ITV

Category: Non-Fiction

  • BBC Worldwide appoints Akhauri Sinha as the COO of Content and Production

    BBC Worldwide appoints Akhauri Sinha as the COO of Content and Production

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide India has appointed Akhauri Sinha as the COO of Content and Production. Based in Mumbai, Akhauri will report to Myleeta Aga, SVP and General Manager India and Content Head for Asia, and will oversee BBC Worldwide’s production business in the country.

     

    Akhauri will head the production of BBC Worldwide formats and local originally developed concepts in both fiction and non-fiction genres, for the Indian market. He is also tasked to formulate and implement local development strategies to maximise commissioning opportunities within the territory.

     

    Akhauri joins BBC Worldwide from Moving Picture Company (MPC) in Bangalore where he headed the India studio for the global visual effects giant. Prior to that, Akhauri worked with Nimbus and UTV, managing the film entertainment division and business development, respectively.

     

    “I am very pleased to have Akhauri join the BBC Worldwide family,” said Myleeta Aga. “Akhauri has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the media industry and has managed major production and other media businesses. With him working closely with our team on the ground, I am confident that BBC Worldwide in India will continue to produce quality formats and local productions that will appeal to our growing audience.”

     

    Last month, BBC Worldwide India was recognised at the 2013 Asian Television Awards when Disney Q Family Mastermind (India) was awarded with the Best Game/Quiz Programme. The format was adapted from the classic BBC format, Mastermind, which was revised to include families as participants. It airs on Disney Channel India.

     

    The sixth and latest season of the Hindi version of Dancing with the Stars, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, which aired on Colors, achieved its best audience figures to date – the grand finale, on 14th September 2013, pushed the show to the top of weekend programming nearly doubling the ratings from 2012.  There is also a regional Bengali version of the show.

     

    Source: BBC Worldwide India

  • Endemol buys a stake in Israeli broadcaster Reshet

    Endemol buys a stake in Israeli broadcaster Reshet

    MUMBAI: Big Brother creator Endemol has confirmed that it has taken a 33 per cent stake in Tel Aviv-based Reshet, one of Israel’s foremost commercial broadcasters, hiking its presence in the Israeli market, one of the world’s hotspots for groundbreaking TV production.

    The partnership unites Endemol’s expertise in the creation, production and distribution of hit content with Reshet’s strong platform as a leading and innovative broadcaster in one of the industry’s most innovative and prolific markets globally. The two companies will collaborate to launch new original content – created and produced by Endemol – for the Israeli market on Reshet’s platforms, which will be shared and exploited throughout Endemol’s worldwide network. By leveraging its global resources, Endemol will internationally distribute new shows, as well as produce Israeli versions of worldwide hits for the broadcaster. 

    Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Reshet has undergone significant growth in recent years and is currently the highest rating channel in the country, with local versions of international blockbusters as well as its own locally created popular formats such as Comedians at Work, Irreversible and State of the Nation.

     

    CEO of Endemol Group Just Spee commented on the Endemol website, “Israel is one of the world’s most innovative and creative markets; delivering exciting and successful formats with international appeal. Reshet is already a leading broadcaster in the region and with an outstanding management team the company is strongly positioned to continue its impressive growth. By joining forces with them we are able to significantly build our capacity to create new original, multi-platform content with global potential, which will be shared among Endemol’s worldwide creative network.”

    CEO of Reshet Avi Zvi added, “We are extremely excited about this partnership; Endemol choosing to invest in our company is a strong vote of confidence and recognition, not only in Reshet but also in the creativity and innovation of the Israeli TV market that has been renowned worldwide in recent years. Endemol’s vast experience in the international arena will allow Israel’s vibrant creative industry to bring premium programming to the global market, efficiently and successfully. Strengthening Reshet’s ownership structure with one of the largest television and format companies in the world will accelerate Reshet’s growth in both local and international markets.” 

    The Reshet tie-up follows Endemol’s acquisition in April of a controlling share in Israel’s leading independent producer Kuperman, now Endemol Israel. Terms of the Reshet deal were not disclosed

  • Endemol bets on gaming, backs social casino site

    Endemol bets on gaming, backs social casino site

    MUMBAI: Endemol, the production house that is known to have produced internationally popular formats like Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Fear Factor is now set to enter the online gaming business. The company has announced that it would be investing $ 13 million in social casino start-up Plumbee as it wants to go beyond the traditional video production.

    Till now, the company has been building its digital gaming business internally, mostly by launching gaming apps based on popular shows. Earlier in the year, it had even announced a $40 million investment in Endemol Beyond, an online video network, backed by investor Idinvest Partners. Even in the new initiative, the investor is backing the company.

    Endemol and Plumbee together will create premium social casino games. The deal is going to benefit both the companies. Endemol will leverage Plumbee’s international network and will boost the growth of its worldwide user base.

    Plumbee that was launched in October 2011, already boasts of games like Mirrorball Slots that is among the top 10 highest grossing social casino games on Facebook. It has more than one million monthly active users and other popular games like Playfish. With a new focus on a mix of free-to-play and real-money games, it wants to tap into both areas. And now, Endemol also plans to cash in on the popularity.

    Endemol’s current digital gaming projects include a new initiative to move into app publishing, launching with gaming apps based on shows Pointless and Deal or No Deal.

  • FremantleMedia hires Petter Testmann-Koch for Norway office

    FremantleMedia hires Petter Testmann-Koch for Norway office

    MUMBAI: It was very recently that FremantleMedia International announced few huge deals in the Asian region. Now, the company that is one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television brands in the world, is expanding its operations in the Norway region. The company announced the opening of a production operation in Oslo Norway, and has also appointment Petter Testmann-Koch, a leading Norwegian producer as FremantleMedia Norge Managing Director.

    Testmann-Koch will set up the office and build the production team. He will be responsible for the day to day management of the operation and driving the strategic vision of the business. He will focus on developing quality content for the Norwegian market across all platforms, selling FremantleMedia formats in Norway and working closely with FremantleMedia’s International production, licensing and sales operations. 

    Testmann-Koch will report to Daniela Matei, CEO Nordics, Eastern Europe and Balkans (NOREEBA), and sit on the NOREEBA senior management team.

    Prior to joining FremantleMedia, Testmann-Koch was working with Nordisk Film TV as CCO & Executive Producer where he had overall creative responsibility for development and production as well as co-managing format acquisitions and sales.

     

    He has been credited for producing shows like 71 Degrees North, Home of the Year, Celebrity Cook Off and The Voice of Norway. Prior to this, he worked as a producer/director at Dinamo Story (Eyeworks Dinamo) for five years producing large scale event shows such as Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy), Amanda (Norwegian Oscar), Gullruten (Norwegian Emmy), and Eurovision Song Contest Countdown. Testmann-Koch began his career as a freelance broadcast journalist and went on to work for several production companies as a producer/director including Nordisk Film, Global TV Production Oslo and Allegro Film, before founding his own production company, Potato.

    Testmann-Koch takes up his post in Spring 2014.

    FremantleMedia also recently announced the appointment of Anne Brostrom as Managing Director, Blu, FremantleMedia’s Danish production arm. The company also acquired a majority stake (51 per cent) in Miso Film, a leading Danish scripted production company.

  • Balaji’s bright new sparks

    Balaji’s bright new sparks

    MUMBAI: Even as television channels churn out soap operas in a bid to outdo each other, more and more youngsters are finding themselves dreaming of making it big in films and television.

    Glamour struck as these young guns are, more often than not, they are not really equipped to deal with the big, bad world that lurks beneath the shiny surface.

    This is where companies like Balaji Spark aim to step in to handhold and nurture the new talent. “Our philosophy is about nurturing. We want to do everything a parent does for a child,” exults Balaji Motion Pictures CEO Tanuj Garg about Balaji’s new talent management arm.

    With its mission to identify and manage new talent, Spark will represent both on-screen and directorial talent discovered and launched by BMPL and Balaji Telefilms in films and television, respectively. The unit will be under BMPL, and will be helmed by Firoz Engineer, who will report into Garg.

    Spark’s job will also be about guiding new talent, managing their image and PR among other things. Garg clarifies that among the hundreds of applications Balaji receives every day, its casting directors single out only such talent that they feel is worth grooming. “We are not looking at 100 people or so. It is just going to be a handful of them, who we will oversee so that there is some kind of class and pedigree involved,” he says.

    With the likes of Yash Raj Films and Viacom18 Media too having established units offering similar services, what would differentiate Spark from the rest? “We clearly don’t look at ourselves as agencies or brokers because we don’t think that’s the way talent is managed or launched. Some of the biggest names in the industry have been launched by us, and we continue to do so. It is our responsibility to help them and not use them as commodities,” quips Garg.
    Spark is all about about parenting and not deal making like others, says Tanuj Garg

    Indeed, actors such as Smriti Malhotra-Irani, Sakshi Tanwar, Ram Kapoor, Prachi Desai, Rajeev Khandelwal, Shweta Tiwari, Sushant Singh Rajput, Ronit Roy, Hiten Tejwani, Urvashi Dholakia and more recently, Rajat Tokas and Paridhi Sharma of Jodha Akbar fame, rose from the Balaji stable to achieve iconic status. Garg points out that currently, Spark will focus on the selected lot of actors instead of searching for newer faces. “We don’t want to disturb the applecart and lure people to come to us. We might do that later but as of now, our immediate plans are to nurture the talent we want to launch in TV or films,” he says.

    Spark will have a simple fee structure where it gets management fee, which is a certain price of the deal. All value-added services like paperwork, PR etc. will be part of the deal. Spark will get anything between 10-25 per cent of the deal, which is in keeping with industry standards. The contract timeframe will be a minimum of three years, though it may vary from deal to deal.

    Elaborating on Spark’s low intensive business model, Garg says: “Consumers don’t have to know about us. What matters is people in the industry know us for they will consume our talent.”

    Hats Off Production’s JD Majethia agrees. “Take the example of Sushant Singh Rajput; if he didn’t have the push of Balaji, do you think he would have been where he is today? Balaji has launched so many faces and since there are so many opportunities, it is bound to set new limits,” he says.

    Beyond Dreamz’s Yash Patnaik too feels Spark will only benefit the industry as new talent will get an umbrella where they can get groomed and hone their skills.

    Not just budding youngsters, Spark will also be managing Balaji head honcho Ekta Kapoor. “People want her for shows, as speaker or to host them. She is a brand to reckon with, and she has realised it is high time she came out if there is an interesting and exciting offer. So we will be handling her,” says Garg excitedly.

    Spark plans to partner with other entities across the nation to work with its artists to recognise the right opportunities for them in terms of brand and cause endorsements, performances and appearances on various shows and events.

    With a record-breaking career graph thus far, we are sure, Balaji will only forge ahead with this venture…

  • Anubhav Sinha’s Benaras Mediaworks spreads social awareness

    Anubhav Sinha’s Benaras Mediaworks spreads social awareness

    MUMBAI: Anubhav Sinha’s Benaras MediaWorks announced their latest project ‘Sare Jahan Se’. The production house will create a touching three minute video in an effort to combat the general attitude of intolerance or immunity towards the underprivileged children in the country coinciding the same with the Nation’s 67th Independence Day.

    Directed by two new directors under the Benaras MediaWorks banner, the special video will have Director Gurmmeet Singh (director of the upcoming film Warning) and Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat direct Sare Jahan Se. The video will showcase heart-warming scenes from the streets of Mumbai with the lyrics being sung by underprivileged street children. 

    Speaking on the occasion, co-producer Mushtaq Shiekh said, “Over time we have found that our society has become immune to the reality of the poor in our country. This is our small contribution that we hope will stir the same emotion in people and hopefully encourage them to make a small effort or contribution towards those who are less fortunate that us.”

    The song will be released exclusively by Sony Music India and will be available across all digital platforms.

    The song has been composed/produced by John Stewart (music producer of Warning) with one track being rendered by Sonu Niigaam.

    The video will be released online on the eve of Independence Day on Benaras MediaWorks’ YouTube channel. The movement is aimed at using technology and music together to send out an impactful message and implementing real change among modern society.

  • “The challenge in India is to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside”

    “The challenge in India is to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside”

    A vibrant and curious professional is what describes FremantleMedia India head of content Anupama Mandloi. Based out of Mumbai, Anupama joined the production house in 2010, which was then led by managing director S.K. Barua, who departed a little later. But since his departure she has been involved in furthering the India strategy, along with commercial and operations head Vidyuth Bhandary, of the subsidiary of German media firm RTL.

    The affable and soft spoken but firm Anupama is best known for her nine-year stint with Sony Entertainment Television where she finally rose to head programming. She followed that up with a stint as the non-fiction head at Star India‘s Star Plus for two years.

    Anupama loves taking the challenge of successfully setting up large entertainment properties and rolling out innovative concepts to television. She is currently creatively helming Indian Idol Junior which is being aired on Sony Entertainment Television. Indiantelevision.com‘s Seema Singh spoke to Anupama to get her insights and perspectives on the road ahead for FremantleMedia.

    Excerpts:

    Since you joined FremantleMedia, what are the changes that have been brought in the content? Elaborate on your experience with Fremantle?

    My experience with FremantleMedia has been an eye opener. The work is truly enriching. The culture is extremely professional and the people are like-minded. We enjoy content. We take pride in what we do.

    In every show, be it another season of an established format or creating indigenous content, the intent is always to push the envelope. We have introduced scripted reality shows in its true form and will be doing a lot more of that going forward.

    What is the vision for FremantleMedia in India? 

    To be the best and to work with the best. We are also looking at creating more innovative and inspiring content. To create indigenous shows that travel worldwide.

    Is non-fiction the only genre you want to cater to or are you looking at expanding into fiction and other genres as well? You seem to have a very good relationship with Sony? Have you been able to extend it to other broadcasters too? And other languages too?

    We are in the business of content creation and this is not specific to any particular genre. We have not yet moved into daily soap production but we have been creating fiction and scripted reality like Savdhan India on Life Ok, Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Aamna Saamna (four seasons) and have a couple more bi-weekly shows in the pipeline.

    We enjoy good relations with all broadcasters. And yes, now that we have consolidated our space in content creation, we will be moving into drama as well but more on this front later.

    Where would you rank FremantleMedia as a production house in India? And where do you see it going in terms of being amongst the top players in India? Do you have any competitors? 

    I would rank it amongst the top players. The day we establish our credentials in the daily fiction space we will be unbeatable with our teams, our international presence and content that we can carry across continents.

    We are looking at it (the south) and while we do have licensed deals with some regional channels like Jaya TV and BIG, we have yet to get into production for regional channels

    How did FremantleMedia fare in 2012? Did recession affect the production house in any way?

    FremantleMedia started its India operation in 2010 with Indian Idol 5 and since then has produced a multitude of shows in various genres. The organisation has grown slowly and steadily and moving forward we have plans to build several verticals while strengthening the core. 2012 was a very good year for us.

    What is FremantleMedia‘s core competence in India? How large is the team? How is it structured? How many shows is Fremantle working on currently? How many hours of production have you achieved across all your shows to date?

    Our core competence is production and content creation. The internal team is lean but we work with freelancers on a project basis. We are particular about the people we work with and we focus on building talent.

    Our belief is that shows are as good as the people who make them. So we focus more on building teams. To date we have created approximately 400 hours of content.

    After six seasons of Indian Idol, what led to Sony choosing Indian Idol Junior? We know it failed in the US but has done well in Latin America? Why then go for it in India?

    Why not? It was the next logical step in the format in India. The talent we have discovered this season is a case in point.

    What are the limiting factors of doing production and the formats business in India? And what are the good points of doing production and the formats business in India? How important is FremantleMedia India in the Asian scheme of things and in the global scheme of things? 

    India is important in all schemes of things, globally or otherwise. Internationally, FremantleMedia, is not seen just as a production house. We are one of the biggest distributors of content worldwide. The formats that we own are adapted, produced and licensed worldwide. Our ability to get content to travel across the world is phenomenal.

    We collaborate with boutique content companies, license content and develop as well as adapt and produce across territories.

    In India, lack of IP while developing and producing indigenous content is a hurdle. It would be great to see shows developed locally being adapted in other countries as well. We would be able to do that with shows that have the potential to travel.

    The day we establish our credentials in the daily fiction space we will be unbeatable with our teams, our international presence and content that we can carry across continents

    Any new show that can be expected this year? Any new format deals on the anvil? 

    Yes. There are several new shows on the anvil as well as collaborations.

    How are you using digital space to promote FremantleMedia production shows? Any apps that have been added to attract audiences? What is the response to these apps? How many downloads? 

    Our formats have merchandising as well as digital extensions. On Indian Idol Junior itself we have launched an app this season that has had approximately 70,000 downloads.

    Sony is extremely receptive and keen to push the digital experience and we work collaboratively on that front. Internationally, the second screen phenomenon is huge and all our digital extensions are geared to fulfill the parallel TV viewing experience across our formats.

    Are you also looking at extending your reach to the South? 

    We are looking at it and while we do have licensed deals with some regional channels like Jaya TV and BIG, we have yet to get into production for regional channels.

    Are you open to licensing a format in your catalogue and having another production house produce the show for a channel? Has that worked? Why and why not? 

    No. That will not happen while we have our production set up in the country. It makes no sense.

    Is the format licensing biz becoming interesting in India? Why and why not? 

    Yes it is. The reason it is interesting is that there is increasing recognition of the fact that production houses own shows that have already created an audience in other territories and are now available to a new market, that is, India.The challenge is to be able to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside.

    What are the shows that FremantleMedia has produced so far?

    * India‘s Got Talent – two seasons

    * Indian Idol -three seasons

    * X Factor – one season

    * Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Aamna Saamna – three seasons

    * Aamna Saamna Investigative

    * Savdhan India – two seasons / 44 episodes (part of a producer mix)

    * Mission Cover shot – National Geographic

    * Food Food Maha Challenge Assignment

  • Miditech’s Shaitaan unveils a story on the vicious circle of superstitions

    NEW DELHI: Miditech‘s crime series on Colors, Shaitaan – A criminal mind, is now coming up with a special episode on the vicious circle of superstitions, where a man‘s belief drives him to an extent of murdering an innocent girl.

    Hosted by the popular TV actor Sharad Khelkar the episode will be telecast on 22 June.

    Miditech CEO Nikhil Alva said, “Every weekend we try to bring forward the kind of crime cropping in our country and what people are facing or are the victim of. This week we are showcasing another frightening episode on superstitious belief. One very important reason, why individuals turn out to be a victim of superstition is the fear of failure or the anxiety about the outcome. Our upcoming episode on 22 June would telecast one such heinous crime.”

    TV Actor and the Show Host Sharad Khelkar, said on his association with Shaitaan, “With every episode, I come closer to the realities of life which most of the people are not aware of. Shaitaan captures people‘s attention by making them aware of the harsh realities of life and how one should be a responsible citizen. While shooting for this episode, it was shocking to believe that even in the 21st century, there are people who believe in a number of omens, perform a number of ceremonies to achieve their ends.”

    The episode that will be showcased this weekend 22 June portrays the story of a superstitious man, who blindly follows a Swamiji. Advised by him, the man forces the girl, who is almost his daughter‘s age, to marry him. The story revolves around how desperately the man tries to convince the innocent girl that leads to a murder.

  • Optimystix re-opens ad film unit

    MUMBAI: Optimystix Entertainment India Pvt Ltd, a multi genre content company is all set to re-open its advertising film production unit.

    In fact, director Sanjiv Sharma, along with music director Leslie Lewis, both with a track record of more than 1,000 commercials, have already shot their first commercial for Donear, a leading textile brand.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com on the new venture, Sharma said, “After a three year break we’re again getting into ad film making. It will not be a separate company but the unit will function under the Optimystix banner.”

    He further added, ‘In terms of resource allocation, my writer director Vipul Shah will be overseeing the scripts and Rajeev Vyas will be looking into the business side of it. And like in our television projects there will both be a business and a creative head.”

    Sharma actually comes from a background in ad films and had started Palette Communications Pvt Ltd in 1987. He went on to do many successful ad film campaigns with Maruti Udyog, Hindustan Lever, Shaw Wallace and Pepsi Foods, amongst others. It was in 2000 that he, along with writer director Vipul Shah, started Optimystix.

    Adds Sharma, “Most of the people we have with us have dabbled in both the genres; advertising as well as TV production. Earlier, we had diverted people and resources from Pallete into TV production and now we’ll be using the same for TV commercials.”

  • Another TV executive bites the TV producer bullet

    MUMBAI: With the general entertainment genre getting hyper-competitive, the demand for out of the box content is exploding. And nobody understands the needs of a channel‘s creative and executive producers than somebody who has worked there before.

    Hence, it is no surprise that executives from channels are leaving their relatively comfortable jobs to turn entrepreneurs or partnering with producers as creative producers. Saurabh Tewari (Nautanki Films, Colors), Ranjeet Thakur, Hemant Ruparel (Frames, formerly with Zee TV), Bimal Unnikrishnan (India Dancing Superstar), Siddhartha Tewari and Vikas Seth (formerly with Sony). The latest to do so is Vaibhav Modi, formerly with Endemol and later Star Plus as non-fiction programming head.

    He put in his papers in September 2012, and set up his own production house calling it Bolt Media. His initiative is being funded by Ekta Kapoor‘s Balaji Telefilms and hence it is being talked about as its subsidiary. Modi has taken along with him an old Star hand Rajkamal Patra as commercial head and has hired a team of creatives, production professionals and writers on a project basis.

    The production house has already wrapped up eight ad films for Kissan which were aired in March 2013 and featured Punar Vivah‘s Kratika Sengar. Now it is working on two fiction shows one of which is in the mythological genre and the other in the historical documentary drama space

    Modi is loath to reveal any further details on the shows. All he was willing to say was that “Bolt Media was incorporated to independently create and produce cutting edge TV concepts across mainstream and regional television. We will be covering genres like youth, humour, neomythology, reality, scripted reality, factual entertainment besides exploring branded content like digital brand solutions and short form programming. We are also looking at creating intellectual property like TV formats, events and digital content. ”

    Going by how other TV-broadcast-executives-turned-entrepreneurs have fared in the past, expect Modi to notch up success.