ITV

Category: GECs

  • Zee Entertainment forays into theatre; plans 100+ productions

    Zee Entertainment forays into theatre; plans 100+ productions

    MUMBAI: In an attempt to be present across all verticals of entertainment content, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has now forayed into theatre under the Zee Theatre brand name.

     

    Zeel has taken this initiative so as to make theatre content available through various viewing platforms like online, on-air, on-ground, in-transit for global audiences to consume at their convenience as well as archiving the productions for future generations.

     

    Zee Theatre will partner with renowned playwrights and theatre stalwarts to produce over 100 plays over the next three years.

     

    Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “Theatre has been a part of our DNA for centuries. With Zee Theatre our vision is to preserve this heritage and take these timeless stories to audiences across the country and the rest of the world. It is a very proud moment for us to be able to bring theatre to mainstream entertainment and give the industry its due.”   

     

    “After television and cinema, theatre will be the next content vertical for us at Zee. With Zee Theatre, we are opening up a new genre for multiple screen consumption. This is in line with our strategy of offering differentiated content to our discerning audience base,” he added.

     

    Zee Theatre will bring together works of some of the most acknowledged and renowned playwrights like Mohan Rakesh, Jaywant Dalvi, Vijay Tendulkar, Surendra Verma, Mahesh Dattani, Ranjit Kapoor, Shafaat Khan and many others from Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and English theatre.

     

    Stalwarts such as Ranjit Kapoor, Mahesh Dattani, Usha Ganguli, Vijay Kenkre, Dr. Vijaya Mehta, Atul Kumar, Ishan Trivedi, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Chandrakant Kulkarni, Rajan Tamhane and many more will be bringing alive some of their best stories on this platform with plays such as Rudali, Sandhya Chhaya, Piya Behrupiya, Janpath Kiss, White Lilly Night Rider, 30 Days in September, Doll’s House and Ma Retire Hoti Hai amongst others.

     

    Zeel chief creative – special projects Shailja Kejriwal added, “The beauty of theatre is that it takes you into a fascinating world of stories across genres from drama and suspense to social issues, musicals, classics and satire in a manner not dealt with on any other medium. With Zee Theatre we aim at nurturing this rich content for present and future generations to continue the legacy, which has been cherished by veterans for decades. I would like to thank the entire theatre industry for extending their support for this initiative.”

     

    Zee will leverage its ability to make theatre available across multiple platforms such as the internet, mobile, DTH, television, in-flight, screenings at multiplexes and educational institutes in addition to existing on-ground performances making theatrical content available to the widest possible audience at their convenience.

  • “We’ve prevented more than 100 potential TV show failures from going on-air:” Shailesh Kapoor

    “We’ve prevented more than 100 potential TV show failures from going on-air:” Shailesh Kapoor

    The television ecosystem is replete with executives who have entered the sector after getting qualified as engineers, management graduates, hoteliers, biologists and what have you. Shailesh Kapoor belongs to this cadre. An IIT Delhi electrical engineering graduate and an IIM Kolkata alumnus, he has been involved in the television business for about 17 years in various roles in marketing, content and strategy, working for companies such as Sony Entertainment Television, Zee Cinema, indya.com, Zoom and Filmy. The entrepreneurial bug bit him in 2008 when he set up Ormax Media along with consumer insight specialist and veteran Vispy Doctor.

     

    And since then there has been no looking back. The company celebrated its seventh year of growth recently and its client roster has been growing from the film, television, print, and branded entertainment categories. Its products have helped film and television content creators understand their audiences better. 

    Kapoor is an avid film fan himself. He is also an active blogger.

     

    When he is not working, watching a film or writing, there is a good chance that you will find him exchanging views and thoughts on Twitter! We spoke to Kapoor on Ormax Media and its products.

     

    Excerpts:

     

    Seven years. Ormax Media has been consistently building new products. What keeps the company so dynamic? What has been the strategy? 

    Our strategy has been to create products that address business needs that are industry-wide. For example, the need to bring a consumer perspective to a movie’s campaign and make film marketing accountable led to Ormax Cinematix, which is a tracking and forecasting product for the film industry, subscribed to by more than 15 film companies today.

     

    Similarly, Ormax True Value was born from the knowledge that more than 75 per cent of new launches fail, and that conventional research methods have been unsuccessful predictors of what will work and what will fail. Hence, the need to create a testing product that can forecast actual on-air performance with proven accuracy over time.

     

    How large is the Ormax Media team? How many offices?

    The team is 35 people strong. We run one of India’s most advanced CATI (Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviews) setup from Surat, which employs another 50 people. Some of our key products, such as Ormax Showbuzz and Ormax Cinematix, run out of this centre. We have business offices in Mumbai and Delhi. But we are present across India, in various forms, be in through affiliates, online research or CATI. More than 25 per cent of our work in the last year has been in villages or towns of population less than 50,000.

     

    Ormax True Value (OTV) is among the more reliable barometers, which programmers use before launching new TV shows. What has been the reason for this?

    I’d like to believe the reason has been a proven track record. The accuracy of forecast speaks for itself in a product such as Ormax True Value (OTV). Several long-running and successful shows on TV today, which unfortunately I cannot name, are OTV certified products. Thirty one shows currently on-air were tested using OTV, across genres like Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), Regional (Marathi, Bangla & Tamil), Kids and Youth. More importantly, we have prevented more than 100 potential failures from going on-air. That’s some money saved.

     

    More than 200 programs tested across 21 channels in six years. That is some track record. How different is the product OTV today from the time you launched in 2009? What are iterations you have built into it and why?

    The core idea of the product has remained the same, that is, to predict the likelihood of on-air success. All such products tend to be self-learning products, whereby learnings from one test feed into the larger black box running the product. Hence, the sharpness of attributes and accuracy of forecast have improved with time. In 2013, we introduced TSV (Time Spent by Viewer) forecast as the single-number output of an OTV testing. Among the shows that have gone on-air since then, we have been within 10 per cent of actual TSV for 88 per cent of shows.

     

    Is OTV a decision-support tool or a decision-making tool? Can you illustrate with examples? How much does it cost clients to use it as a service?

    OTV allows for two types of decisions to be taken based on consumer data – to go or not go ahead with a show and to identify the core target audience and markets for the show, and its ideal positioning to win these audiences. We test shows at various stages, right from the audio pilot to video stimulus (for example, pilot episode or even the first episode).

     

    Decision-making or decision-support would depend on the context. We have tested shows where the channel head or programming head has a strong hunch that the show will work or vice versa, and they have used OTV to validate that hunch, which is more like a decision-support process. Often, it does get validated, but sometimes, the results vary from the hunch significantly, in which case, the channel takes an informed decision.

     

    Cost would vary depending on the markets and sample size. Broadcasters have tested shows in as many as 10 markets and as little as two markets too. The cost of testing one concept could be between Rs 2-6 lakh depending on choice of markets and TG.

     

    With VOD and OTT services growing are you looking at servicing that segment too?

    Definitely. Work is on in full swing on adapting OTV to online content. The principles of the product are media agnostic. We just need to calibrate the model and identify the drivers for the online medium, as they would vary vis-?-vis those for TV. Within TV too, weightages of the drivers vary for fiction and non-fiction content, for example.

     

    How have programmers used the tools you provide to improve their decision making process?

    OTV is a part of the standard commissioning protocol in many channels, which means that a show cannot be commissioned till OTV testing has been done. So I think we have been able to influence decision-making processes for the better.

     

    Is pre-testing a big part of your overall business?

    Definitely, and it’s the growing part too. Over time, everyone has realised that you can’t save a bad show idea beyond a point. Similarly, you can’t save a bad film from sinking Monday onwards. In both TV and films, the industry has become a lot more open to pre-testing than ever before. We tested more shows in the first half of 2015 than in all of 2014. Similarly, we tested more films and scripts in the last four months than in all of 2014. Ormax Moviescope is OTV’s equivalent product for film and film script pre-testing.

     

    Do you see traditional television reacting to the innovative programming that OTT services will launch?

    The audiences are different and the idea of “innovation” has to be contextualised to the audiences of the medium. Innovation has to be there even in traditional television, as audiences would demand new stories and ideas all the time. But reacting to OTT content is not a good idea, and the intersection between the two audience sets is minuscule. 

  • Big Magic to fortify programming with four new show launches

    Big Magic to fortify programming with four new show launches

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network’s Hindi entertainment channel Big Magic is looking at fortifying its programming line-up with a slew of new show launches during the festive season.

     

    After launching three new shows namely Chutki Baja Ke, Fakebook with Kavita and Comedy Ka Rocket over the last one month, Big Magic is gearing up to take its entertainment quotient a notch higher by unveiling four more shows in the coming weeks.

     

    The first show, which is slated to go on air from 26 October will be an adaptation of the American game show Family Feud. Called Family Fortunes (as the British version is titled), the show will be aired from Monday – Thursday at 8:30 pm and is being produced by SOL. The channel has roped in Mantra as the host of Family Fortunes.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the same, Big Magic creative director Bimal Unnikrishnan said, “Family Feud is the most loved and watched game show across the world, which has also been commissioned in over 65 other countries. As content will be tweaked and adapted for the Indian audience but the basic format of the show will remain the same. One of the reasons why we roped in Mantra is because he’s extremely talented, funny and presentable as a host.”

     

    Family Fortunes (65 episodes) will run for 16 weeks on Big Magic. Currently, the channel is filming all the episodes and has readied a bank of the first 10 episodes. The game show gives participants an opportunity to win prizes by answering simple questions that have passed a generic survey. If their answers match with the top answers of the survey, they win points, which get translated into prizes.

     

    Coming on board as the official radio partner, 92.7 Big FM will be promoting the show through Family Fortune hour every Monday – Friday at 7 pm across all its 45 stations pan India. The radio station will also give its listeners an opportunity to get a direct entry to the game show.

     

    Big Magic’s  second new show is a comedy titled Ji Sirji, which will go on air from 11 November and will be aired on Wednesday and Thursday at 10 pm.

     

    Unnikrishnan said, “Ji Sirji is a satirical and humour show based on bad bosses, which will showcase the relationship between bosses and their subordinates.”

     

    The third show is titled Bollywood Frydays and is based on social commentary on Bollywood. Come November, the show will be aired on Fridays. However, the exact date of launch has not yet been decided.

     

    The fourth show is titled Lete Hai Khabar Khabron Ki and will go on air soon. The bi-weekly show, which will be hosted by actor Varun Badola, is a commentary on the latest happenings on the news platform across the country. 

     

    “The bi-weekly show will be based on the news scene in the country. We are planning to launch the series in the coming few weeks,” Unnikrishnan added.

     

    Big Magic plans to launch these shows as finite series, which will have multiple seasons.

     

    Speaking on the channel’s programming strategy, Unnikrishnan said, “We are a comedy channel and we will keep experimenting with new comedy shows with a different approach. Our programming strategy is to present unique comedy content for urban families. We realise that it is a great format that engages as well as provides a play along feature to the audience.”

     

    “We are very optimistic about our content offering because I don’t think anybody else is providing the kind of content that we are planning to launch. It’s is really something that we are hoping will work,” he added.

     

    RBNL recently adopted a unique strategy to launch integrated shows on its television (Big Magic) and radio (Big FM) platforms. The first two integrated shows launched were Fakebook with Kavita and Comedy Ka Rocket.

     

    Speaking on promoting the content across radio, Unnikrishnan said, “Promoting content is another part of our strategy. We are promoting a lot of content on topicality and as a part of our strategy, we are using a 360 degree approach to promote our content across our radio platforms as well.”

     

    MARKETING & PROMOTIONAL PLANS

     

    Big Magic has identified the digital medium as the core platform to promote all its upcoming shows. 

     

    Discussing the channel’s marketing initiative, RBNL network chief marketing officer Manoj Lalwani said, “Digital media is the leading platform for promotions. For digital, we have a series of videos on Facebook, which will be pushing to our fan base. Other than that, we are running promotions on our own platforms including Big Magic.”

     

    Unnikrishnan added, “For almost every show, we will be carrying out 360 degree promotional campaigns across all platforms. We have our own radio partner in Big FM, so all the content will be available on radio as well.”

     

    The channel also plans to conduct crowd sourcing activities online and inviting participating. “We will be rolling out multiple contests and promotion activities online for our shows,” he informed.

     

    Big Magic has received a positive response from advertisers. “There are brands, which are really impressed and are ready to work closely with us. The content will go across our radio stations apart from television and digital platforms and these are new opportunities that an advertiser can avail of. We are in the process of sealing a few deals,” informed Lalwani.

     

    Grey Worldwide is the creative agency for the channel, whereas Resultrix Media Pvt. Ltd has been roped in as the digital agency.

  • Sri Adhikari Bros aims to break into Bollywood with 7-8 films in 2016

    Sri Adhikari Bros aims to break into Bollywood with 7-8 films in 2016

    MUMBAI: Markand Adhikari and Gautam Adhikara – the promoters of Sri Adhikari Brothers – first tasted success as TV producers when they produced some of the most commercial shows on television around 15-20 years ago. Then they launched a television channel SAB, which Multi Screen Media (Sony Entertainment) bought over. Following that they unrolled several television channels, which have slowly been getting traction. Among these: Mastiii, MaiBoli, Dabang, Dillagi, and Dhamaal. A print magazine – Governance Now – is also under their umbrella. 

     

    Now the company is aspiring to get a foothold in the competitive film production and distribution business and plans to unveil seven to eight films into theatres worldwide in the next year.

     

    As match practice, it co-distributed the now-running Pyar Ka Punchnama 2 (released on 16 October) along with the Anand Pandit promoted Lotus Group, which it acquired from Viacom18 Pictures and Luv Films.

     

    The final filming schedule of its first co-production Great Grand Mastiii  (the sequel to Grand Masti) along with Indra Kumar and Askhok Thakeria is in the process of being completed. 

     

    Sri Adhikari Brothers vice-chairman and managing director Markand Adhikari says that the company would like to produce one or two films with big stars with the rest being medium budget ones. “Arre yaar, the masses want fun and entertainment, mazaa, and we want to give them that through our films. They already enjoy our content on television,” he says. “I understand the film business is competitive, but we are sure we can make a mark. The more the merrier.”

     

    Adds the company’s group CEO Manav Dhanda, “The reason behind entering into film distribution is to expand our business across all media verticals and not limit access to television. A few other films, which are in the pipeline, will also be announced in due course of time.”

     

    It is also looking at inking a few distribution deals just as it partnered with Lotus Group for Pyar Ka Punchnama 2. Each one will depend on the money involved as the film business is extremely dynamic, says Dhanda. “We are not looking at distributing any low-budget films, which will not make an impact on the viewers.”

     

    “At SAB, it is our relentless drive to facilitate accessibility of world class entertainment to the Indian audience across media verticals. Having engaged in production already, the distribution vertical would only be a progressive component in order to complete the value chain of the cinema business,” points out Dhanda. “This umbrella corporation has housed the film exhibition division as its key drivers in 2016 and will be seeing aggressive expansion in the years to come.”

     

    The Sri Adhikari Brothers share closed at around Rs 300 over the weekend and the company has a market capitalisation of around Rs 1,000 crore.

  • Zindagi to air telefilm ‘Zindagi Ab Bhi Muskurati Hai’ on 25 October

    Zindagi to air telefilm ‘Zindagi Ab Bhi Muskurati Hai’ on 25 October

    MUMBAI: As part of the festive season special – Teletime, Zindagi will airing the telefilm Zindagi Ab Bhi Muskurati Hai on 25 October.

     

    The telefilm will be aired at 12 pm and 9 pm. 

     

    Zindagi Ab Bhi Muskurati Hai traces the journey of Tipu, who develops extreme hate for his country after losing his wife and child in a riot in Pakistan. Unable to let go of the past, Tipu comes to believe that all countries other than his own are better and safer.

     

    He convinces his mother to move abroad while she tries her best to make him stay in the place they call their home. Tipu’s hatred is questioned by friend and confidante, Saliya, who has moved on from a troubled past, a violent mother-law and a coward husband. Just when Tipu begins to question his biased feelings towards the country, the city faces a bomb blast convincing him to flee the place for good.

  • Zindagi strengthens prime time band with two new shows

    Zindagi strengthens prime time band with two new shows

    MUMBAI: After launching two new shows on 19 October namely Yahan Pyar Nahi Hai and Malaal in the 9 pm and 10 pm slot respectively, Zindagi is planning to launch two more shows in the coming week.

    While the new show titled Daam will occupy the 8.30 pm time slot, Ashk will be aired at 9.30 pm. With this, the channel has strengthened its prime time slot from 8.30 pm to 10.30 pm with four new offerings.

    Come 26 October, the channel will launch Daam at 8.30 pm. The show narrates the tale of two best friends, Zara and Maliha who enjoys strong bond of friendship despite their economic disparities. Their unbreakable friendship faces challenge Maliha’s brother Junaid shows interest in marrying Zara. In an effort to break Zara & Junaid’s bond of love Maliha offers her friend a ‘daam’ to leave her brother. The show stars Aamina Sheikh, Adeel Hussain, Sanam Baloch and Sanam Saeed.

    On the other hand, Ashk will premiere on 29 October in the 9.30 pm slot. The show stars Fawad Khan and Mehreen Raheel. The story is about Rohail (Fawad Khan) who lives in Turkey and has never experienced pain in love. Madiha friend of Rohail loves him but the love is not mutual. Rohail leaves for Pakistan to marry his cousin Mehr-u-nisa, but on his arrival he rejects her and expresses his preference for his sister Zaib-u-nisa. Mehr and Zaid are sisters. Zaib agrees to marry Rohail to take revenge of her sister.

     

  • &TV set to unleash four new shows across genres

    &TV set to unleash four new shows across genres

    MUMBAI: The fresh entrant in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space – &TV from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) stable has rolled up its sleeves and is prepping to take competition head on by dishing out a mixed platter of fresh programming content.

    The channel is looking at strengthening its offering with the launch of four new shows across genres namely romantic, fantasy, horror, and socio-mythological, keeping in line with its strategy to keep the content contemporary and different. 

    At the helm is &TV business head Rajesh Iyer, who says that each of the new shows will appeal to a particular part of society and cater to a particular market.

    The channel will kick-start the series of new launches with the romantic show Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum on 26 October from Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms. Incidentally, this is Balaji Telefilms’ maiden show for the channel. This friendship and love saga revolves around a successful singer and showcases the success story of a music empire built by his father. The show will be aired from Monday – Friday at 9:30 pm and will replace Razia Sultan. The channel has roped in Ching and Multani Chavanprash as the co-powered by sponsors for the show.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Iyer says, “This the first time that &TV is is working with Balaji Telefilms but Ekta has worked with Zee before, therefore  the experience has been fantastic and our relationship goes much beyond just one particular show.”

    Strengthening the weekend line-up, &TV will be launching its first horror show titled Darr… Sabko Lagta Hai with Bipasha Basu as narrator. Set to go on air from 31 October, the show will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 pm. It has been produced by Reel Life Entertainment and will showcase stories about the paranormal, supernatural, spirits, ghosts and the unseen, which have the potential to send shivers down the spine with unsuspecting turns and nail-biting twists.

    With the launch of Darr… Sabko Lagta Hai, the channel will be further firming up its weekend prime time band from 8 pm onwards. It may be recalled that in August, the channel launched two new weekend shows namely the game show Deal or No Deal (8 pm) hosted by Ronit Roy and the crime investigative series Agent Raghav (9 pm).

    Talking about the current weekend programming, Iyer says, “ – Deal or No Deal and Agent Raghav have done reasonably well and we are very happy with the current growth and performance of both the shows. Going forward, we are definitely looking at improving the shows’ performances.”

    The third new show will be in the fantasy genre called Adhuri Kahani Hamari. This saga of reincarnation and love has been produced by Four Lions Films and will launch on 16 November. It will be aired from Monday to Friday at 7:30 pm and will replace the show Badii Devrani.

    Foraying into the socio-mythological genre, &TV will be launching its fourth new show – Santoshi Maa staring Ratan Rajput. The show, which is produced by Rashmi Sharma Productions, will focus on the belief of a devotee in Maa Santoshi and how the goddess helps her overcome obstacles in life. The show is slated to launch in November. However, the date and time slot have not yet been firmed up by the channel.

    Iyer says, “The four new shows are across different genres ranging from romance, to horror to fantasy to socio-mytho and with these, our aim is to up the number of original shows on our channel.”

    Since its launch in March this year, &TV has unleashed shows of varied new concepts and story ideas. Speaking on the channel’s content strategy, Iyer says, “From a brand perspective, we have been very clear from the beginning. Our sole goal is to give differentiated content to the audience and we want to keep doing so. Our strategy is to keep the content contemporary and differentiated, these are the two key things that we look for when chalking out our programming. Our aim is to offer shows that will appeal to a different parts of society across different markets. There is no formula for success, we have to put out our best and take it from there.”

    With as many as four new shows, the expectations are riding high. “There is lot of hard work and effort, which has been put in on the shows from the team and we hope to put up a great show,” Iyer adds.

    The channel is looking at all four new shows as finite stories, which will reach its logical conclusions. Not believing in the concept of yanking non-performing shows off air mid-way, Iyer says that if a story ends, it has to reach its logical end and when it does, they end the story.

    Going full throttle on promotions, mass media campaigns across print, television, outdoor, radio and digital will be unleashed. “We have kick started road shows with lead artists,” informs Iyer.

    With Hindi GECs spurting out new content during the festive season, Zeel’s newest baby &TV is poised to push its way through the clutter with its new programming salvos.

  • Sony shuffles shows; ‘Crime Patrol’ to air 7 days a week at 10.30 pm

    Sony shuffles shows; ‘Crime Patrol’ to air 7 days a week at 10.30 pm

    MUMBAI: In a bid to cash in on its long running crime show, Sony Entertainment Television will soon be shuffling its programming. Crime Patrol, which was earlier aired on Fridays and Saturdays at 11 pm, will now be aired seven days a week in the 10.30 pm slot.

     

    Come 26 October, the show, which has been running for 12 years now, will be taking over the 10.30 pm time slot replacing the current show Balaji Telefilms’ Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyar, which will move to 6.30 pm.

     

    Crime Patrol was the first of its kind in the genre and till today has retained its authenticity in depiction of crime. While some cases made audience question their belief in humanity, they were successful in creating a powerful impact on the viewers and raising their awareness. The show has garnered much appreciation from viewers for its incessant efforts of presenting the various evils that hamper our society. 

     

    A source close to the development informs Indiantelevision.com, “The channel has made this shift looking at the increasing popularity of the show. Moreover, with Crime Patrol completing 12 years, the show will come up with fresh content.”

     

    Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyar, which stars Ronit Roy and Pallavi Kulkarni, will now be aired from Monday to Friday at 6.30 pm.

     

    Across other Hindi GECs, Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar in 6:30 pm slot is pitched against Colors’ prime time show Ishq Ka Rang Safed and is aired from 6 – 7 pm. On the other hand, Zee TV airs Sarojini at 6:30 pm, Life OK airs Best of Savdhaan India: India Fights Back’s one hour repeat telecast at 6 pm; Star Plus airs Suhani Si Ek Ladki  at 6:30 pm and &TV airs Begusarai.

     

    On the other hand, Crime Patrol at 10:30 pm will be pitted against Colors’ much talked and hyped reality show Bigg Boss 9 Double Troubleat 10:30 pm (Mon-Fri), Comedy Nights Bachao on Saturday (10-11 pm) and Comedy Nights With Kapil on Sundays (10-11 pm); Zee TV’sLajwanti at 10:30 pm on weekdays and Fear File on weekends; Life OK’s Savdhaan India: India Fights Back  (Mon-Sun), Star Plus’ Tere Sheher Mein (Mon-Sat) and Best of Sumit Sambhal Lega (Sunday); &TV’s Bhabhi Ji Ghar Pe Hai (Mon-Sun) and Sab TV’s Yam Hai Hum (Mon-Fri), Baalveer (Saturday) and Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma (Sunday) in the same time band.

  • Big Magic & Big FM to launch comedy show

    Big Magic & Big FM to launch comedy show

    MUMBAI: After launching an integrated satirical comedy show called Fakebook with TV actress Kavita Kaushik, Reliance Broadcast Network’s entertainment channel Big Magic and 92.7 Big FM will be launching yet another integrated series.

     

    The series called Comedy Ka Rocket will be presented in a completely fresh, upbeat and contemporary avatar; designed for viewers to embrace the weekend with variety comedy entertainment.

     

    The first few episodes of Comedy Ka Rocket will be around Dussehra (23rdOctober), Indian weddings (30th October) and Diwali (6th November) on BIG Magic at 9 pm and every Sunday at 12 pm on 92.7 BIG FM.

     

    Sharing some insights on the new series, Big Magic creative director Bimal Unnikrishnan said,”In sync with our viewers preferences and new programming strategy, we have conceptualised Comedy Ka Rocket, a series which will appear every Friday with optimal comedic content and an amalgamation of all genres of comedy. We are aiming to take entertainment a notch higher, with new innovations in content designing and programming. We are sure our viewers will enjoy the show and will see this as one of the best ways to embrace the weekend.”

     

    The show will have three hosts namely Karan Tacker, Vishal Singh and Gaurav Khanna, who will take audiences on a rib-tickling riot. They will be joined by different celebrities every week, adding to the fun quotient.

     

    Big Magic will celebrate the festive season through a #FullOnLoL feast of sketches, spoofs, song parodies, mimicry, candid content, stand-up acts, dances, fun interactions with celebrities and lots more. The Dussehra special episode Bollywood Ke Villain will features popular villain Shakti Kapoor as a special guest. 

     

    Taking a cue from the essence of this festival, villains will take centre stage this time round instead of the heroes. They will be celebrated and their importance in the life of a hero will be showcased in full splendour.

     

    Celebrating the Wedding season, Sana Kapoor of Shaandaar fame will be seen as the celeb walk-in and the event will focus on the madness that surrounds a bollywood themed Indian wedding. The audience will witness a glimpse of the hilariously chaotic moments that leads up to a Big Fat Indian wedding. Celebrating Diwali with Bollywood Ke Patakhe, Sana Saeed and Natasa Stankovic will enthral audiences with their dance performances.

  • Colors ropes in Maruti Suzuki S-Cross as 24: Season 2 presenting sponsor

    Colors ropes in Maruti Suzuki S-Cross as 24: Season 2 presenting sponsor

    MUMBAI:  Colors is all set to kick off the second season of Anil Kapoor and Ramesh Deo Productions 24 after a two-year hiatus. Keeping the action going, the channel has roped in Maruti Suzuki’s S- Cross as the presenting sponsor for 24: Season 2.  It replaces Tata Motors, which was the title sponsor in 2013.  Estimates are that Maruti has agreed to ante up close to Rs 23 crore for the title sponsorship. The channel’s sales team is also in conversation with agencies and brands to come on as powered by and associate sponsors.

     

    Like in its first season, the Indian adaptation of the US series 24 is being co-produced by Anil Kapoor Film Co and Ramesh Deo Productions and directed by Abhinay Deo & Rensil D’Silva. Filming is slated to commence from 1 November, most of it in India, with parts of the show being shot overseas.

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak is quite happy about the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross association. Says he: “Maruti has been with us for many years now. We have associated with them in our other shows including India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and IIFA Awards. Also we wanted to have an association with an automobile firm which has a variety of vehicles because the show format demands that and Maruti Suzuki fits that bill. Additionally, we have a clause with Kapoor as he endorsing S-Cross for all practical purposes on Indian television for months now.”

     

    Maruti Suzuki executive director R S Kalsi too is pretty satisfied with partnering with Colors. Says he: “It’s all about the trust and faith we have with the channel.  Colors have always delivered more than what they promise.  S-Cross is a premium offering from Maruti Suzuki.  The target audience that 24 caters to and its genre allows us to draw synergies between the brands of S-Cross, 24 and Colors. 24: Season 2 is the perfect platform for us to integrate and showcase the premium crossover S-Cross to consumers while strengthening our expanded brand reach.”

     

    Colors launched the first poster of the show on 20 October in Mumbai and it features  an intense Anil Kapoor sporting a rugged look raising the intrigue levels about Jai Singh Rathod’s challenges in season 2. While season one saw Anti Terrorist Unit (ATU) chief had Rathod saving a Prime Ministerial candidate from being assassinated, in Season 2, audience will see him taking the bigger responsibility of saving the nation.

     

    The first season of 24 aired Friday-Saturday at 10 pm.  Nayak told Indiantelevision.com that the “time slot is something which we haven’t decided yet.  24 is a very expensive show so we have to put it in the prime time slot. As we are the number one channel therefore slotting is a huge problem but our team is working on it. Based on the research of last year’s time band we will come back with the slot that grabs more eye balls.”

     

    Like in season one, a  video game based on the show is being planned to be introduced before the first telecast. 

     

     Nayak is cock-a-hoop with delight that 24, a show he invested in a couple of years ago, is making waves globally. Says he: “At Mipcom in Cannes this year for the first time we saw people from international industry talking about 24. All international format owners wanted to meet us and it has never happened before and it only happened because of 24.  People are aware that in India we are one of the biggest buyers of the international format and we spend money on our non – fictions shows. It’s only after 24 there is feeling of different respect that we have received.”