ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Discovery Communications inks long-term distribution deal with Lionsgate

    Discovery Communications inks long-term distribution deal with Lionsgate

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications and Lionsgate have entered an exclusive long-term agreement wherein the latter will distribute programming from Discovery’s network portfolio across packaged media platforms in the United States.

     

    The agreement encompasses DVD and Blu-ray distribution of Discovery’s portfolio of series and specials spanning its network brands, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery.

     

    The first release under the agreement will be the 23 February, 2016 Blu-ray and DVD release of Racing Extinction, the landmark documentary, which had its worldwide premiere yesterday on Discovery Channel in more than 220 markets. The film, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, tells the story of a team of artists and activists on an undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, Racing Extinction reveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world.

     

    “We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with Discovery, home of some of the most exciting brands on television, and delighted to bring their diverse and growing portfolio of programming to our home entertainment consumers. Racing Extinction is a powerful and topical documentary by an acclaimed filmmaker that has taken television audiences by storm, and it reflects the world-class quality of Discovery’s great pipeline of content,” said Lionsgate home entertainment president Ron Schwartz.

     

    “We’re delighted to partner with Lionsgate, which operates one of the industry’s leading home entertainment businesses, and eager to leverage their marketing prowess and distribution expertise for titles across our portfolio. Lionsgate is a strong partner and Racing Extinction is an ideal title to launch our partnership and create new opportunities for both our companies,” added Discovery Communications SVP digital distribution and partnerships Rebecca Glashow.

     

    In addition to Lionsgate’s own film and television pipelines and the Discovery Communications content announced today, the company’s home entertainment business distributes content from other leading third-party suppliers including STUDIOCANAL, Miramax, A24 and Roadside Attractions.

     

    The agreement extends the strategic relationship between the two companies announced last month, under which Discovery Communications agreed to purchase five million common shares of Lionsgate. Liberty Global also purchased five million common shares, resulting in each company having an approximately 3.4 per cent shareholding of Lionsgate’s current outstanding shares. Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav and Liberty Global president and CEO Mike Fries also were named to the Lionsgate board of directors.

  • AXN to launch ‘Ray Donovan’ on 7 December

    AXN to launch ‘Ray Donovan’ on 7 December

    MUMBAI: AXN is gearing up to launch the American television series Ray Donovan on 7 December. 

     

    The series will be aired from Monday to Friday at 11 pm.

     

    Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber as the lead. He is portrayed as a guy who makes the problems of the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls disappear.

     

    The show also stars Jon Voight, who portrays the role of Ray’s father named as Mickey Donovan. 

     

    The series narrates the story of Ray Donovan who is a professional fixer for the rich and famous of Los Angeles. The character is portrayed as a cool and sophisticated person but at the same time is shown quite ruthless. Ray continues to seek balance between the demands of his family, including his volatile relationship with Mickey and his adamant and attractive Hollywood clients.

     

    The channel has planned a 360 degree campaign including on-air, social media and on-ground to promote the show. The channel also aims to further strengthen its core consumer engagement beyond television.

  • LeBron James’ Uninterrupted gets $15.8 m investment from Time Warner

    LeBron James’ Uninterrupted gets $15.8 m investment from Time Warner

    MUMBAI: Uninterrupted, the multimedia network for exclusive sports lifestyle content created by international icon LeBron James and business partner Maverick Carter, has aligned with two Time Warner companies namely Warner Bros. Entertainment, and existing partner Turner Sports, to raise $15.8 million in new financing.

     

    The additional capital will allow the growing athlete point-of-view platform to develop exclusive content, elevate the brand, expand to additional platforms, and further engage potential partners.

     

    “The best thing about Uninterrupted is there are so many creative opportunities for athletes to tell their stories. I’m excited to be partnering with important, innovative companies like Warner Brothers and Turner to keep building ‘Uninterrupted’ as a place for athletes to go to connect with fans and share their stories in a different way,” said James.

     

    “With the unique Uninterrupted platform, there is a real opportunity to create a special business that athletes, brands, and media partners can come together to create and distribute creative content,” added Uninterrupted CEO Maverick Carter. “Whether it’s through real-time videos, original digital series, or documentaries, Uninterrupted provides that creative outlet for athletes to share their stories in a way they can’t anywhere else.”

     

    “LeBron and Maverick bring incredible energy, focus and creativity to everything they do and are excellent partners with us in TV, film and digital,” said Warner Bros. Television Group president business and strategy Craig Hunegs. “Joining forces with LeBron, other world-class athletes and Bleacher Report to aggressively build Uninterrupted was an easy decision that’s great for fans and great for Warner Bros.”

     

    In addition to having an equity stake in the company, Turner Sports will now serve as the primary sales arm for the newly expanded Uninterrupted venture. Building on its existing role as the platform’s original content host, Turner’s Bleacher Report and Uninterrupted will have a preferred content relationship.

     

    “In collaboration with Warner Bros., Turner Sports is thrilled to expand its relationship with Uninterrupted as a leading platform for influential athletes to share unfiltered messages directly with their passionate fans,” said Turner Sports president Lenny Daniels. “Uninterrupted has been a perfect fit with Bleacher Report’s mission to provide compelling, mobile- and social-first content that drives engagement with sports fans in an authentic way and we look forward to further growing the reach of this popular multimedia platform.”

     

    Part of Uninterrupted’s planned long-term growth includes expansion onto new platforms, with the venture today announcing a new multi-year deal with go90, a mobile-first platform, to provide content, original series, and exclusive athlete point-of-view videos. The go90 platform becomes Uninterrupted’s third distribution stream following the multimedia company’s presence on Turner’s Bleacher Report and the recently announced partnership with Facebook to host 360 videos including the five-episode Uninterrupted original series Striving for Greatness, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of James’ unparalleled preparation for his pursuit of another title in his 13th NBA season. Access go90 by simply downloading the app in the App Store or Google Play.

     

    “Bringing audiences closer to what they love is what go90 is all about, so to team with the creators at ‘Uninterrupted’ makes a ton of sense,” added go90 SVP of consumer products Brian Angiolet. “If you have seen any of these rare, real-time videos and have taken in a few of the interesting athlete perspectives, then I have no doubt you’re excited about what’s coming next from Uninterrupted.”

  • FX India celebrates Doctor Who’s 52nd Birthday as #TARDISdayOnFX trends

    FX India celebrates Doctor Who’s 52nd Birthday as #TARDISdayOnFX trends

    MUMBAI: FX India has partnered with Havas Media India and wowed and engaged Doctor Who audiences in India through November making the 23rd a super memorable day in their lives!

     

    Doctor Who, the world’s longest running sci-fi show which premiered on BBC, November 23, 1963 has Whovians (fans), across the globe. Every year, The Doctor’s birthday is celebrated as TARDIS Day named after his Time Machine/Spacecraft and is one of the biggest events of the year for every Whovian.

     

    Doctor Who being one of the most appreciated shows on social media, FX India wanted to do something special for the Indian Whovians. What better way than a digital one-on-one with The Doctor himself – Peter Capaldi! Whovians could ask ‘that’ one question they always wanted to; and the contest winners would have their answer.

     

    The ball was set rolling by informing active fan clubs on Facebook that something big was coming their way. Keeping true to the show’s legacy they were informed of a chance of being a part of the next best thing to a ‘Companion’, a Doctor Who sidekick. This was done on Twitter as well.

     

    The tremendous response had fan clubs in the teaser stage actively sharing content as discussions ensued! The engagement for 24 hours from the first teaser was more than the previous 10 days put together. Further, Whovians shared the customised activity collateral. On Twitter, #AskDoctorWhoOnFX flooded itself on timelines everywhere with over 700,000 impressions in just 3 hours.

     

    Enthusiastic Whovians asked a total of 108 questions on Facebook & Twitter!

     

    To make sure that PeterCapaldi could answer as many fans questions as possible, a shortlist with the most frequently asked questions was drawn up – Peter’s opinion on something or the telling of his experiences.

     

    The questions were answered on air and digital on TARDIS day, November 23, 2015. The day was made extra special by holding an online contest for fans as a throwback to the 52 years of Doctor Who. This received an enthusiastic response from eager fans such that #TARDISdayOnFX – trended for over 16 hours on a national scale, trumping even the hottest topics of the day!

     

    The celebrations saw #TARDISdayOnFXgather over 21.5 million impressions with over 7,000 tweets from 400+ contributors. As a special treat for the fans, TARDIS day wishes from The Doctor was shared via a video link

     

    https://www.facebook.com/FXIndia/videos/vb.117763098286699/1278489708880693/?engine=2&theater

  • Zee Studio lines up movies for festive December

    Zee Studio lines up movies for festive December

    MUMBAI: Zee Studio is all geared up to premiere blockbuster movies for the month of December.

     

    The first in line is Last Knights, which will premiere on 13 December, 2015 at 9 pm. The film stars Morgan Freeman and Clive Owen and portrays the adventures of a fallen warrior who rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonoured master. 

     

    The next on the line is the blockbuster animated movie Frozen, which will be aired on 20 December at 9 pm. The film depicts the adventures of Anna, the fearless princess, who sets off on an epic journey to find her estranged sister Elsa.

     

    The channel’s Battleground Zero will enthral the viewers with movies like Thor: The Dark World, War Of The Worlds, Transformers Part – 2 and 3, World War Z amongst others from 4 to 19 December on Fridays and Saturdays at 9 pm.

     

    With Christmas around the corner, the channel will also air movies like Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 3, G-Force, Honey I Blew Up The Kids, Toy Story and How To Train Your Dragon on 25 December, 2015 from 9 pm onwards. 

     

    On 31 December, 2015 for the New Year’s binge evening, the channel will stream movies like Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, National Treasure and Eagle Eye from 11 am onwards.

  • AXN is official TV partner for Comic Con India 2015

    AXN is official TV partner for Comic Con India 2015

    MUMBAI: English entertainment channel AXN has collaborated with a comic based convention Comic Con India for its Delhi and Mumbai edition of 2015.

     

    The channel is the exclusive television partner for the Delhi Comic Con from 4 to 6 December 2015 whereas the Mumbai Film and Comic Con will be held from 19 to 20 December at Bombay Exhibition Centre.

     

    The channel has arranged a dedicated zone to uniquely engage with the fans and visitors of Comic Con India both in Delhi and Mumbai. It has also created an experiential photo booth called the AXN Wall of Hunks wherein viewers can click pictures with their favourite characters. Onlookers can participate in the customised character interaction opportunity and win exclusive AXN goodies. The event will also see the widely loved characters at the zone. 

     

    AXN will also host two special experiential activities at the AXN zone with Ray Donovan and Hannibal. The Donovan’s Fight Club will have fans punching their way through a challenge that will get them beat the power of Ray Donovan’s fists and be eligible to win exclusive Ray Donovan merchandise.

     

    The second innovative activation will have fans literally put their head on a platter at Hannibal’s very own dining table and get clicked.

     

    The channel will organise an exclusive AXN session on the main stage, wherein it will showcase the most iconic scenes of its key shows, followed by a quiz for the audience. AXN will also give a peek into the line-up of upcoming shows.

  • Remembering TV shows that speak about AIDS

    Remembering TV shows that speak about AIDS

    MUMBAI: Thirty years ago, the nation was in a crisis mode, agonising over the AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) virus. There are an estimated 10 lakh people currently living in India with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) (PLHIV). World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988.

    World AIDS Day is held on the 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. The red ribbon is the global symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS.

    As yet another World AIDS Day is observed, the nation can afford to look back with some satisfaction at its AIDS control programme. The timely and focussed programme has proved that all those doomsday predictions were wrong with India having managed to register a 57 per cent decrease in new infections in the past decade.

    The government is taking all the possible measures to control the diffusion of the HIV virus. We at Indiantelevision.com have pinned down a few television shows and films, which have displayed characters or a concept or a message on this deadly virus.

    Here’s the list:

      • Real World

    Real World is a reality television program on MTV. It was first broadcast in 1992 and has successfully penetrated in the entertainment world with 30 seasons. In its early years, the series was hailed for depicting issues of contemporary young adulthood relevant to its core audience like AIDS, sex, prejudice, abortion, illness, death, politics and substance abuse. The series later on garnered a reputation as a showcase for immaturity and irresponsible behaviour of the declining morals of contemporary youth.

       · The Normal Heart 

    The Normal Heart is a 2014 American drama television film directed by Ryan Murphy and is written by Larry Kramer. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello, Jonathan Groff and Julia Roberts. The film depicts the rise of HIV AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984. It takes an unflinching look at the nation’s sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fights to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.

       · Degrassi High 

    This is the third television show in the Degrassi series of teen dramas about the lives of a group of teenagers living in Toronto. It ran from 1989 to 1991. Much like the entire series, this show also dealt with controversial issues ranging from AIDS, abortion, abuse, alcoholism, cheating, sex, death and suicide, dating, depression, bullying, transgender identity, gay rights, homophobia, racism, the environment, drugs and eating disorders.

       · A Different World

    A Different World is an American television sitcom, which aired for six seasons starting from 1987 to 1993. One of the show’s episodes that aired in 1990 addressed the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The original premise was to have a white student there and have Lena Horne as an acting teacher, but in production, the premise changed from being a story about a white girl in a black college to a black girl in a black college with a white friend.

  • Times Network’s promo of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ unravelled

    Times Network’s promo of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ unravelled

    MUMBAI: The widely loved American sitcom How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is back for its fans on Romedy Now and will be aired on 14 December 2015. The show has got the cutest makeover with this new season. As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, the channel has brought HIMYM back with a fresh and unique promo showing toddlers narrating the story of the show.

     

    The video features little Lily Aldrin and Marshall Eriksen as an adorable couple and a miniature, suited-up Barney Stinson flirting with girls. It also shows tiny Ted Mosby sweetly falling head over heels for Robin Scherbatsky, and some of the kids taking turns with a kid-sized version of the show’s signature yellow umbrella. The video takes the funny characters to a whole new ‘miniature’ level.

    Romedy Now is targeting a pan India population, and majorly the youth and expects to reach out to more than a million viewers. The channel has already started promotions on social media two weeks back with teasers and is now building it up to the launch of the show. The next level of the promotion will be revealed as the flag off to the airing of the show approaches.

     

    The English entertainment channel has attempted to portray the love and laughter in the show through a metaphor by portraying the characters of HIMYM as toddlers. Talking about the idea behind the adorable promo Times Network vice president of programming EEC Sonal Khanduja commented, “The treatment of using kids makes the property more affable and cute and makes for great conversation especially when parents want to share their cute memories and moments with their babies. The thought was to have a setup as close as to the show- from the set design to the five kids dressed like the original characters from the show to their attitude and the scenes from the show”.

     

    The promo has been conceptualised and executed internally by the in-house team of the channel, Oapp Team. The off-air campaign has been done by the Famous Innovations creative agency.

     

    The promo has received appreciation from its fans and has generated a lot of buzz across all the social media platforms. “We are glad that our efforts have paid off so well that the makers of the show tweeted about it. And going forward, we will be coming up with many more such unique innovations”, adds Khanduja.

     

    “The promo was created for the people who are already aware of the show and follow it and to offer a new freshness to the property”, adds Khanduja.

     

    As the promo involves shooting with kids from a young age group, the channel had to invest two days to complete the shoot.

     

    Further, Romedy Now is also actively promoting HIMYM through on-ground activities across the key pubs in the urban cities through an engaging game that can be played with friends.

     

    Since it is an iconic show for viewers, it enjoys a positive response from advertisers. “The shows on Romedy Now are leading in the category and we are confident that HIMYM will be at the top of the pack in the span of a few weeks”, concludes Khanduja.

  • Star World Premiere HD to air ‘Blood & Oil’

    Star World Premiere HD to air ‘Blood & Oil’

    MUMBAI: Star World Premiere HD is all set to launch the thriller drama television series Blood & Oil on 1 December 2015. The show will be aired every Tuesday at 11 pm.

     

    The show has Chace Crawford and Rebecca Rittenhouse in lead roles and would also mark the comeback of Don Johnson from Miami Vice.

     

    The plot of the show is weaved around two characters namely Billy and Cody portrayed as a recently married couple with dreams bigger than their working-class upbringing. They move from their small city to the boomtown of Rock Springs in North Dakota following the largest oil discovery in the American history to earn a fortune.

     

    They set out to start their own business, which they’ve financed with every penny to their name. After a rough start, Billy becomes increasingly eager to cash in on this modern day gold rush. When he tries his hand in the oil business, he crosses paths with the baron of the Bakken, Hap Briggs and his equally powerful wife, Carla, as they embark on expanding their empire into new territory. 

     

    Blood & Oil debuted on 27th September this year with American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and garnered decent ratings from the viewers.

  • Grey Goose join hands with Colors Infinity and Vh1 to explore celeb style quotient with ‘Born Stylish’

    Grey Goose join hands with Colors Infinity and Vh1 to explore celeb style quotient with ‘Born Stylish’

    MUMBAI: Grey Goose teamed up with entertainment channels, Colors Infinity and Vh1 to add a whole new level of glamour to television screens this November with an interesting new show titled Born Stylish. Born Stylish will be on from 28 November, 2015 at 8.30 pmon Colors Infinity and Vh1 simultaneously.

     

    The show will have Bollywood style icons like Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Anil Kapoor, and others spill the beans about their evolution across the years by experimenting with style and looks. For the first time in India, viewers will get to see International fashion pioneers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Zegna of the Ermenegildo Zegna family, Massimiliano Giornetti of Salvatore Ferragamo and many more, interacting with designer Pria Kataria Puri, who is debuting as a host on television with Born Stylish.

     

     Speaking on the development, Bacardi India & Southeast Asia director marketing Manish Seth said, “Grey Goose, a global luxury icon, has always been at the forefront of fashion & style. In India, we’ve been celebrating style since inception. Taking this legacy forward, we are elated to announce our association with Viacom18 for the launch of Born Stylish, a series which synergizes with the identity of Grey Goose. Grey Goose epitomizes style and this association symbolizes our appreciation for the best in style.”

     

    Commenting on the premiere of Born Stylish, Viacom18, head of English and Youth Entertainment executive vice president Ferzad Palia mentioned, “Keeping in sync with the disruptive programming of Colors Infinity, we are elated to present yet another differentiated show. It’s a perfect fit in the edgy line-up of international shows and awards that air on Vh1 as well. Born Stylish marks another leap forward in English entertainment as our first ever homegrown celebrity talk-show dedicated to fashion and style of international standards.”

     

     Produced by Pramod Films, RA Luxury and Zeus Selling Solutions, Born Stylish will create an interesting platform to showcase what it takes to make a celebrity as stylish as they are, both on and off screen.

     

     On the format of the show,  Pramod Films producer Prateek Chakravorty said, “It has been an exciting journey, from inception to execution, of this avant-garde concept. And now that it is finally ready to hit television screens I am certain it will create a milestone in the genre of chat shows.”

     

    Adding to that, RA Luxury producer Pratik Laxmi asserted, “The concept is entirely novel and no one has attempted to bridge the gap between national and international fashion before. We are sure viewers will gain a unique perspective on style with this show.”

     

     Each episode will have a specific theme suited to the celebrity guest who will be talking about the style quotient and how it has grown, both on and off-screen. In addition, there will be exclusive interviews with global fashion stalwarts, style tips from Pria Kataria Puri and a volley of rapid fire questions. With all of these packed into a half-hour episode, it’s bound to be a dapper Saturday evening for the audience.