ITV

Category: Press Release

  • Salman walks the red carpet of Filmfare Awards after 15 Years

    Salman walks the red carpet of Filmfare Awards after 15 Years

    MUMBAI: The most awaited awards function of the season, the 59th Idea Filmfare awards will see the entertainment quotient rise to new levels as bollywood’s top superstars will decorate the evening with their heart stopping performances. History will be made when industry’s dabangg star Salman Khan will walk the red carpet after 15 years. This is not all! Salman will also be seen setting the stage on fire with his adrenaline filled performance on his hit songs.

    The entertainment doesn’t stop here! The very cool Ranbir Kapoor and the very sexy Priyanka Chopra will have everyone in splits with their wacky chemistry and outstanding hosting skills. Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor will sizzle the stage when they perform to their hit songs from their latest films. The audience will be left asking for more when dhak dhak girl Madhuri Dixit will perform mujra on her famous numbers like Maar daala and her latest hit Atariya from Dedh Ishqiya.

    The evening’s big winners will see Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra walk away with the best film title for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar will be seen teary eyed walking away with the black lady for the best actor male and female in a leading role award in their film Ram Leela and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag respectively.

    So get ready for a star studded evening filled with some unforgettable performances this Sunday, January 26 2013 at 8pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Thums Up, Being Human & AIF launch “VEER”

    Thums Up, Being Human & AIF launch “VEER”

    MUMBAI: Living up to its toofani message of unleashing the potential within, India’s most iconic brand Thums Up has come together with brand ambassador Salman Khan’s Being Human Foundation and CNN-IBN to launch Campaign VEER – Unleashing the Inner Potential of Persons with Disabilities. With the American India Foundation (AIF) coming on board as Implementation Partners, VEER is set to be a two-month long media campaign showcasing case examples of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) who have succeeded in their endeavors on the strength of their self belief, despite environmental and attitudinal barriers.

    The initiative aims to reach out to more than 1000 PwDs with skill training and employment opportunities and will also raise advocacy on issues revolving around inclusiveness, employability of PwDs and workplace accessibility. In its first phase, this special campaign aims to collect funds to train and economically empower at least 1,000 PwDs.

    Speaking about the campaign, Salman Khan, Founder of Being Human and Face of Campaign VEER said, “Together with Thums Up, Being Human has launched Veer, a campaign that recognizes the potential of differently abled individuals and provides them with a level playing field. We are thankful to CNN-IBN and AIF for their support”.

     

    Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat, said, “We at IBN Network firmly believe that journalism has to be truly inclusive. As part of this commitment, we are very proud to announce VEER in association with Thums up, American India Foundation and Being Human.”

    VEER will address challenges such as inclusive education and employment, skill training and development, and advocating for disabled-friendly technology. Towards this, several panel discussions are set to be held with participation from the who’s who from  government, corporate, NGOs, policy makers/ think tanks and donors of the campaign to discuss on the way forward to empower the ‘specially-abled’ of the country. Key takeaways from these discussions would be compiled into a ‘Vision Document’ and presented to the government.

    AIF will impart vocational training to these individuals and ascertain their requirements so that they can be made job-ready. As outlined by AIF, INR 7,500 is all it takes to train an individual with disability to make him/her employable.

    Speaking about the initiative, Debabrata Mukherjee, VP-Marketing & Commercial, Coca-Cola India said, “Thums Up as a brand believes that everybody has the potential within, it’s just that one needs to nudge himself and take the leap of faith that can change his reality. In continuation with the same belief, through the campaign VEER, we would like to offer specially abled persons a platform to unleash their own potential. We are very glad that partners like CNN-IBN,  Being Human and American India Foundation have joined hands and we hope that together we will be able to make a positive difference”

    Hemanth Paul, Country Director, AIF, said, “Irrespective of whether you are a person with disability or not, economic independence is a critical thing for everyone. We need to mould persons with disability from being a liability to an asset. At the American India Foundation, we have been working on the whole livelihood space for the last eight years to make such people financially independent.”

    The launch episode of VEER will introduce the viewers to the idea behind starting this campaign and reveal how every Indian can get involved. On the show, eminent voices such as disability rights activist Javed Habibi; actor-activist Rahul Bose; Deepak Jolly, VP Communication & Public Affairs at Coca-Cola; Hemanth Paul, Country Director, AIF; para table-tennis champion Suvarna Raj; and Pankaj Dubey, MD, Polaris India, will discuss the need for a campaign like VEER.

    The series with four episodes will run in conjunction with digital platforms. A dedicated call centre- 0120-4019191, a website – www.theveer.in, and a mobile app – VEER has been set up to enable people to make contributions. One can also send an SMS, ‘VEER’ to 51818 to know more about the initiative and make individual donations.
     

    Don’t forget to watch the special series on

    Saturday, 25th January at 2:00pm and 10:30pm (R), Sunday, 26th January at 12:00noon and 6:00pm (R) on CNN-IBN and Saturday 25th January at 1:00pm and Sunday, 26th January at 6:00pm (R) on IBN7

  • Upen Patel and Leah Weller in Coeur Campaign

    Upen Patel and Leah Weller in Coeur Campaign

    MUMBAI: Actor Upen Patel has not only been voted as the sexiest man in Asian but also has modeled for well known brands like Versace, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Savile Row and Paul Smith.  The actor has been seen in hit Bollywood films like 36 China Town, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, etc and is making his debut down south with Shankar’s megabudget film Ai with Shankar and Amy Jackson.

     

    The good looking Patel boy recently shot for Coeur’s 2014 Spring/Summer campaign where the actor cum model can be seen alongside the stunning Leah Weller, daughter of rockstar Paul Weller.  Patel and Weller look fabulous together and the campaign is already attracting attention given the appearance of Leah working the androgynous look to perfection.

     

    Stripes and metallics dominate the range by international designer Peter Jeun Ho Tsang. He was inspired by British tailoring and Asian fabrics which together have produced this fusion line.

     

    Looks like 2014 is off to a great start for Upen!

  • Uday Chopra’s Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman to open the 67th Cannes

    Uday Chopra’s Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman to open the 67th Cannes

    MUMBAI: French director Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco is to open the next Festival de Cannes. The world preview will take place on Wednesday 14 May, 2014, in the Grand Théâtre Lumi?re of the Palais des Festivals, in the Official Selection category, Out of Competition. Grace of Monaco follows on from The Great Gatsby by Baz Luhrmann.

     
    The film portrays a period in the life of American Actress Grace Kelly (played by Nicole Kidman) who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III (Tim Roth) in 1956, in what was dubbed “the marriage of the century”. An Oscar winner, she was already a huge film star, having worked with the very greatest (John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Fred Zinnemann) and acclaimed the world over. Six years later, amid occasional difficulties in fulfilling her role, she was invited back to Hollywood by Alfred Hitchcock, to play in his new film Marnie. At the time, France was threatening to tax and even annex Monaco, the tiny Principality whose monarch Kelly had become. Was she still an actress? Was she really Princess of Monaco?
     

    Produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday Chopra and Arash Amel, who also wrote the screenplay, Grace de Monaco sees Nicole Kidman play the role of Grace, with Tim Roth as Prince Rainier. Their co-stars include Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Jeanne Balibar, Sir Derek Jacobi and Paz Vega, who plays Maria Callas. The film was shot in Scope 2.35 using Kodak 35mm film. The Director of Photography was France’s Eric Gautier and the 16-weeks shoot took place in Monaco, South of France, Paris, Vintimille, Gand and Bruxelles.

     
    Born in 1967 in La Ciotat, Olivier Dahan previously directed La Vie en Rose (2007) which garnered Marion Cotillard the Oscar for Best Actress in 2008. Grace of Monaco will be released on the opening day of the Festival, Wednesday 14 May, in France and in several cities around the world. The opening ceremony will be broadcast to participating cinemas, with the kind cooperation of Canal+.

     
    Grace of Monaco is A Stone Angels and YRF Entertainment production. The film is co-produced by TF1 Films Productions, Gaumont, Lucky Red, OD Shots, Ufilm, and in association with Silver Reel – Ufund. Distributor in France is Gaumont and International Sales is with Lotus Entertainment.

     

  • Debra O’Connel to preside over ABC National Sales

    Debra O’Connel to preside over ABC National Sales

    MUMBAI: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) executive Debra O’Connell has been promoted to president of ABC National Television Sales, it was announced today by Rebecca Campbell, president of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. She succeeds John Watkins, who previously announced that he will retire at the end of January.

     

    ABC National Television Sales is the sales and marketing arm of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. Ms. O’Connell will be responsible for national advertising sales at ABC’s eight owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno as well as their extensive digital platforms, The Live Well Network and ABC Regional Sports & Entertainment Sales. ABC National Television Sales has nine regional sales offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit and Boston.

     

    Ms. OConnell has been with ABC for 17 years. She was previously senior vice president of sales for ABC National Television Sales, a position to which she was named in 2011. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of Multimedia Sales and Marketing for the division from 2006-2011. She was also vice president of Marketing at WABC-TV in New York, where she first joined the ABC Television division in 1999 after working at ABC Radio in Sales and Marketing.

     

    She began her career as an account executive for two of Liberty Broadcasting’s radio stations, and marketing director for DiCarlo Distributors.

     

    Ms. O’Connell serves as chairman of the Television Bureau of Advertising Sales Advisory Committee, as well as being an Executive Board Member, where she works with senior media & advertising executives to develop policy and new trends in the local broadcasting industry. She is also a member of Nielsen’s Local Alliance Committee. Ms. O’Connell is a mentor in The Walt Disney Company mentor program and is deeply involved in the ABC NTVS internship program.

  • 22nd Convergence India 2014 expo ends today

    22nd Convergence India 2014 expo ends today

    MUMBAI: Convergence India 2014 expo, South Asia’s largest ICT, media, entertainment and applications industry expo, was inaugurated by Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Former Union Minister, Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain had said, “I am pleased to be present at this important platform that recognizes the potential of the evolving telecommunications, media and entertainment industry and its contribution in boosting the economy, and overall growth of the nation”.
     

    Following this, Dr. Rahul Khullar, Chairman, TRAI set the agenda for the three day expo by opening the floor for dialogue on “Connecting India”, the theme for the 22nd edition of Convergence India 2014. The inaugural ceremony also saw industry leaders such as N Ravi Shankar (Special Secretary & Administrator, USOF, DoT), Anupam Shrivastava ( Director (CM) & CMD (Designate), BSNL), Umang Das, Chief Mentor, Viom Networks Ltd., Rajan S Mathews, ( Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India ), Pankaj Mohindroo (National President, Indian Cellular Association) and Rajiv Bawa (Country Head, Telenor).
     

    The 1stTelecom summit 2014 on “Home Grown Technologies and Skills’ was inaugurated on the day 2 of the 22nd Convergence India, 2014 expo. The summit was jointly organized by Telecom Centers of Excellence (TCOE), Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC)and Exhibitions India Group and was supported by Government of India (DoT &DeitY), service providers, manufacturers, training partners, industry associations and academia.
     

    The day 3 of 22nd Convergence India 2014 witnessed the first of its kind Afro-Asian Media Summit which was chaired by Mr. Phil Molefe, Vetran South African Broadcaster. In his address, he said, “Geographical boundaries have fallen away and we are now one big media community driven by the power of technology. We have to be committed, skilled and innovative to capitalize the abounding opportunities”.
     

    This dynamic initiative will create opportunities of partnerships, investments, support and many more collaborations. With this platform in place, there can be an exchange of ideas, expertise between the two nations.
     

    Mr. Albertus Aochamub, President SABA, said, “This is a partnership of equals. Both India and Africa have common history, struggles and challenges. India is a hub of skilled personnel and with the help of media, technology and other ICT tools, both the countries can learn from each other.”

    Mr. Rahul Nehra, Co-Founder Afro Asia-Media Summit, announced the launch of Afro-Asian Media Awards 2015. He said, “We are taking the first step in driving excellence through the awards. We need to felicitate people of our own continents for the work they do”.
     

    H.E. Dr. Perks Ligoya, High Commissioner of Malawi, said “I feel honored to be in the First Afro-Asian Media Summit. This event comes at a very good time”. He also commented on how through e-learning, e-health, e-money, e-commerce, Africa and India can benefit from each other.

     
    In addition, 22nd Convergence India 2014 also witnessed a seminar on FTTH Council Asia-Pacific, also strategic partner of Convergence India this year. The theme for the seminar was ‘Fiber for Convergence’ and offered great opportunities to the participants to network & collaborate while providing consistent information on FTTH from industry experts.

     
     Some of the prominent speakers were N Ravi Shankar, CMD, Special Secretary & Administrator, USOF, DoT, Anil Pande, Director, Dura-Line, Anuj Jain, PWC and Vipin Tyagi, C-DOT.

     
    Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Group said, “With this 22nd Convergence India 2014, the roadmap for telecom, media and entertainment industry has been outlined and we will continue to contribute towards the changes and development of these sectors as the journey continues.”

  • Sony Six to broadcast 2014 six nations rugby

    Sony Six to broadcast 2014 six nations rugby

    ?MUMBAI: SONY SIX, India’s premier sports and entertainment channel has won the exclusive broadcast rights to the RBS 6 Nations Rugby tournament which commences on 1stFebruary. Taking on its global viewing spectrum, the 2014 edition of the RBS 6 Nation’s Rugby tournament will be shown on aprime time slot between 8.00pm to 11.00pm on Sony Six and Sony Six HD for Indian audiences.

    The 2014 RBS 6 Nation’s Rugby tournament beginson 1stFebruary and will conclude on 15thMarch. The tournament consists of a league of 6 European nations – England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France. Each teamplays every other team once, with home field advantage alternating from one year to the next. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Defending Champions Wales take on Italy in the opening game.

    The Six Nations is the successor to the Five Nations Championship (1910–31 and 1947–99) which in turn succeeded the Home Nations Championship (1883–1909 and 1932–39). The Home Nations Championship, played between teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, was the first international rugby union tournament.

    Sony SIX has also has broadcast rights to other premier rugby tournaments such as the Super Rugby League and the Rugby Championship.

     

  • DD Sahyadri plans special programmes for R-Day

    DD Sahyadri plans special programmes for R-Day

    MUMBAI: On the occasion of 65th year of Republic Day DD Sahyadri is presenting special programs saluting the Indian constitution and the democracy which we all enjoy as the citizen of India.

    The day 26th January, 2014 will begin with the telecast of Republic Day Ceremony live from The India Gate at 9.00 am followed by a program “Shiladaar Rashtrya Nirmiteche” – Contributors in the Nation Building at 11:30 am in which Doordarshan applauded dignitaries from various fields who have played an important role in their own field and contributed their part in the nation building process. This galaxy of stars consisted Padma Awardees, Broadcasters, Filmmakers, Doctors, Maharashtra Police Chief, Cultural & Film – Radio Celebs.

    The main attraction of the day is a brand new debate show on DD Sahyadri at 4:00 pm “YOUNG TARANG” conceptualized by Shri Mukesh Sharma – ADG, Mumbai Doordarshan Kendra which is an attempt to bring the young talent under one roof to enhance their knowledge and explore their world on the current issues through a healthy debate.

  • Micromax starts its Russia operations

    Micromax starts its Russia operations

    RUSSIA: Micromax, world’s 11th largest mobile phone player has announced the launch of its operations in Russia by extending its innovative product portfolio and services to the users in the country. Micromax has been the clear No 2 smartphone brand by a distance and a clear No 3 overall phone brand (smart+ feature phones) in India, is now gearing up for Russia. With a focus on democratizing technologies for the masses, the company aims to have an aggressive plan to make its mark in the Russian mobile handset marketre-emphasizing on its vision to offer innovative products and service offerings, which are customized to address the needs of consumers in Russia.

     

    Micromax, with its USP of pioneering meaningful innovations based on in-depth consumer understanding, would be operating througha partnership with VVP Group, one of the leading distribution houses in Russia. The partnership is a strategic move, which would provide good reach for Micromax in the regionwith a plan to make Micromax products available across the country, ensuring deeper shelf space and wider outlet spread.

     

    Micromax will be introducing its popular Canvas series of smartphones and Bolt series of smart-feature phones which have been a trendsetter, which have already sold more than 35 million devices across the operating markets for Micromax in the past one year. The company will be launching 14 products in the Russian market in the initial phase, as the brand is already looking at gearing up to be among the Top 4 brands in Russia by the end of 2014. The company is ready with its service infrastructure across Russia with an aim of having more than 60 operational service centers by end of the month. Micromax will also have its exclusive service centersin strategic cities in Russia as the brand strengthens its presence across the country.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder, Micromax said, “At Micromax, our emphasis has always been to democratize technology for masses around the world through an innovative product portfolio. As we look to take Micromax to key international markets, we are excited to announce our foray into the Russian mobile handset market which has immense potential not only for smartphones and features phones, but also for innovative tablets and data products. Our initial focus in the Russian market is to replicate the success witnessed in our other markets in the last couple of years. We have carved the vision for ourselves to be the 1st Indian hardware brand to be global and set our footprint with Russia as the first developed market to venture into.”

     

    He further added, “We see a growing trend of data consumption through mobile devices in Russia, and we would be initiating partnerships with the leading operators in the region to aim at efficient data consumption on our devices in the coming year”.

     

    Over the past decade, Micromax has been at the forefront of driving innovation through their innovative product offerings addressing the consumer needs. The company has many firsts to its credit when it comes to the mobile devices market including Canvas Laptab – world’s first dual boot tablet powered by Intel, launched on the 6th of January 2014 at CES in Vegas (Consumer Electronic Show), the first quad-core budget smartphone, phone with a 30-day battery backup, the first smartphone designed specifically for women, universal remote control mobile phones and a list of other innovative devices. The brand’s product portfolio embraces more than 60 models today, ranging from feature rich, dual – SIM phones, 3G Android smartphones, tablets, LED televisions and data cards.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Vasily Sibirtsev, Chairman VVP Group said, “We are very excited to work with Micromax, one of the world’s leading mobile phone brands. Russia is an ideal market for Micromax to bring its innovative product portfolio and services customized for consumers in this market. Our immediate goal will be to build a very strong and robust distribution network to capture a significant share in the Russian mobile handset market. We will be working aggressively to strengthen our presence in the retail space across 9000+ sales points in the country backed by an efficient service infrastructure.”

     

    Amit Mathur, Vice President, International Business – Micromax said “ We believe Micromax products to a promising future in Russia where the smart phone market is booming along with data services.  Micromax has studied this market and will continuously introduce products and applications with consumer insights from the Russia to bring forth world-class products to this market.  We are happy to have found VVP as our strategic business partner to enter the retail market and will strive to maximize our retail strength going forward.”

     

    The partnership with the VVP Group is a strategic move which would provide wide reach for Micromax in regions of Russia as the group has been associated with some of the leading global smartphone players to help them make a strong presence in Russia. VVP is known for its superior logistics setup, warehouses, retail management system and transportation management systems across the main hubs of Russia which will further help Micromax build its footprint in the country. VVP group will be working with partners in all existing channels including federal and regional chains, operators, consumer electronics shops and computer shops, online and other sales points in the country. 

     

    The company has also tied up with the leading VAS providers in Russia including Odnoklassniki, Russia’s popular social network service; IVI.ru, Russia’s first free video & music service; Viber, the leading global instant messaging application; Facebook; Twitter and M!Live giving users access to social connectivity and unlimited free online games.

     

    Micromax plans to support the launch with a 360 degree branding exercise aiming to enhance the brand visibility in the region supported by marketing campaign across print, online and TV.

  • NewsX launches ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’

    NewsX launches ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’

    MUMBAI: NewsX, India’s New News leader has launched a unique show ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’. The show will be the first of its kind where the guest will lead the questions and discussions. The show will see MJ Akbar taking up current issues of national significance and demystifying them for the viewer with an investigative and informative show that is backed by the expertise, knowledge and journalistic experience of the host.

     

    The weekly show will be aired on NewsX on Sundays at 10:00 am and 10:00 pm. Each episode will feature an illustrious, well experienced and high profile guest along with Akbar who plays the role of a well-informed viewer. The guest will question, argue, give his opinion and probe MJ Akbar on the topic. The inaugural episode of the 30 minute weekly show featured Indian lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani who discussed if there should be a referendum in Kashmir on the Indian Army.

     

    MJ Akbar, a top notch journalist and author, comes with an experience of more than 40 years. Currently the Editorial Director of The Sunday Guardian newspaper, Akbar is the Founder Editor of The Asian Age and The Telegraph newspapers. Besides being the Editorial Director of India Today magazine and The Deccan Chronicle newspaper in the past, he has written several non fictional best sellers in own rights.

     

    About NewsX

     

    NewsX is India’s New English News Leader. With ‘News Not Noise’ as its positioning, the channel’s editorial philosophy is to present news in an un-biased, non-partisan manner, with an emphasis on facts, not opinions. NewsX brings to viewers hard core news and stays away from hysteria and sensationalism. The channel’s constant endeavor to engage viewers, not enrage them has been the hallmark of the emergence of NewsX in recent times as India’s # 1 English news channel. As per TAM ratings, NewsX emerged as the # 1 choice of the young, aspiring and the urbane in 2013. The leadership story continues with NewsX emerging as the # 1 English news channel with a whopping market share of 34 percent across six metros as per the latest TAM week 2’14 ratings in the 25-44 age group.