ITV

Category: Special Report

  • Why do we need sub-franchises of popular shows?

    Why do we need sub-franchises of popular shows?

    MUMBAI: Over the years, television has spawned a slew of successful non-fiction franchises which in turn have given birth to a riot of sub-franchises that are equally popular if not more.

    In our quest to find out why sub-franchises have mushroomed when there are enough and more franchises to provide entertainment and whether franchises are mightier than their off-spring, Indiantelevision.com spoke to a cross-section of industry to get to the bottom of the matter.

    Zee TV

    In 1995, Zee TV created a home-grown music-based non-fiction format titled Sa Re Ga Ma Pa that went on to capture a country’s imagination.

    What started back then under the aegis of Gajendra Singh, went on for 16 seasons till 2004 when the brand name was changed to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and audience interaction was incorporated through a voting system. It was in 2011 that the channel infused kids’ participation to revisit the show as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs.

    Recalling the journey of the show, it was post 2001 that it became a brand, giving talented, albeit anonymous singers a platform and giving Bollywood much of its current talent including Shreya Ghoshal, Kunal Ganjawala and even Sonu Nigam, who was relatively unknown back then.

    In 2009, Zee created another big non-fiction property, this time in the dancing space, called Dance India Dance (DID). Till date, DID has seen four successful seasons while also giving birth to four sub-brands: DID Super Moms, DID Tashan, DID Doubles and DID Li’l Masters.

    What made Zee launch sub-franchises in the first place? “The key for any broadcaster today is to create for viewers an umbrella brand and then do a lot of exciting things under that,” says Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma. “It was a chance that Zee took and it worked. The audience at Zee is always hungry to watch new and fresh talent. Each of these shows has its own type of audience. There is a core DID audience and additionally, a different audience for each of the sub-franchises.”

    Sharma believes only successful shows make for franchises and franchises work on three things: firstly, how successful the original brand is; secondly, how innovative the creative team is; and thirdly, how receptive the audience is. Speaking of the many seasons of DID, he says the beauty of it is that with every season, the look, feel and talent can be sharpened.

    Explaining the need for sub-brands, he says, “It is fuelled by two things – one is the desire to keep doing well to want more viewership. So you know, if you are doing a DID sub-brand, it might get you more audience than a fresh show. Two – the audience enjoys it, so why not? Three – every sub-brand is actually like a new show under a mother brand. So these are all different shows. They are under one umbrella.”

    Sharma feels Zee is lucky to have two strong franchises that allow the channel to attract very good talent and showcase it in the best possible fashion.

    “There was a desire to fulfill in the singing space with Sa Re… and in the dancing space, DID took over and fulfilled that desire for talent to have a platform and the audience to watch that platform. So DID completed that wish. One of the challenges I have as a new person is to create more such franchises in different spaces,” he says.

    While Nitin Keni of Essel Vision Productions that produces DID feels that offering the same product to viewers back-to-back might erode brand value. “One is not happy about doing it back-to-back, but if audiences are seeing it as a different show altogether, then there we win. But if audiences start feeling a sense of fatigue and see that we are doing the same thing, then it loses value. So far from the ratings, it does not feel so, but yes, as a producer, we should not be repetitive,” he says. Besides, a whole lot of work goes in with every season.

    “Conceptually, every time some new twist is given to the show, we use it as a USP. There are creative people who work on it. Also in terms of finding talent, one has to scout around and find talent across the nation, which is another big task,” he adds.

    Star Plus

    In 2010, Star Plus produced MasterChef India, Colosceum Media’s cooking reality show.

    Star Plus senior vice president – programming (non-fiction) Ashish Golwalkar, who, during his earlier stint with Zee, created sub-franchises like Sa Re Ga… L’il Champs and DID L’il Masters, opines that creating a sub-brand helps a channel to leverage the popularity of the parent brand without killing it unlike adding an indiscriminate number of seasons. “Sub-franchises play a major role if you want to use the strength of the brand without overkill. For viewers also, it is easier. They are watching a bit of the same without over killing the particular kind of content,” he says. “When you go out into the market, if it is a successful sub-brand, advertisers who have earlier had a good experience with us and the brand, will be more than happy to associate with the brand again.”

    Golwalkar gives the example of MasterChef India, where Amul was the title sponsor of both the mother brand and the sub-brand, MasterChef Junior.

    So what distinguishes the sub-brand from the parent brand? “We have to understand the elements wanted in common with the original brand and those that will be brought new to the sub-brand. But there has to be a limit to it. Sometimes, channels just get carried away by doing five versions of the same brand,” says Golwalkar.

    Sony Entertainment Television

    Sony has three non-fiction franchises: Boogie Woogie, Indian Idol and Comedy Circus.

    The channel launched Boogie Woogie in 1995 with Naved Jaffrey, Javed Jaffrey and Ravi Behl. During the time it aired, the show was very well received and provided a platform for unknown talent. Only recently, Sony telecast Boogie Woogie kids’ championship, four years after the last Boogie Woogie was telecast.

    Speaking of the franchise model in general, Fremantle Media India managing director Anupama Mandloi, says: “The franchise model has worked globally and it is that success which encourages other territories including India to invest in the proven blueprint. It is like bringing in any other branded product into the country. There is a surround sound already built around the ‘product’, which enables an effective pre-sell.”

    What about the sub-franchise? “The franchise has been built very effectively over the past 10 years in India. Most television viewers would be familiar with this property today and with the need to innovate and build the brand. A sub-franchise like Idol junior opened a new gateway of contestants, music and content. In fact, we have gone as far as creating another franchise called the Idol Academy, which provides a platform for learning and building music talent,” explains Mandloi.

    The original brand, Indian Idol, launched in 2004, was a channel driver, with its opening episode garnering a TVR of 5.4. This raised expectations from the brand and it became imperative to innovate and introduce visible changes that would keep interest and loyalty alive.

    “Idol has made several changes over the years, be it in terms of positioning, scheduling, changing the way the show is consumed, its approach to music, ranging from purist singing to performance and entertainment, different modes of auditioning and creating diverse touch points with the brand and the channel on-ground and various creative innovations in the journey of finding that one ‘Indian Idol’,” reveals Mandloi.

    Season after season, there was a lesson to be learnt by every content creator. “Some of those innovations were received well and some were completely dismissed by the viewer. At the end of the day, the viewer decides and with every show that you put out there for consumption, there is a lesson to be learnt by every content creator,” says she.

    After dancing and singing, it was the turn of comedy and the channel launched non-fiction property Comedy Circus in 2007. Not only did Comedy Circus see 18 successful seasons, the brand gave rise to tons of sub-brands including Comedy Circus -Kaante Ki Takkar, Comedy Circus – Chinchpokli To China, Comedy Circus 3 Ka Tadka, Comedy Circus – Maha Sangram, Jubilee Comedy Circus, Comedy Circus Ke Taansen, Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe and Comedy Circus Ke Mahabali, among others.

    MediaSpeak

    Big Synergy director Anita Kaul Basu who has given new dimension to Indian television by producing Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) on Sony believes one needs to keep re-inventing to bring in the fresh perspective to the show. KBC never had a sub-franchise when it started in the Hindi space, but it brought a lot of changes within the format with each season. Whether it is in terms of format or creative, with every season it has enthralled the audiences with its content.

    Basu explains: “For long running shows like KBC, which is a knowledge-based show, you need to bring in variations so that people don’t get bored of watching the same thing which has happened 10-12 years back. Every time you bring in a new creative, while the main show remains the same in terms of structure, but these are creatives that need to come in to bring in a certain amount of dynamics into the show. In KBC, we have introduced small changes, since it started in 2000, yet its core remains the same, because its format is incredible.”

    According to media professionals, mother brands have worked better than sub-brands; some working wonders for the channel and others not. “Frankly, I don’t think any of the franchise models have worked. Indian Idol Junior didn’t do that well for the channel. Comedy Circus was variation, but more of, it was about making themes out of the show and as a viewer; it looked like a regular show. It wasn’t a separate franchise to that extent in its pure format. Dance India Dance is the only one which has done variations, but it is always the pure form that gets the maximum ratings. From a ratings perspective, I don’t think these shows have stood out like a typical franchise,” says Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan.

    According to Radhakrishnan, a sub-franchise is just a placeholder so that the channel does not have to do the same thing over and over again. The channels have to keep the interest going for any show as a product. “You cannot run it like a daily soap for years and years. The channel has to keep the brand alive and for that, they have to always keep innovating. Then it makes sense for the channels to make a sub-franchise. The main property within that umbrella will always be an original show.”

    Investment

    Advertisers in India spend around Rs 20,000 crore on TV ads and almost a third of this money goes to Hindi GECs. Reality shows can never go wrong, reveals a TV executive on the condition of anonymity. Moreover, the channels also sell spots; a 10-second one could cost anything between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh and the production cost of an hour ranges anywhere between Rs 80 lakh to Rs one crore.

  • Film stars hope to make hay by joining the political fray

    Film stars hope to make hay by joining the political fray

    NEW DELHI: Films like ‘Satta’, ‘Nayak’ and ‘Rajneeti’ in recent years, have shown the Bollywood filmmakers’ interpretation of the way politics works in this country. Not to forget movies like ‘Sarkar’ that exposes the links of the underworld with politicians.

     

    Perhaps this exposure to politics and largely the anti-corruption wave that swept the country in the wake of Anna Hazare’s movement has resulted in probably the largest number of film personalities enter the fray for the 2014 polls.

     

    Although all political parties have not made public their complete list, around 40 actors from across the country are in the election arena – revealing perhaps the largest participation from Bollywood and north India, since the participation of the film industry from south India has already been quite good.

     

    But for the film industry, five constituencies are going to be worth watching as they have actors pitted against each other. Perhaps the most glamorous poll fights is in Chandigarh, which will see actor former Miss India Gul Panag of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) pitted against her senior and very versatile actor Kirron Kher who has taken up cudgels for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Though Panag was born in Sangrur, she has continued to live in Chandigarh, while the Chandigarh-born Kher has come into fray from this city though she lives in Mumbai.

     

    The not-so-‘khamosh’ Shatrughan Sinha is once again representing the BJP from Patna Saheb in Bihar where he will face Bhojpuri actor Kunal Singh of the Congress. Singh has stated that he is prepared to take up the challenge because he does not feel Sinha has done enough for the constituency.

     

    Mumbai North West will see a triple star fight: the verbose Kamal R Khan who often gets into controversies for his utterances is pitted as an independent against equally controversial star Rakhi Sawant who represents the Rashtriya Aam Party, and Mahesh Manjrekar who represents the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

    In Birbhum, the fight is between actor Satabdi Roy of the Trinamool Congress and actor Joy Banerjee of the BJP which has generally not done well in West Bengal and hopes star power may help.

     

    Singer Indranil Sen from TMC will take on actor Sidhanth Mahapatra of the Biju Janata Dal from Behrampur.

     

    In fact, the BJP has attracted the largest number of film personalities, particularly from Bollywood and north India. Some other film personalities representing the party are George Baker in Howrah, Nimu Bhowmik in Raiganj, versatile singer Bablu Supriya in Asansol, senior actor Hema Malini in Mathura, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari in North East Delhi, music maestro Bappi Lahiri from Serampore, versatile actor Paresh Rawal from Ahmedabad East, veteran Vinod Khanna from Gurdaspur, and television actress Smiriti Irani from the high-profile constituency Amethi. 

     

    The Congress has roped in Kannada heroine Ramya in Mandya, actor Aparajita Mohanty in Cuttack, veteran Oriya film actor Bijay Mohanty from Bhubaneswar, Hindi and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from Jaunpur, petite actress Nagma in Meerut, actor Jayasudha in Secunderabad, the high-profile Raj Babbar from Ghaziabad, Union Minister D Napoleon from Perambalur in Tamil Nadu, and actor Vijaya Shanthi from Medak.

     

    The Trinamool Congress is not far behind, with glamorous actor Moon Moon Sen in Bankura, reigning Bengali star Deb in Ghatal, Sandhya Sen in Midnapore, actor Soumitra Roy from Malda North, actor Arpita Ghosh in Balurghat, former Bollywood star Biswajit (Chatterjee) from New Delhi and actor Tapas Paul in Krishnagar.

     

    The AAP has roped in TV actress Rina Rani to contest from Maharajganj and the actor-dancer Javed Jaffery (son of former comedy actor Jagdeep) from Lucknow.

    Actor Innocent will represent the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Chalakkudy in Kerala, renowned award-winning director will fight for the Janata Dal (United) from West Champaran in Bihar, former actor Jayaprada will be fighting this time on behalf of Rashtriya Lok Dal from Bijnor.

     

    Jayaprada initially represented the Telugu Desam Party, later switching to the Samajwadi Party and then moving to RLD after her friend Amar Singh was forced to leave SP.

     

    Rakhi Sawant says she is contesting the elections on the plank of restoring women’s safety in the metropolis. “I was offered a BJP ticket from Srirampur in West Bengal. But I am from Mumbai and know Hindi and Marathi. I don’t know the local language of West Bengal, so why should I stand from there?” she said while announcing her candidature.

     

    Actor Ramya (Divya Spandana) is the first female star from Karnataka to enter the Lok Sabha. Ramya joined the Youth Congress in 2011 and had campaigned for the party in the assembly elections.

     

    The final list is yet to come out, and so Punjabi pop singer Rabbi Shergil who has joined the AAP is also expected to contest, even as actor Murali Mohan is eyeing the Rajahmundry seat. Pawan Kalyan who formed the Jana Sena is hoping to contest from Kakinada.

     

    Some actors or film personalities who have got elected to Parliament in the past or are presently in the Rajya Sabha as elected or nominated members include Prakash Jha, Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Dharmendra, Shekhar Suman, singer Hans Raj Hans, Babu Mohan, Murli Mohan, Krishnam Raju, Nafisa Ali, late Sunil Dutt, Jaya Bachchan, late Rajesh Khanna, late N T Rama Rao, Vyjayanthimala Bali, late Dr Raj Kumar and K Chiranjeevi. The nominated members include Nargis Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi, Rekha, and Javed Akhtar.

     

    Babu Mohan has joined the Telengana Rashtra Samiti to fight the assembly elections, while in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha will again represent the AIADMK in the assembly. Actor Jeevitha who joined the BJP is hoping to get an assembly seat, actor Nandamuri Balakrishna is also looking for a seat in Andhra Pradesh, while comedian Ali from the south and actor Ambreesh are not far behind in their quest. Vijay Kanth of the DMDK and U V Krishnamraju from the BIP are others in the fray for state assemblies.

     

    Almost all the film personalities in the fray have some controversy attached to their lives or their present campaign. Kamal Khan who is known to be outspoken had in one of his films added dialogues attacking the MNS announcements about outsiders in Mumbai, while actor Nagma has had to face people who have not just tried to grope her but Congress MLA Gaj Raj Sharma grabbed and kissed her during one of her campaigns. She has even been manhandled.

     

    Kirron Kher was met with black flags when she first came to Chandigarh and had to convince voters that she was indeed from Chandigarh, while actor-dancer Hema Malini has been booed for not daring to step out of her Audi as she moves around Mathura. And if she does peep out of the sun-shade of her car, it is only for a brief glimpse and visits to temples are in the midst of bouncers.

      
    Manoj Tiwari had earlier contested the national elections from the SP ticket in 2009 and is now representing BJP.

     

    Raj Babbar had won from Firozabad for a fourth term by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav and daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav, but has now been shifted to Ghaziabad.

     

    The versatile Aamir Khan has become the national icon of the Election Commission after the last episode of the second edition of Satyamev Jayate. A team from Doordarshan, EC’s official partner was rushed to shoot a video with Aamir Khan. Apart from the video, Khan has shot for an audio spot, urging the people to cast their votes. He says, “Rukey nahin, chookey nahin…vote zaroor daalein.”

     

    Singer Anoop Jalota will campaign for the BJP while Kapil Sharma and Soha Ali Khan will campaign for the Congress.

     

    While Bollywood has generally not been very successful in north India, the southern film industry is rich with examples of film-politicians. Since 1957 when actor S S Rajendran (SSR) entered the fray in Theni during the assembly elections to the then Madras State Legislative Assembly polls, the DMK and its 1972-offshoot AIADMK led by popular hero M G Ramachandran, have in most elections given tickets to stars.

     

    In the post-MGR era, the AIADMK, the DMK and other parties had fielded actors in Parliamentary and assembly elections since 1998, barring the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

     

    The outgoing 15th Lok Sabha had two actor MPs, D Napoleon and Ritheesh, of the DMK. Now they have switched loyalties to suspended DMK leader M K Alagiri. Napoleon had earlier represented the Villivakkam Assembly constituency during 2001-06 and lost to comedian S V Shekhar in Mylapore in 2006.

     

    This time, the ruling AIADMK and DMK have trusted lawyers, businessmen, doctors and others than trying actors though initially there were speculations that yesteryear heroine Khushboo and Radhika Sarathkumar could fight it out in a constituency in Chennai.

     

    While the connection between Tamil cinema and politics goes back to the 1940s when DMK founder C N Annadurai and its present chief M Karunanidhi were script writers, SSR known as a ‘Latchiya Nadigar’ (Ambitious Actor), was the first screen star to join the fray. He had lost the 1957 election by 6,781 votes to a Congress candidate.

     

    However, in the 1962 assembly polls he created history by winning from Theni on a DMK ticket thus becoming the first actor in the world to enter an elected legislative body. In later years, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and also won from the Andipatti Assembly constituency (MGR’s last represented constituency) in 1980 as an AIADMK candidate.

     

    MGR entered electoral politics only in 1967, winning from St Thomas Mount, while chief minister J Jayalalithaa became a Rajya Sabha member in 1984. The same year, the Congress had successfully fielded yesteryear actor Vyjayanthimala from the South Madras Lok Sabha constituency and she sprung as a surprise by defeating veteran politician Era Sezhiyan.

     

    But popular Sivaji Ganesan, one of the greatest actors in the world, had a failed political career though the Congress once made him a Rajya Sabha member. The Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani, which he launched after MGR’s death, failed to take off and he did not make it big as president of the Janata Dal (Tamil Nadu) unit either.

     

    Actor Sarathkumar was defeated in 1998 from the Tirunelveli Parliamentary constituency on a DMK ticket. Subsequently, he entered the Rajya Sabha and is now a MLA. In contrast, another actor Ramarajan, whose popularity was on the wane, got elected to the Lok Sabha from Tiruchendur as an AIADMK candidate in 1998.

     

    Another yesteryear MGR film heroine Latha lost her deposit when she contested from Dindigul in 1998 Lok Sabha polls on a MGRADMK ticket. The following year, voters of the constituency rejected DMK candidate actor S Chandrasekar.

     

    Similarly, in Periyakulam, villain Mansoor Ali Khan fielded by Puthiya Tamilagam, came third in 1999 but polled over 87,000 votes.

     

    Some of the Tollywood actors who made it to the assembly and Parliament (including Rajya Sabha) are: villain Radharavi (AIADMK), comedian S S Chandran (AIADMK), Vijayakant (DMDK), Arun Pandian (DMDK rebel), versatile film personality T Rajendar (DMK) and comedian Isari Velan (AIADMK).

  • Movie channels gear up for the IPL onslaught

    Movie channels gear up for the IPL onslaught

    Season seven of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just a couple of weeks away, but instead of worrying about possible loss of viewership and ad revenue, movie channels are gearing up to serve even more interesting fare to their audiences.

    Helios Media MD Divya Radhakrishnan opines: “IPL affects television across genres. GECs do not launch new shows, there are no reality shows, and no big blockbusters happen on movie channels. During IPL, everything comes to a standstill because that is the focal point during these months. However, the only thing posing a hindrance for IPL this time is the elections.”

    The 9:00 pm slot is typically lost in the IPL frenzy however, over the years, television channels have learnt to work around the hugely popular tourney. Besides, movie channels claim that movies serve as entertainment for both – the young and the old, and hence, they can be consumed at any point of time irrespective of other activities happening in the broadcast space.

    Yet, according to broadcasters of English movies, the 11:00 pm slot enjoys high ratings during IPL season, and strategising around this slot helps them compensate for erosion of viewership that takes place during the 9:00 pm time band. Broadcasters of Hindi movies on the other hand remain unaffected, and continue to mark their FPCs as per their preferences. Hindi movie channels mainly focus on catching viewers in the afternoon just before the beginning of the cricket match.

    About Star Movies’ and Star Movies Action’s plans during IPL 7, Star India business head English cluster, Kevin Vaz, says: “The strategy is that viewers can immediately switch to exhilarating blockbusters after an exciting match of cricket. Both channels have a fantastic line-up for their audiences and will provide the best Hollywood content.”

    With a view to amplifying the excitement of IPL, Star Movies has crafted an exclusive, on-air festival that brings together some of the biggest Hollywood premieres. “Riding on the heels of the IPL, Star Movies is bringing out a month-long movie festival titled ‘Super Star League’ in April and May, every night at 11:00 pm. We also have Amazon on board as a presenting sponsor,” says Vaz.  

    Additionally, Star Movies will continue to premiere the biggest Hollywood blockbusters every month and has a great line-up including Oblivion starring Tom Cruise and a host of films featuring Jackie Chan. “Viewers can also look forward to a host of animation movies next month,” Vaz reveals.

    Star Movies Action plans a contest round the special superhero line-up plus a speed demon festival featuring racing hits like Death Race, Ghost Rider, Gone in 60 Seconds and Speed. The Action@ 8 segment will see favourites like Predator, The Man with the Iron Fists and Hell Boy.

    “We have always placed a great importance on the digital medium as we feel that we can really connect with our viewers and gauge their preferences via online activities. In the new age, everyone is online and it is the best place to really interact effectively with our audiences,” says Vaz.

    As for HBO, the channel will air season five of its ‘Hollywood Premiere League (HPL)’ alongside season seven of IPL. Blockbusters including Jack Reacher, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Dark Knight Rises, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life, Wrath of the Titans, The Hunger Games and Parker will be telecast at 11:00 pm, Monday to Thursday, from April 14 to May 22, 2014.

    “The idea is to have a good content mix primarily driven by genres that are well received i.e. action and comedy. And that is what drives ratings, viewership and ad revenues in the end,” says HBO South Asia MD Monica Tata. “We will be doing on-ground activity, radio, on-air and social media promotions as well, building momentum for the two-month long festival that will offer blockbusters soon after the IPL matches get over.”

    Multi Screen Media’s Sony Pix, sister channel of official IPL broadcasters Sony Max and Sony Six, will air season four of its ‘Pix Premiere League (PPL)’ alongside IPL. “We will continue to program around IPL with the fourth season of PPL, as it is the biggest cricketing event in the country,” says Sony Pix business head Saurabh Yagnik. “The PPL has a line-up of our best titles and we have witnessed a spike in viewership during this time for the 11:00 pm slot as well. We want viewers to witness some of the best movies on our channel with the proposition, ‘Stay Amazed’.”

    PPL will be telecast at 11:00 pm Monday to Sunday from 16 April to 1 June. Only on Thursdays, there will be ‘Pix Doubles’ or ‘Super Pix’ or ‘Mega Premiere’ and Snapdeal.com will be the sponsor. With IPL being a MSM property, Pix will leverage Sony Max to get viewers to tune into PPL and catch some really good titles post the action on the field. The plan is to showcase 40 to 45 movie titles during IPL including The Amazing Spider-Man, Into the Blue, Rocky, The Terminator, Shaolin Soccer, Shutter Island, 2012, Kung Fu Hustle and After Earth. With less than two weeks’ time left, Sony Pix will premiere White House Down and Elysium to monetise well before the IPL begins.

    Zee Studio too is working on its programming around the IPL and will continue its Powerplay block that has been reloaded this year with a thrilling mix of Hollywood Action blockbusters through the month of May to attract viewers on to the channel. Powerplay starts 1 May, Monday to Friday at 10:00 pm.

    The block will see movies like: Cowboys and Aliens, Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon, Déj? Vu, Air Force One, John Carter and Enemy of the State.

    Talking about Powerplay Zee Studio EVP and business head Anurag Bedi says: “During the IPL, the English movie genre has historically witnessed a sizeable increase in male viewership and we will capitalise on the channel’s heavy online presence, of one million plus fanbase on Facebook and 50,000 followers on twitter by setting it abuzz with activities all through the month. Powerplay will also be promoted extensively via television and print in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.”

    Unlike most English movie channels which are trying to create a property around IPL through packaging and programming blocks, the Times Television Network English entertainment channels will stick to what they do best. “We don’t want to come across as gimmicky by doing a ‘premier league’ though these things may help in generating more revenues, but it does not really add to the viewership,” says Times Television Network English entertainment channels’ CEO Ajay Trigunayat.

    Movies Now will compete with IPL through ‘Adrenaline Drive’, a block which has been successful for the past two and a half years for the channel. It will play at 11:00 pm, Monday to Thursday, beginning 7 April. Apart from high-octane movies like Commando, Iron Man, Salt, Transporter 2, Clash of the Titans, Batman Begins, Mr & Mrs Smith, Knight & Day, Behind Enemy Lines, 300, Collateral Damage and Superman Returns, Movies Now will also air the Matrix trilogy on 20 April, Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows on 12 April, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island on 5 April, all at 9:00 pm. While Movies Now gets around Rs 9,000 for a 10-second slot, it is pitching about Rs 12,000 per 10 seconds for ‘Adrenaline Drive’.

    Speaking of Romedy Now, Trigunayat says: “We have Friends With Better Lives launching from 1 April. It launched on CBS in the US at 8.30 pm on 31 March and we have done an interesting thing of launching a show at 11:00 pm, which is unprecedented, because prime time viewing has certainly shifted from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm as that is a better viewed slot today than 9:00 pm.”

    In addition, Romedy Now will introduce two tent-pole properties in April i.e. Jolly Good Chaplin, a Charlie Chaplin special, and Romedy Weddings, a collection of unique movies keeping in mind the upcoming wedding season. The channel is also gearing up for the launch of a brand new series, 1600 Penn, which will be aired in May.

    Romedy Now’s current properties including Kitchen Confidential, Witches of East End, Sunny Sundays, Y So Serious and Happy Hours will continue.

    “Romedy Now is a content-agnostic channel. The content line-up consists of the best entertainment, keeping the core proposition of ‘Love. Laugh. Live’ intact. The content planned for the next two months is incredibly exciting. The Chaplin series will be quite a favourite, along with, of course, Friends With Better Lives, which is a brand new series written by Dana Klein (from the popular series F.R.I.E.N.D.S.),” says Trigunayat.

    Asked about the strategy deployed by English movie channels, a media observer said, “Properties based around IPL on English movie channels essentially serve two purposes. One, they allow channels to package these properties for the advertisers, and hence, monetise them better than their regular FPC. Two, it helps keep the buzz on the channel alive, so that the channel is not lost in the IPL hype.”

    Unlike English movie channels, Hindi movie channels are on a different route altogether.

    As Star Gold & Movies OK executive VP & GM, Hemal Jhaveri says: “It is business as usual; it’s about forming the habit for viewers, and there is so much of cricket happening anyways, nothing really changes for us dramatically during the IPL. The premieres will get their share of the marketing push through our networks.”

    Star Gold’s highlight for the month of April is ‘Masaledar Hits’, where every day, the channel will dish out a ‘Masaledar’ movie in the early evening slot; this will be a key property to win share in the non-prime time band. Golmaal 3, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Agneepath (Amitabh Bachan), Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani, De Dana Dan and Bhagam Bhaag among others will be aired as part of this block.

    Similarly for May, Star Gold will have ‘Blockbuster Noon’, which Jhaveri describes as “a programming stunt that we are planning to pull off where we will showcase a slew of blockbusters in the afternoon time band on week days. As we believe weekdays are the new weekends.”

    Additionally, the first Rs 100 crore grosser of this year, Salman Khan-starrer Jai Ho will premiere on a weekend in May followed by the world television premiere of O Teri.

    Movies OK will continue running the Family OK Holiday Special Contest on weekdays, early evening. “The idea is to engage and interact with the entire family and at the same time, provide an opportunity to watch and win the contest,” says Jhaveri. The contest gives viewers a chance to win a smart phone every day and a lucky family to go for an all expenses-paid international holiday to Thailand. This band will see movies like Main Hoon Na, Khatta Meetha, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehtein Hain, Beta and Tere Naam among others.

    Bullett Raja will premiere on 27 April at 8:00 pm and in May; the channel will run the ‘SuperVeers – Action Blockbusters’ block at 8:00 pm on weekdays, apart from the channel premiere of the hit, Yaariyan in the weekend primetime band.

    Leveraging the election fever with an aim to provide viewers with iconic reel leaders, Zee Cinema is launching the ‘Hamara Neta Kaisa Ho’ festival which will air from 14-21 April, 2014 everyday at 9:00 pm. The festival will see titles like Nayak, Himmatwala and Aparichit – The Stranger.

    “Entering into our 20th year of entertaining our audiences with Movies, Masti and Magic, it has been our constant endeavour at Zee Cinema, to constantly provide our viewers novel offerings. We thrive to deliver the best to our audience hence have been rewarded with the highest GVTs, making the movie channel the undisputed leader in its genre. We are not aiming at combating IPL… in fact we look at it as an opportunity where television viewing will have increased eyeballs due to the election and IPL fervor,” explains Zeel deputy VP, head of programming – Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari.

    Zee Classic is strengthening its programming line-up for the month of April by premiering movies such as Nasir Hussain and Shammi Kapoor’s Dil Deke Dekho, two Kishore Kumar classics like Dilli Ka Thug and Bombay Ka Chor and Biswajeet’s Bees Saal Baad for the first time on the channel. The month of April will also witness evergreen superstar Rajendra ‘Jubliee’ Kumar’s festival which will see films like Gawar, Doo Jassos and Saathi amongst others. Zee Classic will be airing a special movie Leader on Voting Day, starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala, which revolves around politics. The plethora of movies will recreate the magic of yesteryears.

     “Zee Classic being the only classic Hindi movie channel in India believes in showcasing the great works of cinema. We have an extensive and unique library of superhit classic movies, and hence have created two primetime slots – 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm daily. Apart from this, the channel will also be showcasing movies of the evergreen superstar Rajendra Kumar which will pay a tribute to the Jubilee Star by airing a month-long festival called ‘Jubilee Kumar’,” reveals Tiwari.

    The newest channel from the Zee’s stable – &Pictures – in anticipation of the upcoming IPL, has built up the Sunday 12 noon slot with ‘Hollwood Sundays’, a property that brings up a new Hollywood movie in Asli Desi Flavours every Sunday at 12 noon. “The creation of a destination Pictures@8 that shows high voltage entertainment daily at 8:00 pm was launched in order to develop a loyal viewer base for the daily prime time slot,” adds Tiwari.

    The main attraction for the month of May will see the premiere of Total Siyappa, a co-production of &Pictures. The romcom directed by E. Niwas, released in theatres on 7 March.

    On the marketing and digital strategy Tiwari says: “The activities are being constantly supported with on-air promotions and constant digital buildups and this will continue throughout the year.”

    Looks like the stage is set… not just for the biggest cricket tourney in the shortest format of the game but also for the movie channels vying for eyeballs during this period. Game On!

  • Prime Focus World’s 3D solutions for filmmakers

    Prime Focus World’s 3D solutions for filmmakers

    Of late, several projects have deployed the process of making stereo images from non-stereo traditional 2D images, also called stereo conversion or dimensionalisation or 3D imagery. And one of the leading stereo conversion studios, Prime Focus World, has had a very successful track record of converting 2D films into 3D, and assisting filmmakers shoot in 3D during the filming process itself.

    While it is generally the directors and filmmakers who reach out to Prime Focus World to convert a 2D film into a 3D one, right from the scripting stage to pre-production and production, the studio too seeks out filmmakers to show them the possibilities of converting their films into 3D.

    Prime Focus World senior stereoscopic supervisor Justin Jones has worked with clients including Lucasfilm, Dreamworks Animation, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media and Warner Bros, apart from collaborating with Industrial Light & Magic visual effects supervisors, John Knoll and Dennis Muren.

    Jones’ mandate is to oversee the creative aspect of 3D projects. Early in the project cycle, he collaborates with the client to develop a creative strategy and establish the show structure and workflow. He works closely with the show’s producer to conduct shot analysis, schedule consultation, departmental organisation and pipeline development. It is also part of Jones’ job to keep tab on the progress made by the show across teams in North America, India and the United Kingdom.

    Coming to technicalities, stereoscopic 3D is currently found in four basic formats, including anaglyph (red-cyan), polarised passive (movie theatres and many 3DTVs), active-shutter (DLP projectors and many 3DTVs) and autostereoscopic (parallax barrier like Nintendo 3DS). The tools used for stereo conversion are roto, ocula, in-painting, rubber mapping and projection. Of which, roto is the primary tool used for stereo conversion by volume. While roto just prepares the material, it is the most time-consuming portion of the conversion process.

    “Roto really helps us achieve perfect conversion and helps artistes to have greater control over each pixel during the final conversion process,” says Jones.

    While stereo conversion mainly relies on these tools, there is more to it than just the technical aspect. Many a times, there are creative differences between the studio and filmmakers but Jones believes in first visualising what the director wants and then sitting with the team and ideating on how best to utilise the shots and scenes for perfect conversion into 3D.

    “We convert a few shots and scenes and take it back to the filmmakers to show the difference between 2D and 3D, allowing them to give feedback and implementing it to see if it is beneficial to the conversion,” says Jones.

    With so much to and fro, the entire process is bound to be time-consuming. However, Prime Focus sticks to a very strict schedule to meet deadlines. “We have a track record of converting films in record time and with the right visual effects. What also helps is the abundance of resources that we have at our disposal. On any given project, we would have anywhere between 400 and 450 artistes,” exults Jones. A three-month window is usually kept for every project so as to allow time for final stage testing and checking footage in detail. Jones reveals that The Wizard of Oz (1939) took nearly 14 months from the early stages where the character design was mapped out on paper, which alone took 10 weeks.

    On the whole, it’s been a satisfying journey, what with hours, days, weeks and months of hard work being put in.

    Every project has been unique. Jones recalls doing a lot of stereo renders on Avatar and helping director James Cameron with stereo aspects as well. “Whatever Cameron shot, we worked alongside the stereographers of his team to bring out the best visual result, and were commended for our dedicated efforts,” he says. Working on Transformers alongside Michael Bay and Cory Turner was equally enjoyable, and “Working on Star Wars was a personal high as it is one of my favourite movie franchises. Working with Lucasfilm was a great experience as they have really been doing some great work in the field of advanced technology used in movies,” he says.

    Jones is excited about his current projects which includes Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For. About the sequel to Sin City, he says, “We are doing all the special effects for the film and the concept, design and executing the visual effects, apart from doing all the stereo effects.”

    Ask him about 3D vs. 2D and he says it all depends on how much thought has really gone into the making of the 3D film. He gives the example of Cameron who was dead sure his film would be in 3D even before starting work on it, which is why he ensured the best use of technology. Ditto for Gravity, which took months of pre-production and visualizing a posse of camera angles and shots before getting made in 3D.

    “The idea is to offer an immersive experience for the viewer. That said, if the film is first shot in 2D and then converted into 3D, it doesn’t necessarily lose out on a great 3D proposition. What is required is a great stereographer who can visualise and find those places that can be used to enhance the 3D effect in the film and bring about an immersive experience. The idea is never to look like a gag for the audience by just throwing things at them in the theatres, but to give them a memory of taking back an experience, not just a movie,” sums up Jones. He is quick to add however that a good 3D effect can never make a bad movie get a good review; “You need to have a good script in place and each aspect of the film needs to be rock solid for great BO and critical acclaim,” Jones ends.

  • ‘Hand Pix’ is a dream slot for Hollywood buffs

    ‘Hand Pix’ is a dream slot for Hollywood buffs

    For a television channel, programming is the key to garnering TVTs but passing the litmus test becomes that much harder when you happen to be in a niche space cluttered with other movers and shakers.

    To cut to the chase, being an English movies’ channel is tough, what with ad revenues between Rs 450 and Rs 500 crore and at least 10 players in the reckoning.

    And yet, Multi Screen Media’s English movies’ channel Sony Pix continues to retain its number two spot while aspiring to become number one. So what goes into it?

    Sony Pix VP and programming head Amogh Dusad goes on to explain, “On an average, everybody in the category programmes 100-110 unique movie titles in a month, but the reality of the category is that only the top 400 titles contribute to nearly 70 per cent of the viewership.”

    Pix has survived such a scenario and even emerged the winner because of its clutter-breaking strategies. For instance, the channel never clubs movies under run-of-the-mill festivals like ‘Spectacular 9’, ‘Blockbusters @ 10’ or ‘Action @ 7’. Rather, “We started doing Pixathons, then Pix Doubles, and we have lived up to the challenge of delivering the best franchises and will continue doing so,” says Dusad.

    A new programming block, ‘Hand Pix’ is set to debut tomorrow, where cult movies like The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), A Few Good Men (1992), Almost Famous (2000), Taxi Driver (1976), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Shutter Island (2010) that appeal to a very niche audience will be aired every Sunday before the 9:00 pm slot. “Hand Pix is a dream slot for a Hollywood movie buff who doesn’t just watch movies but wants to learn and experience them too,” says Dusad.

    The aim is to send out the message, loud and clear, that Sony Pix doesn’t just treat Hollywood movies as American imports but wants to push the envelope in increasing the consumption of English movie content. “We are picking movies that have really strong Hollywood credentials and iconic personalities associated with them in our ‘Hand Pix’ block,” says Dusad. “We want to give viewers the sense that you will get to see great films here. It has been programmed on Sunday evenings before the 9:00 pm slot as a lot of people want to watch exploratory movies during that time.”

    Apart from the slot’s newness, it will also be packaged differently by Sony Pix, where a small synopsis will precede the movie, telling audiences what it’s about and what went into making it.

    “So The Pursuit of Happyness will start off by saying that this is an inspiring story of Christopher Gardner… and we have not yet decided on whether there will just be a slate, or a voice-over as well but it will be a brief 15-20 second band before and during the movie telecast,” Dusad explains. “During the film, we will have loads of trivia around the making and other nitty-gritty to keep the viewers hooked on.”

    Speaking of having a strong competitive edge in referring to the name ‘Pix’ in all programming blocks, he says, “Our word lends itself to actually convert into a vocabulary, so we already have eight programming blocks that have come out of the name of the channel itself.”

    Of the eight, ‘Super Pix’ is the movie of the month, ‘Handy Pix’ showcases iconic movies from Hollywood, ‘Pixipedia’ is the trivia that runs during the movie, ‘Pixathon’ has a movie marathon from the same franchise, ‘Pix Doubles’ usually means the movie and its sequel, and so on. “It’s a cool way to bring association and it basically works on recall and builds association with the channel,” says Dusad.

    Recently, the channel took its ‘Pixathon’ franchise to the next level by airing an animation Pixathon.

    On the planning of the fixed point chart, he says, “The big learning that we have is the combination of TAM data as well as consumer interaction. On an average, a viewer spends only three to four minutes on a channel (in this space), and the movies that work well are those that viewers like to catch over multiple airings.”

    Like other English movie channels, Pix too plays dubbed content as a change from the usual fare. For example, the channel will be airing War of the Arrows, a hit at the Korean box office, to set viewers’ pulses racing. “We pick up content that resonates well with the consumer and they generally look for a break from Bollywood and like to see some change with great visual effects and action. Dubbed content is a good option but we have very few titles as we believe in quality content, and a few of these titles have big names from Hollywood associated with them, like there is True Legend, which has the team of Kill Bill and Matrix associated with it,” elaborates Dusad.

    English movies channels cater to the upwardly mobile young audience, which is the target audience for most aspirational brands in this day and age. This creates a lot of value for advertisers. “Primarily, the English movie space caters to premium audiences with a significant skew to male brands and that is the reality of the category. Within that, whoever finds it relevant for them is pretty much already on the channel. And now that we have risen in viewership, more and more brands are showing keen interest,” Dusad signs off.

     

  • Hindi GECs lend colour to Holi celebrations

    Hindi GECs lend colour to Holi celebrations

    MUMBAI: Squirt coloured water on your friends and dear ones or smear their faces with Gulaal… anything goes for it’s that time of the year when you can say, “Bura na maano, holi hai”.

    With the festival of colours just round the corner, Hindi GECs are going hammer and tongs to jump into the Holi revelry. Kick-starting the celebrations will be Colors’ ‘Beintehaan Jazbaat Ke Rang’ on 15 March from 7.30 to 9pm. The show will bring together protagonists of Colors’ many shows such as Bani- Ishq Da Kalma, Uttaran, Balika Vadhu, Beintehaan and Rangarasiya. Among a slew of performances, Sunny Leone, who stars in Balaji Motion Pictures’ upcoming Ragini MMS 2, will be seen shaking a leg to the films hit number, Baby Doll.

    Zee TV will air a three-hour special titled Zee ‘Holi Mahotsav- Ladakpan ke suhaane’ rang on 16 March at 6pm and 17 March at 4pm. The Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke team will invite other Zee artistes to celebrate Holi in the Benares style while audiences will be given a sneak peek into celebrations in other states of the country including UP, Punjab and Rajasthan. Hasya kavi Surendra Sharma will grace the event that will also witness performances by on-screen couples such as Jodha-Akbar and Zoya-Asad.

    Says Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma: “This year, the Holi Mahotsav on Zee will be a celebration of the sheer diversity of content we offer as a broadcaster. The grand revelry with colors will be in Benares where the Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke family invites artistes of all our other primetime shows to join in. Showcasing the various styles in which Holi is celebrated across different Indian states, we’ll have beautiful acts that represent the country’s vibrant cultural canvas.”

    As for Star Plus, the channel is all set for a waterless Holi on 17 March at 12.30pm with ‘Masti Gulal Ki’, a two-hour-long celebration highlighting the importance of conserving water while keeping the fun element intact. Produced by Frames Productions, the show will be hosted by real-life couple Jennifer Winget and Karan Singh Grover with Ritvik and Asha, Ravi and Sargun, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Digangna Suryavanshi (Veera), Sayantani Ghosh, MJ 5 and Krushna Abhishek joining in the celebrations.

    Star Plus SVP and programming strategy Nikhil Madhok says: “Star Plus’s initiative of a waterless, environment-friendly Holi is in perfect sync with our core philosophy of Nayi Soch. Holi this year coincides with World Water Day, so the message becomes even more relevant. Masti Gulal ki will show how Holi can be great fun even without the use of water. It will be a really entertaining event.”

    According to Frames Productions founder Hemant Ruprell, it took almost three weeks to put together the show. “It is a message. We are heading toward summer and with the kind of drought in so many parts of India, we thought we would do it differently this time and send out a message to people that celebration of Holi is about colors and not necessarily asking for 20-25 water tankers. We wanted to go waterless, but wanted to make it as colorful and dynamic,” he says. “Unlike others, we have done a proper stage event for Holi and not in a fictionalized manner.”

    Star Plus’ sister channel, Life OK, will telecast ‘Holi Hain… Life OK Hain’ on 17 March at 8 pm. Bharti Singh and Karan Kundra will be the hosts while Savdhaan India presenters Sushant Singh and Pratyusha Banerjee will join in the festivities and talk about women’s safety on the occasion of Holi.

    Vibhav Roy and Parvati Sehgal (Gustakh Dil) will showcase fun acts, while Gaurav Bajaj and Sukirti Kandpal ( Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai)) will recreate romance on the small screen. The star performer will be Yo Yo Honey Singh and the music will get a comic tadka as Yo Yo Honey Singh and Bharti Singh slug it out in a Punjabi versus Bhojpuri rap.

    On Sony Entertainment Television, there will be Holi integrations on three shows – Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, Boogie Woogie and CID.

    During the 16 March episode of Boogie Woogie, along with performances by the top six contestants, hosts Sargun and Rakshit will perform on the song Balam Pichkari from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. They will be later joined by the judges and there will be performances on songs like Holi Khele Raghuveera from Baghban and Do me a favour let’s play Holi from Waqt-The Race Against Time.

    Ek Nayi Pehchaan will see the entire Modi family gather under one roof to celebrate the festival on 17 and 18 March. As for CID, there will be a special one-hour episode on 17 March at 9 pm, replacing the two daily soaps, Nandini and Jee Le Zara.

    Sony Entertainment Television SVP head-marketing Gaurav Seth says: “A lot of the channels use these special days for topical value and obviously, cultural festivals hold a big place in the Indian family. Viewers like to see their favourite characters mirroring their own lives. It is good for us to have those special events.”

    As for Sony’s sister channel, Sab, this year, it will celebrate a Bollywood-style Holi with all of its actors on 17 March at 9pm. ‘Sab Ki Filmy Holi’ will ensure that viewers shake a leg alongside as they watch it with their family.

    The lovable small screen couple, Daya and Jetha, will anchor the show that will see performances by Daya – Jetha, Taarak – Anjali, Bhide – Madhavi, BabitaIyer, Indu-Mukundi, Koel-Ghotak, Jeannie-Juju, Bagha-Bavri, Chukku-Lily and Machli-Kapi. While gags by Aamir Ali, Sayantani, Kamya Punjabi, Kiku Sharda and Rajesh Thakur will tickle the viewers’ funny bone.

    On-screen celebration of festivals such as holi help these channels make a stronger connect with their audiences.
  • On road to the Cartoon ‘Always On’ Network

    On road to the Cartoon ‘Always On’ Network

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network is taking its promise to reach children whenever they want and wherever they want rather seriously.

    The network has grandiose plans to be ‘Always On’ with customised new original and/or acquired programming for a range of platforms accessed by kids nowadays, including television, smart phones, computers, tablets, gaming devices and what have you.

    Turner International Asia Pacific chief content officer, Mark Eyers rightly puts it as, “To Cartoon Network, ‘Network’ means a portfolio of different experiences across a network of devices for a network of fans.”

    New programming

    As part of its strategy, Turner Broadcasting announced in February that Cartoon Network would air between 6.00 am and 8.00 pm, starting 31 March. Complementing the change in timing is a slew of new shows, both original and acquired. Here’s looking at them:

    Over The Garden Wall: Cartoon Network’s first animated mini-series, Over the Garden Wall is headlined by an all-star voice-cast including Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Collin Dean (The War at Home) and Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men).

    The ten-part fantasy about two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who find themselves trapped in a mysterious world, sees the duo travel through the strange land till they find their way home. Help comes from a wise old woodsman who provides directions and a bluebird named Beatrice. The series has a soundtrack full of Americana-influenced original songs. It is created by Pat McHale and produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

    Clarence: Created by Skyler Page, this new, original animated series about an optimistic boy who wants to do everything premieres Monday, 14 April at 7:00 pm. Clarence was conceived as part of the prolific shorts development programme at Cartoon Network Studios, which resulted in six original series: Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, Steven Universe, Clarence, Over the Garden Wall and We Bare Bears.

    We Bare Bears: A comedy about three bear siblings, Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear, each episode of We Bare Bears follows their awkward attempts at assimilating into human society. Whether they’re looking for food, trying to make human friends or scheming to become internet famous, it’s clear that it’s tough being a bear in a civilized world. Created by Annie Award-winner Daniel Chong (Toy Story of Terror!), the series is produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

    The Tom and Jerry Show: The iconic cat and mouse are back in The Tom and Jerry Show, a fresh take on the ageless classic. While preserving the look, characters and sensibility of the original, the new series offers a fresh perspective on the madcap, slapstick and never-ending battle between two of the most beloved characters of all time. The Tom and Jerry Show is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and will premiere Wednesday, 9 April at 5.30 pm.

    Be Cool Scooby-Doo!: Scooby and company are back but with a modern twist in this 22-minute animated comedy series from Warner Bros. Animation. With high school over and one last summer to live it up, the gang hits the road in the Mystery Machine, chasing fun and adventure. But monsters and mayhem keep getting in the way.

    (Disclaimer: Some of the shows mentioned may be available only in the US and not in the APAC region)

    Wabbit – A Looney Tunes Production: The hilarious, heroic and mischievous Bugs Bunny is back in this all-new series from Warner Bros. Animation. Comic shorts find the carrot-loving rabbit matching wits with (and getting the best of) classic characters like Yosemite Sam and Wile E. Coyote. There are brand new foes too… but Bugs gets a helping hand from new friends like Bigfoot and Squeaks the squirrel.

    Lego Ninjago – Masters of Spinjitzu: Continuing its robust partnership with The Lego Group, Cartoon Network will re-introduce viewers to the world of Ninjago – Masters of Spinjitzu with six new half-an-hour animated specials this year, followed by all-new episodes of the highly popular series in 2015.

    Sonic Boom: For over two decades, Sonic the Hedgehog has held his own as one of the world’s biggest gaming icons. This year, a new branch of the Sonic universe debuts titled Sonic Boom. With a new look for Sonic and friends, the franchise’s first-ever CG-animated television series will premiere on Cartoon Network, along with an extensive video game release of the same name. The Sonic Boom television series, co-produced by Sega and OuiDO! Productions, will debut on Cartoon Network in the 2014-15 season.

    Total Drama – Pahkitew Island: New island, new cast, but the same old disregard for human safety! The Total Drama series returns as Chris and Chef put the newest generation of contestants through the craziest challenges yet – all for a chance to win one million dollars! Total Drama Island is produced by Fresh TV.

    Numb Chucks: Woodchuck brothers Dilweed and Fungus didn’t always see themselves as mystical Kung Fu saviours till they stumbled upon an infomercial featuring the legend Woodchuck Morris’ mullet-fuelled motivational kung-fu video, The Way of the Chuck! With an endless supply of confidence but a limited supply of grey cells, and countless hours of watching the video, this dim-witted duo morph into The Numb Chucks!

    Beyraiderz: Sho, Jin and Leon find themselves trapped in a strange world that was once defended by the six mythic beasts that have now all but disappeared, leaving the world in ruins. It’s now up to the trio to uncover the hidden BeyRaiderz stadiums, fight the tourneys and bring the beasts back…

    According to Eyers, “The transformation is like with any other business model that works on a long-term perspective. All businesses must look at themselves every couple of years with respect to the current market environment.”

    OTT content

    Cartoon Network has always had unique content for the digital platform which compliments television content, be it shorts or games or extensions of the storytelling from the primary channel. “The viewer needs to have a compelling experience in the digital space that should leave him/her wanting to come back for more,” says Eyers.

    Here’s looking at the new originals that the OTT service of Cartoon Network will be showcasing:

    Angelo Rules (Season 2): For kids, life can be a daily battle, what with adults, siblings, teachers and rivals telling them what to do and what not to do et al. Well, it’s time for kids to take control and Angelo’s here to show the way! He observes and then comes up with elaborate strategies to wheedle, sweet-talk, con, and work around any adversary. Season two of this new series comes from TeamTo and Cake Entertainment.

    Detentionaire: Framed for a prank he did not play and punished with a full year of detention, high schooler Lee Ping sneaks out of detention to try and expose who was really behind the prank while avoiding being caught by the principal Barrage. After clearing his name, Lee again attempts to sneak out of Barrage’s upgraded detention room, discovering that a strange pyramid under the school has something to do with Lee’s key, the parents’ council and the blue tazwurms. There is more to the school than meets the eye! Created by animators Daniel Bryan Franklin and Charles Johnston, Detentionaire is distributed by Nelvana.

    Rocket Jo: Rocket Jo is an inventor-adventurer with the unique goal to get his jet-pack to send him flying in the air for good… without effect. But his valiant attempts are always a false dawn to the viewers’ great delight, as there are always failures, gags, explosions, falls, etc. Produced by Millimages and 2D3D, Rocket Jo works hard, drawing upon all his imagination, to make viewers, both children and parents, laugh.

    These apart, there will be other returning series on the network including Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Ben 10 Omniverse, Grojband, Johnny Test, Legends of Chima, Mixels, Pokémon the Series: XY, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Teen Titans GO!, Tenkai Knights and Uncle Grandpa.

    The Future

    Later this year, Cartoon Network will introduce a unique user experience to the mobile marketplace when it launches a new digital initiative called ‘Cartoon Network Anything’. A fast-paced micro-network, Cartoon Network Anything will serve as an ever-growing stream of fun and funny content for mobile phones and other small-screen mobile devices. Users will be able to enjoy games, activities, trivia and clips, each lasting an average of 10 to 15 seconds. These diverse pieces of content will be randomised, and fans will be able to move to the next piece by simply swiping their screens, resulting in entertainment that feels both immediate and infinite.

    In addition to bringing a first-of-its-kind mobile offering to fans, Cartoon Network Anything will also provide unique sponsorship opportunities for Cartoon Network’s business partners. A perfect platform for native advertising, the platform will invite innovative advertising and sponsored content that suits the medium and feel organic to the overall micro-network.

    “In today’s time and age, people will pay for the experience. One of the most powerful experiences that anyone could have is the gift of laughter or humour. And so for us, it’s more about being true to comedy and bring in that surprise that will continue to remain our secret and doubling up on unique, character-driven comedy on whichever platform we are,” ends Eyers.

  • Sony Pix’s digital dreams

    Sony Pix’s digital dreams

    If in doubt about the formidable reputation that social media enjoys today, look no further than these figures: There are over 9 crore people on Facebook and 3 crore people on Twitter in India alone.

    Not surprisingly, everyone who is someone is in a tearing hurry to build their equity on this platform. Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) English movie channel, Sony Pix, is no different except that it aims to break the clutter in social media, much as it has done in the television space.

    Sony Pix EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik says: “We look at social media as an extension of Pix’s personality in that space.

    We believe that the content that we put there is consumed on the second screen, so it’s very important for us to be effective and engage well with social media.”

    Unlike many others who till recently only spoke of the number of fans or likes or followers on a page, Pix believes in more significant metrics like the number of people talking about or engaging in a conversation on the page.  

    “Our focus has clearly been that whenever Pix does something, there is a huge level of engagement that happens and when we look at big campaigns, there is the television, print and digital medium; all of that together constitutes a comprehensive marketing plan,” explains Yagnik.

    “In terms of the overall build up, after television, social media is the most significant. Because with social media, we get a clear 10-15 days window in which, we can establish and keep building the property before its premiere on television. Unlike print, which is more here and now, on social media, you can build up the engagement over a longer period of time in a cost-effective manner.”

    On facebook, Pix boasts 1.77 million likes coupled with nearly 12 to 15 per cent activity, which implies that at any point in time, there are nearly 200,000 plus people actively commenting, sharing, liking and interacting on facebook. On Twitter too, the channel has 37,100 followers with many of its campaigns having trended both in India and world-wide.

    Campaigns

    Pix has carried out campaigns around premieres including Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spiderman, Hobbit and Skyfall both on television and on social media. “We always witness lot of traction on social media when we have big premieres. We always have certain themes to the premieres,” says Yagnik.

    MIB 3 was about anti-alien day, where Pix said eliminating various kinds of aliens from society was the need of the hour. Hash tags were displayed on the TV screen during the premiere, encouraging people to tweet about the film.

    “We were trending through the day at number one and two in India. The anti-alien day campaign trended even worldwide at number four, so it was really encouraging,” beams Yagnik.

    With The Amazing Spiderman, Pix pitched the campaign around the amazing people in each person’s life, creating a web of amazing characters and stars.

    In case of Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the campaign was based on the thought, ‘where it all began’ and conversations were built around this. “We gave a lot of trivia around the sets, locations, costumes, kind of prosthetics that were used. And we went a step ahead with the campaign by getting Hollywood celebrities to say ‘where it all began’,” recalls Yagnik. Pix then posted stories of Sylvester Stallone facing such dire times that he had to sell his dog for Rocky and Jennifer Lopez travelling in buses and trains singing songs, thus giving the whole thing a human touch.

    Skyfall had an interactive game around the mission to save MI-6 and it went so far as to call every player and inform him/her of his mission as a build-up to the premiere. During the premiere, a code was required to be entered as the finale to the game and winners were ferried to the Warner Motion Pictures exhibition in London.

    In a separate initiative, Pix’s very own Hollywood insider, Notty Pixy, was received very well, along with her fashion tips and Hollywood inside gossip. Pix got Notty Pixy to take over twitter on one particular day of the week with her personality reflecting in the posts going out on facebook as well.

    Finally, the Premiere Pixathon was around the ‘power of four’. “We chose movies that had four big stars, or spoke about Hollywood’s four big stars and what makes them click with the audience, four big cricketers and their achievements, and with this, we used the message of the ‘power of four’ for our big Premiere Pixathon. We also used a hash tag, which was trending worldwide,” says Yagnik.

    “On television, the conversation is a monologue where only the channel is conversing with the audience, but on the digital platform, there is a second screen and people love to talk about what they are watching and what they would love to watch and what they are doing and so on.”

    Strategy

    Explaining the strategy behind leveraging social media as a platform, Yagnik says: “The moment we engage on social media, it’s no longer a monologue but a dialogue.  So one can talk and demonstrate his personality and at the same time, the audience responds and talks back, which is always healthy for the channel.

    It acts as a barometer on how posts are being received and what is being liked or disliked by our audience on the digital front.”

    While television is all about talking to the audience, social media gives a chance to listen to the audience. “We are in the process of using it as a listening tool and we have already implemented it at Sony Pix and we will do it across the organisation as well, using net-based SAP,” he explains. “For us, social media is a very important tool for demonstrating and engaging our personality to the viewer on an alternate screen, which beautifully complements television.”

    Four of Pix’s campaigns made it to the facebook hall of fame. Says Yagnik: “It really makes us feel good that even facebook is recognizing our campaigns. It also tell us that we’ve put in a lot of thought and rigor to ideate and create a very cogent

    communication around a property both on- and off- air. The idea is to build intrigue around the property we are trying to market.”

    About Tonic Media, Pix’s digital agency, he says: “We leverage collective minds to come up with outstanding ideas and Tonic Media is an extension to the Sony Pix family.”

    All of Pix’s campaigns go through its content, marketing and on-air promotion team as well as Tonic Media before being further debated, ideated and sharpened. “It’s always good to have the devil’s advocate, which keeps one on the guard because one often falls in love with his/her own idea and loses focus of what the viewer wants, so it’s a very dispassionate view that one gets,” explains Yagnik.

    The channel ensures that the communication is streamlined and reflects Pix’s personality. “We ensure that the on-air, off-air and digital campaigns are all carrying the same message and not misleading the viewers,” says Yagnik. “And finally we need to see the scaleability of the campaign, whether it can be applied across the three platforms. Thought leadership is the centre of what we have to do, and whenever we do something, we need to demonstrate that we are thought leaders and our communication is considered cutting-edge.”

    For such a well planned digital strategy, it could well end up being a case study for other channels.

  • TV turning bold?

    TV turning bold?

    MUMBAI: Two years ago, the television premiere of Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture became a magnet for controversy, when at the nth hour the Information & Broadcasting Ministry banned Sony Entertainment Television from airing the film before 11pm, citing its adult content and sexual innuendo as reason.

    While the movie did eventually premiere on SET at 8pm, it was only after four months, and with as many as 56 cuts advised by the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC).

    In sharp contrast, the world television premiere of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela on the same channel in February was a bit of a pushover.

    No reservations were raised by the government and the movie was aired during primetime and without any cuts. What’s more, the film garnered 8,900 TVTs and helped SET make it to the top four channels after struggling at the bottom for 20 weeks.

    One can see a similar trend with some of the current TV shows. Remember Ekta Kapoor’s show Bade Achche Lagte Hain? An intimate scene between the serial’s lead actors Sakshi Tanwar and Ram Kapoor was aired.

    So, is Indian television becoming bold or has the audience come of age to accept more and more of such content. We spoke to a cross-section of industry to find out.

    “It is not really so much about TV getting bolder as much as acceptance for this kind of content. The audience is becoming a lot more mature to accept it. It is not something you can say is limited only to GECs; it is across the board. It is largely media-driven than anything else. The awareness has gone up and there is so much international content that we are consuming that it doesn’t seem so odd,” said Lodestar UM vice-president Deepak Netram.

    “We consume the same kind of content in so many different places that it is really not alarming. At the same time, there is some amount of dissonance in the conservative mindset, which has always been there. I don’t think there is a dramatic shift; it is something that has been happening gradually over a period of time.”

    Unlike Netram, Sony Max EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said he wouldn’t have gone ahead and aired the whole movie without cuts the way SET did. “A Ram-Leela kind of movie cannot be watched when you are with your family. When it comes to Max, I will ensure that I cut at least 10 minutes of the movie,” he said.

    Star India’s attitude has been completely different to that of SET. An upcoming episode of the celebrity chat show Koffee with Karan featuring Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri turned out so steamy that Star World decided to serve the ‘adults only’ brew at11pm instead of the usual 9pm slot.

    “Staying within the IBF guidelines, we didn’t want to air the episode before 11 pm. The alternative would have been to edit out a lot of the conversation, which we chose not to do. The episode is worth staying up late for,” said Star India content head, English GECs Rasika Tyagi.

    At the same time, Star Plus, another channel within the Star Network, remains unapologetic about airing an adult-themed show Ishq Kills every Sunday at 10pm. Interestingly, the very same channel telecast adult-themed shows such as Maryada – Aakhir Kab Tak and Kaali – Ek Agnipariksha during late primetime back in 2010.

    Meanwhile, a channel like Channel V, a lot of whose content tends to be edgy, maintains a fairly high standard of self regulation of censorship.

    “A lot of the content that we do tends to be edgy. If you look at Heroes or Gumraah, they are fairly edgy subjects. But a lot depends on how you actually create them and also on how you plan and execute. While Heroes by the nature of the subject is quite edgy, we feel it is a topic which needs to be discussed and spoken about. And the way we treat it does not really sensationalize it and does not make it difficult to watch with the family. Therefore, that is really the yardstick that we apply. The topics and subjects might be edgy, but we definitely don’t want to make them sensational,” said Channel V (designation) Channel V general manager and EVP Prem Kamath.

    “Everyone runs their own code of self regulation mechanisms and it depends on what the internal mechanism is allowing them to do. There is an overall body – the BCCCI, which puts down guidelines. If you speak about Channel V or even the Star network channels, we hold a fairly high standard of self regulation of censorship.”

    According to Kamath, there is a strong social responsibility. “If it’s a family viewing channel, there is a certain kind of content you can put out during the regular hours, and if we feel any content is pushing the envelope of boldness and is not suitable for general viewing, we push it to a time slot which is probably late night. Or a lot of times, we don’t air it at all. So, I don’t think there is one brush that paints all the channels, it’s different for different channels,” he said.

  • 14 years of Indiantelevision: What industry has to say

    14 years of Indiantelevision: What industry has to say

    MUMBAI: This day fourteen years ago, the idea of Indiantelevision.com was born. It became the one-stop information resource for the blossoming television industry and also for its surrounding ecosystem.

    Indiantelevision.com has witnessed the evolution of the television entertainment business in India and it growing into a Rs 17,000 crore industry today.

    Indiantelevison.com chronicled the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s Star in 2000 with the grand success of Amitabh Bachchan-hosted ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and the emergence of dominance of Ekta Kapoor shows in 2003, to the game-changing events of 2013 – digitisation in the top 42 cities, 12-minute per hour cap on advertisements, and the setting up of Broadcast Audience Research Council, a joint initiative of all the stakeholders for their own television ratings service.

    Before we entered our fourteenth year, the Indiantelevision.com website was re-launched, giving it a new look to be in tune with the prevailing times.

    Innovation has been the only constant at Indiantelevision.com and it will continue to be.

    On our 14th anniversary, this is what the industry leaders have to say about the journey of Indiantelevision.com so far…

    Life OK, general manager, Ajit Thakur 

    It has been an incredible 14 years for the television industry. Indiantelevision.com is a great place for people like us to stay up-to-date on what is happening. A few things that come to my mind when it comes to Indiantelevision.com are that it is driven by Mr. Anil Wanvari who is one of the most influential and knowledgeable people in the industry on television. Also, the website stays abreast with any news in the industry and you can rely on Indiantelevision.com to report it. Most importantly, the journalists are very insightful and they know what is happening 24*7. 

    Everest Brand Solutions, president, Dhunji S Wadia

    Indiantelevision.com is the most comprehensive and speedy information site, especially the MAM section which is most relevant for our industry.  No other site covers the all aspects in this detail.

     

    Hathway Cable & Datacom, chief executive officer, Jagdish Kumar

    Indian Television Dot Com is an integral part of the television growth story in India. The first thing that every professional in this sector does is log on to the Indiantelevision.com’s website to get the update on what is happening in the industry. I wish that the website continues with the good work.

    Indian Film and Television Producers Council, co-chairman JD Majethia

    Indiantelevision.com is a pioneer. I wish great success to the entire team. It’s a good source, where people can get day-to-day updates and we are incomplete without Indiantelevision.com. The team working there is doing a fabulous job.

    NBA president and NDTV executive vice chairperson K V L Narayan Rao

    Indiantelevision.com is a very good site. It has grown at the same pace as the industry has. It has done a great service to keep the industry updated and has been a reasonably important voice from the point of view of influencing people.

    BARC, chief executive officer, Partho Dasgupta

    Congratulations to Anil and the whole team for this landmark achievement. I enjoy the level of detail that goes into every story. There is aggression in the team to get the stories. The website has been really helpful for the entire ecosystem.

    Provocateur Advisory, principal, Paritosh Joshi

    For a lot of communications industry professionals, Indiantelevision.com has been a daily port of call for as long they can remember. Whether it is staying abreast with the latest news particularly that which impinges on the sector or understanding the views of well-regarded opinion leaders, the site provides a quick digest of critical information. Novices to the industry find an endless mine of learning while thoroughbreds too take away fresh inspiration. Indiantelevision.com has led innovation in trade journalism focused on the communications industry and spawned several copycats too. But then imitation is flattery so that can’t be bad!

    Dish TV, CEO, R C Venkateish

    Indiantelevision was the first such portal that gave information on major industry developments. Over the years it has evolved to be a definite destination for people who want to keep up with all the goings on in the industry and also a valuable source of information and opinion on a lot of things. It is fast off the block in terms of being able to provide latest and quick developments. Wish you all the best for years to come.

    Colors, CEO, Raj Nayak

    Indiantelevision.com started in front of me. I remember the days when Anil used to report and write the copies himself. He has come a long way from where he started. It is a story to be told.

    IBF, secretary general, Shailesh Shah

    I have dealt with Anil Wanvari and five other journalists working at indiantelevision.com.  Their enthusiasm and energy are invigorating.  Their youthful brazenness gives the team the right to call themselves a “free-speech-user” of the fourth estate.  I think the time has come to become a mature participant in the industry, showing responsibility without losing the enthusiasm, energy and youthful brazenness.

    Madison World, chairman and MD, Sam Balsara

    Over the years Indiantelevision.com has played a very useful role in the lives of advertising and marketing community. I wish the team all the very best for the next 140 years!

    DEN Networks CEO, SN Sharma

    I congratulate indiantelevision.com family on successful completion of 14 years of service. Indiantelevision.com has been one of the oldest and a one of a kind source for disseminating information and promoting the cause of the media and broadcasting industry. I am sure that you will carry on with the good work and wish you all the best for your future endeavors.

    AXN Networks India, business head, Sunil Punjabi

     

    Indiantelevision is my everyday destination for the most precise, relevant and trustworthy media and entertainment news. My best wishes to them for celebrating success and credibility for the last 14 years and many more to come.

    Sony Pix, EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik

     

    Congratulations to Indiantelevision on completing 14 years of impactful reporting. The team believes in delivering resonating stories which aptly represents the television industry. Each story dwells on the topic long enough to provide wholesome and holistic information on that particular topic. I wish them the very best and hope they continue with the wonderful work they are doing. Indiantelevision.com gives a good insight in to the Indian TV industry. Also, the way the company explored in other areas is also a very commendable thing. Wish you guys all the best. May you scale greater heights…

     

    (There is no harm in self-flattering, once in a while, Thank you for the support)