ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Emmy Award winning show ‘The Voice’ is Back On AXN

    Emmy Award winning show ‘The Voice’ is Back On AXN

    MUMBAi: The most widely acclaimed singing reality show and 2015 Emmy Award winner for the outstanding reality show competition, The Voice is back with a brand new season on AXN India, and this season is going to ‘Gwentastic’.

     

    The Season 9will witnesses the comeback of the Hollaback-Girl Gwen Stefani along with last season’s celebrity judges Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. The show will premierealong withthe U.S. every Saturday and Sunday, starting 26thSeptember’15, at 8pm exclusively on AXN& AXN HD.

     

    This new, exciting season will also see some of the biggest celebrity coaches. While Rihanna will serve as a key mentor to all the teams, Selena Gomez will make her debut mentoring Team Gwen. John Fogerty will be serving as Adam Levine’s adviser, Brad Paisley will help out Blake Shelton and Missy Elliott is going to be on team Pharrell Williams.

     

    The Voice Season 9 is all set to mesmerize its viewers with performances from some great, new talents this season. The show’s innovative format features five stages of competition: the first begins with the blind auditions, followed by the battle rounds, the knockouts, the live playoffs and finally, the live performance shows. This season the competition gets tougher as the contestants will also get to impress woof the most iconic 21st century music sensations of the World, Rihanna and Selena Gomez.

  • Romedy Now completes 2 years; commands 58% share in English GECs

    Romedy Now completes 2 years; commands 58% share in English GECs

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel (GEC) Romedy Now has completed two years and as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data, the channel today commands 58 per cent share viewership in the genre. Additionally, 18 shows out of the top 25 shows in the English GEC genre are on Romedy Now.

     

    What’s more, as compared to last year, the channel’s ad rates have also gone up by 50 – 60 per cent. 

     

    Since its launch on 22 September, 2013, Romedy Now has been home to some of the most romantic movies and funniest shows. Shows like FRIENDS, Ally Mcbeal, Witches Of East End, 2 Broke Girls, Friends With Better Lives and Jane The Virgin have all partnered in the growth of the channel and have contributed to its success.

     

    Speaking on the channel completing two years, Times Network head English entertainment cluster senior vice president Vivek Srivastava said, “The channel has done very well in the last two years in terms of numbers. We are constantly number one in BARC India and TAM Media Research (TAM). Romedy doesn’t command the share of mind but the share of heart and that’s the strength of our brand. The channel command 58 per cent viewership in the genre and in the last 13 weeks, 18 shows out of the top 25 shows in English GEC space are on Romedy Now. That is the power of the content we have. Moreover, Romedy Now is not compared with the movie channels’ segment but with the English entertainment space. That said, even if it were compared with the movie channels’ segment, it holds the leadership position.”

     

    Recently Romedy Now added an extra hour of content with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which is being simulcast in India with the US. “The mood of the channel determines the content that we acquire and the mood of the channel is happy. So any romantic movie or feel good factor will feature on the channel and that is the kind of content that we acquire,” he added.

     

    Throwing light on the channel’s ad revenue compared to last year as well as the category of clients that have come on board, Srivastava said, “We have almost doubled our revenues as far as Romedy is concerned because it is the only segmented and differentiated brand in the category. It has a very strong appeal so advertisers’ pull on the brand has been fantastic. The ad rates have gone up by 50 – 60 per cent from last year. We don’t have to hard sell the brand and that’s an advantage we have. E-commerce, automobile, jewellery and FMCGs are the big category clients that we have on board.”

     

    As part of the second anniversary celebrations, the channel premiered the Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson starrer British comedy The Love Punch on 22 September at 9 pm.

     

    Romedy Now has also launched an anniversary contest called ‘Happy 2gether.’

     

    On the programming front, the channel launched one of America’s best sitcoms – Hot in Cleveland on 21 September, which is being aired from Monday to Friday at 8.30 pm. In October the channel is planning to launch Addicted to Love in the romantic slot at 9 pm, whereas November will see How I Met Your Mother launching. For Diwali, the channel will be airing a special called Diwali Delights as well as the Romedy of the month movie – Girl Most Likely.

  • Star World Premiere HD to simulcast 23 shows in India with US

    Star World Premiere HD to simulcast 23 shows in India with US

    MUMBAI: Starting 23 September, Star World Premiere HD will be airing 23 new and returning shows in India at the same time as their US telecast.  

     

    With this, the channel aims to offers viewers in India an option against illegal downloads and endless waits by giving them the ‘day and date – HD only’ proposition.

     

    The channel’s fall line up includes latest seasons of shows like Downton Abbey, Modern Family, Homeland as well as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

     

    Additionally, the channel will also air returning seasons of shows like How To Get Away With Murder (S2), The Blacklist (S3),Fresh Off The Boat (S2), The Walking Dead (S6), Sleepy Hollow (S3), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (S3), The Goldbergs(S3), Last Man On Earth (S2) and Black-ish (S2).

     

    The channel will also premiere the Priyanka Chopra starrer Quantico along with shows like Minority Report, Scream Queens,Bastard Executioner, Rosewood, The Grinder, Grandfathered and Life in Pieces.

     

    An official from Star India said, “We understand what consumers in India want and we constantly seek to innovate and pioneer new formats to deliver fresh, inspiring and premium programming. Star World Premiere HD, is ready to begin its year three and we are confident that with a promising and impressive content line-up, our channel is all set to witness another year of an accelerated growth and ever increasing viewership.”

  • Walt Disney bets big on virtual reality; invests in Jaunt

    Walt Disney bets big on virtual reality; invests in Jaunt

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company is betting big on virtual reality and has invested in Jaunt – a cinematic virtual reality (VR) company.

     

    Jaunt has raised $65 million series C round of funding led by The Walt Disney Company; Evolution Media Partners – a partnership of CAA-backed Evolution Media Capital, TPG Growth and Participant Media; and Chinabased China Media Capital (CMC).

     

    The new investors will greatly expand Jaunt’s global reach, providing significant resources and relationships to help make VR the next mainstream content medium.

     

    Jaunt leads the industry in innovation through its unrivalled end-to-end solution for creating and distributing premium live-action VR. This latest round of funding will enable Jaunt to significantly scale up VR production, and advance their professional-grade camera hardware and software production tools, delivering content to the widest array of mobile devices and VR hardware in the industry.

     

    In addition, Jaunt plans to use the funding to significantly grow their teams in both their Palo Alto headquarters and their new Los Angeles studio.

     

    Additional new investors in the Series C round include leading European media companies ProSiebenSat.1 SE and Axel Springer SE, and The Madison Square Garden Company. They join existing participating investors that include Google Ventures, Highland Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Sky and SV Angel. 

     

    The new round brings Jaunt’s total funding to over $100 million. With these new additions, Jaunt’s investor group offers a global network of deep ties to the largest brands, franchises, talent and technologies, across all entertainment and media, as well as partners who add unique perspective and experience as Jaunt continues to expand and innovate.

     

    “This round further illustrates our commitment and dedication to advancing the scope of cinematic VR – for filmmakers, storytellers, and audiences alike. With the support of these world-class companies, we will explore new avenues, building on our leadership position to deliver amazing VR experiences using best-in-class tools, technology, and creative teams,” said Jaunt CEO and co-founder Jens Christensen.

     

    “Brands, artists, and creatives are looking to reach and interact with their audiences in new innovative ways, and Jaunt’s expertise provides a groundbreaking medium for exploring these new avenues. We look forward to working with Jaunt as they continue to pioneer in this space, giving them access to our wide-reaching network, and expanding on their distribution potential,” said Evolution Media Partners founder and co-managing partner Rick Hess.

     

    In recent years, advances in technology and mobile devices have made fully-immersive VR possible and accessible to the masses. Jaunt is at the forefront of this content revolution, and is partnering with the leading content creators as well as technology and media companies to take VR to the next level. Jaunt currently works with notable brands and creative artists including The North Face, Rebecca Minkoff, Condé Nast and ABC News, and is looking forward to building relationships with new and innovative creators across a wide variety of verticals.

     

    “We have been closely monitoring the evolution of video technology on the global horizon, and are excited about the potential for VR. It is having implications in areas such as film, television, games, sports, mobile, as well as other entertainment content and experiences where CMC has a profound connection and substantial engagement. Jaunt will be an important step in CMC’s foray into this global entertainment technology revolution,” said China Media Capital chairman Ruigang Li.

     

    “When Jaunt launched a little over 2 years ago, VR was the domain of a few enthusiasts like us. Fast forward to today, with the ability to view VR content on any current smartphone, and a half dozen head mounted displays launching in the next 12 months, the addressable number of users will instantly be in the millions, and quickly grow from there. We look forward to supplying great content to all those users and contributing to the success of VR as a new content medium,” said Jaunt chief business officer David Anderman.

     

    This funding comes on the heels of Jaunt’s recently-announced 5th generation patentpending camera system, officially named Jaunt ONE, which is built from the ground up for VR, and after two years of testing, pushes the limits of technological innovation. The company also announced Jaunt Studios earlier this year, a new arm of the company focused solely on developing, producing and collaborating on live-action virtual reality experiences from its LA studio.

  • Emmy Awards: ‘Game of Thrones’ sets record, HBO bags 43 awards

    Emmy Awards: ‘Game of Thrones’ sets record, HBO bags 43 awards

    MUMBAI: HBO’s hugely popular show Game of Thrones has set a record of sorts by becoming a series winning most awards in a single year. The show totted a record 12 awards from its 24 nominations. 

     

    With a whopping 43 statuettes, HBO took home the most number of awards beating the second in line NBC, which took home 12 awards, by a huge margin. Comedy Central and FX Networks tied at the third spot with a total of eight wins.

     

    This is for the first time in Game of Thrones’ six season history that it took home the best drama series award at the 67th Emmy Awards, which were held Los Angeles. Additionally, the show also won the Emmys for best directing and best writing. Actor Peter Dinklage, who essays the role of Tyrion Lannister in the series, won for best supporting actor in a drama.

     

    On the other hand, the award for lead actor in a drama series went to Jon Hamm for his role as Don Draper in Mad Men. Viola Davis took home the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series for How To Get Away With Murder.

     

    HBO also bagged the Emmy for best comedy series for Veep as well as best mini-series for Olive Kitteridge, which is based on the Pulitzer prize winning short stories by Elizabeth Strout. The mini-series won in almost every category for which it was nominated and took home six Emmys at the end of the night.

     

    The complete list of winners is as follows:

     

    OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES — HBO

    SIMON BLACKWELL (Teleplay and Story)

    ARMANDO IANNUCCI (Story)

    TONY ROCHE (Teleplay and Story)

    Veep

    Election Night

     

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES — HBO

    TONY HALE as Gary Walsh

    Veep

     

    OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES — AMAZON INSTANT VIDEO

    JILL SOLOWAY (Directed)

    Transparent

    Best New Girl

     

    OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES — AMAZON INSTANT VIDEO

    JEFFREY TAMBOR as Maura Pfefferman

    Transparent

     

    OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES — HBO

    JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS as President Selina Meyer

    Veep

     

    OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM — NBC

    The Voice

     

    OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL — HBO

    JANE ANDERSON (Teleplay)

    Olive Kitteridge

     

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE — ABC

    REGINA KING as Aliyah Shadeed

    American Crime

     

    OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL — HBO

    LISA CHOLODENKO (Directed)

    Olive Kitteridge

     

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE — HBO

    BILL MURRAY as Jack Kenninson

    Olive Kitteridge

     

    OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE — HBO

    FRANCES MCDORMAND as Olive Kitteridge

    Olive Kitteridge

     

    OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE — HBO

    RICHARD JENKINS as Henry Kitteridge

    Olive Kitteridge

     

    OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES — HBO

    OLIVE KITTERIDGE

     

    OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES — COMEDY CENTRAL

    The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

     

    OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

    INSIDE AMY SCHUMER — COMEDY CENTRAL

     

    OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES

    CHUCK O’NEIL (Directed) — COMEDY CENTRAL

    The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

    Show 20103

     

    OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES

    THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART — COMEDY CENTRAL

     

    OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

    DAVID BENIOFF (Written) — HBO

    D.B. WEISS (Written)

    Game Of Thrones

    Mother’s Mercy

     

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

    UZO ADUBA as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren — NETFLIX

    Orange Is The New Black

     

    OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

    DAVID NUTTER, Directed by— HBO

    Game Of Thrones

    Mother’s Mercy

     

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

    PETER DINKLAGE as Tyrion Lannister — HBO

    Game Of Thrones

     

    OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

    JON HAMM as Don Draper — AMC

    Mad Men

     

    OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

    VIOLA DAVIS as Annalise Keating — ABC

    How To Get Away With Murder

     

    OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES 

    VEEP — HBO

     

    OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

    GAME OF THRONES — HBO

     

    The 67th Emmy Awards were hosted by Andy Samberg and produced by Don Mischer Productions. The telecast of the awards will showcase talent and entertainers like Lady Gaga, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel, Viola Davis, Gina Rodriguez and LL Cool J.

  • DC villains take over Warner TV this fall

    DC villains take over Warner TV this fall

    MUMBAI: Villains are making an epic comeback on Warner TV this season, as DC Comics’ most nefarious foes will battle it out against their legendary superhero counterparts in three high-profile return series.

     

    On Tuesdays, Gotham fanatics will have to buckle up for Season 2 in the next instalment of this Batman origins-story. Having won theCritic’s Choice Television Award in the Most Exciting New Series category in its first season, Gotham Season 2 will see the rise of new and ambitious villains, as well as the emergence of the infamous Riddler, Penguin and The Joker. Right after that, the channel also premieres the highly anticipated first season of  Blindspot. It will be revving up suspense and thrills in a larger conspiracy setting, pointing towards a series of unsolved crimes and a beautiful body full of tattoos.

     

    iZombi  makes a comeback with its second season on Wednesdays. The series follows Rose McIver stars as Olivia “Liv” Moore, a 25-year-old medical resident on the fast track to a perfect life until she’s turned into a zombie.

     

    On Thursdays, season 4 of Arrow makes its mark on the channel. Uneasy alliances and rivalries shift as Oliver Queen faces his most difficult challenge yet – facing villainous Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins.

     

    On 26 September, Warner TV will also play tribute to arguably the biggest superhero with Batman Day. Watch out for a Batman movie marathon starting from 10:30 am, that will feature Batman Begins and The Dark Knight franchise. This is the start of a crescendo, which will see a new season of The Flash, and premieres of Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow hit the screen in 2016.

     

    As if that wasn’t enough, Warner TV will also exclusively air the latest series of The Big Bang Theory starting 25 September.

     

    The summary of the line up is as follows:

    . Tuesdays: Gotham S2 premieres 22 September / 9 pm (SG/HK/MY/PH)

    . Tuesdays: Blindspot premieres 22 September / 9:50 pm

    . Wednesdays: iZombie S2 premieres 7 October / 9 pm

    . Thursdays: Arrow S4 premieres 8 October / 9 pm

    . Friday: The Big Bang Theory premieres 25 September / 9 pm

  • AXN presents the first season of Zoo for the Indian viewers

    AXN presents the first season of Zoo for the Indian viewers

    MUMBAI:  For centuries, mankind has domesticated animals, locked them up, and killed them for sport. But what if all across the globe, the animals decided to take revenge? What if they attacked humans and claimed the top spot in the food chain?  Based on the #1 bestselling novel by James Patterson, ZOO is a new thriller series about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans.  The Fresh from the U.S. show premiered in India exclusively on AXN & AXN HD and currently airs every Sunday at 11 PM.

     

    The series stars James Wolk, Kristen Connolly, Billy Burke, Nonso Anozie and Nora Arnezeder. Jackson Oz (Wolk) is a young, renegade American zoologist who spends his days running safaris in the wilds of Africa when he begins noticing the strange behavior of the animals. As the worldwide assaults become more cunning, coordinated and ferocious, he is thrust into the race to unlock the mystery of the pandemic before there’s no place left for people to hide. He is joined by a team of people from different backgrounds with different specialties: a journalist, a fellow safari guide, a French investigator, and a veterinary pathologist.

     

    ZOO is executive produced by Jeff Pinkner, Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Michael Katleman, James Mangold, Cathy Konrad, James Patterson, Bill Robinson, Leopoldo Gout and Steve Bowen.  CBS Studios International distributes the show globally.

  • Gray Television to acquire Schurz Communications for $442.5 million

    Gray Television to acquire Schurz Communications for $442.5 million

    MUMBAI: Atlanta based Gray Television, Inc has reached an agreement to acquire all of the television and radio stations of Schurz Communications, Inc for approximately $442.5 million including working capital at closing.

     

    The deal demonstrates Gray’s commitment to acquire high-quality stations in attractive markets and will increase Gray’s scale, the quality of its portfolio, and its exposure to politically competitive markets.

     

    The addition of the Schurz stations will expand Gray’s operations to a total of 49 television markets and 28 states.

     

    “Today is a momentous day in Gray’s 118-year history. Through the Schurz transaction, we will significantly expand the quality of our portfolio of leading television stations. We welcome more dedicated reporters, account executives, and technologists to our growing family. Quite simply, Gray’s existing stations will make the Schurz stations stronger, while the Schurz stations will make our existing stations better,” said Gray president and CEO Hilton H. Howell, Jr.

     

    “In a rapidly consolidating industry where size and scale matter more than ever before, we have come to the realization that Gray Television would be the best steward to ensure our stations succeed over the long-term. Gray knows how to operate top stations in small and medium-sized markets, and they have an entrepreneurial and decentralized culture. Moreover, Gray shares our commitment to local communities, staffs, journalistic ideals, and the broadcasting industry.  Being part of a larger company with these important credentials will create more opportunities for employees and the communities that we all love,” added Schurz president and CEO Todd Schurz.

  • Discovery Turbo launches new series with Brian Johnson as host

    Discovery Turbo launches new series with Brian Johnson as host

    MUMBAI: Discovery Turbo has unveiled a new series called Cars That Rock with the lead singer of the rock ‘n’ roll band AC/DC – Brian Johnson as the host. The series, which went on air from 7 September, airs every Monday at 10 pm.

     

    The series will have Johnson at the steering wheel, navigating through a bevy of the most amazing, exhilarating and iconic mean-machines.

     

    In the new series Johnson, with his colourful sense of humour, delves into the rich heritage and, of course, gets behind the wheels of the most iconic cars in history. From the sleek Jaguar, illustrious Alfa Romeo, famous MG and iconic McLaren to the classic Landrover and exhilarating Nascar, Johnson explores their fascinating histories, visits the factories and meets the makers of these fine motoring stallions.

     

    Each week Johnson will explore the fascinating history of these, four-wheeled -cruisers, by visiting the factories and meeting the makers of these automobiles.

  • Colors Infinity experiments with locally developed English reality show ‘The Stage’

    Colors Infinity experiments with locally developed English reality show ‘The Stage’

    MUMBAI: Ever since its launch a little more than a month back, Viacom 18’s new English Entertainment channel Colors Infinity has been invading untouched territories. Continuing to tread on the same path, the channel is now set to launch a locally curated English musical reality show called The Stage.

     

    The one of a kind reality show will premiere on 10 October and will be aired on weekends from 9 – 10 pm. The channel has roped in celebrated names from the music world like Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal as judges. The show will be hosted by Shibani Dandekar.

     

    The Stage unlike other reality shows will not limit its exposure to the on-air episodes. “We will have on ground activities, live concerts, the winner will get a contract with Universal and a musical single will also be released. Hence its not just about 20 on-air episodes. We will go beyond and will leave no stones unturned,” said Viacom 18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia.

     

    The talent in the show will be nurtured by a group of experienced musicians. “We have contestants from across the country, and they are highly talented. The Stage will provide them with the platform to become popular and then nurture them to grow as professionals. The Stage will be a show where the winning contestant will be remembered for a long, long time. It is the most real reality show with very little edit,” Palia added.

     

    “It is not true that English content is consumed only by people in metros. Close to 62 – 65 per cent of English music viewership comes from non-metro areas. So English as a language is spreading across the country and that’s one of the primary reason why we decided to experiment with The Stage. We will target VH1’s audience with the show,” informs Palia.

     

    The Stage is presented by Renault and powered by the dating app Trulymadly. SOL is the production company on board.

     

    Renault India marketing head Virat Khullar said, “As a company, we at Renault stand for innovation and passion and The Stage is a fresh new concept in Indian television, which is bound to change the scope of entertainment in this country. This belief in the show is the foundation of our partnership with Colors Infinity. We are glad that we can be a part of this huge transformation of English entertainment in India.”

     

    Filmmaker and Colors Infinity co-curator Karan Johar said, “When I first heard about The Stage, I was amazed at the introduction of such a novel concept for Indian television. I can see a paradigm shift in the reality TV shows in India.”

     

    Actor and channel co-curator Alia Bhatt added, “English music is such an important part of our playlists but we don’t get to see it anywhere on our music platforms. So The Stage is an idea whose time has come.”

     

    Since the IP remains exclusively with Colors Infinity, it is highly possible that the channel will later syndicate the format to a different platform or other territories. “Syndication can be a possibility in the long run but at this stage our focus is to establish The Stage and innovate with other locally created English content,” summed up Palia.