ITV

Category: Press Release

  • v’Shankar Mahadevan’ turns RJ this week for ‘Radio City, Musical-E-Azam- Naya Andaz’

    MUMBAI: Radio City 91.1 FM, India’s Leading Radio Network has filled the air with excitement as Mumbai-ittes heard the first week of radio’s biggest musical blockbuster…the hugely popular ‘Radio City, Musical-E-Azam- Naya Andaz’ a month long mega musical festival, which gets bigger, better and incomparable. The second week of Radio City, Musical-E-Azam brings with it a star singer… Shankar Mahadevan as he debuts as an RJ. He is all set to do ‘dhamaal’ on Radio City with 5 music sensations. So all you music aficionados get equipped to get hook on to your radio sets as you ‘just cannot’ miss tuning into Radio City 91.1 FM!

     

    The second week of the show has loads of excitement in store for its listeners. This week the listeners will groove to the tunes of the ‘bindaas’ singers and ‘mast’ music composer… Shankar Mahadevan. Hear him as he has a blast in the Musical-E- Azam andaaz with top 5 musical sensations Zakir Hussain, Ghulam Ali, Sonu Niigaam, Shaan, Ehsaan & Loy.

     

    RJ Shankar learns from the tabla – maestro- Zakir Hussain more about his experiences, Ghulam Ali shares some notes on Ghazals & Shayariis, Radio City’s very own Sonu Niigaam talks about singing v/s Rjing and some of his fond memories, Shaan talks about the role of music in his life. And the most awaited of all… the ‘trio’- Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy who will drive listeners crazy as they come together for the last episode of the week.

    The second week of Musical-E-Azam

    Monday, December 18, 2006 Zakir Hussain

    Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Gulam Ali

    Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Sonu Niigaam

    Thursday, December 21, 2006 Shaan

    Friday, December 22, 2006 Ehsaan & Loy

    From 8:00 am to 11:00 am

    In first week the station has received fabulous response from the listeners with the increasing amount of call-ins and messages received by RJs during their programmes.

    The first week saw RJ Sunidhi Chauhan caught in a unique chatterarti with the man whose freshness in voice and range has taken him places… Kunal Ganjawala. She discovered some hidden secrets of Kunal’s musical career, some mezmerising & emotional moments in Sukhwinder’s life, RJ Sunidhi Chauhan learnt more about Sufi music from Rekha Bharadwaj and her journey so far as a sufi singer. Her ‘Guftagu’ with the man who creates magic with his words… Gulzaar Saab educated her on a new style of writing poems called as ‘Triveni’. Sunidhi discovered the hilarious side of Adnan. Some unearthed facts, gossips, live and unplugged performances in short… ‘Fulltoo’ entertainment only on Radio City 91.1 FM.

     

    Besides taking song requests and chatting with fans that call into Radio City 91.1 FM, what sets this program aside is the fact that some of the requests will be sung live by the singers in the studio! Adding to this Radio City 91.1 FM will dedicate the entire day to the star music personality, playing his/her best songs, and engaging listeners with trivia and anecdotes from their personal lives.

    There will be host of surprises packed in the show for the star singers as well.

     

    According to Mr. Rana Barua, Head Marketing, Radio City, “At Radio City 91.1 FM we have always believed that great music, innovation and creativity in our shows is what sets us apart. Since radio is a ‘music entertainment medium’, we have consistently directed our efforts towards creating pioneering innovative programs like Musical-E-Azam, Babbar Sher, Shaam-E-Ghazal, which goes to prove our musical expertise and supreme position. With utmost pride we are happy to announce the all-new ‘Radio City Musical-E-Azam – Naya Andaaz’, which is certainly the best property created in the history of Indian FM radio. We are confident that this power packed show will make our listeners groove to great music.”

    So…tune into Radio City 91.1 FM for unheard facts, gossip, experiences, emotional moments and the most awaited of all… live performances, only on ‘ Radio City, Musica-E-Azam’

  • World’s first mobile movie – ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ launched on Reliance Mobile

    World’s first mobile movie – ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ launched on Reliance Mobile

    MUMBAI: Reliance Communications, today became the first telecom operator in the World to have premiered a movie on the mobile platform, with the premiere of world’s first mobile movie ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ on Reliance Mobile World.

    The launch of Ctrl+Alt+Del, a 25 minute film specially produced for the mobile platform by Phonethics Mobile Media, can be accessed by millions of Reliance Mobile customers on the first day of its launch and is a significant path-breaking initiative in the global telecom space.

     

    “The premiere of Ctrl+Alt+Del on Reliance Mobile marks another milestone whereby the Indian film industry has recognized the power of the mobile medium by releasing it on Reliance Mobile World”, said Mahesh Prasad, President, Applications Solutions & Content Group, Reliance Communications. “Reliance continues to delight its mobile customers by bringing big screen content to mobile phones such as the recent introduction of TV serials like Mahabharata and Malgudi Days”, he added.

     

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Saurabh Gupta, CEO, Phonethics Mobile Media (P) Ltd. and Director of Ctrl+Alt+Del said, “Phonethics is in the advanced stages of developing a slew of new products for exclusive distribution over mobile phones in the growing Indian market. The company has a rich and diverse talent pool that combine to create the best of content. We look forward to surge ahead with the support of partners such as Reliance and Rahul Bose”.

     

    Releasing Ctrl-Alt-Del on Reliance Mobile World noted actor Rahul Bose, said “For the first time in world telecommunications history the customer has been offered two completely diverse offerings on single platform: mobile services and movies! I believe that the mobile phone is the next best medium for infotainment that will reach out to the present day’s tech savvy audience. I am thrilled to be part of this never-before initiative jointly promoted by Reliance Communications and Phonethics Mobile Media.”

     

    Reliance Communications has been the pioneer in the Value Added Service segment and has maintained its leadership by offering a suite of mass market as well as niche utility, entertainment and informative applications for its subscribers. Earlier this year, Reliance Mobile became the first telecom operator in the World to launch a TV channel on the mobile, with the premiere of Times Now. The company was India’s first telecom operator in India to launch mobile streaming and Mobi-Serials.

  • ‘Spymate’ to premiere this friday night at 9 on Star Movies

    ‘Spymate’ to premiere this friday night at 9 on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: When his partner decides to leave the secret agent business, chimpanzee spy Minkey is left to his own devices. Unsure of what to do with his time, Minkey joins the circus, where he quickly becomes a very popular attraction.

    After 10 years of lying low, Minkey is called on by his former partner, whose own daughter has been kidnapped. Together, will this unusual human-monkey secret-agent team be able to solve the case? Find out this Friday night, December 29th at 9 p.m. on the exclusive premiere of “Spymate” only on Star Movies!!!

    Minkey, a super-spy primate, and his partner Mike were the two best spies in the business. For years, they made every mission possible… But when Mike retired to raise his baby girl, Amelia, he never predicted that life would come full circle.

     

    Ten years later, Amelia — who has invented a revolutionary chemical drill — is kidnapped and whisked off to Japan by her hero, Dr. Farley, who is planning a highly dangerous experiment that could cause a massive earthquake and destroy the entire world. Mike and Minkey partner up one last time for their most important mission ever: saving Amelia — and the world — from the clutches of the evil Dr. Farley.

    So tune in to the exclusive premiere of Spymate, this Friday night, December 29th at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.

  • Grande finale of Reliance Mobile Vijay Awards

    Grande finale of Reliance Mobile Vijay Awards

    MUMBAI: Reliance Mobile Vijay Awards; the first of its kind awards ceremony on this side of the Vindhyas presents the grand star studded evening honoring the winners and applauding the nominees. Reliance Mobile Vijay awards is an awards ceremony for the stars chosen by the best jury – the audience. Vijay Awards was broken into three phases, the nomination stage, the voting stage and the grande finale.

    The nomination stage saw hi-buzz interaction with a van aptly titled Rasigan Express, which traveled across 9 cities in the state of Tamilnadu; registering nominees for the 9 categories. The Rasigan Express received an overwhelming response from the people who came forward to nominate their favorite as part of the final 5 in each category.

    This activity was supported by an effective on air campaign announcing the arrival and the response of the Rasigan Express in each of the cities in the show hosted by the popular comedian Yuhi Sethu.

    In the next stage, the nominees of each categories were announced and the viewers got another chance to cast their vote and make their favorite star the winner. The 9 categories are favorite HERO, favorite HEROINE, favorite film, favorite director, favorite music director, favorite playback singer male / female, favorite villain and favorite comedian. Viewers could cast their vote for their favorite via Reliance Mobile, SMS, landlines and online.

     

    The activity witnessed weekly updates by Yuhi Sethu who kept the pulses of the fans racing announcing the lead of each of the nominess and urging them to vote more and received over 1 crore hits across all platforms.

     

    The votes are in and the counting is complete under the supervision of the eminent jury panel comprising of an eminent film critic Madan; an critically acclaimed film maker Balu Mahendra and popular actress Rohini. Apart from the favorite awards; the jury has also introduced 10 other jury special awards for excellence in other related disciplines.

     

    As part of the special awards, Vijay TV proudly announces the first ever “Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Cinema”; to the one who has contributed immensely to Tamil cinema. Also, in tow are two other awards ‘Superstar of Tomorrow’ and ‘Youth Icon of the year’ for two individuals who have made a mark in today’s youth.

     

    The film fraternity by means of a closed ballot vote decided the recipient of the Superstar of Tomorrow. Every union in the film fraternity cast this special vote to choose one amongst the young generation of stars as the next Superstar.

     

    No better way to conclude such a hi-buzz activity than with a mega awards show set amidst exquisite sets attended by the who’s who of Kollywood. The show will witness the performance of the hot and ravishing Yana Gupta from Bollywood; along with the southern belles Lakshmi Rai, Preyamani and Ragasiya. Presenting for the first time in India; a tamil hip-hop band Yogi B and the Natchathira Boys all the way from KL.

     

    In addtion to them, Vijay presents their new celebrities; the Supersingers of 2006 and the 8 jodis of the popular show Jodi No.1 LIVE in action. The awards ceremony will take place on December 23, 2006; 7pm at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai.

  • Whisper presents Provogue Global India Film Awards

    MUMBAI: The Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) 2006 , the glamorous and prestigious award ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia, will be telecast on Sony Entertainment Television on Sunday, December 17, 2006 at 8.00 p.m. GIFA – a global brand and the brainchild of Popcorn Entertainment & Sunil Shetty and Global Events was attended by a galaxy of Bollywood stars –Asha Parekh, Shatrugan Sinha, Smita Thackeray, Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham, Salman Khan, Bipasha Basu, Aftab Shivdasani and some of Bollywood’s style icons like, Minisha Lamba, Upen Patel and Esha Deol.

     

    In conjunction with Cine Stars Association, these awards are an honour propagated by the industry for the industry. The show was attended by the royal family of Malaysia, the King & the Queen, who also presented some of the main awards. The evening was graced by several local celebrities and Malaysian government officials including the deputy prime minister and his lady.

     

    The glitz and the glamour that evening was of course the scintillating performances by Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Ameesha Patel, Katrina Kaif and the star performer was Salman Khan. The evening saw an array of glamorous anchors like Arjun Rampal, Riya Sen, Minisha Lamba, Rohit Roy, Arbaaz Khan and the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan also hosted a segment, thus making the evening a memorable one. There was a brilliant performance by the Malaysian Tourism Board also.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television will also present a special curtain raiser of this 3-day mega extravaganza packed with several glamorous and fun-filled events. One of the highlights of GIFA was the world premiere of Ravi Chopra Baabul starring the stalwarts of the Indian film industry, Amitabh Bachchan & Hema Malini, along with heartthrobs Salman and Rani Mukerji, John Abraham and others.

     

    In fact with Baabul, B.R.Films completed 50 years in film-making. All the stars of the film made it a point to attend the mega premiere.

     

    Though it was not Manchester United Vs Chelsea, but our own Bollywood heroes at their best against a team of Malaysian government officials, the football match was sure fun. There was a lot of excitement and cheering while the two teams played. If this is not enough, Provogue, the leading fashion clothesline, with the creative fashion designer Vikram Phadnis had a sizzling fashion show followed by a charity dinner.

     

    For all the interesting happening at GIFA, Sony Entertainment Television takes the viewers through these events in a curtain raiser on Friday & Saturday, December 15 th & 16th at 11.00 p.m, and the glamorous awards ceremony on Sunday, December 17th at 8.00 p.m. So stay tuned to Sony Entertainment Television as the weekend is sure to entertain you as never before.

  • Gitanjali Group launches “BOLLYWOOD GOLD” from D’DAMAS at the Global Indian Film Awards

    MUMBAI: The Gitanjali Group formally launched “Bollywood Gold” a new range of gold jewellery, on the sidelines of the Provogue Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) being held at Kuala Lumpur. A D’damas offering, ‘Bollywood Gold’ is being launched in association with the World Gold Council and is a successful effort to bring international standards of design and styling into Indian jewellery.

    The group has already launched an all-new advertising campaign with Bollywood star, Minisha Lamba, as the face of the brand.

    The design styling is inspired by the non-conventional motifs and is targeted at the contemporary Indian women. Using coloured stones and bold and chunky forms, the range presents a huge variety of chic jewellery that would interest any women in the ages of 18-38 years. Gold as a material offers several opportunities of styling in terms of textures, finishes and volumes. It is this beauty that the brand explores through its product line.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mehul C. Choksi said, “Beyond all laws of trends and fads, gold jewellery in India has attained for itself a timeless connotation. Gold offers a scope for a lot of design innovation and experimentation and we are glad to introduce our collection, Bollywood Gold that translates the possibilities of this metal to the most beautiful adornments, for our customers in India and abroad.”

    More about Bollywood Gold.

    This gold jewellery collection from D’damas Gold in association with the World Gold Council is as dramatic as the tinsel world it draws its inspiration from. This unique set of designs from D’damas sought in-film placement in the Bollywood blockbuster – Krrish. More such promotions will be a natural outcome for this collection as it is inspired by the magic of Bollywood. The brand is steeped in the glamour and glitz of celluloid and has already become a hit in the initial test marketing.

     

    The Group can already boast of its presence in the markets of USA, Japan, Europe and Middle East, with further expansion plans of setting up a retail chain in the U.S. and the Middle East. The existing network of the brand would enable the availability of its collection, both in India and the other parts of the world.

    About D’damas

    D’DAMAS is a mega – jewellery brand that has reached out to the nook and corner of the country and also many parts of the world. With an extensive and highly intensive branding exercise built upon by a 360 degree advertising campaign and the wholehearted support of a pro-active media, D’Damas is today a house-hold name.The Gitanjali Group’s efforts have not just built the company’s more than 30 different brands but also made jewellery – diamond or otherwise – into an accessible and affordable luxury commodity that most Indians now know they can buy and posses with immense confidence and delight. D’Damas Gold jewellery is endorsed by none other than the World Gold Council and most of its diamond brands by the DTC. D’Damas, as with the rest of the group’s other jewellery brands, is today worn with pride by women, and men, across different strata, age-groups and levels, across the country and the globe.

     

    In 2003 the Gitanjali Group and Damas, Dubai – the largest retailing jewellery brand chain in the Middle East came together to form D’damas – a contemporary collection of gold and diamond jewellery catering to different lifestyles and occasions. As a leading brand with its several sub brands endorsed by the who’s who of the film industry, D’damas is today the brand of choice for the Indian jewellery buyer. It is rapidly expanding its retail operations through exclusive stand-alone stores as well as outlets in host stores such as large departmental stores and shopping malls in major metropolitan areas, large cities and towns in India, also beefing up its franchisee and distributor network constantly.

    About Gitanjali

    The Gitanjali Group of Companies was set up in 1966. The Group is one of the earliest diamond houses in India and by 1968 became one of the first Sight holders in India. It has received over 50 awards for outstanding exports from the government and other official bodies. Presently the Gitanjali Group has highly modernized diamond cutting and polishing facilities & jw mnf at five locations in India. Some of the most successful brands of the group are Gili, D’damas, Giantti and Sangini as the latest addition. Gili Jewellery, a part of the Gitanjali Group and an 18-carat diamond studded brand, was launched in 1994, ushering in the birth of branded jewellery in India.

  • North India leads India’s organized retail growth, even small towns have immense potential, said Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s

    Day 1 at ‘THE SHOP’ – North India leads India’s organized retail growth, even small towns have immense potential, said Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s – Young India is gaining confidence and wants change, retailers have to provide their consumption needs, said Sanjeev Agrawal, President-Marketing, Future Group

    New Delhi, June 28, 2006: THE SHOP, the two-day summit on organized retailing, commenced today at the Taj Palace, New Delhi with the inaugural address from Vikram Bakshi, Managing Director of cDonald’ (North & East India), who stressed that North India is leading the growth of organized retail in India. The SHOP is the first ever retail forum focusing on India’s most promising retail zones. The Retail Theatre at The SHOP had international experts, captains of the industry, CEOs of India’s key retail chains across formats and categories addressing key retail issues – presenting Views, Reviews, Trends, Possibilities, Success stories, Vision of marketing Gurus, SWOT analysis and a lot more.

     

    According to Mr. Vikram Bakshi, Managing Director, McDonald’s, “The retail industry in India is witnessing a very interesting phase where different retail formats and categories are emerging and opening up, not just in the metros and larger cities, but also in smaller towns. Northern India is an emerging retail market with all International brands and national retailers targeting the North. Among the northern states in India, Punjab has the highest potential to develop as a key growth market for retailers. McDonald’ s itself has 88 outlets in India, 64% of which are located in the North.”

     

    “The Shop” is the zonal version of the annual “India Retail Forum” event that takes place in September in Mumbai and is the Asia-Pacific’s largest platform for retailers across the globe to come together and discuss the latest trends, visions and ­­­­­­­ challenges of the Retail Industry.

     

    Speaking at the forum, Mr. Sanjeev Agrawal, President – Marketing, Future Group, said, “Retail as a medium is about being inclusive and not exclusive keeping the real India in mind. The ‘Real India’ frame has many more people than we think. It is imperative to recognize the section of consumers one is targeting. And in India the debate is not between aspiration and value but in creating a convergence of both. We at Pantaloon, believe that retail must constitute everything for everyone and through our brands we wish to target every segment of the retail market.”

    Mr. Sushant Dwivedy, Business Head Leed, Microsoft Business Solution said, “Mass marketing is dead and every individual consumer needs to be treated separately. Technology can be used in the Retail Industry to provide better service to consumers and build loyalty factors. The Industry needs more web enabled services. Success for retailers will be driven by smarter operations.”

    ‘The Shop’ introduced new retail formats to retailers and potential franchisees and retail real estate developers and equip regional players with necessary support and systems and learning from masters in the business of retail. Showcasing the best in retail offering, providing an in-depth analysis of retail business trends and formulating a differential winning strategy, THE SHOP saw the participation of the very best retail concepts, successful brands, retailers and distributors from all over India.

     

    Mr. Amitabh Taneja, Editor in Chief, Images Group and organizers of the summit, said, “We will witness retailer

    s who have their own well-merited views and concepts which would change retail thinkers to reset enchmarks in many areas and share their huge aura of experience with the audience. IMAGES is now all geared up to focus on India’s most promising Retail zones with a series of events titled ‘THE SHOP’ felicitating interaction of international and national players with these regions in order to facilitate retail expansion and strengthen sourcing from regional brands and manufacturers.”

     

    Over these two days the forum will witness national and regional retailers
    across formats & categories, shopping centre developers, potential
    franchisees, investors, retail support & systems, vendors, govt officials, trade bodies. Some renowned people like Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s, Andrew Levermore, CEO, HyperCity Retail, Vijay Menon, CEO, Mobile Next, Sanjeev Agarwal, President, Marketing, Pantaloon Retail, Sushant Dwivedy, Business Head Leed, Microsoft Business Solutions, Sam Matthew , Head- Client Solutions, Total Outsourcing, Wipro, N. Sathiyanarayanan, Senior VP, Lifestyle, Denny Gerdeman, CEO, Chute Gerdeman, USA, Ratan Jalan, CEO, Apollo Health and Lifestyle, Sandeep Ahuja, CEO, VLCC, Tim Eynon, CEO Prozone and Director Provogue, Bipin Gurnani, CEO, Piramyd, Gopalratnam Kannan, Country Manager, Swatch Group India, Partha Datta Gupta, CEO, Barista and many more.

     

    Over the years Images has received global recognition for its bold initiatives to support retail growth in India and Images (that includes Conclaves, CEO meets, Exhibitions and Awards) are known for their impact — attracting industry big wigs with almost cent per cent attendance of the key stakeholders.

    About Images Multimedia

    IMAGES is an industry support platform – specific to the Fashion & Lifestyle, Retail and Retail Real Estate sectors – deriving support from its competencies in Research, B2B and B2C publications, Education & Training, Consulting, and Events and Awards of international standards. The Group has been closely involved with over 1000 key lifestyle brands, retailers, the entire retail support network, and real estate developers from across the globe for over a decade now.

    IMAGES Fashion & Retail magazines enjoy the largest readership in their segments across the Indian sub continent & Middle-East with over half a million readers. IMAGES F&R Research wing has been closely monitoring the trends in the market and has been feeding industry, government and media with vital information for strategy formation in association with world’s top consulting & research organizations like McKinsey, AT Kearney, KSA, AC Nielsen ORG MARG, etc.

    For more information please contact: Bhavya Suri, Perfect Relations,
    9871597740, Reena Varghese, Perfect Relations, 9910234004

     

  • Mega finale of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge ‘Dwitiya’ airs on 23 June

    Mega finale of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge ‘Dwitiya’ airs on 23 June

    Mumbai, June 23, 2005: Its time to roll out the red carpet; blow the trumpets & applaud the ‘best of the best!’… After weeks of laughter clubbed with high levels of anticipation, the much-awaited MEGA FINALE of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge ‘Dwitiya’ is here… where the 7 final contenders Khayali Saharan from Chandigarh, Rajkumar Javkar, Dr. Tushar Shah, Rajeev Nigam from Mumbai, Pratap Fauzdar from Agra, Rauf Lala & the comic duo Ali Hasan & Irfan Malik from Pakistan gear up to clash in the nationwide comic talent hunt for the coveted ‘Hasi Ka Shahenshah’ Title and win the Chevrolet Aveo! And hotting up the MEGA FINALE on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 10 p.m. would be the gorgeous & scintillating Bipasha Basu as the race for the title reaches its finish line!

    Last week (part 1 of the finals), saw macho actor Suniel Shetty as the celebrity judge who was enthralled by the rare performances and brilliant comic antics!

    The temperatures will soar & the anticipation will rise during the MEGA FINALE, as the final episode will witness the clash of the 7 Finalists (unlike season 1 which had 6 contenders) who will perform to prove their talent to garner maximum viewers’ votes.

    The countdown has begun… Whether it’s Dr. Tushar Shah’s subtle style of comic delivery or Rajeev Nigam’s political sattire. Not to forget Khayali’s witty gags, one-liners and punches or Rajkumar Javkar’s heroic muppet Ranchoo. The perfect laurel and hardy, Ali Hasan & Irfan Malik with their perfect chemistry hailing from across the border are worth a watch! An exciting tie in the 3rd semi-finals also saw Rauf Lala making it to the Finals with his spontaneity and comic timing. And last but not the least Pratap Fauzdar who has managed to tickle everybody’s funny bone and is one of the favourites in this competition. From 60 contestants to 13 and now 7, the race to win the coveted title – Hasi Ka Shahenshah has just gotten tougher.

    The show has been a phenomenon in itself, bringing the entire nation to a groundbreaking experience that has taken millions of Indians voting for their favourite contestants. In its second avatar this year, the show also created a grandeur platform for upcoming comedians from India and across the border who demonstrated their creativity and gained phenomenal recognition amongst the comic aficionados. The show also witnessed high celebrity quotient such as Sameera Reddy, Soha Ali Khan, Koena Mitra, Priyanka Chopra & heartthrob Hrithik Roshan amongst others as a part of the discerning panel of judges.

    After 16 weeks of non-stop entertainment, laughter & tough competition, the countdown has begun! And now its time for the final verdict…as the fate of these 6 finalists will depend equally on the decision of the judges and the viewer votes. So gear up for the GRAND FINALE and vote for your favourite contestants…

    Tune into STAR ONE for fun, laughter and entertainment this Friday, June 23, 2006 at 10:00 p.m. for the battle between the best!

  • adidas unveils Match Ball for 2007 FIFA women’s World Cup

    adidas unveils Match Ball for 2007 FIFA women’s World Cup

    FIFA and adidas celebrate women’s football

     

     

    Berlin/Herzogenaurach, June 22, 2006 – Today, the Match Ball for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup* was officially unveiled at the Women’s Football Day at the adidas World of Football in Berlin. adidas Brand President and CEO Erich Stamminger and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter handed over the new match ball to the General Secretary of the Organizing Committee Nan Yong and Chinese football star and FIFA Ambassador Sun Wen.

     

    Women’s football continues to expand its size, its participation, recognition and audience around the globe. At adidas we are firmly dedicated to supporting women’s football and to developing products that allow female players to further enhance their performance. We are already looking forward to the FIFA Women’s World Cup* in China next year,” commented Erich Stamminger, President and CEO of the adidas brand.

    The Match Ball for the FIFA Women’s World CupT China 2007 will feature the same performance characteristics as the adidas +TeamgeistT, the Match Ball of the FIFA World Cup 2006T. The revolutionary 14-panel ball construction brings down the number of three-panel touch points by 60% (from 60 to 24) and the total length of the panel lines is reduced by over 15% (from 400.05 cm to 333.93 cm) and will now also provide the world’s best female players with significant improvements in both accuracy and control. The design is inspired by the event logo and the traditional Chinese colors red and blue. The Match Ball of the FIFA Women’s World CupT China 2007 will be available in retail from 2007 onwards.

    Women’s football is on the rise worldwide. FIFA and adidas, the global leader in football, are firmly committed to contribute to the further development of this beautiful sport wherever it is being played, shared and celebrated. adidas will be the Official Partner, Official Supplier & Official Licensee of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup* and will equip some of the world’s best teams such as reigning FIFA World CupT Champion Germany and host China.

    For any further information, you may contact:

    Tina Mahajan
    Genesis Burson-Marsteller
    Email: tmahajan@genesispr.com
    Tel PBX: + 91 124 4044999; Ext.: 60
    Mobile: +91 9899887789
    Fax: + 91 124 4044744 – 45
     
  • Business Luminary Nandan Nilekani shares his experiences with CNN’s Todd Benjamin in ‘The Boardroom’

    Business Luminary Nandan Nilekani shares his experiences with CNN’s Todd Benjamin in ‘The Boardroom’

    Airtimes: Indian Standard Times
    Tuesday, June 6 at 1830 hrs during World News Asia
    Saturday, June 10 at 1100am during World Business this Week and
    1830 hrs during World News
    Sunday, June 11 at 1930 hrs during World News

     

    THE BOARDROOM is CNN’s new weekly interview segment offering insights into the minds of the world’s top business leaders. The interview segment airs across primetime evening news on WORLD NEWS ASIA and business programming including WORLD BUSINESS TODAY AND BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL. This week, CNN’s Financial Editor, Todd Benjamin interviews Nandan Nilekani, the President and CEO of Indian software giant, Infosys Technologies, on THE BOARDROOM.

     

    Nilekani speaks to Todd Benjamin about his childhood, family and his education and shares his experiences while building the first Indian company to be listed on the NASDAQ.

     

    He also talks about his expeditious journey, with his six partners, which led to the foundation of one of India’s biggest software companies. He proudly attributes his present stature to his middle class upbringing, which enabled him to dream and create a company with the highest standard of ethics, corporate governance and transparency.

     

    While pondering over the prevailing corruption in India, Nilekani talks to THE BOARDROOM about India’s boom, the drive behind his Company’s success and also why he believes India is ‘a good role model for emulation.’

     

    Next up is Brett Yormark, the 39 year old CEO of the Nets Sports and Entertainment, before Chairman of Esquel Group Marjorie Yang speaks to Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. Finally Todd Benjamin rounds off June in an interview with Dell CEO Kevin Rollins.

     

    THE BOARDROOM goes beyond quarterly earnings and trading updates and focuses instead on what motivates these cognoscente CEOs, their leadership styles and strategies. Todd Benjamin in Europe, Maggie Lake in the U.S. and Andrew Stevens in Asia bring priceless face time with the biggest names in business and the top leaders of the world’s most powerful and influential companies.