ITV

Category: Television

  • DD’s new revenue mantra: big films

    DD’s new revenue mantra: big films

    NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan has decided to attempt maximizing revenue through its film slots by showing as many blockbuster films as possible during the remaining part of the year.

    This assumes importance in view of the fact that DD does not have exclusive cricket telecast rights, which brought in sizeable revenue during the previous years.

    A high level committee headed by Prasar Bharati CEO Brijeshwar Singh has been formed to ensure smooth implementation of the rejuvenated film policy.
    The other members of the panel are Doordarshan DG L D Mandloi and Rajat Bhargava, additional DG (finance).
    DD has five film slots in a week — the Friday night feature film, Saturday night feature film, Retrospective of Sunday Afternoons, Bio-Scope serialized feature film slot and the slot on Hindi belt network.

    The films will be marketed by Prasar Bharati’s marketing divisions in Mumbai and Delhi and will be largely procured through National Films Development Corporation.
    Prasar Bharati has chosen films to be the revenue growth engines as ananalysis of revenue flow has shown that they have the maximum potential to deliver net revenue.

    For example, Friday feature film is a clear winner. Besides being the most watched feature film on television in all TV homes with ratings of 7 and above (as per TAM data), it also fetches net revenue in excess of Rs 8 million per film.

    The Saturday feature film is a close second with a net revenue realization of approximately Rs 7 million. Retrospective on Sundays, which saw films of eminent artistes, have a niche audience appeal, yet manages to draw sizeable revenue.

    Since last one and a half years, Doordarshan has been showing blockbuster films on its national network on a regular basis.

    Earlier, the frequency was once a month, which was interspersed with other new/ recent films. Gone are the days when DD scheduled only old movies.

    An internal analysis by Prasar Bharati, which manages DD, has also shown that whenever blockbuster films were scheduled, they not only managed to garner higher revenue, but also attracted a sizeable C&S home audience.

    Shah Rukh Khan starrer Swades and Akshay Kumar-Priyanka Chopra starrer Aitraz being some recent examples.

    The blockbusters offer DD another plus. They helped promote other serials and programmes of the national broadcaster, especially offering a sample to those C&S home visitors to DD.

    Last financial year ended 31 March 2006, Doordarshan earned revenue of Rs 9.6 billion. The present effort is to gear up the national broadcaster to meet the challenges and repeat its good performance this year too.

    Giving effect to the new film strategy, DD has scheduled following hit films in the forthcoming days: Munnabhai MBBS on 29 September 2006, Jism on 30 September, Hum Saath Saath Hain on 1 October on Hindi belt network and Swades on 2 October being a Dussehra / Gandhi Jayanti holiday.

    To mark the occasion of birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, DD will also be showing Gandhi Se Mahatma Tak as part of serialized film slot, Bio Scope, on Monday, Tuesday Wednesday (2-4 October).

    Koi Mil Gaya, Mujh Se Shaadi Karoge, Virudh are among other big films lined for October.

  • Malaysian MotoGP Live on Ten Sports

    Round 13 of MotoGP takes place this weekend in Malaysia and all the action will be live on Ten Sports.

     

    Ten sports coverage of the race begins on September 10th at 9-30IST.

     

    With five rounds remaining the Championship is still wide open with as many as five riders still capable of being crowned 2006 champion.

     

    Championship leader Nicky Hayden will be looking to put behind him his poor performance in the Czech Republic last time out and try to cement his position at the top of the points table.

     

    Team mate Dani Pedrosa was able to close the gap on Hayden to just twenty five points with his third place last time out and his consistency has led to many pundits predicting that he could well be the man to finally end Valentino Rossi’s run of five successive titles.

     

    The diminutive Champion has moved in to third place in the rankings a further thirteen points back and with five races left you certainly cannot rule him out from claiming a sixth straight championship.

     

    Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi, winner in the Czech Republic, are two and twelve points further back respectively and they too have outside chances of capturing the title by the time the final race takes place in Spain in late October.

     

    Timings: September 10th 9-30IST

     

    ABOUT TEN SPORTS: Only launched in April 2002, Taj TV’s Ten Sports is watched by more viewers than any other sports channel in the sub-continent and is available in more than 50 million cable/ satellite households worldwide. Ten Sports is the world’s biggest producers of cricket. The Channel broadcasts cricket from Sharjah, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco throughout the Indian sub-continent and Asia, as well as in Europe and the Middle East. Other cricket properties broadcast by Ten Sports in certain territories include internationals from India, the World Cup 2003 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004.

     

    FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TEN SPORTS PROGRAMMES, CONTACT:

    Murtuza Madraswala – Taj Television India Pvt Ltd, 403 Manish Commercial Complex, Dr. A.B. Road, Mumbai, India. Tel no: +91 22 6662 3101; Fax no: +91 22 6662 629; Email: murtuzam@tajtv.com or visit www.tensports.com

  • HBO announces Diwali special programmes

    HBO announces Diwali special programmes

    MUMBAI: Come October and HBO promises a treat for its viewers with non-stop Blockbusters, dazzling stars, exciting action, fun romantic comedies all through the month.

    Every Saturday night at 9 pm, viewers can tune in to watch films like Without a Paddle, Stealth, The Interpreter and Cellular. Two friends try to fulfill their dead friend’s dream in Without a Paddle on 7 October. Humanity must save itself from a computer in Stealth premiering on 14 October. The Interpreter starring Academy Award winners Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn will be shown on 21 October0. And Cellular on October 28.

    Every Saturday night after the 9 pm movie and every Sunday night after the 8 pm movie, HBO will show hits like- Hitch, Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King, Spiderman 2, Troy, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous,The Last Samurai, Collateral, Hellboya and Resident Evil.

    And every weekday from Monday to Friday, Diwali Fun Fare at 11:30 am will treat its viewers to Julia Roberts film Mona Lisa Smile. The ultimate bachelor will face the ultimate challenge in 50 First Dates. And a 13 year old girl who plays a game on her birthday and wakes up the next day as a 30 year old woman in 13 going on 30. Besides Mean Girls, A Cinderella Story, Peter Pan, and many more films will be shown as part of Diwali Fun Fare.

    Every Thursday, ‘Diwali Laughs night’ after the 9 pm movie will make the viewers laugh, with comedies like Connie and Carla, The Guru, The Nutty Professor and Almost Heroes.

    Drawing inspiration from the spirit of Diwali, HBO presents Diwali Treat: The Good Always Wins every Monday night at 9 pm. Catch the battle upfront in Boa Vs Python, Dinocroc, Gargoyles’s Revenge, Pterodactyl and Anaconda. The heroes, the heroines, the legends, the art- its Kung Fu invasion in Diwali Kung Fu every Tuesday night right after your 9 pm movie with adrenaline pumping movies like The New Legend of Shaolin, The Bride with White Hair, Wonder Course, American Shaolin and The King of Kingboxers.

    HBO’s multi-award winning Original series Deadwood returns with a brand new addictive second season premiering 18 October after the 9 pm movie and thereafter every Wednesday night after the 9 pm movie. Set in an ungoverned stretch of South Dakota soon after the 1876 Custer massacre, Deadwood concerns a lawless, evolving town attracting fortune-seekers, drifters, tyrants, and burned-out adventurers searching for a card game and a place to die.

    Gus Van Sant’s gripping drama Elephant in the HBO Original Movie of the Month on October 3 at 9 pm.

    The movie explores the contemporary reality of high schools in America, a reality that has been transformed in recent years by school shootings like the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

    Prime time viewing on HBO includes HBO Blockbuster Of The Month, a special television event that premieres a mega blockbuster movie every month, HBO Saturday Nights, which premieres a new box office hit each week throughout the year; HBO Sunday Super Hits, which showcases the blockbuster hits, star-studded hits, favourite genre hits, Asian hits, highly acclaimed hits and so much more. In addition, HBO features at least 3 – 4 new movie showcases every month to offer viewers an interesting mix of Hollywood movies based on exciting themes.

  • ‘Pogo Voice’ winners to attend Pogo Amazing Kids Awards






     

    MUMBAI: The Pogo Voice Awards has announced the nominees in the various categories, allowing kids to start voting. This will give five kids an opportunity to attend the grand finale of the Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 by voting.


    With this, the Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 has progressed to the second stage. This initiative will encourage kids‘ to ‘voice their choice‘ by electing their favourite celebrities and icons across the field of sports and entertainment. The voting is open to kids‘ across India till 20 October 2006.


    Kids can send in their votes for their favourite icons via SMS to 8558, by typing the category name (like Actor, Actress) and sending it the mentioned short code. A question will be sent to them displaying the nominee names, in response, they need to select their favourite icon by typing <category name> followed by the option (a/b/c/d/e/) and send it to 8558; or can call – 1905 180 2233; or vote online on www.pogo.tv.




    The nominations for the Pogo Voice Awards 2006 have been announced for the various sub-categories including Most Amazing Actor, Most Amazing Actress, Most Amazing Film, Most Amazing Song, Most Amazing Sports Hero, Most Amazing Comedian, Most Amazing Foreign Film and Most Amazing Moment in a Film. The nominees for Pogo Voice Awards 2006 include:


    Most Amazing Actor: Hrithik Roshan (Krrish), John Abraham (Taxi No. 9211), Aamir Khan (Rang De Basanti), Akshay Kumar (Phir Hera Pheri) and Shahrukh Khan (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna).


    Most Amazing Actress: Priyanka Chopra (Krrish), Kajol (Fanaa), Bipasha Basu (Phir Hera Pheri), Soha Ali Khan (Rang De Basanti) and Preity Zinta (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna).


    Most Amazing Film: Krrish, Rang De Basanti, Phir Hera Pheri, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Hanuman.


    Most Amazing Song: Dil Na Diya (Krrish), Just Chill (Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya), O Meri Zoharazabein (Phir Hera Pheri), Aap Ka Saroor (Himesh Reshammiya Album) and Masti Ki Pathshala (Rang De Basanti).


    Most Amazing Sports Hero: MS Dhoni, Sania Mirza, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Narayan Karthikeyan


    Most Amazing Comedian: Paresh Rawal (Phir Hera Pheri), Akshay Kumar (Phir Hera Pheri), Salman Khan (No Entry), Tusshar Kapoor (Golmaal) and Riteish Deshmukh (Bluff Master).


    Most Amazing Foreign Film: Harry Potter and The Goblet of FireTM, Superman Returns, X Men 3, Spiderman 2 and Ice Age 2.


    Most Amazing Moment in a Film: Jaaved Jaffrey “Egg-jhactly” (Salaam Namaste), Aamir Khan‘s mother‘s slaps (Rang De Basanti), Krrish special effect jumps (Krrish), Paresh, Akshay, Suniel trapeze moment (Phir Hera Pheri) and Salman‘s mother‘s slaps (Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya)


    Instituted by Pogo in December 2004, Pogo Amazing Kids Awards recognises child prodigies and rewards them for their outstanding achievements in multiple areas of excellence such as arts, leadership, sports, among others. Kids were also empowered to exercise their choice, and vote for their favourite icons from the world of music, sports, movies and television.

  • Disney targets five local productions; to kick off with ‘Vicky Aur Vetaal’

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney is stepping up its localisation drive in India. One major push in this: have five locally produced live-action Hindi shows tailored for Disney Channel in a year‘s time.


    “Local live-action programming is the way to pump up Disney Channel. We plan to have five original shows within a year and are in talks with various production houses,” Walt Disney Television International (India) executive director, programming and production, Nachiket Pantvaidya tells Indiantelevision.com.


    Disney will have 130 hours of locally produced content over the next one-year period. “India is the first market in the TV business outside the US where Disney has gone in for original local production,” adds Pantvaidya.


    The plan is to increase local content on Disney Channel from 20 to 40 per cent in a year‘s time. The move falls in line with Disney‘s step-wise localisation strategy. This involved languaging the content, creating local environments through interstitials, acquiring local content like Karishma Ka Karishma and lastly, original local production.


    Disney Channel is all set to premiere its first original live action Indian production Vicky Aur Vetaal, a contemporary version of ancient Indian folklore, on 8 October.


    Disney is also actively considering the option of producing a local movie for TV aimed at the Indian audiences, Pantvaidya says.


    So is Disney also looking at producing animation content in India? “We have nothing planned at this stage. The problem with animation is that the costs do not justify a product just for local TV. It has to spread across markets,” says Pantvaidya.


    Disney has commissioned production house Cinevistaas Ltd. for making Vicky Aur Vetaal. Disney has joined hands with other prominent names in the industry like programming director Suraj Rao, music duo Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire (composer and lyricist) and singer Babul Supriyo.


    The series will air every Sunday at 10:30 am on the Disney Channel. Speaking on the developments of the new show, Cinevistaas vice chairman and managing director Sunil Mehta said, “We started production in August last year, with six episodes complete. We have signed on for 26 episodes which can be extended.”


    The story pans out with Vetaal trapped upside down from a banyan tree for three hundred years and is rescued by an eleven year old brat Vicky. Vetaal‘s magical powers have also become rusty landing the pair into trouble, thus the chosen theme “Vetaal ka magic gadbad ghotala.” To undo the mess, Vetaal uses an eccentric ‘spell book‘ which has a life and attitude of its own. Inspite of the havoc the pair bring to the show, it also promises to subtly bring out certain moral undertones of responsibility for ones actions.



    “Disney Channel‘s commitment to localisation has been a well planned endeavor and we are extremely happy to be delivering on it. We believe in the strength of Indian stories. Our creative idiom with Vicky Aur Vetaal was to contemporize and keep it relevant to today‘s generation. In the process of narration, we are able to involve kids in the storyline by addressing their day to day issues in a fun way,” says Pantvaidya.


    With its entry into India, Disney sought pioneer live action programming in a cartoon driven kids market and, according to Pantvaidya, within a span of two years the market has tripled its size.


    Says Walt Disney Television International (Asia Pacific) senior vice president and managing director Nicky Parkinson, “We seek to strengthen connections with kids and their families by developing creative, quality local content that reflects the lives of the local audiences. This major initiative is a strong step forward in establishing Disney Channel further as a committed local player in this country, and also a reflection of the Walt Disney Company‘s commitment to seeking great creative from the global marketplace.”


    For the promotional activity around Vicky Aur Vetaal, Disney Channel has launched a theme-driven marketing campaign involving TV, Radio, Internet, and outdoor apart from an off-air promotion which includes touch-points at McDonalds and other outlets frequented by kids.


    In the week preceeding the launch, an on-ground teaser campaign was unveiled whereby ‘authentic duplicates‘ of certificates were issued announcing a change of name of the person in question. This, along with marriage proposals from strangers and even inanimate objects like trees got people really curious about what was going on, creating the much desired buzz around the campaign. Besides, Disney has used out of home initiatives in malls across 22 odd markets in the country to create optical illusions. The revealer campaign will be unveiled in 2-3 days.

  • Star Plus Lightens the mood as soap opera Fatigue Sets in

    Star Plus Lightens the mood as soap opera Fatigue Sets in

    Come Monday and Star Plus will tickle the funny bone with Krishna Sharma – C.A. Yesterday producers Cinevistaas Ltd. and Contiloe Films Pvt. Ltd. announced the launch of the weekly comedy series. The show airs from 8-8:30pm.

    With game show Kamzor Kadii Kaun and the Balaji Soaps Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki showing a gradual drop in ratings. Star Plus needed to do something different to maintain its leadership status by ensuring viewer loyalty.

    Also Star Plus lags behind in the comedy genre where rivals like Sabe TV and Sony Entertainment Television have scored points with shows like Office Office and Hubahu.

    Krishna Sharma C.A. represents the second venture between between Cinevistaas Ltd. and Contiloe Films Pvt. Ltd.The first venture Shhh… Koi Hai is a suspense drama that airs in the night on the channel.

    On Star Plus Cinevistaas also has the religious show Dharam Aur Hum. The show hosted by Anup Jalota airs every Sunday morning. Cinevistaas also has the mythological Draupadi running on Sahara TV.

    The director of Krishna Sharma C.A. Vijay Krishna Acharya said that the aim was to strike a delicate balance between serious and comic elements without sounding preachy. The show has a slapstick element to it. The show is also aiming to hit a nerve by dealing with basic issues that affect everyday lives like eve teasing, dowry, the controversial issue of child marriage.

    The focus is on the clever manner in which the lead protagonist gets out of tricky situations. Each episode deals with the intensity of a different issue.

    He also said that though Krishna Sharma is a cartoon artist the word C.A. could lead to people thinking of a chartered accountant. Through the title the director said that he wanted to put across the point that the nature of people can be both dual and deceptive.

    Regarding his background he mentioned that he aided Kundan Shah for three years on Kabhie Na Kabhie.

    He also mentioned that he had earlier worked on a pilot for Cinevistaas. He also pointed out the difference between working for national broadcaster Doordarshan and private channels. With DD one has to take care of advertising in addition to conceptualising the story. However one has the rights to the show.

    With a private channel things work in a reverse fashion. Finding advertisers is the channels headache but the rights remain with them. It is somewhat similar to writing an article for a newspaper he said.

    The channel also pitches the idea to the show producers and the show is monitored by an executive producer for the channel. Abrupt changes in future episodes are not uncommon if ratings are not upto scratch.

    About the choice of Shradhha Nigam for the title role he said that he found that she was able to tackle subtlety and difficulties of different situations in a natural fashion. He also found her quick on the uptake.

    Anjan Srivastava plays Krishna Sharma’s father. He said, ” This concept is about true spirit and what television is all about i.e. a programme about ethical values with a message for the common man’. Other cast members include Ravi Baswani, Neelu Kohli, Sandeep Mehta.

  • Almeida made Sony business head; Rajani takes over at Max

    Almeida made Sony business head; Rajani takes over at Max

    MUMBAI: In a top level executive reshuffle, Max Channel business head Albert Almeida has been handed over the responsibility of the flagship channel Sony Entertainment India business head.

    At Max, Almeida will be replaced by Sneha Rajani, who is presently heading Max Programming & Acquisitions.

    Albert and Sneha will report to Set India COO NP Singh. The new appointments have been made with immediate effect.

    On the new leadership team, Set India CEO Kunal Dasgupta says, “As an organisation our efforts have always been focused on creating a combined powerhouse of channels where each of our channels are led by strong professionals who are able to provide sound and effective leadership. In order to further strengthen this leadership these movements have been made where Albert and Sneha can take their teams to greater heights”.

    Commenting on this new announcement, Set India COO NP Singh said, “Both Albert and Sneha have contributed immensely to the growth of the network and now leading SET and Max respectively will give them an opportunity to further grow these brands. Albert will however continue to oversee ICC Champions Trophy till the end of the tournament.”

    Almeida has been with Set for over three years and has provided leadership as marketing head of Set Channel as well. Rajani has been with the company for over seven years and has been involved in areas such as programming, acquisitions & cricket.

  • Discovery channel launches ‘Discovery Marquee’, ‘Discovery Week’

    Discovery channel launches ‘Discovery Marquee’, ‘Discovery Week’

    BANGALORE: Over the next 13 Mondays starting 2 October, the primetime 8 pm slot on Discovery will deal with historical epics as the channel plans to bring history and virtual history to viewers’ homes in a new series – Discovery Marquee.

    The episodes have been created using archival footage with recreated images produced using computer generated imagery (CGI) on personalities and events that affected history in a major way, along with a couple of episodes on earth, informs an official release.

    From Hannibal-Rome’s worst nightmare to Krakatoa to the Deep Ocean as seen by the eyes of the sperm whale, to Genghis Khan, Pompeii’s last day to Flight 913, to the failed plot to kill Hitler, Supervolcano, Dinosaur Planet and more is what one can expect. India also figures in the series by way of Jim Corbett and the Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, a cat that slaughtered 126 people over an eight year period.

    Also starting 30 September, in a bid to facilitate Indian viewers navigate the channel better, a new half hour series hosted by actor and one time VJ Rahul Khanna called Discovery Week will be aired every Saturday 10 pm with a repeat at 11:30 am the following Sunday, adds the release.

  • Disney targets five local productions; to kick off with ‘Vicky Aur Vetaal’

    Disney targets five local productions; to kick off with ‘Vicky Aur Vetaal’

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney is stepping up its localisation drive in India. One major push in this: have five locally produced live-action Hindi shows tailored for Disney Channel in a year’s time.

    “Local live-action programming is the way to pump up Disney Channel. We plan to have five original shows within a year and are in talks with various production houses,” Walt Disney Television International (India) executive director, programming and production, Nachiket Pantvaidya tells Indiantelevision.com.

    Disney will have 130 hours of locally produced content over the next one-year period. “India is the first market in the TV business outside the US where Disney has gone in for original local production,” adds Pantvaidya.

    The plan is to increase local content on Disney Channel from 20 to 40 per cent in a year’s time. The move falls in line with Disney’s step-wise localisation strategy. This involved languaging the content, creating local environments through interstitials, acquiring local content like Karishma Ka Karishma and lastly, original local production.

    Disney Channel is all set to premiere its first original live action Indian production Vicky Aur Vetaal, a contemporary version of ancient Indian folklore, on 8 October.

    Disney is also actively considering the option of producing a local movie for TV aimed at the Indian audiences, Pantvaidya says.

    So is Disney also looking at producing animation content in India? “We have nothing planned at this stage. The problem with animation is that the costs do not justify a product just for local TV. It has to spread across markets,” says Pantvaidya.

    Disney has commissioned production house Cinevistaas Ltd. for making Vicky Aur Vetaal. Disney has joined hands with other prominent names in the industry like programming director Suraj Rao, music duo Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire (composer and lyricist) and singer Babul Supriyo.

    The series will air every Sunday at 10:30 am on the Disney Channel. Speaking on the developments of the new show, Cinevistaas vice chairman and managing director Sunil Mehta said, “We started production in August last year, with six episodes complete. We have signed on for 26 episodes which can be extended.”

    The story pans out with Vetaal trapped upside down from a banyan tree for three hundred years and is rescued by an eleven year old brat Vicky. Vetaal’s magical powers have also become rusty landing the pair into trouble, thus the chosen theme “Vetaal ka magic gadbad ghotala.” To undo the mess, Vetaal uses an eccentric ‘spell book’ which has a life and attitude of its own. Inspite of the havoc the pair bring to the show, it also promises to subtly bring out certain moral undertones of responsibility for ones actions.

    “Disney Channel’s commitment to localisation has been a well planned endeavor and we are extremely happy to be delivering on it. We believe in the strength of Indian stories. Our creative idiom with Vicky Aur Vetaal was to contemporize and keep it relevant to today’s generation. In the process of narration, we are able to involve kids in the storyline by addressing their day to day issues in a fun way,” says Pantvaidya.

    With its entry into India, Disney sought pioneer live action programming in a cartoon driven kids market and, according to Pantvaidya, within a span of two years the market has tripled its size.

    Says Walt Disney Television International (Asia Pacific) senior vice president and managing director Nicky Parkinson, “We seek to strengthen connections with kids and their families by developing creative, quality local content that reflects the lives of the local audiences. This major initiative is a strong step forward in establishing Disney Channel further as a committed local player in this country, and also a reflection of the Walt Disney Company’s commitment to seeking great creative from the global marketplace.”

    For the promotional activity around Vicky Aur Vetaal, Disney Channel has launched a theme-driven marketing campaign involving TV, Radio, Internet, and outdoor apart from an off-air promotion which includes touch-points at McDonalds and other outlets frequented by kids.

    In the week preceeding the launch, an on-ground teaser campaign was unveiled whereby ‘authentic duplicates’ of certificates were issued announcing a change of name of the person in question. This, along with marriage proposals from strangers and even inanimate objects like trees got people really curious about what was going on, creating the much desired buzz around the campaign. Besides, Disney has used out of home initiatives in malls across 22 odd markets in the country to create optical illusions. The revealer campaign will be unveiled in 2-3 days.

  • Harvard Business School, India Today Group to launch South Asian edition of HBR

    Harvard Business School, India Today Group to launch South Asian edition of HBR

    NEW DELHI: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation and The India Today Group today announced a partnership to publish Harvard Business Review South Asia, an English-language edition of the world’s most influential business management magazine.

    Harvard Business Review South Asia will run the same editorial content as the flagship U.S. edition and will include regional advertising. This will mark the 12th edition of the magazine. Collectively, Harvard Business Review’s English-language and translated editions reach nearly half a million readers worldwide.

    Thomas A. Stewart, editor and managing director of Harvard Business Review, was quoted in an official statement as saying, “India is the world’s second’s fastest growing economy and boasts one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative business communities.”

    He added that his company was “delighted by this partnership” as it is important for HBR to be on the ground in India as her contributions to “world business and management thinking increase.”

    Aroon Purie, editor-in-chief of the India Today Group, said: “India has an enormous appetite for the kind of authoritative business content that HBR uniquely delivers. To keep pace with the competitive demands of an increasingly complex global economy, South Asian business leaders are looking for cutting-edge insights and tools to take their companies and their careers to new levels of performance.”

    The premier issue of HBR South Asia will be launched at a special event in Mumbai on 16 October 2006, featuring a panel discussion with HBR editor Thomas Stewart and CEOs of India’s leading companies.

    Harvard Business Review (www.hbr.org) is a leading monthly magazine of management thought and practice.

    The magazine has a worldwide circulation of 242,000. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard Business Review is a business unit of Harvard Business School Publishing, a wholly owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of Harvard University.

    In addition to HBR, HBSP’s offerings include books from Harvard Business School Press, newsletters like Harvard Management Update and the Balanced Scorecard Report, conferences, management development programs and services, and case studies from Harvard Business School and other leading academic institutions around the world.

    Raymond Carvey, executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer of Harvard Business School Publishing, said: “Reaching the business leaders of India and greater South Asia is an important objective for Harvard Business School Publishing as we strive to bring our content to new markets and audiences around the world.”

    He added that partnering with the India Today Group would help them in understand better and serve the needs and interests of those who are driving the rapid growth of this “vital (Indian) economy.”

    Since its founding in 1922, Harvard Business Review has bridged the worlds of academia and business by publishing groundbreaking ideas from experts at the forward edge of management and leadership practice, in a format that businesspeople can apply in their own careers and companies.

    The ideas published in HBR have wide-ranging impact, influencing strategy at leading corporations, setting the terms of management debate and discussion, and inspiring business leaders.

    The India Today Group is India’s leading, diversified media group with interests in magazine, newspaper, television, radio, Internet and book publishing. It is India’s largest magazine publisher with print titles in the current affairs, general interest, lifestyle and business segments.

    Speaking on this new partnership, Ashish Bagga, CEO of the India Today Group, said: “As the country’s largest magazine publisher, identifying niche segments and launching leading international media brands is an integral part of the growth strategy of the India Today Group.”

    The India Today Group has successful licensing partnerships to publish other leading global media brands such as Reader’s Digest, Cosmopolitan, Golf Digest, Men’s Health, Good Housekeeping and Scientific American in India. In addition, the Group also represents the leading magazines Time and Fortune.

    The November issue line up will include Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter on innovation, Wharton School professor Michael Useem on governance, and HBS professor Andrew McAfee on information technology.