ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • ‘Awkward’ and ‘Complete Savages’ add to the LOL moments on Comedy Central

    ‘Awkward’ and ‘Complete Savages’ add to the LOL moments on Comedy Central

    MUMBAI: India’s only 24/7 comedy channel – Comedy Central is giving viewers two brand new reasons to laugh louder this March! As the festivities of the year begin, Comedy Central brings cheer & laughter with brand new episodes of Season 3 of Awkward that premiers onMarch 17, 2014 from Monday to Wednesday at 10 pm and an all new comedy show called Complete Savages airing March 24, 2014 – Monday to Wednesday at 10:30pm.

    Here’s a peek into the new shows hitting the screens this March from the house of Comedy Central India!

     

    Awkward Season 3:This popular teen show follows the life of Jenna, an unpopular 15 year old who gains immediate, yet unwanted, popularity at high school when the student body mistakes an accident she has for a suicide attempt. Season 3 will see Jenna and her friends take a trip to Europe while a lot more complications add to Jenna’s love life. It’s a show that focuses on entirely recognizable teenage pains, as endured by a teenager; the youth can immediately connect with. Winner of Favorite Cable TV Comedy at People’s Choice Awards, USA 2013 – Awkward is the perfect combination of fun, hilarity and sentiments. Tune in at 10 pm every Monday to Wednesday starting March 17, 2014 to catch up with Jenna in Awkward -Season 3!

    Complete Savages:The series focuses on single dad Nick Savage struggling to raise his unruly sons, Jack, Chris, Sam, Kyle and T.J. alone, following the abandonment of their mother ten years ago. His five sons are constantly stirring up trouble and creating unpredictable circumstances for the entire family to resolve in one way or another. With comic twists and turns, watch a single father learn a new lesson every day as he brings up his children on Complete Savages – premiering March 24, 2014 – every Monday to Wednesday at 10.30 pm.

    Get ready to ROFL this March with Comedy Central’s two latest offerings – Awkward season 3 and Complete Savages!

     

  • ‘The Big Bang Theory’ renewed till season 10

    ‘The Big Bang Theory’ renewed till season 10

    MUMBAI: CBS has announced that the critically acclaimed comedy The Big Bang Theory will get a multi-year broadcast renewal.  The show has been renewed for an additional three years, extending it through the 2016-2017 television season.

     

    “Comedy is a big part of CBS schedule, and The Big Bang Theory is the biggest comedy force on television,” said CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler in a press release earlier.

     

    “This multi-year deal further strengthens our network’s position for future seasons and marks another chapter in the great partnership CBS enjoys with Warner Bros. Television for delivering audiences the best in comedy. We’re proud to work with and showcase the incredible talents of Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and this amazing cast every week,” added Tassler.

     

    The Big Bang Theory, which premiered in September 2007, has been television’s number 1 comedy show amongst viewers since 2010-2011 and continues as the number 1 comedy in key demographics for the second straight season. This season of The Big Bang Theory is averaging 19.79 million viewers, making it the highest-rated non-sports programme in all demographics.

     

    In addition to being a ratings success, the programme has earned critical acclaim and award recognition. The series has won Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series” for star Jim Parsons (2010, 2011, 2013), a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite TV Comedy” (2010, 2013, 2014), Television Critics Association Awards for “Outstanding Achievement in Comedy” (2009, 2013) as well as “Individual Achievement in Comedy” for Parsons (2009). In 2011, Parsons won a Golden Globe for “Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy” while Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting also won a 2014 “People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedic Actress.”

     

    The Big Bang Theory stars Johnny Galecki (Roseanne, In Time), Jim Parsons (The Normal Heart), Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting (Charmed, 8 Simple Rules), Simon Helberg (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), Kunal Nayyar (Sanjay & Craig), Mayim Bialik (Blossom) and Melissa Rauch (True Blood). Chuck Lorre (Two & a Half Men, Mom), Steve Molaro and Bill Prady are executive producers. The series is from Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc., in association with Warner Bros. Television. Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady are series creators.

     

    The Big Bang Theory airs on Zee Café and Star World in India.

  • FOX renews four shows, cancels one

    FOX renews four shows, cancels one

    MUMBAI: Early this year, at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, officials at FOX Broadcasting announced that the network had decided to pass the traditional pilot season henceforth. At the tour, FOX had announced that it would order series all year long, which is clearly evident from the series order of 24: Live Another Day, M. Night Shyamalan’s Wayward Pines and the Batman-prequel Gotham, all ordered to series before the traditional pilot season schedule.

     

    Usually during the pilot seasons, the fate of the older programmes is announced. Last April, the ground-breaking teen phenomenon Glee was renewed for two seasons. However, later creator Ryan Murphy said that the sixth season would be its last. In October, Sleepy Hollow became the first new series to be renewed for a second season during its 13 episode first season run. In January this year, FOX renewed its veteran forensic procedural Bones for a tenth season.

     

    Last week, FOX announced renewals for four of its series – the Critics Choice Television Award winning New Girl and The Mindy Project, along with the Golden Globe Award winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the Kevin Bacon-starrer The Following. Along with renewals come cancellations too, in order to balance the weekly schedule. As announced on Monday, 10 March, the first series to be passed on is the quirky comedy Raising Hope. The acclaimed comedy will bow out with an hour-long farewell with the season four finale now airing as the series finale next month.

     

    In India, The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs on Comedy Central, while Glee, Bones and New Girl air on STAR World. Sleepy Hollow will be finishing its first season run on STAR World Premiere and The Following completed its first season run on Zee Cafe.

  • Lindsay Lohan forays into television, once again

    Lindsay Lohan forays into television, once again

    MUMBAI: The highly anticipated Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) documentary series Lindsay, directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Amy Rice (By the People: The Election of Barack Obama), follows movie star and media sensation Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls, Liz & Dick) on her journey through recovery following a very public period of crisis.

     

    Lohan became an instant fan favourite and earned widespread critical acclaim when she was cast as the lead role of twin sisters Hallie and Annie in the Disney remake of The Parent Trap. She went on to star in several feature films including her mega hit Mean Girls, which cemented her movie star status. Lohan is no newcomer to television, having guest starred in pop culture favourites Ugly Betty, Glee and Anger Management, and is one of few actors to have appeared multiple times as the host of Saturday Night Live. 

     

    Having had her career and personal life sidelined by her public struggles, Lohan is strikingly candid about her life and is more determined than ever to get back on her feet. The series is produced with OWN by Pilgrim Studios and is executive produced by Craig Piligian, Nicholas Caprio and Johnny Gould. Amy Rice, Ralph Wikke and Mitch Rosa are co-executive producers.

     

    In this honest, no-holds-barred account, viewers will see an intimate, unflinching look into the life of one of the world’s most sought-after celebrities.

     

    Cameras follow Lohan as she returns to New York, reunites with friends and family, and attempts to build a new life. As she works to stay on track amid the demands and pitfalls of fame, she opens up as never before, discussing everything from her emotional recovery process to her exhausting run-ins with the paparazzi.

     

    Soon after Lindsay, Lohan will be seen in the hit comedy series, 2 Broke Girls as Claire Guinness, a soon-to-be-bride who asks Max and Caroline to make her wedding cake. As Max and Caroline get to know her, it quickly becomes clear that Claire has trouble making decisions.

  • Romedy NOW celebrates Womanhood with a unique line-up on 8th March

    Romedy NOW celebrates Womanhood with a unique line-up on 8th March

    MUMBAI: Celebrate the myriad facets of a woman – fun and funny, tough and tender, witty and wise, intense and impish all at once! This Women’s Day, the exclusive English entertainment channel Romedy NOW celebrates with a lineup dedicated to the girls for what they are – bold and beautifulwith dollops of chutzpah! Enjoy the daylong marathon on Women’s Day, Saturday, 8 March, 8 AM-8 PMwith the best of movies.

     

    The fashionable foursome Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are the Women of Substance in Sex and the City 2. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) misses the freewheeling fun after getting married to Mr. Big, Samantha tries to stay young at 52, Charlotte battles her daughter Lily’s ‘terrible twos’, and Miranda quits her job because her boss cannot handle an intelligent and powerful woman like her. But when has mayhem stopped a girl from having fun? The awesome girls go on an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi and experience one adventure after another in the UAE.

     

    Be amazed by the brilliant Julia Roberts as she plays a single mother in Erin Brockovich, a legal assistant who almost single-handedly, brings down a Californian power supply giant to its knees for contaminating the city’s water – even if it means knocking from door to door with a toddler in tow.

     

    Then be bedazzled with her bright smile in The Mona Lisa Smile where sheplays an art professor in the 1950s society, teaching girls to question their conservative societal roles.

     

    There’s the glitz and glamour of the fashion world in The Devil Wears Prada as a young journalist Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathway) lands the job as second assistant to a powerful and demanding fashion mag editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).  As Andy transforms from geek to fashionista, she must make a choice between her dream job and her real life, love, friends and family.

     

    There’s no age for being free-minded! Catch the fun punk rock loving teenager in Juno as she deals with an unplanned pregnancy at 16 and goes through the adult life with teenage fun and freshness.

     

    In Her Shoes will treat you to two sisters who cannot see eye to eye. Throw in a hard to please grandmother who ultimately makes them get along with each other and you have the perfect combination of sibling rivalry and love.

     

    The celebration is not just for a day. Sit with your feet up and relax with Sweet Nothings, a special slot every Wednesday at 1 PM. Your time, your space, your channel, filled with all the great stories of love and laughter at your fingertips.

     

    Charlotte (Jennifer Lopez) has finally found the man of her dreams in Monster-in-Law but his mother Viola Fields (Jane Fonda) is a nightmare who won’t lose her son to Charlie. A fight to be the alpha-female ensues.

     

    War of the roses ensues in Bride Wars when best friends Liv and Emma cross swords after their common wedding planner ends up scheduling their respective weddings on the same day at the same venue! No one will budge and change their wedding date and their claws are sharpened to sabotage the other’s wedding! Enjoy the hilarious ride.
     

    Watch out for more moments of Sweet Nothings in Step Mom and more love in Letters to Juliet.

     

    So let your hair down and enjoy the special treats this Women’s Day only on Romedy NOW!

  • Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    MUMBAI: Star Movies announced that it will broadcast the eminent awards ceremony honoring achievements in the film industry, Oscars Live and Exclusive’, in India. Known as the Hollywood destination of India, Star Movies will be airing the Oscars for the 15th year in succession reinforcing its commitment to bringing its viewers the very best of American cinema.  Set to take place on 2 March, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the 86th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the actors, technical achievements, and films of 2013.

     

    Star Movies gives its viewers another reason to look forward to the Oscars this year with the return of Ellen DeGeneres as host of the celebrated ceremony for the second time. DeGeneres hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.”  Star Movies has aired a special video that the affable daytime chat show host has made for her fans in India. The promo has her donning a tux and putting on a special Oscars themed performance.

     

    Star Movies will exclusively showcase all the celebrity interviews and excitement from the Red Carpet to the performances of the most coveted awards night to the winners of the most prestigious trophy. The channel is dedicated to bringing an authentic Oscars experience right into their viewers living rooms. The channel will also be broadcasting the entire ceremony in Dolby 5.1 surround sound to create the best audio experience possible. In addition to this, the channel has introduced a month long movie festival featuring Oscar winning movies titled, ‘Oscar Fever’. The ‘Oscar Fever’ segment will air from Monday to Friday, at 7 pm and presents its audiences a spectacular Oscars experience with a variety of films nominated for the prestigious awards in the past years.

     

    The channel has also conducted a Predict and Win contest where the winners are given an chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the Oscars Red Carpet 2015 in LA from the bleacher seats! To participate all the viewers need to do is log on to the STARMovies.in/Oscars2014 and predict the winners for this year’s categories.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Kevin Vaz, General Manager – English channels, Star India said, “Star Movies is the go-to destination for Hollywood in India and we want to ensure that our viewers get the best of the Oscars experience possible. The Oscar Fever festival will air a host of excellent Oscar nominated films and the Predict and Win contest will grant two lucky winners a chance to attend the grand event in person.”

     

    The star-studded 86th Academy Awards will be telecast ‘Live’ on March, 3 February at 5:30am and a repeat telecast at 8 pm.

  • ‘Kyunki… ’ changed people’s viewing habits substantially: Kevin Vaz

    ‘Kyunki… ’ changed people’s viewing habits substantially: Kevin Vaz

    MUMBAI: There was a time when not many English General Entertainment Channels (GECs) existed. Star World, launched in 1996, belongs to that phase. Today, the channel has grown to include others of its ilk even as it betters itself with each passing day. Aashay Dalvi of indiantelevision.com spoke to business head of Star English channels Kevin Vaz to get a lowdown on the programming – past, present and future – of Star World and its more recent sister channels, Star World Premiere and FX.

     

    One of the first channels to air the best shows of that time like Ghost Whisperer, Smallville and The O.C., Star World discontinued these after the first few seasons. “They failed to gather as much viewership and ratings as were expected. And taking into consideration TAM ratings and heavy consumer research, we made our decision to axe the Indian broadcast of these shows and air new content that was constantly being produced,” reasons Vaz.

     

    Why only these, save for Masterchef Australia, Star World also scrapped reality shows like Beauty and the Geek, Are You Smarter Then A Fifth Grader?, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me out of Here and American Idol. According to Vaz, “Indian audiences simply could not connect to the foreign content. Indians would much rather watch Indian adaptations avec plaisir. And, the evidence is right in front of you with Bigg Boss (based on Big Brother) and Kaun Banega Crorepati (based on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), both tremendously successful Indian adaptations of essentially British series.”

     

    Even a daily soap as popular as The Bold and the Beautiful (B&B) was axed and so was General Hospital, the sole reason being declining viewership.

     

    Thereafter, Star World tried substituting soaps with telenovellas such as Desire: Table for Three and Fashion House, which aired every weeknight at 11 with a Saturday recap marathon but without success.

     

    Finally, when the channel decided to air weeklies as dailies, it worked and how!

     

    Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, Mad Men and Revenge struck a chord with the masses and managed to increase viewership over a period of time.

     

    So much so, Star World now has Castle re-runs every night. And who better to blame than Ekta Kapoor? “During the years of Ally McBeal and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, the entire country would watch weeklies. However, with the advent of Kyunki… Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, people’s viewing habits changed substantially. They now wanted to watch their favourite TV shows every day,” argues Vaz.

     

    Then again, Star World loyalists continue to wait for a week to see a brand new episode of their favourite show. To its credit, the channel airs latest episodes of hit series including Dexter, Homeland and Once Upon A Time very close to their US broadcast.

     

    With a growing number of viewers wanting to catch the latest such series, fresh from the US, Star added Star World Premiere to its bouquet of English GECs.

     

    In fact, at the time of its launch, Star World Premiere had as many as 26 latest series from the US. As things stand, newbies Intelligence, Rake, American Horror Story: Coven, Mom, The Millers and The Goldbergs have joined the likes of The Blacklist, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to create a captivating programming line-up on Star World Premiere.

     

    Meanwhile, Star World continues to hold sway, what with Vaz revealing that all of the new shows (and that includes marquee series Mad Men) on Star World Premiere will soon be available on Star World for binge-watching.

  • Suits Season 2 FB App: Are You a Real Suitor?

    Suits Season 2 FB App: Are You a Real Suitor?

    Brand and communication objectives:

    Promoting television shows – be it reality or drama or even comedy for that matter – is really serious business. Especially in a cluttered television space that is vying for audiences glued to their favourite programs. Viacom18 owned Comedy Central India, the Indian version of Comedy Central devoted to catering to our constant need to laugh, launched a social media game for the second season of its legal comedy drama series ‘Suits’.

    The objectives were twofold:

    1. To capitalize on the show’s wide appeal and provide a refresher to audiences before the second season
    2. To drive eyeballs to the latest episodes of the show

    Target Audience: Information on Demographics and Psychographics of intended target audience

    Comedy Central reaches an affluent, internet savvy audience. The average viewer is a working professional whose television viewing time is fairly limited.

    Campaign Details:

    How we achieved our outcome, including creative & media communication strategies and execution.

    Comedy Central created conversations around Suits through a “Suits challenge”. It tested die-hard fans of the show to find out if they have what it takes to be a real Suitor. It used an innovative approach of creating a treasure hunt across the web. Fans needed to hunt for clues across social media – spanning Comedy Central’s gamut of properties – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Fans needed to watch a video on YouTube to complete a quote, find a hint on Pinterest image board or tweet with a hashtag #IfIWereJessica to @comedycentralin. In true Comedy Central spirit fans also needed to research funny laws and odd facts to complete the game.

    The game consisted of six levels and with six questions around the six key characters thereby increasing familiarity and recall. Participation was further incentivized with exclusive custom made Suits merchandise.

    The game was marketed through a mix of television and on-line promotions. And the fans loved it. Over 50,000 participants signed up to test their “Suits Quotient” giving us 308,000 page views and 199,160 unique views. A fairly healthy bounce rate of 30% proved that audiences were engaging with the content.

    Results:

    Comedy Central used a unique technology of weaving different social media platforms into a single game creating a truly platform agnostic experience. The application was integrated with Facebook and Twitter allowing fans to sign in and post and tweet without leaving the gaming interface.

    Another tricky element from a technology point of view was creating the mechanics of a Treasure Hunt. Fans could only move forward if each question was answered correctly. While they could keep trying again and again they were only eligible to win if they got all the questions right in their first try. This means that the backend needed to differentiate between users with single tries and users with multiple tries and throw up a unique “result page” for each category. This fed back into the campaign strategy of separating the true Suits fans from the others, while still keeping all participants engaged up to the end.

    The final question – did this campaign succeed in driving audiences to Suits Season 2? The answer is a resounding yes. Social media conversations around the show increased and the show hashtag  #SuitsS2onCC trended in India. 

  • NBC resurrects cult favourite TV series, Heroes

    NBC resurrects cult favourite TV series, Heroes

    MUMBAI: An iconic series that still commands a rabid fan base, Heroes will return to the network in 2015 as an event miniseries with original creator and executive producer Tim Kring (Touch) at the helm, it was announced on 23 February by National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Entertainment President Jennifer Salke.

     

    NBC has ordered 13 episodes for a new stand-alone story arc entitled Heroes: Reborn, with all details of storylines and characters being kept under wraps. “The enormous impact ‘Heroes’ had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke in a press statement.

     

    “Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another instalment. We’re thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”

     

    The original series chronicled the life-changing stories of a series of unrelated ordinary people who discovered they had superhuman abilities. As the saga unfolded, they learned they were part of a grand plan that brought them together to change the world.

     

    With the return of Heroes: Reborn, NBC will launch a digital series prior to the 2015 premiere that will introduce the characters and new storylines. This leveraging of social media is being used as a way for fans to re-engage with what was one for the true pioneers in multiplatform storytelling.

     

    The iconic science fiction series, which ran on NBC from 2006-10 and was an immediate hit, ranked as television’s #1 new drama with an average audience of 14.5 million viewers during its initial season. The show was Golden Globe-nominated in its first year of eligibility for best drama series; it won the BAFTA Award for best international series, the AFI Award, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award, two People’s Choice Awards and the Television Critics Association Award for Program of the Year.

     

    In India, Heroes aired on STAR World and FX India.

  • This Koffee will be served at 11 pm

    This Koffee will be served at 11 pm

    MUMBAI: If you thought Salman Khan’s confession about being a virgin on Koffee with Karan was a bit much, wait till you see this one…

     

    Buzz is: an upcoming episode of the celebrity chat show featuring Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri has turned out so steamy that the channel has decided to serve the ‘adults only’ brew at 11 pm instead of the usual 9 pm slot.

     

    While viewers wait for the drama to unfold on 2 March at 11pm, indiantelevision.com did some finding to know the motive behind the move.

     

    Revealed Star India head of content – English GECs Rasika Tyagi: “The girls have been very naughty! Staying within the IBF guidelines, we didn’t want to air the episode before 11 pm. The alternative would have been to edit out a lot of the conversation, which we chose not to do. The episode is worth staying up late for.”

     

    Apparently, both actresses were very forthcoming in their answers to Karan’s queries about love and sex. With Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) guidelines clearly stating that any person or group of persons can file a complaint against any programme broadcast on any TV channel if it violates social mores pertaining to sex and nudity, violence and crime, and gambling among others, channel heads were not comfortable airing the episode at the regular time. Also, Karan’s tweeting a picture of the duo saying: “Just shot the most hysterical Koffee episode with 2 very naughty girls…Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri!!!” didn’t help the situation.

     

    It was a tough call but the channel decided to play by the book. Tyagi explained: “My point of view is that it will be counteractive to viewership to push the original slot from 9 to 11 pm and it may also have a viral impact for the following weeks. But we play by the rules.”

     

    Star India general manager – English Channels Kevin Vaz echoed similar sentiments. “At the end of the day, we play by the law of the land. There is no two ways of us pushing the envelope or doing something which is not acceptable by the people. We follow very strict SMP guidelines. After the finish of the shoot of the episode, looking at some of the words and language that were used, we thought this should be telecast at late prime-time,” he said.

     

    So have the viewers been informed? Post the episode this Sunday with Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla as guests, there will be on-air promos and in-show integrations communicating the change in timing. “We will have a ticker running to support the announcement and we will also be pushing this further through our digital and PR efforts,” informed Tyagi.

     

    The vacant 9 pm slot will see a repeat of the episode featuring Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. “This was the funniest and yet, the most hard-hitting episode we’ve had on Koffee with Karan this year. On one side, we had crazy funny antics from Ranveer and on the other, we had a heart-wrenching story from Arjun. It’s a great story to re-live and that’s the one we will air on 2 March before we air the fresh episode of Nargis and Freida,” said Tyagi.  

    As for the Freida and Nargis episode, the uncensored edition will be telecast at 11 pm on 2 March while an edited version will be aired the following Sunday at 7 pm.