ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • The great Indian Diwali on English GECs and movie channels

    The great Indian Diwali on English GECs and movie channels

    As families and friends come together to celebrate Diwali and spend personal time with loved ones at home, English movie and general entertainment channels (GEC) have put together some of the best line ups to reign in the festive period. While the genre stands fragmented, channels nonetheless are trying to woo audiences with either movie or show premieres or telecasting title’s that have repeat value.

     

    Zee Studio which underwent a refresh recently will telecast its special Diwali movie, How To Train Your Dragon at 12 pm and 9 pm. Its festival property ‘Studio Dynamite’ will include blockbusters such as Mission Impossible, Transformers, Avengers etc. Apart from this, movies like Lincoln, Shrek Forever After and Shutter Island will complete its programming lineup.

     

    Starting 23 October 9 am onwards, Movies Now viewers are in for a programming lineup which covers different genres. To tickle the funny bone are the hilarious trio of a sabertooth tiger, a sloth and a wooly mammoth from Ice Age. This will be followed by The Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda, The Matrix, Olympus Has Fallen and X Men Origins: Wolverine. The finale will see good forces combine in an all out war with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.

     

    HBO and its two premium channels; HBO Hits and HBO Defined too are vying for a share of the viewership pie this festive season. HBO will telecast Pacific Rim on 23 October at 1:57 pm, Step Up on 24 October at 6:54 pm, Red2 on 27 October at 9 pm, followed by World War Z on 28 October at 9pm. While HBO Hits will serve Riddick, Ghost Team One and Season one of The Knick on its platter, HBO Defined will have season one of Grace, Silicon Valley and True Detective.

     

    Another major player Star Movies has also put in place a festive lineup. Robert Downey Jr fans can watch Tony Stark’s world being torn apart by the formidable terrorist called The Mandarin on 23 October at 9 pm. This will be followed by Men In Black at 11 pm.  The other movies include Unstoppable, Speed, Fast Five, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Men in Black 3, King Kong and Resident Evil: Retribution.

    Sony Pix from the MSM stable along with its English GEC AXN started their Diwali celebrations with the simulcast of the legendary crime fighting cyborg Robocop on 19 October at 1 pm and 9 pm. AXN has also brought in two new shows especially for the festive season. While NCIS runs from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm, Supernatural airs every Saturday at 10 pm.

    So what brings English movies and GECs come up with special programming for Diwali? Says Maxus managing partner north and east region Navin Khemka, “Currently as some of these channels are able to draw an average yield, they try building a lot of hype and aura around these shows through various campaigns to maximise the yield in an extremely fragmented space. The festive season thus is about increasing the average yield where survival is vital.”

    English GEC Romedy Now through the theme of celebrating the joy of family and togetherness has launched its property ‘Diwali Sparklers,’ starting 4 October, 8pm onwards. The lineup for the slot includes Family Stone, The Notebook, Guess Who, Madagascar, Monster-in-Law and 27 Dresses among others.

    Comedy Central too has announced the launch of four new shows that will be premiered from 27 October from Monday to Friday. These are Billy on The Street 9 (at 8 pm) Psych (seasons one to four at 9 pm), Penn and Teller: Fool Us (at 10 pm) and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 11 pm. These four will be premiered from 27 October 2014 from Monday to Friday.  

    Star World Premiere HD has New Girl season four, Community season five, Revenge season four, Modern Family season six, Bones season 10, Home Land season four among others. Star World will broadcast House season five, The Simpsons season 17, Masterchef Australia season six, Big Bang Theory season five etc. Meanwhile FX has lined up The X Files season nine, Californication season seven, Sons of Anarchy season six and Alias season one among others.

    According to Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan, since festive period sees a surge in advertising and these movie channels and GEC’s too are vying for a share of the pie, they come up with the special programming lineup. “The special programming for the festive season helps channels spike their advertising revenue on an average by 10-12 per cent,” he concludes.

  • Deepika reveals her true equation with Ranveer & Ranbir on ‘Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan’

    Deepika reveals her true equation with Ranveer & Ranbir on ‘Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan’

    MUMBAI: A shy silent observer, Deepika can easily camouflage into any environment except if you can take your eyes off her. The tall beauty really does light up every room she sets foot into. Always observing people from a distance and imagining stories in her head, one wonders if the leggy lass has always been like this or if is this due to a drastic lifestyle change.

    This week on the season finale of ‘Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan Iyenger’, watch Deepika Padukone talk about fate, failure, films and friendship!  

    She says, “I don’t have an outside perspective of what it is like, to be me. It doesn’t come from being a celebrity. It rather stems from being a very reserved person.”

     

    Acting is something Deepika always knew would happen to her. She states, how the rather famous dialogue from Om Shanti Om about ‘if you really want something with all your heart, the universe helps you make it happen’- is quite true in her case. Deepika believes that failures have made her a better person – She believes that flaws and weaknesses make you who you are – also helps you accept who you are. Failures are her best friends – be it a failed movie or a failed relationship.

    Speaking about Ranveer, She says it is too soon to say if there are seeing each other. Every relationship needs breathing time and it doesn’t happen overnight. She certainly values the equation she shares with Ranvir but there is no status about their relationship.

    Not leaving Ranbir far behind, in the conversation, Deepika expressed, “Of course it took us some time to get back to being normal but now I don’t want to keep revisiting that again and again. There has been no thought recently and I am really happy. We make such beautiful movies together. I don’t see why our failed relationship should affect that.”

    Watch Deepika open up about Ranbir and Ranveer only on ‘Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan’ on 26 October at 9 pm on Zee Café

  • Indian-origin Janina Gavankar co-stars in ‘Mysteries of Laura’ on NBC

    Indian-origin Janina Gavankar co-stars in ‘Mysteries of Laura’ on NBC

    NEW DELHI: Janina Gavankar, a young actress of Indian origin, has won laurels for her role in the American television cop drama “The Mysteries of Laura” starring Debra Messing on NBC. Gavankar plays Meredith Bose, a strict and not-easily-amused detective and the “bitchy” co-worker who rightfully calls Laura out on recklessly firing her weapon and tries to focus on proper police procedures, only to be scoffed at and ridiculed.

    Though she had small roles in movies like ‘Barbershop’ and played an intern for two episodes on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Gavankar’s first big acting role came on Showtime’s “The L Word,” where she played Papi, a lesbian lothario for two seasons. From there, it was a role on ABC Family’s supernatural series “The Gates,” where she played an officer in a gated community full of vampires and werewolves.

    Then, she jumped to another set of vampires and werewolves, with a role on ‘True Blood’ playing Luna. She’s also appeared in ‘The League,’ playing Shiva, who is the “deity” of their league’s trophy.

    Most recently, she appeared in the first season of “Arrow,” playing McKenna Hall, the detective who Oliver briefly dates. Just before she joined “The Mysteries of Laura,” Gavankar played Tessa on the fifth season of “The Vampire Diaries.”

    But acting is just one of the things the 24-year-old is well-known for. In an interview on the now off-air “Attack of the Show,” Gavankar claimed to be the first actor on Twitter in 2006. She is also a self-proclaimed gamer, and spends a lot of her time trying to help other actors reach more fans with their online media presence, according to her website.

    Gavankar has a music career too. She was a member of the now defunct girl group, Endera, who was signed to Cash Money Records. Along with singing, she also plays piano and percussion. Her last single, ‘Waiting for Godot,’ was released in 2012.

  • HBO to offer stand-alone HBO streaming service in 2015

    HBO to offer stand-alone HBO streaming service in 2015

    Mumbai: The CEO and chairman of HBO, Richard Plepler, announced that the company will offer a stand-alone HBO streaming service in 2015.  Speaking at the Time Warner Inc. Investor meeting, he cited significant growth opportunities inside the pay-TV universe and then turned to the current ten million broadband-only homes, which is projected to grow.

     

    “That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped.  It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO”, Plepler said.

     

    He went on to add, “So, in 2015, we will launch a stand-alone, over-the-top, HBO service in the United States. We will work with our current partners.  And, we will explore models with new partners.  All in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them.”

  • WITNESS A THRILLING OCTOBER WITH THE MOST SPECTACULAR SHOWS ONLY ON AXN

    WITNESS A THRILLING OCTOBER WITH THE MOST SPECTACULAR SHOWS ONLY ON AXN

    MUMBAI:  This festive season, AXN brings to you popular shows on television. The  number one drama series for four years in a row in the US, NCIS airing Mon- Thurs at 10 pm, from 6th October and the 10thseason of the thrilling drama, Supernatural airing every Saturday at 10 pm from 11th October.

     

    The winner of the 2014 International TV Audience Award (Drama TV series) NCIS is the most watched drama series in the world. An American police procedural drama television series, NCIS revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The Major Case Response Team (MCRT) includes Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Senior Special Agent, Anthony “Tony” D. DiNozzo Senior the field agent on the team, Abigail “Abby” Sciuto working as a Forensics specialist, Timothy “Tim” McGee, the special agent and the team’s technology specialist and agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexendar).

     

    Living upto the promise of bringing in exceptional content, AXN continues to bring the latest international shows close to their US premiers in their ‘Not So Ordinary Weekend’ slot. 9 successful seasons and three Emmy Nominees later, the thrilling journey of the Winchester brothers continues as Supernatural enters its tenth season which will air on 11th October at 10PM, close to its US premiere. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, Supernatural is still one of the powerful fan-driven shows on air. With the premiere of Season 10, Dean (JENSEN ACKLES) is living it up as a demon and running amok with Crowley, while Sam hits rock bottom in the search for his brother.

     

    Commenting on the same, Sony Pix and AXN India executive vice president and business head Saurabh Yagnik said “NCIS is the longest running and most watched crime drama series and we are giving our viewers to watch all seasons from the start. Every episode of the series has a new case and a new thrill and by introducing NCIS at 10pm on weekdays, we aim at getting a stronger hold of our leadership in that timeslot. From the very first season, Supernatural has been captivating fans with great battles. The obvious battle, considering the name of the series, is good vs. evil or, in this case, natural vs. supernatural. With the latest season of Supernatural and going by the ever growing fan base of the Winchester brothers, we are hoping to take this show to the all-new level. 9 successful seasons and many accolades later, we promise more adventure as we air Supernatural Season 10 close to US.”

     

    The thrill does not stop just here. Coming up soon on AXN will be Season 3 of the award winning show Elementary, starring Johnny Lee Miller (as Sherlock Holmes) and Lucy Liu (As Dr. Watson) based in New York. From the creators of The Sopranos will be an American police procedural series, Blue Bloods, a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement.

     

    Catch all the drama and watch the mysteries unfold with team NCIS starting 6th Oct, Mon- Thurs at 10 pm and the switch on to most awaited premiere of Supernatural – Season 10 on 11th Oct, Sat at 10 pm only on AXN India!

  • Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna meets Fox Life fans to celebrate the launch of ‘Twist of Taste’

    Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna meets Fox Life fans to celebrate the launch of ‘Twist of Taste’

    NEW DELHI: Fox Life in association with soon to open SodaBottleOpenerwala, Khan Market, New Delhi, today organized a rendezvous for FOX Life fans with Vikas Khanna to celebrate the launch of the fourth season of its highly successful and most watched show Twist of Taste- Sweet Life.

    Fox Life gave this unique opportunity to its viewers through a contest on Facebook. As part of the contest #TheSweetWish, the contestants were asked to respond to the question – What dessert/sweet dish does Vikas Khanna remind you of? The channel also tied up with Food Bloggers Association of India, to involve the blogger community. Six lucky winners won the contest and meet their favourite Chef today in Delhi.

    Talking on the launch Khanna said: “It feels great to be a part of this exciting show again. In this season of Twist of Taste- Sweet Life, I have had a chance to explore and experiment with India’s classic and traditional sweets. It’s always a wonderful feeling to meet and connect with your fans and I was delighted to meet the winners of the contest on FOX Life today.”
     
    Fox International Channels VP – marketing Debarpita Banerjee said: “We are extremely delighted to have Vikas Khanna as part of the Fox Life family yet again. It is our constant endeavour to delight our viewers, who love Vikas and are a huge fan of his culinary skills. This meet & greet was a perfect way to provide our viewers, who have made this show a huge success, an opportunity to meet their favourite chef.”
     
    Through SodaBottleOpenerWala, Olive pays tribute to the dying legacy of a Bombay Irani cafe bringing with it – typical Parsi cuisine and Bombay street food. Says AD Singh, “We’ve delved deep within its unique world to bring alive the nuances – wonderful chaotic, crowded, bustling, colorful, quirky, cluttered, eccentric and the so real world of an Irani café – both for cuisine and its atmosphere. We are happy to host Viksas Khanna at the soon to open second outlet and wish him and Fox Life good luck and hope that this season is as successful as the previous ones!”
    The show will see the versatile Michelin starred chef Vikas Khanna on a sweet adventure. Vikas will travel to the cultural capitals of India – Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar and Mysore, visiting places, meeting people and giving his signature touch to the local Indian traditional sweets and mithais. This festive season, watch Vikas Khanna spread his magic with Indian sweets every Monday and Tuesday at 9:30 pm starting 13 October.

     

  • Turner launches OH!K channel in Southeast Asia

    Turner launches OH!K channel in Southeast Asia

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific today signed a volume deal with Korea’s broadcaster MBC, locking in content for Oh!K, a new general entertainment channel.

    Commenting on the occasion Turner Asia Pacific president Ricky Ow said, “Oh!K combines the best in content with Turner’s proven history in curating some of the most successful channels in Asia Pacific. We are thrilled to partner with MBC and we are looking forward to introducing it to the region in the coming months.”
    Oh!K will have first pick of MBC content, including first-runs and exclusives soon after their initial transmission debut in Korea, with some shows airing within a week.

    MBC produces 1400 hours of quality content each year distributed in more than 100 countries. Current shows include drama series Diary of a Night Watchman, You Are My Destiny, Triangle and the long-running variety show Infinite Challenge and reality show Dad, Where Are We Going?

    MBC media business executive managing director Jung Woo Oh added, “We are very proud to be partnering with Turner to give viewers unparalleled access to some of the most engaging Korean TV content. The launch of Oh!K will allow an even bigger audience to enjoy MBC’s unique brand of storytelling, and we can’t wait to share our best shows with fans in Southeast Asia.”

    The launch of Oh!K launch follows Turner’s April announcement that it will assume full operational and programming control of WarnerTV, the English-language entertainment channel in Singapore.

     

  • Romedy Now sets the festive season aglow this October

    Romedy Now sets the festive season aglow this October

    MUMBAI: One of India’s English General Entertainment channel, Romedy Now has the perfect celebration in store for viewers to magnify the Diwali bonanza. It has come up with three new properties – Welcome Goodness (Dusshera Special), Diwali Delights, and the Romedy Sparkler. Presenting the best series such as F.R.I.E.N.D.S., 2 Broke Girls and many more along with the best movies, Romedy NOW will make sure you have a truly terrific Diwali filled with happiness, love and laughter.

     

    This season, party it up with your favorite characters from Ally McBeal, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Two Broke Girls, Jake in Progress and Traffic Light. From two cupcake entrepreneurs, to three best friends at different stages in their life, Romedy NOW has the best guest list this October. Whether you’re hanging out with your favorite Manhattan gang, a hopelessly romantic lawyer or a Don Juan celebrity publicist, Romedy NOW is the place to be.

     

    Dusshera is a special time to remember the goodness and happiness that surround us celebrate every night at 9pm and 11pm. With a vibrant line-up featuring Spanglish, PS I love You, No Strings Attached, Grown Ups, 28 Days, Message In A Bottle, The Devil Wears Prada, That Thing You Do, Crazy, Stupid, Love and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, join Romedy NOW for nine colorful nights of revelry culminating on October 3rd 2014.

     

    Gather your family and friends close and have a blast this Diwali with your favorite destination for love and laughter. Starting Saturday 4th October 2014, celebrate the joy of family and togetherness with a heartwarming line-up on Romedy NOW featuring The Family Stone, The Notebook, Guess Who, Madagascar, Monster-in-Law, Horrible Bosses, License to Wed, 17 Again, America’s Sweethearts, 28 Days, What’s Your Number and 27 Dresses. Gear up for a sparkling Diwali every night 8 PM onwards from 4th October to 23rd October 2014 with Diwali Delights, powered by Snapdeal.com.

     

    As the Diwali fireworks light up the night sky, join in the celebrations with the Romedy Sparkler this month – The Lucky One, powered by HUL. Do you believe in second chances? When fate protects marine Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) during combat and sends him travelling halfway across the world for a photograph, he finds everything he’s been searching for. Don’t miss the magic as a battered marine and wary, single mother learn to love again in this incredible story of fate and second chances on Saturday, 18th October 2014 at 11PM.  

  • Zee Studio unveils its brand new ideology-‘See it all’

    Zee Studio unveils its brand new ideology-‘See it all’

    MUMBAI: One of India’s English movie channels, Zee Studio has unveiled its brand new ideology ‘See it all’ for its viewers. The channel revealed it’s all new look with a newer library of movie collection that offers a range of genres including action, comedy and animation.  

     

    Speaking about the new brand strategy Zee Studio and Zee Café executive vice president and business head Anurag Bedi said that their study reflected that with vast globalization, the reach and perception of Hollywood movies has changed over a decade in the country. The study further revealed that English cinema is not limited to a certain niche elite class anymore and the younger generation has a lot of exposure to western entertainment and that has led to massive change in consumption patterns.

     

    He further goes on to add, “With Zee Studio’s refreshed look we aim to give the viewer what he is looking for. Additionally, the research revealed that today’s tech savvy young generation who is major chunk of our viewer base expects greater quality content and a high definition experience from television channels. Hence the effort to renew Zee Studio’s look and content is a landmark moment for our business and brand.”

     

    Throwing light on an extensive marketing plan specially designed for the refresh, Zee Studio and Zee Café marketing head Sharlton Menezes commented, “As part of our 360 degree communication plan, we detailed out a multi-media, multi-touch point campaign to ensure that the refresh delivers the brand promise of ‘See it all’. Larger than life movies, big stars and famous characters are the most tangible strengths of Hollywood, which will be leveraged to endorse the channel’s refreshed imagery.”

     

    Tapping the potential to engage with the youth via a multi-layered engagement platform, this campaign will be present at over 30 trade media agencies across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Zee Studio is inviting fans to click pictures with the 10 feet tall Transformer stationed at Cyber City, MPG, Arena, Dentsu, Signature Tower, Cyber Plaza in Delhi and Phoenix mall in Mumbai.

     

    Furthermore, ‘See it All’ will be supported with a social media leg across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For 15 days, starting 3 October 2014 the channel has started a ‘See it All” contest for its viewers to tune-in to the 9 pm movie and answer simple questions to win gadgets like iPhones and iPads.

     

    Zee Studio’s new identity was introduced in conjunction with the channel premiere of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol that was telecasted on Friday, 3 October at 1pm and 9 pm respectively. Legendary actors such as Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Christian Bale and others will be also scorching the screens throughout the month and beyond.

  • Vh1 to bring X Factor UK to India

    Vh1 to bring X Factor UK to India

    MUMBAI: UK’s most enthralling musical talent hunt returns with an action-packed season on 6 October, with Vh1 moving to air the show within 48 hours of UK telecast from the 13 October onwards.

     

    The new season begins with renowned faces returning to the judging panel. Former ‘frenemies’, Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versisni make a comeback while Scary Spice Mel B has joined this season replacing former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger.

     

    The legendary music manager Louis Walsh resumes for yet another season of X Factor UK despite his claims of not returning for a new season last year! The series resumes with the return of participant-friendly host Dermot O’Leary. He will be seen presiding over all the drama, tears, joy and heartache, as well as lending the aspirants a much needed shoulder to cry on as they perform in front of the difficult panel.

     

    Announcing the acquisition of X Factor Viacom 18 English entertainment head and EVP Ferzad Palia said “We recently began to air Britain’s Got Talent and the show has quickly climbed to become the number one unscripted program in the English entertainment category today.

     

    Clearly this is something audiences are excited about and at this point we are thrilled to introduce them to the latest season of UK’s biggest music reality show. With this new season and our plans to air it right after UK telecast, we reaffirm our commitment to airing the best international music and lifestyle entertainment to ever updated Indian audiences.”

     

    Banded in one of the four existing categories; i.e. the Over 25s, the Groups, the Boys and the Girls, the hopefuls will get a chance to impress and receive three ‘yeses’ from the bantering judges and proceed closer towards the coveted prize.