sharing their wishes for a new beginning.

    While you ace the game of punching out 2020 from your lives, you can enjoy a power packed entertainment on Zee Cinema everyday from 12th to 25th October at 6pm and 9pm where your favorite superstars fight the evil in their unique style. Witness  and take inspiration from the mighty superstars like the powerhouse of talent, Ranveer Singh  who fights his gut out against the goons in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Simmba’ or be it the cutting-edge action scenes by superstar Prabhas in the film ‘Saaho’. Let the war cry raise your spirits to the end year while you take motivation from the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Kesari’ or be it the power packed action film Commando 3  where Karanvir a.k.a Vidyut Jammwal keeps the terror attack at bay.

  • Hats-Off Digital Private Limited celebrates its ninth glorious year of excellence

    Hats-Off Digital Private Limited celebrates its ninth glorious year of excellence

    Hats-Off Digital Private Limited is a digital marketing agency headquartered in Pune, and in Mumbai and Israel for new business purposes. What started as a discussion among three friends to make it big in their vision for Digital Marketing becoming the future nine years ago, has led them to establish an entity to an extent where the agency currently ranks number one in SEO and Wikipedia services in India. A great idea and vision can create wonders, and Hats-Off Digital Private Limited is a live example for the same. With no concrete knowledge in the field and learning and growing together, it is the failures and experiences that have taught so much more that textbooks and classes could ever have. Be it dealing with difficult clients, or coping up with changing preferences and circumstances, it has all been dealt with in a smooth manner. 

    This year is one of the most challenging ones for businesses with the onset of Covid-19. It has taught everyone to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and adapt to situations and ensure the work goes on. Despite a pandemic, the staff has been working and keeping their clients on priority and ensuring the best services are provided by working from home. It has also worked well as many businesses have now shifted online from offline and the need for digital marketing has grown to a huge extent, and this might be the future for years to come. 

    People have now adapted their lifestyles to the virtual world, and this is becoming the new normal. Working from the comfort of homes, browsing and shopping through online, getting  banking services done online, ordering food and groceries from online and enjoying through the comfort of your homes, chatbots available to assist at any given time, keywords and SEO playing a huge role in understanding the needs of the customer and what they are searching for, and online classes for children becoming the new learning form, are some of the certain ways in which our digital dependency has increased. Also, a lot more people are available online now and have more time on their hands, to actually read the content and advertisements shared by companies and brands. Social media and boosting has helped brands survive amidst a lockdown and maintain their virtual presence like never before.

    With digital marketing gaining so much importance and mobile application softwares being developed to ease the access and provide multiple services with just a click, digital marketing is the way to go forward. Hats-Off had envisioned this even before a pandemic set in to make people realise the importance of digital dependency in the future. Technology is definitely a boon in the case of digital marketing, and Hats-Off Digital stands tall and strong in the array of services the company provides – SEO, SMM, Content Development, Design Development, Mobile Application, PR and Website Development.

    The agency has a strong clientele backing and portfolio over the nine years in verticals such as Healthcare, Education, CSR, Entertainment, Retail, FMCG, Banking, Finance and Real Estate. It is an accomplishment which began with three co-founders and is now a mid-sized agency comprising of 35 employees in a span of nine years. With experts on board and each one being a master in their own vertical, Hats-Off Digital is all set to reach greater heights as it moves up the ladder being on Cloud 9. 
     

  • Indulge in ‘The Perfect Serve’ with all-star chefs, Sarah Todd, Analiese Gregory, and Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava as they take on one of Australia’s most prestigious culinary events: the AO Chef Series only on SONY SIX channels

    Indulge in ‘The Perfect Serve’ with all-star chefs, Sarah Todd, Analiese Gregory, and Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava as they take on one of Australia’s most prestigious culinary events: the AO Chef Series only on SONY SIX channels

    Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) is all set to showcase the inspiring journey of three female celebrity chefs, Sarah Todd, Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava and Analiese Gregory as they prepare to deliver first class menus at one of Australia’s most exclusive dining events,  the AO Chef Series, in ‘The Perfect Serve’. The five-episode documentary series invites viewers to take an intimate look inside the AO Chef Series, a unique and innovative pop-up dining experience in the heart of the most watched Australian sporting event in the world, The Australian Open. 

    ‘The Perfect Serve’ will be telecast exclusively on SONY SIX channels, every Saturday at 5:00 pm with the first episode on 10th October 2020.

    The Perfect Serve unveils the stellar line-up of female chefs Sarah Todd, Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava and Analiese Gregory who headlined the AO Chef Series in 2020. TV personality, cookbook author and owner of three restaurants in India, including Antares in Goa, Sarah Todd was a favorite to win the Season 6 of MasterChef Australia and is a recognized face with Indian audiences. Thai chef and partner of Michelin Star restaurant Bo.Ian in Bangkok, Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava, is considered as one of the most celebrated and successful chefs in Asia with her commitment towards Thai food culture and heritage. She is an awardee of the Veuve Clicquot award for Best Female Chef in Asia. Songviasa has also been profiled on the 5th season of Chef’s Table. Analiese Gregory is a trailblazing chef from Tasmania, Australia and has obtained two hats in the 2019 Good Food Guide. Along with diving into the Tasmanian cuisines in Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Season Two, Gregory has also been a finalist at Chef of the Year in 2019.

    Overview of the Series

    As the Australian Open players set the bar with their performances on the court, celebrity chefs Sarah Todd, Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava and Analiese Gregory devise, source and test their menus for this luxury dining event. Heading to Bangkok, Tasmania and Mumbai, the series captures an intimate portrait of these unique female chefs as they begin the daunting preparation for the AO Chef Series in Melbourne in 2020, an event where expectations are sky high and perfection is expected.

    We go behind the scenes to get a firsthand look at the culinary and logistical challenges of staging this premium event to deliver a once in a lifetime dining experience. Providing a unique insight into the high adrenaline demands of fine dining food service, we follow each chef as they navigate the high-pressure environment of a commercial kitchen in full operation and the pressure to perfect every detail of their complex degustation menus. Despite all the planning, our chefs must contend with many last-minute challenges. Back in their kitchens, recipe testing is an extensive process as they go about perfecting each recipe. Viewers in India will especially resonate with Sarah Todd’s menu which is a contemporary spin on unique Indian street food.

    Front of house we experience all the glamour of the event as our chefs mingle with the guests and

    present their highly anticipated menus. The finale of this series will feature unexpected cameo appearances from tennis players, A-list personalities and other characters, as our chefs finally deliver what they have been working on for months.

    Comments:

    Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India:

    “The Perfect Serve is a unique program where food meets sports with compelling stories beyond the on-court action during the Australian Open. The part culinary series showcases the lifestyle essence of one of the biggest Grand Slam tournaments of the world, The Australian Open, which is home to some of the best tennis players of the world.”

    Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director: 

    “The Perfect Serve celebrates the AO Chef Series and profiles some of the most talented women in the international food and hospitality industry. Being able to follow their preparations across Mumbai, Bangkok, Hobart and Melbourne will take the viewer right into the inner sanctum showing what it takes to deliver a premium culinary experience at the Australian Open.”

    Sarah Todd, Celebrity Chef:

    “I was honoured to be part of the Australian Open Chef Series in 2020. My time in India over the last six years influenced my cooking style and this was a unique opportunity to bring the two countries together with my Indian-Australian cuisine. My preparation for the menu was exciting and involved elements of Australia and India. I am so happy this was captured in the 5-part series “The Perfect Serve”.  I hope you enjoy watching.”

    Watch The Perfect Serve every Saturday starting from 10th October 2020, 5:00 pm onwards, exclusively on SONY SIX channels.