ITV

Category: Television

  • Nazara Technologies launches Dhoni cricket games for Qualcomm’s Brew solution

    Nazara Technologies launches Dhoni cricket games for Qualcomm’s Brew solution

    MUMBAI: Mobile content developer Nazara Technologies has launched two games based on cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    They have been developed for Qualcomm’s Brew solution. Dhoni Tappebaaz and Dhoni Dhamaka, are designed to bring the excitement of cricket to mobile phones. Nazara Technologies will also launch Mahendra Singh Dhoni wallpapers and screensavers.

    In Dhoni Tappebaaz, the user will have to skillfully keep the ball off the ground by striking it with his bat. Users will have the option of downloading different levels of the game and adding unique features. Dhoni Tappebaaz also will have a community-based feature that will enable users to compete with each other and participate in contests.

    Dhoni Dhamaka has been designed with Dhoni’s hard-hitting batting style in mind. In this game, players will have to score the maximum number of runs, hitting as many sixes and fours as possible.

    Nazara Technologies CEO Nitish Mittersain says, “The Brew solution has given us immense flexibility and empowered us with superior technology to develop multiple-feature games with rich graphics.

    “Dhoni Tappebaaz and Dhoni Dhamaka have been developed keeping in mind Dhoni’s mass appeal in India. We are certain that users will find the content compelling and the game play addictive.”

    Qualcomm India director of product technologies Vishal Gupta says, “Qualcomm is committed to creating a healthy wireless ecosystem with the Brew solution by offering all members of the mobile marketplace opportunities for growth, while helping them address market-specific needs and allowing them to create targeted solutions and services.

    “With Dhoni Tappebaaz and Dhoni Dhamaka, Nazara Technologies has created two BREW games perfectly suited for cricket enthusiasts in India.”

    The Brew solution drives the discovery and delivery of data services. Brew subscribers benefit from several offerings, which include: uiOne™ for rich, integrated and dynamic user experiences with fast access to high revenue services on wireless devices; deliveryOne for differentiated and tightly integrated, operator-managed support and delivery of advanced wireless data content and services; and marketOne™ for a quick-to-market, hosted, scalable content delivery service that includes media titles, flexible management and monetization, content provider settlement and business intelligence services. Qualcomm says that it offers this set of Brew offerings to meet the needs of companies delivering mobile products and services around the world.

    Nazara Technologies is a mobile content developer targetting global mobile consumer markets. The company works with leading brands such as Archie Comics, Miramax Studios and Sachin Tendulkar among many others and develops rich mobile media content based on these properties. Nazara has also set up India’s largest dedicated 3D mobile game studio that is releasing three new 3D games using the Brew solution every month.

  • Garnier Fructis Jodi No.1 – the dance fever is catching on

    MUMBAI: Garnier Fructis Jodi No.1 is reaching its last leg; the participants have come a long way surpassing many rounds that have put their mental and physical strength to test.

    The last episode of Jodi No.1 which witnessed the elimination of Prem-Pooja surely did quite a performance for Vijay garnering 16.0 TVR’s a channel share of 38% on Saturday (CS ABC 15+F) in Chennai beating competition.

     

    source: TAM; Channel Shares; Chennai; CS ABC 15+F; Saturdays 2000- 2125hrs

    Now, the time has come for the 6 eliminated jodis (4 reel life and 2 real life) to put on their dancing shoes for the last time and gear up for the wild card round on December 2, 2006. The winner of this wild card round is given the special opportunity to join the two finalists in the grande finale and compete for the title “Jodi No.1”

    The theme of the wild card round is “item number”; so lets see the 6 participants:

    – Bharat Kalyan-Shilpa (JN03): the reel life jodi faced the first elimination in the “koothu kattu” round; have put in their best efforts to impress the judges with “Bailare”

    – Pooja-Rishi (JN05): this reel life jodi had made a quite a impression in the first two rounds; but weren’t able to keep the spirit up in the Black-White round; but they promise to rock with their item “Vaadiamma Jakamma”

    – Rajkamal-Latha Rao (JN07): the real-life jodi who showed immense strength inspite of hard times had decided to withdraw from the competition as Latha Rao had a leg injury. But now they are back and sure to shake a leg with “Saathikadi Pothikadi”.

    – Chetan-Devadarshini (JN02): eliminated in the prop round; this real life jodi have their spirits up and are hoping to garner their votes with the sizzling number from the movie “Kadhal”.

    – Deepak-Tharika (JN06): another great performing couple are sure to give stiff competition to the others with their dance for “Madha Madhaennu”

    – Prem-Pooja (JN04): one among the most favorite couples in the show were eliminated in the “wedding celebration” round as their theme was a misfit. But their energy and love for dance has not deterred and they are back to groove to “Kodambakkam Area”

    Only one among the 6 jodis will survive this test as the viewers decide who deserves to go onto the final episode and compete against the finalists Raghav-Preetha and Vijay Adhiraj-Raschana.

    In addition to all this excitement of the jodis competing for the finals; a sizzling hot number is in the bag by none other than the ravishing Ragasiya.

    Voting for wild card episode

    The viewers are the ultimate judges for the wild card episodes as the viewers are the one who will decide the winner by voting for their favorite jodi. Voting lines open December 2, 2006 8pm to December 3, 2006 9pm only.

    Voting mechanism:
    Reliance subscribers to call 12341xx (xx-contestant number) from their Reliance Mobile and other subscribers can type “JNxx” to 7827. Voting is also available on BSNL landlines “1904 424 2222 xx” and on www.indya.com

    So, don’t forget to tune in for this one action packed episode of Garnier Fructis Jodi No.1 on December 2, 2006 ar 8 pm only on Vijay.
     
  • James Gandolfini signs exclusive producing deal with HBO

    James Gandolfini signs exclusive producing deal with HBO

    MUMBAI: Actor James Gandolfini, who stars in HBO’s gangster saga The Sopranos, has signed a three-year exclusive producing deal with the US broadcaster.

    The agreement marks the first overall production deal for Gandolfini, who along with his producing partner, former Paramount executive Alex Ryan, is simultaneously launching his production shingle, Attaboy Films. Under this exclusive producing arrangement, Gandolfini will develop and produce original television programming for HBO and will also have a first-look deal for feature projects at Picturehouse, HBO’s specialty film distribution arm.

    HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht says, “The Sopranos is a landmark in TV, and the gifted James Gandolfini is one of the reasons for the show’s remarkable success. I am delighted that he will continue to work with the network after the end of the series.”

    Gandolfini and Ryan have spent the past year developing Hemingway, a biopic written by Barbara Turner, with Gandolfini playing the title role in the film. Philip Kaufman (Quills, The Unbearable Lightness of Being) is attached to direct the drama about the tempestuous romance between Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. Turner, whose screen credits include Pollock and Georgia, will produce along with Gandolfini, Ryan and Peter Kaufman. Gandolfini’s managers, Nancy Sanders and Mark Armstrong, will be executive producers. The project is expected to continue development under Attaboy’s new deal, which also includes a commitment to two pilot scripts.

    Gandolfini and Ryan are also developing a documentary with HBO Documentary Films. The film, whose working title is Occupation Iraq, is about soldiers in Iraq and chronicles their stories, tragedies, triumphs and homecomings.

  • Voice your opinion on IBN 7’s ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’

    MUMBAI : Embarked on the principles of Khabar, Har Keemat Par, IBN 7 will air a daily “public opinion” driven show, ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’ at 6:30 pm. The show will discuss an identified topic of national interest with programming over a week. The show would be a true piece of INCLUSIVE JOURNALISM that would involve the people’s voice and participation at every stage.

     

    ‘Hindustan ki Kasam’ a reporter led show with representation across the country, will be a campaign based series which will serve as a platform for the Indian citizens to raise their voice and share their opinion. The feedback received from viewers across the country on the show will be featured on a daily capsule from Monday to Sunday at 6:30pm on IBN 7.

     

    The topic for this week is ‘Dalit Ka Dard (Plight of the Dalit)’. In present day modern India, the state of millions of Dalits has not improved. In this weeklong campaign, IBN 7 will set ‘Chaupals’ and will have a panel of discussions comprising of Dalit leaders, social activists working for the fortification of Dalits, lawyers and many more discussing on the current status of Dalits in our country. The findings of the weeklong series will be summarized in Sunday’s episode pf Hindustan Ki Kasam at 6:30PM.

     

    Portraying a vision for the show, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN & IBN 7 said, “Our expertise has always been in content and immediacy, as part of our broader strategy we want to focus on national issues that involves the common man. Thus we decided to produce Hindustan Ki Kasam, a show concentrating on various issues in the country, providing a fair vocalization platform for the people of India.”

     

    “We strongly feel that issues like Plight of Dalits deserve attention. We believe in INCLUSIVE JOURNALISM and our aim has always been to air shows which involve common man. This show provides a platform to voice his opinions on subjects which matter to the nation. We are confident that viewers will appreciate this initiative.” added, Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN 7.

  • ZEE News and ZEE Business are promotional partner for international film festival of India , Goa

    ZEE News and ZEE Business are promotional partner for international film festival of India , Goa

    MUMBAI: Zee News and Zee Business is the “Promotional Partner” for the 37th International Film Festival of India – the annual celebration of cinema –is starting from November 23rd and will go on till December 3rd 2006 in Goa, India. This time of the year will be seeing some of the best stars of various regions across the country along with the Bollywood biggies to sprinkle the glamour in Goa.

     

    As the official promotional partner, Zee News and Zee Business will be bringing some of the rare visual treats of the Film Festival exclusively for its viewers.

     

    With the festival just a day ahead, Zee News is gearing up for the “Grand opening Ceremony” which will be showcasing the diversity and a mammoth platform that Indian Cinema has created. The channel is going to cover the event extensively that will include interviews, special bytes and exclusive visuals of the 37th IFFI, Goa. From children competition to events, from national, international and regional concerts to movie screening, all the happenings will fill colours to the imagination of the viewers of the channel.

     

    Zee News will exclusively bring special encounters with the most happening stars of the glamour world. Big names like Bipasha Basu, Vikram Phadnis, Shankar Mahadevan, Boney M to name a few, will be part of the promotional interviews on the channel. With all the dignitaries and the distinguished guests, the channel will be covering the glitterati of the festival with regular capsules for its viewers.

     

    Watch Zee News and Zee Business to catch all the actions of 37th International Film Festival of India, Goa.

  • FremantleMedia promotes Gers to head up ancillary rights ops worldwide

    FremantleMedia promotes Gers to head up ancillary rights ops worldwide

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), has promoted Olivier Gers to general manager of FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW).

    In this position, Gers will oversee the exploitation of FremantleMedia’s many strong brands off screen around the world and will be responsible for developing product and promotional associations that enhance and extend consumers’ experience of each property, including brand licensing, music publishing, online and interactive, sponsorship, live events and telephony. Gers will be based in New York and will report to FremantleMedia Enterprises CEO David Ellender.

    Gers, who has been promoted from his previous role as FLW Americas executive vice president, will work together with Ellender to develop, set and implement the company’s ancillary rights strategic direction within the newly-created FremantleMedia Enterprises Group.

    Ellender said, “I am really delighted that Olivier has agreed to take the helm of FLW. Since joining the company, Olivier has demonstrated a great ability to develop an innovative and hugely successful blend of ancillary rights options around some our key TV brands, working on international hits such as American Idol, The Price Is Right and Family Feud. He has made a significant impact on the growth of the business in the Americas and I am confident that, with his great talent and experience, he is the ideal leader to further build upon FLW’s existing reputation and success and further strengthen our position as leading ancillary rights experts around the world.”

    Gers added, “I’m extremely excited to be taking on this role and leading such a talented team of executives from across the globe. FremantleMedia has developed some of the world’s preeminent entertainment brands and I’m looking forward to working with all our partners worldwide to bring these brands to the next level.”

  • EMI Virgin India takes online route to push ‘Adult’ Paris Hilton video

    EMI Virgin India takes online route to push ‘Adult’ Paris Hilton video

    MUMBAI: The government ban on adult-certified content on television will force the latest Paris Hilton music video Stars Are Blind to keep away from Indian television. (The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has issued an A (Adult) certification for the music video, which is part of Hilton’s debut album Paris).

    EMI Virgin India Ltd, which released the album in Mumbai on 22 August, is now taking the web route to fight the TV ban handicap.

    As part of the initiative, Stars Are Blind will be streamed on www.clinicallclear.com. A four and a half minute censored version of the video will be available for the promotional period of two to three weeks. In India, the album’s marketing campaign has been sponsored by Clinic All Clear shampoo.

    Says EMI Music India marketing manager Kaveri Khullar on the strategies, “This is our opportunity to make use of the web. Viral marketing, outdoor, print and retail campaigns are also on the anvil.”

    Then there are plans in the pipeline to tie up with magazines like Rave and TimeOut. “The campaigns will be extended to other websites including Indiatimes.com. Contests around the same will also be rolled out soon,” adds Khullar.

    Commenting on this association, Hindustan Lever Ltd category head – hair care, Vipul Chawla said, “As a brand Clinic All Clear stands for shedding all inhibitions and coming closer to the opposite sex. Paris is the ultimate seduction diva who with her style and panache will really appeal to our target group. Partnering her debut album synegises with Clinic All Clear’s promise of ‘confidence to get close’.”

    It is yet to be seen whether the TV ban on the first single will affect the marketing of the album here in India. However, one must also consider the fact that the build up of ‘curiosity’ in itself may have a positive outcome for its promotions.

  • Brand-comm ‘webinar’: Consumer insight best tool

    Brand-comm ‘webinar’: Consumer insight best tool

    MUMBAI: Consumer trends on the web were discussed at Brand-comm’s web seminar BrandWidth Online 2006.

    The seminar was addressed by Titan Industries managing director Bhaskar Bhat, McCann Erickson president Santosh Desai and Brand-comm CEO Ramanujam Sridhar.

    The seminar drove home the thought that consumer insight is the greatest tool, after all for marketers who want to keep pace in the changing market scenario.

    Some interesting questions to the panelists were on the movement behind the traditional Indian woman rising above her passivity, on consumer insights providing the way-forward for marketers and the role of technology in the consumer decision process. The panelists discussed the ‘More-Mania’ and the key drivers of consumer behavior in India.

    The seminar had 78 participants who logged in from different parts of the country.

  • Ajay Jadeja, Sanjeev Kapoor to put on their dancing shoes on Sony

    Ajay Jadeja, Sanjeev Kapoor to put on their dancing shoes on Sony

    MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment channel Sony has had success in the reality genre in the past with shows like Indian Idol. The channel is hoping to consolidate further with a new dance based reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Dancing With The Stars.

    The show kicks off on 7 September and airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 pm.

    Actor Shilpa Shetty (one of the judges) along with the celebrity contestants Rati Agnihotri, Shweta Salve, Mona Singh and Mahesh Majrekar For the uninitiated, the show is based on the BBC format Strictly Come Dancing. It also achieved success in the US on ABC.

    There the show is called Dancing With The Stars. Basically well known personalities will show off their dancing skills. They will undergo two weeks of training with their partners who specialise in dancing.

    For Sony’s show, the celebrities chosen are former cricketer Ajay Jadeja, celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, actress Rati Agnihotri, television anchor Pooja Bedi, TV actress Mona Singh, director Mahesh Manjrekar, TV star Shweta Salve and TV actor Akashdeep Sehgal.

    The show is being produced by Synergy and Theatre Red. Each episode will see one team eliminated. Viewers can vote through SMS. The judges are director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, choreographer Farah Khan and actress Shilpa Shetty. Equal weightage in terms of points will be given to both the judges and the SMS’ sent in by the viewers.

    Set India COO NP Singh with ace choreographer Sandip Soparkar and SET senior V-P and programming head Anupama Mandloi

    Speaking on the initiative, Sony COO N P Singh says, “The show is all about super achievers in their respective fields who are here yet again to excel in something new. The winner takes home Rs. 5 million. What is unique compared to other shows (read Star One’s Nach Baliye) is that the celebrities do not know how their ability to dance is or is not. Maybe they will discover that they possess a talent to dance. We drew out a list of possible participants. We then decided that these were the celebrities who would be the best fit.”

    BBC Worldwide director of emerging territories Monisha Shah says, “The show is as good as it gets. It has swept global audiences off their feet and has become a ratings blockbuster in every continent. With its wonderful combination of glamour, talent and passion we are especially excited that Sony has taken BBC Worldwide’s format and tailored it so well for the Indian audience. The judges, hosts, celebrities and their partners are all in place.”

    Synergy founder Siddharth Basu says,” Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Dancing With The Stars is a grand and a glamorous show which is as much about live wire personalities and the fun of fusion dance as it is about the grit behind the glamour. It is not just about the usual suspects going through all too familiar routines but about the performance and pain of public figures who are not trained dancers and the fantastic journey they undertake to pit their best foot forward. That is what makes it the mother of all shows and that is what is making it work in countries around the world.”

    On the marketing front to push the show, Singh says that promo spots have been created. These are airing on the channel as well as in cinema halls. The channel is also taking out hoardings and is looking to have a presence in malls. There will also be print ads.

  • Radio Mirchi inaugurates new studio in Bangalore

    Radio Mirchi inaugurates new studio in Bangalore

    BANGALORE: Radio Mirchi today inaugurated their new office and studio in Bangalore. Youth icon John Abraham was the guest of honor and spoke to Mirchi listeners on air. Thereafter, he interacted with his fans who were selected through a contest and invited to the studio for a tête-à-tête with the actor.

    In a little over 100 days, Radio Mirchi has become one of the leading radio stations in Bangalore with a steadily increasing loyal listener base. As per the latest Car Tracks conducted by, IMRB, Radio Mirchi has over 50 per cent market share, claims an official Radio mirchi release.

    Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL) MD and CEO AP Parigi attributes the success of the station to “delivering programmes that are relevant to the people of Bangalore. This is a station for Bangaloreans – speaking their language and touching upon their day to day lives.”

    Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, a part of the ENIL, was launched in Bangalore on 28 April 2006.