ITV

Category: GECs

  • COLORS launches an epic tale of good vs. evil – ‘Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara’

    COLORS launches an epic tale of good vs. evil – ‘Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara’

    MUMBAI: COLORS, India’s leading premium Hindi entertainment channel is strengthening its leadership in the fantasy and supernatural genre with the launch of ‘Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara’ – a stunning recreation of the Vishakanya folklore that existed from the time of Chandragupta Maurya. Produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, the show will premiere on 3rd December 2018, Monday – Friday 10:30 pm only on COLORS.

    Historically speaking, the cloak of mystery concealed the identity of Vishkanyas for too long. But folklores surrounding their existence have always fascinated viewers across age groups. COLORS’ newest offering, Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara will see a beautiful portrayal of this concept that was once considered extremely powerful to combat enemies or take revenge. The show boasts of a stellar star cast, with Adaa Khan playing the title role of Sitaara, Shilpa Saklani (Vrinda)Sandeep Baswana (Kuldip Shekavat) and Shakti Anand (King Shivdaan Singh) amongst others.

    Centuries ago Indian rulers trained girls to become assassins, first making them immune to poison and then – by slowly introducing poison into their systems – turning them venomous. Hence the term ‘vishkanya’. Known for their beauty, vishkanyas used seduction to escape dangerous situations and bring empires to their knees. Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara is set in Vikralgadh village in Rajasthan and traces the journey of Sitaara, who is oblivious to her own identity. Abandoned in her infancy by her mother, she is brought up by her father Kuldip Shekavat who is a loyal palace manager to King Shivdaan Singh. Falling in love with the pretty Vrinda marks the beginning of Kuldip and the king’s downfall. The story takes a sharp turn when Sitaara embarks on a journey that forces her to choose between good and bad. Sitaara is a girl of high integrity is willing to stand by her convictions at all times, and against all people, even when it means standing up against people who might have cared for her.

    Speaking about the launch, Nina Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV network Viacom18, said – "COLORS has always created visually extravagant and immersive experiences for our viewers. With Vish Ya Amrit – Sitaara  we continue to push the boundary with unique storytelling and scale that is sure create another category milestone.”

    Resonating similar sentiments, Manisha Sharma, Chief Content Officer, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “Sitaara as a show has been conceived keeping in mind the new wave of concepts that come with a little element of thrill and keeps viewers on the edge of the seats. Our lead protagonist is torn between the love for her mother who is evil personified and her own value system which prevents her from doing anything but good. The viewers will love to see this tussle between sin and virtue and see her choose the path of righteousness going against the wishes of her mother.”

    Producer Rashmi Sharma said: “In mythology, vishkanyas had the power to destroy empires. With Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara, a girl who doesn’t know her roots is compelled to choose between her real identity and the one she grew up with. She is an honest rendition of a woman with good upbringing. We’re sure that the audience will enjoy this journey.”

    Adaa Khan said: “I’m thrilled at the opportunity and in love with my character. Her uniqueness will make her stand apart.  I’m thankful to COLORS and Rashmi Sharma for believing in me and giving me a chance to awe my fans and viewers with another beautiful narrative.”

    COLORS’ has won the hearts of the viewers with its innovative storytelling in the fantasy-folklore genre. The channel is confident that this exotic concept will win the hearts of the audience once again as it presents it anew through Vish Ya Amrit: Sitaara

    Will Sitaara’s hidden past reveal an unsteady future? Will she prove to be a femme fatale or the savior of her province?

  • “Meet the Drapers”, the crowdfunding reality show by Sony Entertainment Television, is again on the hunt for the next big idea; Season 2 going global

    “Meet the Drapers”, the crowdfunding reality show by Sony Entertainment Television, is again on the hunt for the next big idea; Season 2 going global

    MUMBAI: “Meet the Drapers” Season 1 debuted the world’s first crowdfunding-based startup reality show in 2017-2018, featuring the Drapers — Silicon Valley’s legendary VC family – and was an immediate success in the Americas.

    Startups in Season 1 raised a staggering 2.2 million dollars through the show, with Pigeonly being chosen as the winning startup that claimed the Grand Prize funding investment by Tim Draper. All in all, the top 6 finalists received over $400,000 in funding from Tim Draper during the Season 1 final episode.

    Season 2 takes things up several notches and promises to be more exciting than ever in its search for the hottest startups. The show is going global and will now be accessible to millions of viewers in 167 countries through multiple platforms. Season 2 will premiere in the Americas on November 24th, 2018 at
    6PM ET on Sony Entertainment Television (SET). The series is sponsored by Draper University, Augmate
    & Veridoc.

    “We were thrilled by the success of Season 1 and look forward to bringing “Meet the Drapers’ to a global audience” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of Americas, Sony Pictures Networks. “Season 2 showcases some of the brightest young entrepreneurs in the US and we are hoping that the show will encourage other entrepreneurs around the world to apply and get their shot at success.”

    Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and bitcoin are changing the world, and no one understands it better than
    Tim Draper, one of the foremost authorities on the Blockchain and Crypto space in the VC world.

    “We are going to experience the greatest transformation of humans in the history of the world as a result of bitcoin and all its associated technologies” said Tim Draper. Season 2 of “Meet the Drapers” weaves this technology into the show with the addition of Crypto Corner – a special segment where Tim Draper will discuss the latest developments with celebrity experts in the field and share insights with viewers.

    In “Meet the Drapers”, viewers watch some of the US’s hottest young entrepreneurs pitch their startups to the Draper family, one celebrity guest judge, and the audience. Viewers will then invest in the startups they like best via the Republic crowdfunding platform. Startups that raise the most funds from viewers will enter the grand finale. From these lucky few, Tim Draper will select the final winning companies that will get funding from the Draper family.

    “The next generation of startups is being built today and viewers can share in their success if the startup takes off,” said Republic Partner, Chuck Pettid. “It’s been a thrill for us to work on this groundbreaking television series and we can’t wait to bring Season 2 to the world.”

    Thousands of startups applied to be part of Season 2, and after extensive screening, 36 finalists were chosen to be on the show. Detailed information on participating startups can be found on republic.co/meet-the-drapers. Some of the guest judges this season include billionaire entrepreneur Naveen Jain, astronaut Anousheh Ansari and the founder of Clear Ventures VC firm Rajeev Madhavan.

    “Meet the Drapers” is produced and directed by Sarika Batra and created by Tim Draper in partnership with Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and Republic. “Meet the Drapers” Season 2 premieres on Saturday, November 24th, 2018 at 6pm ET on Sony Entertainment Television. For more information about the series, please visit www.setasia.tv/meetthedrapers.

  • Viacom18 confirms the departure of Raj Nayak

    Viacom18 confirms the departure of Raj Nayak

    MUMBAI: In an official statement released to the media, Viacom18 confirmed the departure of Raj Nayak, the media network’s Chief Operating Officer. Raj Nayak had joined Viacom18 in 2011 as CEO, COLORS and was elevated to COO – Viacom18 in May 2017, following which middle of this year, his role was expanded to lead the revenue portfolio for the network’s broadcast business. 

    Speaking about Raj Nayak’s departure, Sudhanshu Vats – Group CEO and MD Designate, Viacom18 said, “Raj is one of the most admired leaders in the media and entertainment industry.While on one hand, it is our loss to see a committed and capable leader leave, on the other, it is reassuring to know that he will always keep Viacom18’s flag flying high. On a personal level, I would like to thank Raj for partnering me as Viacom18 scaled newer heights. On behalf of everyone at Viacom18, I’d like to wish Raj all the very best for his future endeavours.”

    Speaking about his journey at Viacom18, Raj Nayak said, “The last seven and a half years at Viacom18 have been most exciting, challenging and rewarding. I have a wonderful team and they helped propel the company to new heights. The Viacom18 leadership has always been supportive and for that, I will always be grateful. These are exciting times for the media industry, the pace of change is remarkable, and I feel energised about the opportunity to do something new in this new landscape.”

    Raj Nayak will be serving at Viacom18 till February, 2019.

  • Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak quits

    Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak quits

    MUMBAI: Viacom18's Bigg Boss has quit, according to media reports. We are talking about Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak, who gave Star Plus and Zee TV a run for their money when he took over the channel's charge as CEO, before he was elevated to his current role.

    Nayak has worked with the organisation for almost seven-and-a-half years. He joined the organisation in 2011 as CEO of Colors and was responsible to look after Viacom18’s flagship general entertainment channel. Last year in May, he was elevated to the network's COO role.

    Prior to joining Colors, he had founded media sales and marketing company Aidem. Before that, he was working with NDTV Media Ltd as CEO and headed it for over a period of seven years.

    In 1993, Nayak started his career with Star India and rose to the role of EVP sales and marketing. He was responsible for strategy, packaging and marketing for all Star channels and the revenue for the group.

  • Essel Group engages Goldman Sachs to sell half its stake in Zee Entertainment

    Essel Group engages Goldman Sachs to sell half its stake in Zee Entertainment

    Mumbai: 13th November 2018, Subhash Chandra and family along with its advisors met in Mumbai over the Diwali weekend to undertake a strategic review of its businesses in view of the changing global media landscape. The strategic review underscored the importance of technological advancements such as AI, IOT, 3D printing AR, VR and many more. There is informed recognition that the world is convergent today and the lines across media, telecom, manufacturing and technology are thinner than ever. The semi-conductor business also appeared to be a promising opportunity, but due to its large capital requirement it was ruled out. It was observed that these developments will impact virtually all businesses across sectors and business practices will be driven by technological innovation. The review showed that the family needs to accelerate efforts to stay ahead of fast changing trends.

    The review noted that with the current 1.3 billion viewers and close to 50 million digital viewers growing at a fast pace, ZEEL is well placed to benefit from current market trends due to its strong brand & bouquet of domestic & international channels. Adding to that strength, ZEE5 will further enable the company to leverage the benefits of changing video consumption trends, contributing significantly over the coming years. The management of ZEEL under Punit Goenka and Amit Goenka has been well appreciated by all stakeholders and reflected in the performance of the company. Speaking on where the business stands today, Jawahar Goel said, "Punit and Amit have made the right sustainable investments for the future and the business is growing ahead on all fronts in a focused and disciplined way".

    On its own, ZEEL would remain a leader in both linear and digital distribution. It has the consumer insights and knows how to produce and deliver content for the South Asian diaspora globally. The management depth the Company has built over last two decades distributing content globally in 12 foreign languages puts the Company in a unique position. It has strong revenue streams including advertising and subscription – domestic and international. However, there is recognition that a right global strategic partner will help in transforming ZEEL further, and maximise long term value. It will transform it into a global media-tech player with a unique offering of content to the main stream audiences in 170 plus countries.

    It has been decided to undertake a strategic review of Essel's shareholding in ZEEL with a view to maximize value for the business. The proposed transaction to divest upto 50% of Essel's
    holding to such a partner, is expected to address the Essel Group's capital allocation priorities and will allow ZEEL shareholders to capture the full value of India's largest entertainment broadcaster with an ever strengthening bouquet Essel has decided to appoint Goldman Sachs Securities (India) Ltd. as their investment banker and US and European based LionTree as an international strategic advisor for this exercise. Essel expects the outcome of the strategic review to be concluded by March/April 2019. This transaction will meet the objectives of the Essel Group as well as the minority shareholders of ZEEL.

    India remains a priority market for Subhash Chandra and the Essel Group and the family believes that India is at the cusp of significant growth. The family will continue to invest in growth opportunities in India. Regardless of the outcome of this exercise, Essel is committed to create significant long term value in ZEEL and shall keep on contributing in every possible way going forward.

  • Big Ganga Sets up Safe Changing Rooms for Women During Chhath Puja

    Big Ganga Sets up Safe Changing Rooms for Women During Chhath Puja

    MUMBAI: Riding on the success of multiple initiatives, ZEE Entertainment Enterprise Limited’s No. 1 Bhojpuri Channel, Big Ganga introduces a much-needed social initiative – ‘Ek Kadam Swabhiman Ki Aor’ on the occasion of one of the most popular festivals of the region, Chhath Puja. Under the initiative, Big Ganga has installed changing room across Patna Ghat for the women for the duration of the festivities in the region.

    During Chhath Puja women perform ‘Aarag’ in a pond or a river and change their apparels post the ritual. Since, the celebration takes place near the Ganga ghats, there are no basic changing facilities available for women. Understanding the predicament women face year-on-year, the channel has stepped forward to install a changing rooms near the ghats to make it a smooth experience for women devotees and their families.

    Commenting on the initiative, spokesperson from Big Ganga said, “Chhath Puja is one of the most celebrated festivals in the region with people turning up in millions. With this initiative we aim to provide a clean and a secure space to women devotees so they and their families can focus on performing the ritual as opposed to worrying about the awkwardness post the Chhath Puja. Big Ganga has always been at the forefront of spearheading initiatives that strongly resonate with the masses and truly serve the people in the region.”

    BIG Ganga’s ‘Ek Kadam Swabhiman Ki Aor’ initiative is an extension of its core values to continually deliver a quality experience to its audience both through riveting/ entertaining offerings and enthralling on-ground activities.

  • Star India publishes RIO as per TRAI tariff order

    Star India publishes RIO as per TRAI tariff order

    MUMBAI: After Supreme Court of India gave the verdict in favour of Telecom Regulatory authority of India (TRAI) in the tariff order case, the petitioner Star India has published its reference interconnect offer (RIO) in accordance with the Tariff Order and Interconnect Regulations 2017.

    As per the new rate card, the popular channels of the broadcaster including Star Plus, Star Jalsha, Maa TV, Asianet, Star Sports have been priced at Rs 19. Except for few HD channels, most of the channels under the category have been also priced at Rs 19.

    Star India is also offering 28 bouquets with 4 different variations to cater to the diverse consumer segments based on their consumption. The variations of the bouquets are base, premium, HD-base, HD premium. While the base bouquet offers the best of entertainment, sports and movies channels in the customer’s language of choice, the premium bouquet includes English language offerings and channels with a differentiated content proposition on the top of Base offering.

    The base and premium bouquets for SD channels in Hindi, Bengali and Marathi have been priced at Rs 49 and Rs 79 per month respectively while base and premium bouquets in other languages are priced at Rs 39 and Rs 69 respectively.

    The base and premium HD bouquets in Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali have been priced at Rs 85 and Rs 120 per month. For other languages, the base and premium bouquets are priced at Rs 75 and Rs 110 a month.

    The network has also revealed the name of four channels under sports and movies categories which will be launched by 31 December. The soon-to-be launched channels are Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Gold Thrills, Star Gold Thrills HD.

    Recently, the two-judge bench of the apex court with Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Navin Sinha dismissed Star India’s appeal against Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recent tariff order. The principal area of the argument by the broadcaster was that the pricing of the content cannot be regulated by TRAI as it comes under the Copyright Act. The verdict has clearly pronounced that the as TRAI Act is in public interest, it should prevail over the Copyright Act.

    As the tug-of-war was going on for a while, all the other major broadcasters already published their RIOs in late August and early September.

  • TiVo Renews Personalized Content Discovery Platform Agreement with Foxtel

    TiVo Renews Personalized Content Discovery Platform Agreement with Foxtel

    SINGAPORE: TiVo Corporation (NASDAQ: TIVO), a global leader in entertainment technology and audience insights, today announced that Foxtel, Australia’s leading subscription-TV platform, has renewed its license to TiVo’s Search and Recommendation services and will have access to TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform. As a long-term Search and Recommendation customer, the renewal will provide Foxtel’s subscribers in Australia with the latest TiVo innovations to help power entertainment experiences.

    “We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with TiVo, in order to ensure we have the most advanced content discovery technology at our subscribers’ fingertips across a multitude of devices,” said Michael Ivanchenko, Foxtel’s director of Product Design & Development. “Foxtel has a legacy of driving innovation across the Australian television landscape TiVo’s solutions are a strong contributor in  helping us to stay at the forefront of bringing the latest entertainment services to our viewers.”

    “Foxtel’s continued investment and trust in TiVo’s personalised discovery capabilities demonstrates our innovation leadership and differentiation in such a competitive landscape,” said Samuel Sweet, senior vice president, Sales EMEA and APAC, TiVo. “We are proud to continue working with Foxtel, one of the most progressive and dynamic media companies in Asia Pacific, to enable viewers to benefit from a personalized discovery experience, dramatically improving the viewer experience and increasing engagement.”

    TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform is revolutionizing the way video service providers deliver content to viewers, and ultimately the way consumers find something they want to watch across devices. Guided by the belief that consumers should not have to work to find relevant content, TiVo’s multi-dimensional approach delivers highly relevant search results, customized recommendations carousels and increased convenience with natural voice recognition and insights for an enhanced viewing experience. 

  • Disney’s flagship streaming service to enter market in late 2019

    Disney’s flagship streaming service to enter market in late 2019

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney (Disney) reported strong earnings for the fiscal fourth-quarter topping analysts' expectations. While Media Networks revenue for the quarter increased 9 per cent year-over-year to $6 billion, Studio Entertainment revenues for the quarter increased 50 per cent to $2.2 billion. Along with the financial result, the company also announced that its streaming service set to launch late next year in US market which will be called Disney+.

    “Disney+ will be offering a rich array of original Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic content, along with unprecedented access to our incredible library of film and television content, including all of our new theatrical releases, starting with the 2019 slate,” Disney chairman and CEO Robert A Iger said.

    The content pipeline of the flagship service will also include The Mandalorian, the world's first live action Star Wars series written and produced by Jon Favreau. A rebooted version of Disney’s super hit The High School Musical franchise will be also a part of the content pipeline. Moreover, the service will be the exclusive home of the next season of the popular Star Wars animated series Clone Wars. A live-action Marvel series about Loki starring Tom Hiddleston is also being developed.

    Its other streaming service ESPN+ which was launched six months ago already has more than 1 million subscribers. As of now it owns 60 per cent stake in Hulu also. Disney thinks there's an opportunity to increase investment in the digital platform on the programming side. However, as Comcast and AT&T Time Warner are other two partners in Hulu, it will keep an eye toward being fiscally responsible to the other shareholders.

    While Disney purchased Fox for $71.3 billion in cash and stock, it is confident that the television business that it is buying is very attractive, not just in the US. “If you factor in Star in India and the rest of Asia, and you factor in Europe where they have a substantially greater footprint of channels than we do, which by the way may ultimately end up helping us with content and distribution when it comes to the direct-to-consumer business,” Iger commented.

    Going beyond Wall Street’s projected earnings of $6.94 per share on $58.87 billion in revenue for the full year, Disney reported adjusted earnings of $7.08 per share on $59.43 billion in revenue. While the company is happy with the financial performance in fiscal 2018, they want to remain focused on the successful completion and integration of 21st Century Fox acquisition and the further development of our direct-to-consumer business.

  • ZEE Entertainment – Only Indian Content Brand to be Felicitated at the prestigious World Branding Awards!

    ZEE Entertainment – Only Indian Content Brand to be Felicitated at the prestigious World Branding Awards!

    MUMBAI: World Branding Awards (WBA), a globally renowned awards property hosted by World Branding forum (WBF) announced India’s leading media and entertainment organisation, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. as the only Indian brand in the Satellite TV category to be honoured with this prestigious award. In its 26th year, the global media conglomerate has successfully evolved into an all-encompassing entertainment company offering quality content across multiple platforms and languages reaching 1.3 billion viewers across the globe. Striving to continuously offer extraordinary entertainment to its viewers, ZEEL has built an entrenched position in content creation through not just strong in-house abilities but also through strategic content creation partnerships and business models designed to create an ecosystem that focusses on delivering extraordinary results.

    Viewed as the ultimate global brand recognition accolade, the participating brands are uniquely judged through three key streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Approximately 70% of the scoring process comes from consumer votes wherein each brand is named "Brand of the Year" in their respective categories. Winners are classified in three tiers: Global, Regional and National. In the past, over 3,000 brands from 35 countries were nominated for the 2017-2018 Awards in multiple categories, and more than 135,000 consumers from around the world participated during the voting period. 245 Brands from 32 countries were awarded. This year’s edition of the award ceremony was held on October 31, 2018 at the Kensington Palace London.

    On being honoured with this prestigious award, Mr. Punit Goenka, MD & CEO at ZEEL said “ZEE has always been a cultural ambassador of our Nation, and with its rich and engaging content, it has showcased the precious culture and traditions of India, to the world at large. I am extremely glad to note that ZEE has been recognised at a global platform such as World Branding Forum. We are committed to building content brands that aim to deliver extraordinary entertainment solutions, for all our audiences.”

    Adding to the celebratory occasion, Mr. Punit Misra, CEO- Domestic Broadcast Business, ZEEL said “It is an extremely proud moment for us at ZEE to be the only Indian entertainment brand, to be honoured at the World Branding Awards. The Indian television landscape is indeed a competitive one with 30% of Hindi GEC viewers accounting for 82% of viewership and 3X amount of time spent by viewers on TV on any given day. It only goes on to show the importance of brand loyalty in the category. This win is a testimony to the strong brands we are building and the quality content that lives up to the brand promise. Having kept the ever-evolving needs of our audience at the core of our business, we strive to provide engaging and culturally rooted content to our viewers that connects deeply and is worthy of their loyalty to our brands.”    

    Mrs. Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. represented ZEE Entertainment and received the award at the award ceremony. Speaking on this achievement Mrs. Agarwal said, “Having recently completed 26 glorious years of bringing the best in class entertainment to our viewers, we feel humbled and honoured to be the “Brand of the Year” at the prestigious World Branding Forum. With the comprehensive rebranding exercise in 2017 ZEE -Extraordinary Together, we at ZEE have been on a journey building an organization obsessed with viewer needs and delivering the brand promise on a daily basis through our content and communication offerings much like a service brand that lives across every touch point. Whether it’s our Hindi General Entertainment Channel Zee TV with – ‘Aaj Likhenge Kal’ inspiring our viewers, the great Indian middle class to draw from their inner strength and achieve the extraordinary or Zee Bollywood offering 101% Shudh Bollywood for audiences who seek Masaledaar entertainment, our viewer centric brand and content approach is finding strong connect across India and will stay entrenched in the public mind-space for years to come. As we continue to deliver extraordinary experiences, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our viewers who constantly show their love and support making ZEE an Iconic Indian grown global brand”.

    Today, ZEE brings the best of entertainment content to its viewers and has magnificently grown from a broadcasting Company to a Global media and entertainment powerhouse. The diverse entertainment offerings of the company cover the entire spectrum of consumers’ needs. ZEEL continues to stay ahead of the curve, courtesy to its in-depth understanding of its viewers and expertise to offer quality entertainment offering that mirrors the sentiments and growing aspirations of its audiences.