ITV

Category: GECs

  • IIHM ‘Young Chef India Schools’ premieres on Food Food Channel

    IIHM ‘Young Chef India Schools’ premieres on Food Food Channel

    MUMBAI: The 8th edition of India’s biggest culinary extravaganza for school students, the Young Chef India (YCI) Schools 2018, is all set to premiere on Food Food Channel on 12th May 2018. The competition will be aired in five episodes and will showcase the journey of young chefs from North, South, West and East Zones, as they battle it out in the YCI Zonal Finals and then the Mega Final to clinch the winner’s trophy. Conceptualized and executed by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), the winner of YCI 2018 will be announced at the season finale to be aired on 9th June.

    Young Chef India Schools is a platform for higher-secondary students to get a glimpse of the workings of the culinary industry and gain global recognition. Since its inception in 2011, thousands of students have participated in this competition and realized their dream and aspiration of displaying their culinary skills and being recognized for it. This year over 30,000 students from 2,800 schools participated in the competition.

    Dr. Suborno Bose (Founder & Chief Mentor of IndiSmart Group & IIHM) said, “The IIHM Young Chef India, which started 7 years back, is possibly the first serious attempt by any Institute in India to unearth the talent of the future chefs of the nation. It’s now grown up into a huge brand and over 30,000 students of Class 11 & 12 participated this year from all over the country. The YCI is appreciated by the entire hospitality industry as a great contribution from IIHM to create the next-generation chefs for our industry.” He further added, “Food Food Channel is one of the best platforms for culinary interests, carrying a wide spectrum of shows based around the international culinary industry. We are proud to have them as our broadcast partners for this initiative.”

    The YCI 2018 was being held over the last few months in four zones – North, East, West and South – and four rigorous rounds of zonal cook-off sessions. The first three cook-off sessions were held in the home cities of the participants or at the nearest IIHM campus. In each round, the contestants were judged on metrics such as culinary skills and techniques, adherence to good health and safety and hygiene practice, minimal waste and best use of ingredients, professional appearance, attitude, dish presentation, taste and flavour.

    Further, a total of 10 students per zone competed in the Zonal Finals at the IIHM Delhi Campus. This was a ‘Basket Test’, wherein the contents of the basket were disclosed to the contestants only 48 hours before the competition and they had to prepare the dish using only the ingredients from the basket along with a few generic ingredients and common Indian spices. The contestants were given 90 minutes to prepare two identical plated starters/kebabs with appropriate dip and garnish as well as two identical plated main course dishes consisting of a portion of protein, a rice dish and a lentil-based dish. Based on the judges’ scores, four contestants from each zone participated in a rapid fire round, which was included in the competition with the aim of testing how these budding chefs would handle difficult situations in future. This was their final race to clinch a spot in the Top Two who would represent their zone in the Mega Finals.

    The Mega Finals comprised ‘Basket and Dessert Test’ wherein the participants were given 120 minutes to prepare two identical plated main course dishes with accompaniments using a pre-decided basket of ingredients as well as two portions of a pre-decided identical dessert for which the recipe was provided in advance. This recipe was also demonstrated once by a chef before the cook-off and all finalists had to replicate the dish. The judges gave scores to the contestants after tasting the dishes and asking some questions.

    While the judges’ scores will form 80% of the contestants’ final scores, Food Food channel will also conduct a public voting before the season finale for the remaining 20% scores. This will be an opportunity for the viewers to help their favorite contestant win the prestigious YCI 2018 competition.

    The first four episodes of the YCI series will showcase the Zonal Finals for the South, West, East and North Zones and will be aired at 5 P.M. on Saturdays – 12th May, 19th May, 26th May and 2nd June – respectively. The YCI 2018 Mega Finals will be aired on 9th June and will showcase the ultimate clash of the finalists from all four zones and their battle to win the coveted title.

  • Zeel operating profit up; board recommends 290% dividend

    Zeel operating profit up; board recommends 290% dividend

    BENGALURU: Subhash Chandra-led Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) reported higher operating profit (EBITDA) for the year and quarter ended 31 March 2018 (FY 2018, the year under review; Q4 2018, the quarter under review) as compared with the corresponding periods of the previous year (FY 2017, Q4 2017). Profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter and year under review was, however, lower due to higher tax and lower extraordinary/exceptional items as against the previous year. The Zeel board of directors has recommended an equity dividend of 290 per cent per share of face value of Re 1.

    Zeel’s EBITDA for FY-2018 increased by 7.7 per cent to Rs 2,076.14 crore (31.1 per cent margin) from Rs 1,926.86 crore (29.9 per cent margin) in fiscal 2017. EBITDA for Q4 2018 rose by 8 per cent to Rs 506.20 crore (29.3 per cent margin) from Rs 468.70 crore (30.7 per cent margin). PAT for FY 2018 declined 33.4 per cent to Rs 1,477.75 crore from Rs 2,220.11 crore.

    Zeel’s operating revenue for FY 2018 was 3.9 per cent higher at Rs 6,685.68 crore than the Rs 6,434.13 crore in FY 2017. Operating revenue for Q4 2018 grew by 12.9 per cent year-on-year (yoy) to Rs 1,725.31 crore from Rs 1,527.95 crore. Total revenue for FY 2018 increased by seven per cent to Rs 7,126.30 crore from Rs 6,658.17 crore in the previous year. Total revenue for the quarter grew by 14.6 per cent yoy to Rs 1,813.43 crore from Rs 1,582.89 crore. Revenue growth during both periods can be attributed to growth in advertising revenue partly offset by a decline in subscription revenue.

    Advertising revenue in FY 2018 increased by 14.5 per cent to Rs 4,204.76 crore from Rs 3,673.50 crore in the previous year. The company said in its earnings release that on a comparable basis— excluding sports, RBNL and Indian Web Portal Pvt Ltd (IWPL)—domestic advertising revenue grew by 15.9 per cent to Rs 3,848.88 crore. International advertising revenue increased by 26.2 per cent in FY 2018 to Rs 214.3 crore. International business revenue in Q4 2018 was Rs 66.2 crore.

    Subscription revenue during the year under review declined by 10.3 per cent to Rs 2,028.73 crore from Rs 2,262.91 crore in FY 2017. The company said in its release that adjusted for sale of Zeel’s sports business, subscription revenue actually grew by 11.8 per cent. The company also said that subscription revenue growth for the year was slightly impacted by the delay in phase-III monetisation due to the uncertainty regarding TRAI’s tariff order. Domestic and international subscription revenue for Q4 2018 declined by 0.7 per cent yoy and eight per cent yoy, respectively, primarily on account of the sale of the sports business. Subscription revenue in Q4 2018 decreased by two per cent yoy to Rs 546.52 crore from Rs 557.92 crore. International business subscription revenue in Q4 2018 declined to Rs 94.4 crore.

    Zeel’s other sales and services include revenue from its movie production business, content syndication, music label and commission on sales. Other sales and services revenue decreased by 9.1 per cent in FY 2018 to Rs 452.19 crore from Rs 497.72 crore in the previous fiscal. For Q4 2018, other sales and services revenue increased by five per cent yoy to Rs 129.24 crore from Rs 123.09 crore in Q4 2017. Other sales and services revenue from the international business in Q4 2018 was Rs 53.7 crore.

    Other income, during the year under review, soared by 96.5 per cent to Rs 440.35 crore from Rs 224.04 crore whereas, during the quarter, increased by 60.4 per cent to Rs 88.12 crore from Rs 54.94 crore.

    For FY 2018, total costs increased by 2.3 per cent to Rs 4,609.50 crore. The underlying increase was higher but offset by the sale of the sports business. On a like-to-like basis, programming cost increased due to higher original content hours across the network and higher movie amortisation cost while the reported programming cost declined due to the sale of the sports business. Advertising, publicity and other expenses increased by 25.6 per cent to Rs. 1,416.4 crore on account of brand refresh, launch of ZEE5 and costs related to silver jubilee events.

    Zeel’s total expenditure in Q4 2018 at Rs 1,219.1 crore was higher by 15.1 per cent as againt Q4 2017. Programming cost for the quarter at Rs 689.3 crore increased by 6.7 per cent yoy. This increase was driven by higher original programming hours in regional channels, higher movie amortisation costs and content cost for ZEE5. Advertising, publicity and other expenses for the quarter grew by 44 per cent yoy to Rs 3,66 crore on account of the ZEE5 launch expense and increased marketing activities for new properties. Additionally, the expense base for Q4 2017 was lower as some marketing and promotion events were held back due to demonetisation, the release stated.

    Zeel chairman Subhash Chandra said, “Looking at our performance one might not realise that the first half of the year was not as smooth, which is a testimony to the strength of our team. Being the number one TV entertainment network is a result of our strategy and the consistent hard work we have put in over the years. With the launch of ZEE5, we have taken a major leap towards our preparation for the future and we are confident that like TV business we will be in the leadership position in the digital space as well.”

    Zeel CEO and managing director Punit Goenka said, “We launched our new digital platform ZEE5 with over 100,000 hours of content across 11 languages. We are happy with the initial response and are confident that the sheer depth and breadth of our content offering will enable it to become the number one digital entertainment platform in India. We have also focused on the peculiarities of Indian market and designed technological features to improve the user experience. Unlike most of the existing apps which are either focused on the English-speaking segment or the youth audience, ZEE5’s vast content catalogue is designed with an objective to cater to all sections of video viewing audience.”

    Goenka added, “We are delighted with the strong operating and financial performance during the quarter. Domestic ad revenue growth of 24 per cent is driven by broad based recovery in advertising spends. With high visibility of product campaigns, improving consumer demand and GST related benefits trickling down to ad spends, we are confident of continued traction in advertising spending. The full-year domestic subscription revenue growth of 12 per cent is a tad lower than our initial expectations due to some unforeseen events. However, there is no change in our medium-term outlook for the same.”

    Also Read :

    Zee Media reports higher ad revenue growth in Q3 2018

    Zee, Turner to work independently for subscription revenue

  • Zee Café embarks on a hunt for the next big toy with the most brutal judges, the kids, with its new show – The Toy Box!

    Zee Café embarks on a hunt for the next big toy with the most brutal judges, the kids, with its new show – The Toy Box!

    MUMBAI: It is said that kids are the most honest critics and the hardest to please! Zee Café, one of the leading general English entertainment channels, is all set to premiere an exciting new American reality television series, The Toy Box with kids seated at the judges’ panel. Hosted by award winning star, Eric Stonestreet, the show is an ultimate competition series providing talented designers with an opportunity to bring their toy concepts to life. Premiering on 14th of May, the show will air weekdays at 9 pm.

    Featuring contestants from around the world, The Toy Box, in each episode will give aspiring inventors a chance to present their toy concepts to a group of mentors who are industry professionals. Once the mentors approve their inventions, the contestants later get to showcase their toys to a panel of children. The children get a chance to judge as well as play with the toys and decide which one works best for them, advancing those contestants to the final round. The season’s winning toy is then produced and distributed by the popular toy manufacturing company Mattel. The show will be judged by four of the toughest but cutest judges ever – singing sensation Sophia; internet sensation Noah; child comedian Toby and the famous child actor, Aalyrah. This innovative show, which brings toys to life, is something all toy designing enthusiasts will definitely look forward to.

    Strengthening its programming line-up for FY18-19, Zee Café launches a new content band Nine@9 which brings nine of the biggest reality shows throughout the year at 9 pm for the first time on Indian television. This spectacular programming block kickstarts with the premiere of The Toy Box.

    Additionally, all through May, viewers are in for a treat as Zee Café has a great line up of shows. With Mothers’ Day just around the corner, the channel brings special programming on May 13th with season 1 of American Housewife from 4 pm to 6 pm. Fans can also enjoy their favourite shows as the channel brings the finale of The Chefs’ Line on 11th May at 9 pm, The Big Bang Theory (Sundays at 7:30 pm), Will & Grace (Weekdays at 8 pm), Everybody Loves Raymond (Weekdays at 8:30 pm) and Grey’s Anatomy (Weekdays at 10 pm)!

  • SPN India appoints Ajay Bhalwankar to spearhead its upcoming Marathi GEC

    SPN India appoints Ajay Bhalwankar to spearhead its upcoming Marathi GEC

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has appointed Ajay Bhalwankar as the Business Head for its upcoming Marathi general entertainment channel (GEC).

    Byspending more than two decades in the media and entertainment industry, Ajay has a well-rounded understanding of all facets that define this sector. He has been associated with SPN since 2014. Prior to taking charge of the Marathi GEC, he was the Chief Creative Director at Sony Entertainment Television (SET) where his role was to provide creative leadership and direction to propel the channel amongst the top players across genres. Ajay has also served as content head for Hindi GECs at ZEE.

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) N.P. Singh MD & CEO said, “The Marathi content viewers have a growing appetite for local content which resonates with their cultural fabric. By catering to this audience, SPN will expand its regional footprint. Ajay will play a vital role in delivering a channel experience that is relatable yet compelling. With extensive experience and in-depth understanding of the industry, I am confident that under Ajay’s leadership, SPN will make an impressive debut in the Marathi entertainment space.”

  • Lacklustre viewership may force SET to pull off ‘Prithvi Vallabh’: Anirudh Pathak

    Lacklustre viewership may force SET to pull off ‘Prithvi Vallabh’: Anirudh Pathak

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television’s (SET) bet on magnum opus Prithvi Vallabh didn’t go as planned for the channel. The show, according to its producer Anirudh Pathak, is likely to go off air from 1 July after completing its 45th episode.

    Since its launch in January, Prithvi Vallabh has been getting mixed reviews. The channel had earlier planned to divide the show into two seasons of 40 episodes each but the failure to garner the desired viewership has compelled SET to rethink this strategy.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Pathak said that there is a need to better think about characters while picking historical plots. “I thought Prithvi would do well as the story of an untold tale from the soils of Indian dynasty. But it’s unfortunate that it didn’t. It’s a learning for me. Now, I know that if one is producing a historical show, they should make sure that the audience knows about the character. For historical shows, only a well-known character can garner good ratings. I personally feel that shows with a classic storyline should not be run on the weekends. Had it been a daily soap, the show could have garnered better ratings,” he said.

    Prithvi Vallabh was the first show to come out of SET’s new sub brand SET Originals. Based on the book by well-known Gujarati writer Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, it depicts the history, mystery, vengeance and a love story between two arch-rival warriors Prithvi and Mrinal living in a kingdom far away.

    Pathak is no stranger to the genre having produced titles such as Devon Ke Dev..Mahadev, Siya Ke Ram and Mahakumbh, which have done fabulously well. Prithvi Vallabh was also the first show under his own banner launched in 2015.

    A student of Sanskrit, Pathak has been keen on working on mythological and historical shows. His interest began in the early TV years when saas-bahu sagas were dominant and the mythological and historical genres were not even considered to be capable of engaging viewers. “When I was doing saas-bahu shows, nobody, at that time, wanted to invest their money on big-budget serials. But now, they do. And since I always had an inclination towards myths and history, I decided to work on these genres. After Devon Ke Dev..Mahadev became a hit I was pretty much convinced that the Indian audience has the appetite to consume such content,” he added.

    The storytelling format has also changed since families that once used to get together and watch TV are now watching independently on their phones. So much so that people even in remote areas are consuming and comparing content such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones with Indian shows.

    Pathak feels that channels will now focus on finite content and gradually long-running shows will cease to exist.

    Pathak started his career as a writer with a crime show entitled Mujrim Kaun that aired on Sahara channel. After that, he worked with Balaji Telefilms as a writer for renowned shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kavyanjali, KumKum and Karam Apna Apna. During his tenure with Life OK, he also helmed other acclaimed shows such as The Adventures of Hatim. Post Life OK, he was the name behind Siya Ke Ram, a show which depicted Ramayana from Sita’s point of view.

    Pathak has created Chandrashekhar for Star Bharat, a show honouring one of the greatest freedom fighters of India, Chandrashekhar Azad. The show captures the entire life of Azad and what made him one of the undisputed fearless freedom fighters of all times. He is also making another historical show named Shankaracharya- based on the life of Adi Guru Shankaracharya, an Indian philosopher.

    In the near future, he is in talks with Colors for his upcoming historical show, which is a recreation of magnum opus Mughal-E-Azam. He is also planning to crack a deal with Eros Now on the mytho-historical genre for his upcoming digital series.

    Also Read :

    Ace creative visionary Anirudh Pathak helms his first individual project ‘Prithvi Vallabh’

    ‘Prithvi Vallabh’ is 20% history, 80% mystery: Anirudh Pathak

    Star Plus readies new mythological series ‘Siya Ke Ram’

  • Musakaan – An Emotion a Mother Lives For

    Musakaan – An Emotion a Mother Lives For

    MUMBAI: We all have witnessed that there is no greater love than that of a mother’s. Traversing through this emotion, Star Bharat has come up with a show Musakaan which is about a little girl living her childhood, different from the usual.  The story, beautifully weaves various emotions and moments that Musakaan experiences, which feel different from the others of her age and a mothers roller-coaster to give her daughter a bright and a healthy future. The journey revolves around hide and seek being the way of life for Musakaan and her mother. Why Musakaan is kept unaware of her reality? What makes her mother keep her hidden in a box?

    Get to know the mystery behind the mother – daughter’s journey of hardships, rejections, acceptance, threats and the love that both of them share while playfully dealing with all of it.  With the channel’s philosophy of Bhula De Darr, Kuch Alag Kar, Star Bharat has always strived to bring out strong and courageous characters as a source of inspiration and a remarkable revolution in the society, and Musakaan is exemplary of the philosophy.

    The show is produced under the umbrella of Rashmi Sharma telefilms and directed by Dilip Kumar. The star cast includes Sonakshi Save as Musakaan and Ariena Dey playing the role of Musakaan’s mother as Aarti. Its current programming mix includes Jiji Maa, Kya Haal Mr. Paanchal, Nimki Mukhiya, Saam Daam Dand Bhed, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki, Chandrashekar, Mayavi Maling and Savdhaan India. 

  • The era of dance reality shows

    The era of dance reality shows

    MUMBAI: Broadcasters today know how to sway their audiences and they’ve realised that nothing works better than dance reality shows on television. Every general entertainment channel (GEC) has at least one such affiliation either with an international format or a local production. A show ends on one channel and a new one begins on another.

    The format of dance reality shows plays a vital role in keeping audiences engaged. Adding the clippings of the auditions process, rehearsal scenes and fun behind the cameras are strategies to attract viewers. Other elements, such as the voting system, involving commoners in the show and an anchor who banters, makes the show worthwhile.

    A media professional said that dance reality shows are just the phase and they won’t stay. “The numbers might change in terms of ratings as its universe is growing. As the ratings universe is growing, the percentage in terms of viewers is also sizeable. You’ll have a certain number of audiences for these shows, because there are sponsors who may want to get that much and it makes sense to stay around.”

    He also stated that over time there could be different genres that come up as popular ones for a period of time.

    An African proverb says, ‘When the music changes, so does the dance.’ Though the proverb hints at how it is important to adapt to change in life, the proverb aptly suits the evolution of dance shows in recent times.

    It was Sony Entertainment Television that showed Indians how to Boogie Woogie in 1996. The show tuned out within a year and took five years to resurface. After seven more seasons, the show synonymous with the face of comedian Javed Jaffrey, it was last seen in 2014. In the earlier seasons, the judges assigned various themes to episodes, including Bollywood, horror, and friendship among others. These different themes helped the show to retain their audiences and garner great traction.

    Though a show like Big Boss is a rage with the people, broadcasters keep coming back to dance shows. The participants for even the least-popular dance show are never ending. People await that one lucky break wherever they can find it.

    Nach Baliye was another show launched by Star One in 2006 as an original format which shifted to Star Plus after the second season. 2017 was its eighth season. It was a couple dance reality television show. Contestants danced to a different tune, theme and style every week and scores were given by the judges. Each week one couple was eliminated based on public voting and their scores.

    Couch potatoes may want reality shows to last throughout the day. While some may watch and get inspired from the commoners showing off their moves, others tend to watch because of their favourite celebrity dancing or to gather some gossip from the show about the couples dating in the dance reality show.

    Dance India Dance (DID) was another dance show in the Zee cluster that had six seasons. It also had spinoffs like DID Li’l Masters, DID Doubles and DID Supermoms. The show had a variety of Indian cultural and international contemporary dance like Bollywood, hip-hop, jazz, Kalaripayattu, salsa, samba and musical theatre styles to win the prize worth Rs 50 lakh.

    According to the professional, these dance shows only work because of the existing audience that they have. Earlier the shows were just restricted to the older dancing formats, but now these shows have also added the flavour of hip-hop, electronic dance styles among others. The variety is what keeps audience engaged and gets advertising traction.

    Colors introduced the Indian version of two BBC shows Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars – Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa – and it has seen nine seasons. In this show, celebrities perform various dances together with professional dance partners.

    Reality shows are a high-cost proposition for GECs and few of them make money, if at all. As per reports, non-celebrity shows like DID cost around Rs 40 lakh per episode.

    Another show was Sony’s Super Dancer, where 12 dancers are selected to be competing for the title of ‘dance ka kal’ (future of dance). They are each paired with one choreographer (super guru) who has a unique style similar to theirs. These gurus train them, choreograph acts for them and also perform with them. The performances are voted by the audience every week on the website or the SonyLiv app. On the basis of the number of votes, one kid is eliminated every week.

    Zara Nachke Dikha, Just Dance and Dance Champions on Star Plus, Dancing Queens on Colors have made a mark in the Indian industry. New show formats are being launched every year. Colors intends to launch another show named Dance Deewane.  

    Commenting on dance shows becoming trends now-a-days, another media expert said, “Dance shows have been trending for a very long. The first dance show was launched some 13-14 years ago. I think dance shows had a really very good run. I don’t think they will ever go out of fashion but they definitely need to keep reinventing themselves.”

    Due to their short nature and thrill, reality shows grab more eyeballs than the saas bahu sagas. At first, shows were just about showing off your dancing skills but over time they have evolved into concepts, moulding yourself into different forms and even with various types of partners. The creativity level has skyrocketed but the best is yet to come.

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  • Rajeev Khandelwal begins new innings with chat show on Zee TV

    Rajeev Khandelwal begins new innings with chat show on Zee TV

    MUMBAI: The makers of popular chat show Koffee with Karan are back with a new one. Bringing back Rajeev Khandelwal in a new chat show is Zee TV with Juzzbatt…Sangeen Se Namkeen Tak. Co-produced by Sandip Sikcand Telefilms and Sol, the show will premiere on 5 May and will air on weekends at 7 pm.

    Khandelwal, who was last seen in ALTBalaji’s original Haq Se, is returning to television after three years. After anchoring the controversial show, Saach Ka Saamna, the new show promises to take audiences on an exhilarating whirlwind ride. The show is likely to also be shown on its digital platform Zee5.

    “The show will reveal the journey of celebrities from what they were to what they are now in their respective fields. It will be a mixture of drama and reality. There is no exact format for this show because every person comes with a different story irrespective of who they are. Every show, whether it is fiction or non-fiction, has got a different texture. Likewise, in this show every person has got a different story to tell. So there can’t be any proper format.  And also there will be a surprise element in each episode,” said Zee TV deputy business head Deepak Rajadhyaksha.

    “Though Zee makes content for every category of audience, this time the primary target audience will be women between 30 and 40 years of age,” he added. In keeping with the channel’s brand philosophy, ‘Aaj Likhenge Kal’, this weekend primetime offering is going to be a 26-episode series.

    A while ago, Zee TV celebrated its 25th anniversary and this show is one special offering for audiences. “We had a celebrity chat show many years back called Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, but this time we thought of coming up with something that we haven’t done before. Though Juzzbazz will have some glimpses of Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, it’s not a carbon copy of it,” said Rajadhyaksha. Commenting on marketing strategies, he said that focus will be on social media, print, radio and outdoor.

    Sol co-producer Fazila Allana said that the show will mainly rope in TV actors as they haven’t been given their due. “Their fans are very curious to know as to who the people behind these celebs are. Juzzbaat is trying to make audiences see the real human beings the actors are behind the TV. The celebrities are no different than us. They pretty much face the same challenges in their daily lives that we face,” she said.

    The choice of anchor couldn’t have been better than Khandelwal who has an aura that people trust. “He is such a face whom people don’t often see on television. But at the same time he is experienced, mature and is in that stage of his career where he knows a lot of people – old and the new ones. It’s necessary that the host should know more people so that the guests can open themselves freely,” she added.

    Some of the faces that will be seen on the show include Rohit Roy, Ronit Roy, Divyanka Tripathi, Vivek Dahiya and Dheeraj Dhoopar.

    Also read:

    Zee Anmol leads GEC (U+R) in BARC week 16

    Zee, Turner to work independently for subscription revenue

  • Zee Anmol leads GEC (U+R) in BARC week 16

    Zee Anmol leads GEC (U+R) in BARC week 16

    MUMBAI: Zee Anmol emerged as the leader and Star Plus had a fall right from third to eighth position in the Hindi GEC (U+R) region according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) all India data for week 16 of 2018.

    Colors retained its leadership position in the GEC urban market this week. Moreover, Zee Anmol also retained its top position in GEC rural markets.

    Hindi GEC (U+R)

    Zee Anmol retained its top slot this week with 714895 impressions (000s). Star Bharat stood at second position with 629922 impressions (000s). Rishtey came to the third position with 626201 impressions (000s). Sony Pal, Star Utsav and Zee TV retained their fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively with 600021 impressions (000s), 523373 impressions (000s) and 506179 impressions (000s).

    Colors jumped to the seventh position with 494038 impressions (000s). Star Plus had a fall to eighth position from third position as compared to the previous week with 457220 impressions (000s).

    Sony Entertainment Television and Sony Sab retained their ninth and tenth positions with 354487 impressions (000s) and 344705 impressions (000s) respectively.

    Hindi Rural GEC

    Zee Anmol retained its first position with 546647 impressions (000s). Rishtey stood at second position with 432512 impressions (000s).

    Sony Pal, Star Utsav and Star Bharat retained their third, fourth and fifth positions with 400012 impressions (000s), 362626 impressions (000s) and 313716 impressions (000s) respectively.

    Zee TV, Dangal TV, Big Magic, Colors and Star Plus stood at sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth positions with 191659 impressions (000s), 181551 impressions (000s), 181306 impressions (000s), 138919 impressions (000s) and 133736 impressions (000s) respectively.

    Hindi Urban GEC

    In urban GEC, Colors emerged as the leader with 355118 impressions (000s). Star Plus and Star Bharat retained their second and third positions with 323484 impressions (000s) and 316206 impressions (000s).

    Zee TV, Sony Sab, Sony Entertainment Television and Sony Pal retained their fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh positions respectively with 314519 impressions (000s), 272393 impressions (000s), 259743 impressions (000s) and 200008 impressions (000s).

    Rishtey, Zee Anmol and Star Utsav stood at eighth, ninth and tenth positions with 193689 impressions (000s), 168248 impressions (000s) and 160747 impressions (000s) respectively.

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  • Discovery boss JB Perrette proud of Jeet bet

    Discovery boss JB Perrette proud of Jeet bet

    BALI: The management at Discovery is pretty sanguine despite  the low continued ratings of its new India channel Jeet.  Speaking at APOS in Bali, Discovery Networks International president and CEO Jean-Briac Perrette said: “We are very ambitious and big believers in India as a market. We want to figure out ways to scale up there. We believe in the opportunities in that market and Jeet in the space of real-life entertainment seemed like a really interesting concept and a swing for us. We are very  proud of that swing, “

    He added, “We will continue too see what makes sense to do there. The more important thing is that not everything that we do is going to work, but we are not afraid of that  because experimentation and the trials and swings are needed to succeed in the world that is changing as fast as it is.”

    He was very optimistic of the fact that Discovery would continue to invest in India and in innovation. Perrette revealed: “Discovery as a company is not afraid of swings. We spent half a billion dollars investing in the Oprah Winfrey Network. For the first three years, it went nowhere. Now, it is a leading Afro-American Network for women in the US and hugely profitable. We  knew nothing about sports and now we are a leader in sports across Europe. We knew nothing about doing a massive big event  and we had the biggest and most successful winter Olympic games ever. We are not a company that’s about shying away. With this disruption, one thing we know for sure is that we need to keep moving and keep investing, and probably taking bigger bets and more risks. Because the world is changing so fast.”

    He, however, revealed that the shape and morph of the routes that Discovery would take to attain the size and scale in India could change. “The ways we do that in India, whether we do it through Jeet or more digital investments or other things we look to do in that space. Those are going to change several times over the next few months and years as we look to grow.”

    That sure should give team Karan Bajaj and Discovery India enough to  plod on and make a success of what they have set out to do.