ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Disney’s Srivastava joins WWE, to oversee TV, events, sponsorship & licensing

    MUMBAI: WWE has announced the appointment of Sheetesh Srivastava as vice president and general manager, WWE India.

    Srivastava will lead WWE’s strategic business initiatives and day-to-day operations in India and work with partners across all of WWE’s lines of business, including television, live events, marketing, sponsorship, new media, licensing and merchandising. Srivastava is a seasoned executive with more than 18 years of experience in driving strategic business growth in domestic and international markets. He will report to WWE EVP – international Ed Wells.

    “India is key to the global growth of WWE, and we are confident Sheetesh will successfully help develop our brand and business in this critically important country,” said Wells. “WWE is committed to expanding its presence in India, and we are pleased to welcome Sheetesh to further our efforts in the market.”

    India represents WWE’s single largest regional contribution to the brand’s massive social media community of 750 million followers globally. To increase engagement with fans in India, WWE recently launched WWEShop.in, the company’s first-ever local, e-commerce experience in India.

    Srivastava joins WWE from The Walt Disney Company in India, where he most recently led business development for Disney Media Networks, overseeing branded content creation, distribution, marketing and syndication. Earlier in his career, he held senior management roles at Reliance Broadcast Network, The Times of India Group, and Frito Lay India.

    Srivastava is an economics graduate from Lucknow University, and he received a master’s degree in business management from the Institute for Integrated Learning in Management.

  • Scripps TV looks for opportunities to grow, seeks to extend debt maturity

    MUMBAI: The E.W. Scripps Company has launched an offering of $400 million of new senior unsecured notes. The private placement offer is subject to market conditions and other factors and is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933. The notes are expected to mature in 2025 and will be guaranteed by certain of the company’s existing and future subsidiaries. Completion of the offering is subject to customary closing conditions.

    The E.W. Scripps Company is one of the US’s largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets.

    In conjunction with the notes issuance, Scripps is seeking to amend and restate its existing $100 million senior secured revolving credit facility to increase the borrowing capacity to $125 million and extend the maturity to 2022. The notes offering is not conditioned on executing the amended revolving credit facility. Proceeds from the offering will be used to repay the existing $391 million term loan B due in 2020, to pay related fees and expenses and for general corporate purposes.

    “We are taking advantage of historically low long-term interest rates to extend the maturity of our debt to 2025,” said Scripps chairman, president and CEO Rich Boehne. “Since this is a refinancing, we are not significantly increasing the total amount of our debt. We would have pro-forma net leverage of 1.4x based on 2016 results, and that level of leverage allows us the financial flexibility we are accustomed to putting to work as we look for opportunities to grow the company.”

    The notes and related guarantees have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption. The notes will be offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, or outside the United States, to persons other than “U.S. persons” in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

    Although Scripps has not yet finalized its financial results, the company expects first-quarter 2017 operating results, which will be released on May 5, to be consistent with its prior expectations. Accordingly, first-quarter television revenue is expected to be flat, radio revenue is expected to decrease in the mid-single-digit range, and digital revenue to increase in the mid-20 per cent range compared to the first quarter of 2016. It is also expected that for the first quarter of 2017, television expenses will increase by mid-single digits, radio expense will decrease by low-single digits, and digital expense will increase in the mid-40 per cent range compared to the first quarter of 2016. Based upon these results, segment profit less corporate expenses for the first quarter of 2017 will decrease about 40 percent compared to the first quarter of 2016, largely due to the lack of political advertising in this non-political year. There can be no assurance that Scripps’ actual results for this quarter will not differ from its current expectations. Any such changes could be material, and undue reliance should not be placed on these estimates.

  • BBC-CBeebies’ Go Jetters to be aired on CCTV

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has announced a deal with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that will bring highly rated CBeebies series Go Jetters to over 1.1 billion viewers in China. Fully dubbed in Mandarin and subtitled in simplified Chinese, the 50-episode series will premiere at the end of May on CCTV-14 – the children’s channel that is part of China Central Television (CCTV).

    CCTV is the predominant state television in the People’s Republic of China with over 50 different channels catering to a wide audience both locally and abroad. The national broadcaster has the world’s largest audience of over 1.1 billion people, nearly 90% of China’s population. CCTV 14 is the state broadcaster’s dedicated children’s channel.

    Go Jetters follows the adventures of four plucky heroes, Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz, as they travel the world with their teacher, mentor and friend, Ubercorn, a funky disco-grooving unicorn. A comedy, action adventure for 4-6 year olds, Go Jetterscombinesmusic, cool gadgets and disco-dancing to introduce the audience togeography and culture. Filled with comedy, teamwork, awesome sights, and funky facts, each episode offers older pre-schoolers a fun-filled and action packed exploration of their their wider world.

    BBC Worldwide GM – Greater China Kelvin Yau commented, “We are excited that pre-schoolers in China will have access to Go Jetters, which has been very well-received and popular with pre-schoolers internationally. It testifies to the quality of CBeebies programmes to be both educational and entertaining, and a reflection of the trust Chinese audience has in our safe content.”

    Go Jetterswill be available to young audiences in China across multiple platforms. In addition to CCTV’s mobile streaming platforms, it will also launch in a CBeebies block on the IPTV platform BesTV and on the online platform iQIYI in June. In late August it will be available to watch on digital platformsTencent and Youku.

  • Colors Infinity brings new seasons of ‘Fargo’ & ‘Better Call Saul’

    MUMBAI: Colors Infinity is all set to premiere the latest seasons of two of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of recent time. After the gripping season finale, the channel is all set to showcase Season 3 of Better Call Saul along with the latest season of Fargo, adding to the library of Instant Premieres.
    The second season of Better Call Saul allowed fans into a new world of complexity by deepening one of the shows pivotal relationships. Colors Infinity  lawyers up this April to showcase season three, as it kicks off with Jimmy and Kim dealing with Chuck and the fallout of their Mesa Verde scheme. The all new season is set to premiere within 12 hours of its US premiere.
    Globally acclaimed show Fargo returns to Colors Infinity with its third season on 20 April, 2017, bringing in an all new story and fresh cast. The second season of Fargo received numerous accolades and awards including three Golden Globe as well as several Emmy nominations.The new season of Fargo promises to be the closest tothe original Fargo storyline and theme, starring Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis and Jim Gaffigan.The Fargo story dials back the scale from its second season; making it more intimate neo-noir about desperate people doing things for dubious reasons, triggering a cascade of consequences for a widening array of people. In plot and tone, the premiere strongly evokes the 1996 classic by the Coen brothers that inspires the show’s wintry milieu.
    Viacom18 English Entertainement programming head Hashim D’Souza said “While shows such as Fargo and Better Call Saul have immense global popularity, we were pleased to receive a welcoming response from the Indian audience. Viewers today are discerning and are more accepting to fresher, newer content. We have constantly aimed at offeredgy, unique content and are excited to bring the new seasons of Better Call Saul and Fargo for the eager audience. Committed to showcasing engaging content, we are certain that the viewers will welcome the new addition to our line-up.”
    In addition to the season premieres, Colors Infinity will also continue to showcase Instant Premieres of shows such as Riverdale, Arrow, The Flash, Shades of Blue, Taken and Blindspot after their respective mid-season hiatuses. Viewers will also get a chance to bid adieu to their newest favorite crime-thriller show The Blacklist: Redemption, until it returns with a new season.
    Shows to watch out for in April
    Show: Better Call Saul
    Date: Tuesday 11 April | Time: 7 pm
    Synopsis:
    Follow the journey of Jimmy McGill, a con man turning into the ethically clean Saul Goodman. Latch on to the whole new episodes of Better Call Saul as every wrong step ever taken by Saul comes back to haunt him, every wrong decision unraveling deeper drama. Catch Better Call Saul Season 3, to know more about the rip-roaring conflict that engulfs Saul Goodman. 
    Show: Fargo
    Date: Thursday 20 April | Time: 7 pm
    Synopsis:
    The all new episodes of Fargo on the channel scream out how Every bad decision leads one to many more bad decisions, and it set out a chain that engulfs everyone into madness. Don’t miss out on any bit of insanity as Fargo Season 3 returns with the story of an escalating feud between a pair of brothers, and the intriguing turn of actions that take place.
    Ongoing on Colors Infinity
    Show: Arrow
    Date: Wednesday 26 April | Time: 7 pm
     Synopsis:
    Jump into the action packed bandwagon as Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak are about to fall out over the Helix hacker group. Is this the last chance for Team Arrow to stop the psychotic Adrian Chase, who recently added a few fresh victims to his murderous rampage? Stay tuned to know more on Arrow Season 5 only on Colors Infinity.
    Show: Blindspot
    Date: Wednesday 26 April | Time: 8 pm
    Synopsis:
    As Jane Doe and Roman struggle to get back as much as they can from their past life, lives in New York are in danger with Shepherd planning the massive destruction. Will the FBI ever manage to be a step ahead of the attack that Shepherd has on cards? Stay tuned as Blindspot Season 2 returns from its hiatus only on Colors Infinity.
    Show: The Blacklist Redemption
    Date: Friday 14 April | Time: 8 pm
    Synopsis:
    Do not miss the final episode of The Blacklist Redemption as a war strikes between Tom and Scottie before the truth unravels. Watch the final episode Americas most watched crime drama show The Blacklist Redemption only on Colors Infinity. 
    Show: Riverdale 
    Date: Thursday 13 April | Time: 7 pm
    Synopsis:
    Twisted, gooey and messy, expect nothing less from the season finale of the much loved Riverdale! Don’t miss out on the Archie- Betty – Veronica saga as alot of relationships break and many more come together on Riverdale only on Colors Infinity. 
    Show: Taken
    Date: Monday 24 April | Time: 8 pm
    Synopsis:
    Would things get even messier for Robert and Frances? Or is there something darker that still remains to unravel. Don’t miss the action packed finale of the much anticipated Taken Season 1 only on Colors Infinity.

  • Movies Now kept stakeholders engaged between Goafest sessions, says SVP Vivek Srivastava

    GOA: Times Network was the title sponsor of the much awaited Goafest 2017. The fest that celebrates the outstanding work of the advertising & media industry saw the coming together of creative geniuses on one platform. While innovation and creativity was being celebrated, Times Network was at its creative best when it came to engaging with its viewers through activations for two of their popular movie channels, Movies Now and Movies Now2.

    Commenting on the occasion, Times Network SVP and head of English entertainment cluster & Zoom Vivek Srivastava said, “The activities at Goafest had a single word purpose – engagement. We ensured that our stakeholders were engaged delightfully in between the enlightening sessions. The moment one entered the fest, one could experience Movies Now’s ‘Home To Superheroes’. Now that we have the Marvel and the DC franchises with us, we wanted to give the larger than life experience. The superhero zone does exactly that. Movies Now 2 is an upcoming brand, it has been extremely gratifying for us to receive such a good response to this new age, upscale and edgy brand.”

    Movies Now was ‘Home To Superheroes’ as the avengers squad was ready to take on the world. Sculptures of superheroes like Captain America, Hulk, Thor and Iron Man, fans seemed excited to click pictures with their favourite superheroes.

    The channel also had exciting competitions. The famous ‘Thor Hammer’ was made for people to try and lift. The idea was to say that only Thor can life it. The participant who manages to lift was given goodies and Movies Now merchandise. The other exciting competition that was organized was to solve a jigsaw puzzle while competing to complete the poster of a superhero faster than the other participant. The winners were given Movies Now merchandise.

    Movies Now 2 created a war-zone with zorb fighting. Participants were given a chance to compete individually or in groups to bring out the wild child in them and defeat one another. Because that’s what Movies Now 2 is all about! The winners were awarded with exciting Movies Now 2 merchandise.

  • NBC to telecast Hardwick’s ‘The Awesome Show’ showcasing tech advances

    UNIVERSAL CITY (Calif.):: In partnership with Emmy Award-winning executive producer Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor), Chris Hardwick and the Silicon Valley institution Singularity University, NBC has ordered six episodes of “The Awesome Show,” a new series that will showcase the groundbreaking scientific and technological advances that are shaping the future, as well as celebrate the pioneers and communities at the forefront of this golden age of unprecedented discovery, innovation and opportunity.

    Nerdist CEO comedian Chris Hardwick as well as host of NBC’s hit game show series “The Wall,” will executive, produce, develop and host “The Awesome Show.”

    “The opportunity to develop a primetime show that celebrates science and technology was too good to pass up,” Hardwick said. “I started Nerdist 10 years ago as a tech news site. I was a contributor to Wired magazine for several years and hosted ‘Wired Science’ on PBS. It is very important to me to make something that positively promotes these topics in order to share humanity’s triumphs, to instill hope for our future and to inspire the next generation of young thinkers.”

    “Innovation and discovery is something anyone at any age can participate in, and to be able to highlight and inspire an audience is very exciting,” said MGM president – television group & digital Mark Burnett. “Chris Hardwick has the perfect balance of humor and knowledge when it comes to exploring the depths of what is possible, and the audience will be entertained while at the same time having their minds blown!”

    Each episode of “The Awesome Show” will be a rollercoaster ride through the world of innovation as told by the people who are shaping it and whose lives are affected by it. The series will highlight stories of revolutionary scientific and technological advances and will marvel at mankind’s tremendous feats, both now and in the future.

    “By highlighting the pioneers of tomorrow, who dare to think differently to improve the way we live, work, play, move, and communicate – Chris Hardwick and his team will help us navigate the future in a hilarious and uplifting way,” said Universal Television Alternative Studio president Meredith Ahr. “This will be a first of its kind series that will bring the whole family together and start conversations about things that truly matter.”

    “At Singularity University we believe in the power of technology to positively impact the world and create an abundant future,” said Singularity University associate founder and CEO Rob Nail. “We’re proud to be partnering with NBC to bring uplifting and important new perspectives into people’s living rooms and lives across the world.”

    Singularity University (SU) is a global learning and innovation community using exponential technologies to tackle the world’s biggest challenges and build an abundant future for all. Hardwick is founder and CEO of Nerdist, the media empire under the Legendary Digital Network that includes his own Nerdist Podcast, which he continues to host weekly and garners over 5.5 million downloads per month.

  • FremantleMedia signs Europe deals for factual reality series ‘The Lie Detective’

    CANNES: FremantleMedia has secured five new commissions for the highly entertaining factual reality series The Lie Detective. Devised by True North, the format, which sees a human lie detector put couples in the hot seat to test their honesty, has been picked up by SBS (Belgium), Antenna (Greece), STV Pirma! (Latvia), RTL 5 (Netherlands) and TV2 (Norway). FremantleMedia holds the global rights (excluding the US) for the format.

    FremantleMedia Head of Global Entertainment Production Chris O’Dell said, “We are delighted at the fantastic reception The Lie Detective has received from the international broadcasters. We’re excited to work with them to deliver local versions of the entertainingly honest and distinctly frank format.”

    True North executive producer Fiona O’Sullivan said, “It’s great to see The Lie Detective take off in so many territories so quickly. It’s a completely captivating concept with so many universal themes, it will be amazing to see all the hard work everyone has put into its creation and production manifest in these international series.”

    The highly-charged series, which launched on Channel 4 (UK) in Autumn 2016, sees current couples, wannabe couples, and ex-couples engage in heart-to-heart and compellingly candid conversations with their loved ones to find out whether they’ve always told it like it is, or whether their relationship has been based on lies. Dan Ribacoff will return as the Lie Detective in the Netherlands version of the show where he will use his incredible ability to read body language with genuine polygraph tests to give the couples answers to their long running problems.

    Meanwhile, the local versions will be presented by new experts, who will lend their own unique and extensive knowledge to the format.

  • Gomorrah: Beta Film signs deals in Africa and India

    MUNICH: The hot-selling Italian mafia series Gomorrah continues its international roll-out. Beta Film has sold the Sky Italia mega-hit to M-Net, the biggest subscription TV network in Africa, where it will be screened from 1 April 2017 on the new foreign language TV series block on M-Net 101, M-Net’s flagship channel.

    The South Africa–based, MultiChoice Group-owned TV service has only recently opened up to European productions and will broadcast the show in its original version with English subtitles as well as subtitles in local languages throughout the continent. Gomorrah, sold to the US (Sundance TV) and numerous other territories worldwide, will also travel to India’s DTH television service Tata Sky for its Tata Sky World Series service.

    Tata Sky is a joint venture between Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox. The subcontinent is traditionally dominated by a strong local film- and TV industry with difficult conditions for non-English shows.

    Sky Italia, Cattleya, Fandango and Beta Film are working on Gomorrah’s third installment, which is currently in post-production.

    In addition, Beta Film closed a multi-hour deal with the African telecommunications group Econet for its recently launched Pay TV service Kwesé TV, containing 50 German and French movies and European feature films, among them the Emma Watson thriller Colonia, Berlinale Golden Bear-winning Child’s Pose and The White Masai. All shows will be broadcast in Sub-Saharan Africa in their original language with English subtitles as well as in local languages.

  • ​​Living Foodz: Masque, Indian Accent, Yauatcha, Edo, ITC & Megu win Epicurean awards

    MUMBAI: India’s premium lifestyle channel, Living Foodz organised the first edition of Epicurean Guild Awards at an entertaining evening of glitz and glamour in Mumbai.

    The event celebrated authentic fine-dining restaurants and the best lounges in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Best New Restaurant, Best Nightlife Award and category-wise awards for the best Italian, Global, Asian and Indian cuisine were awarded at the do. Living Foodz also introduced a Popular choice award and ‘Bombay Canteen’, ‘Big Chill’ and ‘Karavalli, The Gateway Hotel’ emerged as the clear winners of Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.

    The jury comprising India’s finest food mavens and eminent personalities — Chef Ajay Chopra, Anoothi Vishal, Bhaichand Patel, actress Pooja Bedi, food blogger Aman Verma, Clinton Cerejo, Devita Saraf, Chef Gautam Mehrishi, Kalyan Karmarkar, Maria Goretti, Nicole Mody, Pankaj Bhadouria, Prasad Bidappa, Rakhee Vaswani selected winners in each category based on different parameters.

    The selection process was audited by KPMG.

    After shortlisting the top entries in each category, the jury assigned a score to each of them in a unique ‘Flames Round’ where each denoting a different standard of culinary excellence. Living Foodz introduced a significant Iconic Award for the exceptional restaurants and lounges which were awarded three flames and declared as winners. This award was bagged by ‘Masque’ and ‘Indian Accent, The Manor’ for the cities of Mumbai and Delhi, respectively, for showcasing an exemplary dining experience.

    The night commenced with a mesmerizing performance by a blues rock band. The event was a perfect amalgamation of great food and fun, and was hosted by actor-comedian Varun Thakur.

    Speaking at the event, Living Foodz business head Amit Nair said, “The Living Foodz- Epicurean Guild Awards 2017’ is the newest feather in our cap. The awards will help people discover the restaurants that offer the finest dining experiences in India. As a premium lifestyle destination, we have always encouraged the Indian food and beverage ecosystem through our innovative brand initiatives.”

    Commenting on the awards, Zee Living CEO (India and APAC region) Piyush Sharma said, “The Epicurean Awards endeavours to honour the gamechangers who’ve demonstrated unconventional and ingenious creativity in this space.”

    The winners of Living Foodz Epicurean Guild Awards for 2017 include:

    JURY CHOICE AWARDS

    Living Foodz Iconic Award (Mumbai): Masque

    Living Foodz Iconic Award (Delhi): Indian Accent, The Manor

    Best Asian Award (Mumbai): Yauatcha

    Best Asian Award (Delhi): Edo Restaurant & Bar, ITC Gardenia

    Best Asian Award (Bangalore): Megu, The Leela Palace

    Best Global Award (Mumbai): Masque

    Best Global Award (Delhi): Graze, Vivanta by Taj

    Best Global Award (Bangalore): Orient Express, Taj Palace Hotel

    Best Indian Award (Mumbai): Dum Pukht, ITC Maratha

    Best Indian Award (Delhi): Indian Accent, The Manor

    Best Indian Award (Bangalore): Dum Pukht, Jolly Nabobs, ITC Windsor

    Best Italian Award (Mumbai): Mezzo Mezzo, JW Marriott

    Best Italian Award (Delhi): La Piazza, Hyatt Regency

    Best Italian Award (Bangalore): Otimo, ITC Gardenia

    Best Multi-Cuisine Award (Mumbai): Fenix, The Oberoi

    Best Multi-Cuisine Award (Delhi): threesixtyone, The Oberoi, Gurugram

    Best Multi-Cuisine Award (Bangalore): Kava, Fairfield by Marriott, Rajajinagar

    Best New Restaurant Award (Mumbai): Estella

    Best New Restaurant Award (Delhi): Depot 48

    Best New Restaurant Award (Bangalore): The Druid Garden

    Best Nightlife Award (Mumbai): Aer, Four Seasons

    Best Nightlife Award (Delhi): Ek Bar

    Best Nightlife Award (Bangalore): Hard Rock Café

    Best Seafood Award (Mumbai): The Konkan Café, Vivanta by Taj

    POPULAR CHOICE AWARDS

    Living Foodz Popular Choice Award (Mumbai): Bombay Canteen

    Living Foodz Popular Choice Award (Delhi): Big Chill

    Living Foodz Popular Choice Award (Bangalore): Karavalli, The Gateway Hotel

    Since it’s launch in 2015, Living Foodz has steadily gathered a strong fan base for its unique offerings. The brand has has created various consumer touch points through on-ground activations and successful brand franchises such as the Living Foodz Powerlist Awards, Food Fiesta, etc.

  • AXN to air latest seasons of ‘Top Chef’

    MUMBAI: Food, one of the basic necessities of life, has constantly evolved over the years. Chefs today have magical ways to cook it up in different ways possible. Starting 3 April, AXN brings to you brand new seasons of Top Chef. Top Chef: Boston (S12) and Top Chef: California (S13) will air every Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

    Raising the bar, ace judges – Richard Blais, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Hugh Acheson, Emeril Lagasse and the charismatic host Padma Lakshmi, promise yet another array of mouth-watering dishes as ace chefs battle it out to win the title of the Top Chef.

    Simmons said, “There are so many chefs from all over the world which makes these seasons very delicious. Every season, we go to a different city across the country and are introduced to its food, people and community. The chefs in every city are so generous to us and we have had a lot of adventures on our way. As far as India is concerned, I love Indian food and eat it whenever I can. The Indian food platter is so diverse, every city has different ways of cooking and I am just learning about it.