MUMBAI: Sahara TV is firming up its plans to leverage its mega serials starring Bollywood stars during the forthcoming summer vacations. Also, the free-to-air Sahara channel will showcase the serials before the 14 July 2003 deadline when conditional access system will become a reality in the metros.
Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor’s TV debut Karisma The Miracle of Destiny will launch on 28 April on Sahara TV. The serial will be aired Mondays to Thursdays at prime time. According to Sahara Media and Entertainment head Sumit Roy, the serial will be of a finite duration and will not exceed 262 episodes.
The second attraction of Sahara TV will be the Sridevi starrer Hamari Bahu Malini Iyer that will go on air by end May or first week of June.
This serial too, will be aired Mondays to Thursdays at prime time, in conjunction with Karisma The Miracle of Destiny and will be telecast for a finite 208 episodes.
The end of the year will see the debut of Amitabh Bachchan in the capacity of an actor in another mega serial. Roy refused to divulge details about the Bachchan starrer.
“We will be in the top bracket of entertainment channels within a year,” promises Roy.
MUMBAI: Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the present and renders the future inaccessible. But, what if a prejudice is so strong that it damages a family beyond repair; so harsh that it makes parents discriminate between its own blood relations; so forbidden that it changes the fate of two young children? Colors brings to viewers a tale of conscious prejudice meted out by a family against its own kin with Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii. Putting blood relations in a quandary, Shakti portrays the strength and power of a family to dictate the destiny of its children – Soumya (Mahira Khurrana) and Surbhi (Tasheen Shah). Produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Ltd, Shakti is set to unravel the truth behind their family’s behaviour towards them, starting 30th May 2016, every Monday to Friday at 8:00 PM on COLORS.
The show will air from 30 May every Monday to Friday at 8 pm.
Commenting on the show, Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “Prejudice comes in many forms; the differential treatment is based on a variety of factors including race, sex, and age among other reasons. However, the one kind that, though widely prevalent, goes unnoticed is that which a family doles out against its own kin. With Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii, we aim to show how conscious prejudice and the pursuit of perfection has the power to decay an entire family. With this show, we are fortifying our relationship with Rashmi Sharma Telefilms; their penchant for gripping narratives and compelling storytelling has made them a favorite among audiences.”
Talking about the time slot, she further added, “Shakti will launch in the 8:00 PM primetime slot where it takes the baton from our longest running fiction drama Balika Vadhu, giving audiences a new story to support and follow. Balika Vadhu, in turn, will move to the6:30 PM timeslot where Dr. Nandini, Dr. Amit and Krish’s endearing tale will continue to enthral viewers. Ishq Ka Rang Safed will move up to the 6:00 PM slot.”
Set against the backdrop of culturally rich and vibrant Punjab, Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii talks about parents who discriminate between their two daughters. The elder one, Soumya doesn’t understand why her father Maninder (Ayub Khan) and Dadi (Mamta Luthra) treat her differently. On the other hand, the younger one, Surbhi’s struggles to understand her mother Nimmi’s (Reena Kapoor) indifference towards her. Having been deprived of an education, and with no friends, toys or companions, Soumya finds solace in her mother’s arms. But the story is different for Surbhi. Smothered in her father and Dadi’s love, Surbhi goes to school, plays with her friends, and gets everything she wants except for her mother’s affection. The want for a socially ‘perfect’ life sees Maninder and Dadi go to any lengths to maintain a false prestige, even at the cost of alienating their own. But the mystery remains…what truth has the ability to tear apart a family from its very roots?
Speaking about his character Maninder (Father), actor Ayub Khan said, “I have had the opportunity to play diverse roles on television, but the story of Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii is by far most unique and progressive. Societal discrimination is something we are all acquainted with, but Shakti presents a completely different facet of this word. It talks about the prejudice within a family, a place where you least expect it to occur. I am playing the role of an orthodox man, a father who consciously discriminates between his own bloods in the name of prestige.”
MUMBAI: Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the present and renders the future inaccessible. But, what if a prejudice is so strong that it damages a family beyond repair; so harsh that it makes parents discriminate between its own blood relations; so forbidden that it changes the fate of two young children? Colors brings to viewers a tale of conscious prejudice meted out by a family against its own kin with Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii. Putting blood relations in a quandary, Shakti portrays the strength and power of a family to dictate the destiny of its children – Soumya (Mahira Khurrana) and Surbhi (Tasheen Shah). Produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Ltd, Shakti is set to unravel the truth behind their family’s behaviour towards them, starting 30th May 2016, every Monday to Friday at 8:00 PM on COLORS.
The show will air from 30 May every Monday to Friday at 8 pm.
Commenting on the show, Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “Prejudice comes in many forms; the differential treatment is based on a variety of factors including race, sex, and age among other reasons. However, the one kind that, though widely prevalent, goes unnoticed is that which a family doles out against its own kin. With Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii, we aim to show how conscious prejudice and the pursuit of perfection has the power to decay an entire family. With this show, we are fortifying our relationship with Rashmi Sharma Telefilms; their penchant for gripping narratives and compelling storytelling has made them a favorite among audiences.”
Talking about the time slot, she further added, “Shakti will launch in the 8:00 PM primetime slot where it takes the baton from our longest running fiction drama Balika Vadhu, giving audiences a new story to support and follow. Balika Vadhu, in turn, will move to the6:30 PM timeslot where Dr. Nandini, Dr. Amit and Krish’s endearing tale will continue to enthral viewers. Ishq Ka Rang Safed will move up to the 6:00 PM slot.”
Set against the backdrop of culturally rich and vibrant Punjab, Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii talks about parents who discriminate between their two daughters. The elder one, Soumya doesn’t understand why her father Maninder (Ayub Khan) and Dadi (Mamta Luthra) treat her differently. On the other hand, the younger one, Surbhi’s struggles to understand her mother Nimmi’s (Reena Kapoor) indifference towards her. Having been deprived of an education, and with no friends, toys or companions, Soumya finds solace in her mother’s arms. But the story is different for Surbhi. Smothered in her father and Dadi’s love, Surbhi goes to school, plays with her friends, and gets everything she wants except for her mother’s affection. The want for a socially ‘perfect’ life sees Maninder and Dadi go to any lengths to maintain a false prestige, even at the cost of alienating their own. But the mystery remains…what truth has the ability to tear apart a family from its very roots?
Speaking about his character Maninder (Father), actor Ayub Khan said, “I have had the opportunity to play diverse roles on television, but the story of Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii is by far most unique and progressive. Societal discrimination is something we are all acquainted with, but Shakti presents a completely different facet of this word. It talks about the prejudice within a family, a place where you least expect it to occur. I am playing the role of an orthodox man, a father who consciously discriminates between his own bloods in the name of prestige.”
MUMBAI: With an extensive portfolio of channels under it, Star India is all set to add one more feather to his hat. The network will launch its free to air (FTA) Hindi movies channel Star Utsav Movies on 28 May.
The advent of BARC has led rural markets taking the center stage with more than half of the TV viewership coming from the heartland. Entering this space, is this new channel which is completely focussed at the rural market and will play popular Bollywood films for the homes that do not have access to these films.
Following the motto of being the first truly rural channel, their tagline Har Din Utsav promises an indication of their endeavour to give its viewers a reason to celebrate every day with the biggest and best stars on screen. Aimed at building a strong footprint in the rural market, the new channel will cater to the rural tastes, consumption and need.
Star Gold, Movies OK, Star Gold HD and Star Utsav Movies general manager Hemal Jhaveri says, “We are excited to announce the launch of Star Utsav Movies on 28th May, India’s first ‘Truly Rural’ Hindi movie channel. Our analysis indicated that there was a clear need gap in this category since 25% of the total viewership came from movies, but the Hindi movie genre share is a miniscule 5 %. This is because of the non-availability of good content from the existing Hindi movie channels in the FTA space”.
The channel has done an extensive research over 8-9 months in multiple states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, etc to unravel the rural psyche before rolling out the channel. Through their survey, various key elements like afternoon slot, rural entertainment viewing pattern, the availability of screen, etc were considered before laying the channel’s programming schedule.
“The study shed light on the key usage and behavior patterns which has been the cornerstone for all acquisition, programming and marketing inputs on this new channel offering”, points Jhaveri.
Through this data, the channel will look at their content vigilantly to have a sturdy family appeal policy being followed in their line-up.
“What made this research unique and accurate was the fact that it was tailor made to each respondent surveyed basis their viewing behavior which was captured on close circuit cameras positioned in their homes. The rural markets are the last important frontier and we believe Star Utsav Movies will empower both the consumers and advertisers alike,” he further adds.
The channel will be initially available exclusively on Doordarshan’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform Freedish and will later be made available on other platforms according to the channel’s distribution strategy.
Various advertisers from FMCG, telecoms, tractors, agriculture equipment, etc sectors are expected to get on board. Whereas, the content offering on the channel will be different from the network’s other channels like Star Gold, Movies Ok and Star Gold HD.
To drive reach and awareness for the new channel, a multi-media launch campaign has already kick-started. Besides a comprehensive high impact TV plan, the promotion also includes a high octane radio plan besides unique brand experiences on ground across villages in key markets which will bring alive the brand promise.
The channel is leveraging the might of Star India Network to rapidly build awareness.
MUMBAI: With an extensive portfolio of channels under it, Star India is all set to add one more feather to his hat. The network will launch its free to air (FTA) Hindi movies channel Star Utsav Movies on 28 May.
The advent of BARC has led rural markets taking the center stage with more than half of the TV viewership coming from the heartland. Entering this space, is this new channel which is completely focussed at the rural market and will play popular Bollywood films for the homes that do not have access to these films.
Following the motto of being the first truly rural channel, their tagline Har Din Utsav promises an indication of their endeavour to give its viewers a reason to celebrate every day with the biggest and best stars on screen. Aimed at building a strong footprint in the rural market, the new channel will cater to the rural tastes, consumption and need.
Star Gold, Movies OK, Star Gold HD and Star Utsav Movies general manager Hemal Jhaveri says, “We are excited to announce the launch of Star Utsav Movies on 28th May, India’s first ‘Truly Rural’ Hindi movie channel. Our analysis indicated that there was a clear need gap in this category since 25% of the total viewership came from movies, but the Hindi movie genre share is a miniscule 5 %. This is because of the non-availability of good content from the existing Hindi movie channels in the FTA space”.
The channel has done an extensive research over 8-9 months in multiple states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, etc to unravel the rural psyche before rolling out the channel. Through their survey, various key elements like afternoon slot, rural entertainment viewing pattern, the availability of screen, etc were considered before laying the channel’s programming schedule.
“The study shed light on the key usage and behavior patterns which has been the cornerstone for all acquisition, programming and marketing inputs on this new channel offering”, points Jhaveri.
Through this data, the channel will look at their content vigilantly to have a sturdy family appeal policy being followed in their line-up.
“What made this research unique and accurate was the fact that it was tailor made to each respondent surveyed basis their viewing behavior which was captured on close circuit cameras positioned in their homes. The rural markets are the last important frontier and we believe Star Utsav Movies will empower both the consumers and advertisers alike,” he further adds.
The channel will be initially available exclusively on Doordarshan’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform Freedish and will later be made available on other platforms according to the channel’s distribution strategy.
Various advertisers from FMCG, telecoms, tractors, agriculture equipment, etc sectors are expected to get on board. Whereas, the content offering on the channel will be different from the network’s other channels like Star Gold, Movies Ok and Star Gold HD.
To drive reach and awareness for the new channel, a multi-media launch campaign has already kick-started. Besides a comprehensive high impact TV plan, the promotion also includes a high octane radio plan besides unique brand experiences on ground across villages in key markets which will bring alive the brand promise.
The channel is leveraging the might of Star India Network to rapidly build awareness.
MUMBAI: Sunita Uchil, chief business officer, International ad sales, Global syndication and production of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) announced the appointment of Janice Strangward as head of European sales syndication based out of London. Strangward previously held senior executive roles at Discovery Networks Europe, Passion Distribution, EOne and Al Jazeera Media Network.
“We are delighted to have Janice join the Zee team to head up UK and European sales syndication. As a globally recognized, and highly-respected executive, Janice is ideally placed to lead our European growth strategy. The Zee library contains many top rating and award winning local formats. Janice will work on adapting these for the European market. She will also lead our co-production strategy in the region.” said Uchil. “Zee continues to strengthen its reach around the globe and we look forward to great success in the European market.”
“Zee is one of the world’s top television brands, with a fantastic premium catalog full of rich dramas, informative and entertaining documentaries and engaging family programs. I am pleased to become part of the Zee family,” said Strangward. “And I am excited to share Zee’s great programming from both, Zee Bollyworld and Z Living libraries with European audiences.”
Strangward started her sales career with CBC in its London based international sales office. She subsequently spent 11 years at Discovery Networks Europe rising to become Regional Program Sales Director, leading their content sales and strategy across UK & EMEA. Most recently, Strangward managed programme sales across Europe on behalf of the Al Jazeera Media Network.
MUMBAI: Sunita Uchil, chief business officer, International ad sales, Global syndication and production of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) announced the appointment of Janice Strangward as head of European sales syndication based out of London. Strangward previously held senior executive roles at Discovery Networks Europe, Passion Distribution, EOne and Al Jazeera Media Network.
“We are delighted to have Janice join the Zee team to head up UK and European sales syndication. As a globally recognized, and highly-respected executive, Janice is ideally placed to lead our European growth strategy. The Zee library contains many top rating and award winning local formats. Janice will work on adapting these for the European market. She will also lead our co-production strategy in the region.” said Uchil. “Zee continues to strengthen its reach around the globe and we look forward to great success in the European market.”
“Zee is one of the world’s top television brands, with a fantastic premium catalog full of rich dramas, informative and entertaining documentaries and engaging family programs. I am pleased to become part of the Zee family,” said Strangward. “And I am excited to share Zee’s great programming from both, Zee Bollyworld and Z Living libraries with European audiences.”
Strangward started her sales career with CBC in its London based international sales office. She subsequently spent 11 years at Discovery Networks Europe rising to become Regional Program Sales Director, leading their content sales and strategy across UK & EMEA. Most recently, Strangward managed programme sales across Europe on behalf of the Al Jazeera Media Network.
MUMBAI: Zee TV, the flagship channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), has announced the return of its highly popular reality dance competition, Dance Singapore Dance season 2. The open category competition is open to all residents of Singapore aged 16 and above, and aims to provide a platform for amateur and experienced dancers to showcase their talent. Pre-registration for the show has begun on www.apac.zeetv.com/dsd and auditions will take place on Saturday 28 of May 2016 at 9 am onwards at the La Salle College of the Arts, 1 McNally St, Singapore 187940.
Zee TV Senior vice president International business Tripta Singh said, “We are delighted to return with Dance Singapore Dance S2 after a highly successful launch Season. This year we have increased the prize money for the winner to S$15,000 and included cash and other prizes for the first and second runners-up. After the finale of Season 1, we continued to groom the dancers and provided them with on-ground opportunities in the Asia Pacific region to perform and showcase their talents. Dance Singapore Dance is not just a TV show but a platform for aspiring dancers to take their talent to the next level”.
Dance Singapore Dance is a localised version of the popular Dance India Dance series. Returning for its second season, the show will bring together aspiring dancers from different backgrounds and cultures from across Singapore. The winner and finalists from Season 1 were catapulted to fame with many of them gaining experience through various on-ground events organized by Zee TV and their partners.
After the audition process on 28 May, the top 12 dancers will be shortlisted by an international panel of judges. These 12 will then get to train with some of the industry’s best choreographers and their performances will be featured on the show ‘Dance Singapore Dance Season 2’ on Zee TV, which will be broadcasted across 18 countries. The top three winners of the competition stand to win prizes of up to $20,000.
From the audition rounds to the various studio challenges, the 12 episodes will culminate in one dancer winning the title of “Singapore’s Best Dancing Star”. The winner of Season 2 will take home S$15,000 and the First and Second Runners-Up will also be awarded prizes.
StarHub is the presenting sponsor for Dance Singapore Dance Season 2.
Dance Singapore Dance will premiere on Zee TV (StarHub TV Channel 125) and Zee Tamizh (StarHub TV Channel 138) in the last quarter of 2016.
From now till the 28 of May 2016, interested participants can register through www.apac.zeetv.com/dsd. For the latest news on Dance Singapore Dance, please visit https://www.facebook.com/dancesingaporedance.
Dance Singapore Dance S1 Winner Shahrin Johry:
Shahrin Johry, 33, is the winner of Zee TV’s Dance Singapore Dance. A professional dancer/choreographer at Maya Dance Theatre, Shahrin recently concluded his full-length production, KA; he used a portion of his prize money from Dance Singapore Dance to produce the hour-long dance piece. While contributing to the local art scene, the production was a gift to his teachers who have taught him and moulded him to be an artist.
A street dancer in his youth, Shahrin thirst for knowledge initiated him on a journey to learn different dance forms and genres, leading him to learn Bharathanatyam dance vocabulary for creation of works inspired from Asian aesthetics and dynamism and eventually enrolling in Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore to further hone his artistry.
MUMBAI: Zee TV, the flagship channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), has announced the return of its highly popular reality dance competition, Dance Singapore Dance season 2. The open category competition is open to all residents of Singapore aged 16 and above, and aims to provide a platform for amateur and experienced dancers to showcase their talent. Pre-registration for the show has begun on www.apac.zeetv.com/dsd and auditions will take place on Saturday 28 of May 2016 at 9 am onwards at the La Salle College of the Arts, 1 McNally St, Singapore 187940.
Zee TV Senior vice president International business Tripta Singh said, “We are delighted to return with Dance Singapore Dance S2 after a highly successful launch Season. This year we have increased the prize money for the winner to S$15,000 and included cash and other prizes for the first and second runners-up. After the finale of Season 1, we continued to groom the dancers and provided them with on-ground opportunities in the Asia Pacific region to perform and showcase their talents. Dance Singapore Dance is not just a TV show but a platform for aspiring dancers to take their talent to the next level”.
Dance Singapore Dance is a localised version of the popular Dance India Dance series. Returning for its second season, the show will bring together aspiring dancers from different backgrounds and cultures from across Singapore. The winner and finalists from Season 1 were catapulted to fame with many of them gaining experience through various on-ground events organized by Zee TV and their partners.
After the audition process on 28 May, the top 12 dancers will be shortlisted by an international panel of judges. These 12 will then get to train with some of the industry’s best choreographers and their performances will be featured on the show ‘Dance Singapore Dance Season 2’ on Zee TV, which will be broadcasted across 18 countries. The top three winners of the competition stand to win prizes of up to $20,000.
From the audition rounds to the various studio challenges, the 12 episodes will culminate in one dancer winning the title of “Singapore’s Best Dancing Star”. The winner of Season 2 will take home S$15,000 and the First and Second Runners-Up will also be awarded prizes.
StarHub is the presenting sponsor for Dance Singapore Dance Season 2.
Dance Singapore Dance will premiere on Zee TV (StarHub TV Channel 125) and Zee Tamizh (StarHub TV Channel 138) in the last quarter of 2016.
From now till the 28 of May 2016, interested participants can register through www.apac.zeetv.com/dsd. For the latest news on Dance Singapore Dance, please visit https://www.facebook.com/dancesingaporedance.
Dance Singapore Dance S1 Winner Shahrin Johry:
Shahrin Johry, 33, is the winner of Zee TV’s Dance Singapore Dance. A professional dancer/choreographer at Maya Dance Theatre, Shahrin recently concluded his full-length production, KA; he used a portion of his prize money from Dance Singapore Dance to produce the hour-long dance piece. While contributing to the local art scene, the production was a gift to his teachers who have taught him and moulded him to be an artist.
A street dancer in his youth, Shahrin thirst for knowledge initiated him on a journey to learn different dance forms and genres, leading him to learn Bharathanatyam dance vocabulary for creation of works inspired from Asian aesthetics and dynamism and eventually enrolling in Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore to further hone his artistry.
MUMBAI: Digitization and online media are at the peak in today’s times. The industry is materializing the perks of digital and social media to the fullest. Digital media gives the privilege of direct responses from targeted consumers to the channels, which tempts brands, channels and industries to interact with their TG through these media.
Facebook, Twitter and other social media handles have become a prominent bridge to reach out to masses. No mention is truly needed about how rapidly industry practices are being digitized. From show promotions to pushing trailers, everything is measured through Facebook views and likes as another measure to calculate reach of the content.
Infotainment major History TV 18 claims to have leveraged the social media world. History TV 18 claims to have reached 25 million (2.5 millon) views in 25 days of its show OMG Yeh Mera India video on Facebook. Infotainment being a niche genre, has a narrow audience, therefore the channel believes this to be a landmark on the way to increasing its audience width.
Sharing data with indiantelevision.com, the channel says that its average daily reach has increased by 165.32 percent from April 2015 to March 2016 with a difference of 310,470 visits. History TV 18 states that it adopted a simple strategy by going local on the content and customizing short format videos from full length episodes of shows.
Hosted by Krushna Abhishek, OMG Yeh Mera India is a show about covering the length and breadth of India while showing incredible facts about its people and places.
The channel also speaks about its four point check on any video it creates, which increases the probability of audience engagement. The four point check is: Will it inspire our audience? Is it aspirational for our audience? Does this instil a sense of pride in the audience? Are there any strong feel good factors in this?
Social media is getting preference over other mediums of content reach due to its engagement with audiences. A+E Networks | TV18 JV vice president and head marketing Sangeetha Aiyer, while speaking with indiantelevision.com. shares, “Content has one purpose – to reach out to the maximum people. Video has one purpose – to be viewed by maximum people. So our video content is judged on the basis of views, shares and reach.”
The key to reach viewers through any medium is content, History TV 18 says that it is not the quantity of content but quality of content that matters. Infotainment channels need not flood timelines with content, rather, they must provide the audience with fresh and engaging content. Also, it is important for channels to understand their target audience. Most channels claims to have young males as their primary audience, and that they are catering to a segment that is seeking aspiration and inspiration.
According to Aiyer, the other content except for regular stuff that people tend to like on social media platforms are stories related to rural India and national development. Success stories and inspirational stories are also well appreciated. The channel is planning to improve the format of its video content, which means going beyond television and essentially becoming an independent factual entertainment platform on its own.
The enthusiasm of a big player in the genre shows that infotainment soon will be levering the benefits of social media engagements and more activity from this sector from other players is likely to happen.
