Category: GECs

  • MSM to launch English Entertainment & Hindi Music channels

    MSM to launch English Entertainment & Hindi Music channels

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) is gearing up to launch two new channels over the next two months.

     

    The broadcaster is aggressively investing to launch a flamboyant English entertainment channel as well as a Hindi music channel.

     

    The English entertainment channel will have an HD feed and will simulcast series with US. MSM’s move comes even as the English entertainment channels space in the country has hotted up with the recent launches of Viacom 18’s Colors Infinity and Star India’s FX HD.

     

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, MSM is currently awaiting the license from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

     

    On the other hand, building up on the success of its existing Hindi music channel Sony Mix as well as to enhance its presence in the Hindi music genre, MSM will launch another music channel. According to sources close to the development, the channel will hit airwaves in the next two months and will be headed by MSM EVP Neeraj Vyas, who has successfully led Sony Mix so far.

     

    MSM’s last launch was that of the sports channel Sony Kix, which was strongly backed up with aggressive acquisition of sports properties like LA Liga, FA Cup and Italian SerieA amongst others.

     

    Currently, MSM has a total of sixteen channels in its bouquet namely: Sony Entertainment Television, Sony Entertainment Television HD, Sony Max, Sony Max 2, Sab, Sony Mix, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony Kix, Sony Pix, Sony Pix HD, Sony Pal, AXN, AXN HD, Sony Aath and Animax.

  • Star Plus rolls out extensive marketing campaign for ‘Sumit Sambhal Lega’

    Star Plus rolls out extensive marketing campaign for ‘Sumit Sambhal Lega’

    MUMBAI: Taking a diversion from the age old Hindi phrase – ‘Mard ko dard nahi hota’ (men don’t feel pain), Star Plus has come up with a unique marketing campaign for its new show Sumit Sambhal Lega with the catchphrase ‘Har Mard Ka Dard,’ which signifies the plight of every married man.

     

    As part of a marketing campaign for Sumit Sambhal Lega, which is the official adaptation of Everybody Loves Raymond, Star Plus has devised an innovative and strategic 360 degree marketing campaign based on an insight on the catch phrase.

     

    Every piece of communication was aligned to this thought, starting with the on-air campaign that talked about the concept of the show and laid the entire foundation of the campaign. The initial promo was followed by a series of dedicated promos tailor-made for news and sports channels. Furthermore, existing male protagonists of Star Plus’ shows like Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai were roped in for integrated content that also talked about ‘Har Mard Ka Dard’ to establish a connect with the masses.

     

    On the radio front, existing properties were integrated with the concept of ‘Har Mard Ka Dard’ to drive home the message. What’s more, the cast was also featured on top radio channels across seven cities. For the first time, on the launch day, a complete radio station takeover was witnessed with male RJs taking centre stage for one entire day. In addition, an unique on-ground consumer activation was conducted in Delhi where the listeners of Red FM were invited for a t?te-?-t?te with the protagonist Sumit.

     

    Continuing its streak of firsts, Star Plus also created co-branded content on the digital platform with ‘Being Indian’ that gave the viewers a peek into the married man’s world. In addition, a platform called ‘Dard Anonymous was designed for men to come and confess real life anecdotes of different situations they have faced with their families after marriage. The show’s characters also came alive in an interactive YouTube masthead that was created in a way that let the viewers choose between the mother and wife on behalf of the protagonist Sumit – both leading him to get an earful from the other. Instagram too was flooded with unique comic strips that was designed with the characters of Sumit Sambhal Lega in funny situations with witty one-liners and speech bubbles.

     

    An extensive outdoor marketing strategy was rolled out with dynamic hoardings strategically plastered across Mumbai.

     

    Star Plus also roped in PVR Cinemas for integration with Sumit Sambhal Lega that included lenticular image standees of Sumit being boxed by his wife and then his mother in turn. There was also extensive F&B branding of the show on the menus, popcorn tubs and even the nomenclature of combo meals that were recreated with Sumit Sambhal Lega.

  • &TV backs new weekend shows with digital innovations

    &TV backs new weekend shows with digital innovations

    MUMBAI: For the launch of its two new weekend properties Deal Or No Deal and Agent Raghav -Crime Branch, Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) – &TV has designed a ground swell of activities across every medium.

    For the fast paced crime mystery thriller – Agent Raghav – Crime Branch, the channel has gone beyond the traditional marketing mediums and invested in an innovative manner on digital platforms for the show. The channel has extended the show as an audio book, making it one of the first Indian television shows to explore this medium. This 30 minute long, gripping, action packed crime and mystery thriller audiobook has exclusive stories beyond the show like – I Hate You Neha, which is available for free download on &TV’s official website. 

    Additionally, &TV also launched a contemporary virtual game developed specially for the show to further engage viewers through mobile and web. To play the Agent Raghav online game, viewers can visit the link – www.andtv.com/argame. Alternatively, the game can also be downloaded on Android phones via the Google Play store. The game encourages gamers to use their observational and visualising skills to find hidden clues at every level. The difficulty would steadily increase along the course of the game and the users would be able to unlock levels only if they succeed in previous levels.

    Furthermore, Agent Raghav – Crime Branch also features in Diamond Comics, solving a mystery murder case in his unique style. Gauging the popularity of radio shows in Indian households, the channel has integrated the show with Neelesh Mishra’s radio show and created an engrossing narrative of Agent Raghav’s crime solving story. The idea was to get listeners to visualise and recreate the scene in their minds before arriving at a conclusion just like the protagonist. 

    The channel also deployed a well-designed out of home (OOH) strategy for its game show Deal Or No Deal hosted by actor Ronit Roy. The show saw a unique representation with branded briefcases stationed atop the conveyor belts in Mumbai’s domestic airport thereby setting the context with the audience – to expect the unexpected! Another interesting innovation was the 3D rendition of the Deal Or No Deal concept displayed on a billboard that attracted a lot of attention.

    With power-packed creatives, &TV has no doubt presented a potpourri of drama and excitement through its marketing communication for its new weekend line up.

  • Double Trouble in Colors’ ‘Bigg Boss 9’ with Salman Khan

    Double Trouble in Colors’ ‘Bigg Boss 9’ with Salman Khan

    MUMBAI: Colors’ controversial yet loved reality show Bigg Boss season 9 is all set to hit the Indian television in October to be hosted by Salman Khan yet again. The first promo of Bigg Boss 9 is out and the audience has lapped it up. Within 24 hours, the promo received more than 60,000 views on YouTube.

    What’s more, Colors has also roped in three major sponsors for the ninth season. Bigg Boss 9 will be presented by SnapDeal, powered by Oppo Mobile India and driven by Maruti Swift. It will be produced by Endemol.

    This season, Bigg Boss 9 has the tagline – ‘Double Trouble,’ which has been hinted at in the promo. While the contestants’ antics coupled with Khan’s inimitable hosting style has managed to pack a punch more often than not, this time round Bigg Boss seems to have doubled the fun in its ninth season.

    The show’s promo features a couple in the house wearing the same shirt and Salman Khan is seen peeping through the door hole. He then looks into the camera and mouths catchy phrases like ‘Double hoga trouble’ and ‘Bigg Boss nau is going to be wow.’

    The promos also hint that this season will be tougher than its predecessors. Bigg Boss 9 is likely to go on air from 11 October, soon afterJhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded wraps up.

    While the channel has not yet revealed the time slot for the show, it is pertinent to note that previous seasons have been aired in the 9 pm prime time slot. Colors currently airs Chakravarti Ashoka Samrat at 9 pm and Swaragini at 9:30 pm, which are both raking in good ratings for the broadcaster.

    It now remains to be seen how Colors rejigs its programming line-up to pave way for Bigg Boss 9.

    It may be recalled that last year, Khan had to leave the show midway because of prior commitment towards work and was replaced by choreographer and filmmaker Farah Khan, who hosted the extended edition of Bigg Boss season 8 – Halla Bol.

  • Zindagi partners Zee Learn to celebrate Teacher’s Day

    Zindagi partners Zee Learn to celebrate Teacher’s Day

    MUMABI: Zindagi has associated with Zee Learn’s Kidzee and Mount Litera to thank the people who shape the minds of our future. 

     

    Zindagi is planning to bring a special ‘Teacher’s Day Shukriya’ episode on 6 September, with the heart-warming story of Akhil from Chandigarh – a young boy who had a tough time adjusting to hostel life. In this episode, Akhil says Shukriya to his teacher not only for helping make his transition to hostel life easier but for also encouraging him and completely changing his life for the better. 

     

    Through the #ShukriyaMyTeacher campaign, students from across 2200 Kidzee and Mount Litera Zee schools will get a chance to say Shukriya to the teachers.

     

    Additionally, students from the 900 Kidzee schools will make cards for their teachers and stamp their hand impressions on a wall, dedicating it to their favourite teacher. Over and above these activities, the students at Mount Litera School will write special messages for their teachers on a wall, make certificates for their teachers to thank them for their support and hard work. 

     

    Considering APJ Abdul Kalams’s love for children, the kids at Mount Litera School will also organise an exhibition dedicated to him with stories, pictures and artwork created by the students.

  • Sony & Colosceum to bring Israeli reality show ‘Power Couple’ to India

    Sony & Colosceum to bring Israeli reality show ‘Power Couple’ to India

    MUMBAI: Going by the popularity of reality shows on Indian television, Sony Entertainment Television is now looking at bringing the Israeli reality show Power Couple to India.

     

    To be produced by Colosceum Entertainment, the show is slated to launch on Sony in October. However, sources say that the channel is still in the process of finalizing the launch date.

     

    It is likely that Sony may pitch the show against Colors’ popular and well-established reality drama Bigg Boss, the new season of which is slated to go on air from 11 October, 2015.

     

    After taking Israel by storm since the launch of its first season, internationally acclaimed show Power Couple follows 10 celebrity couples, who will undergo a rigorous test of love along with their better halves. Disconnected from the world, these 10 couples will be living under one roof and will be tested as they face extreme challenges to prove how well they know each other. Love, trust, patience, belief, courage, sacrifice, compromise, every factor, which keeps a relationship going will be tested under the most demanding circumstances. Couples who have been living their ‘happily ever after’ will be judged on their physical, emotional and mental strength making them question their vows made to each other.

     

    Power Couple format owner – Israel-based Dori Media – has taken the show to countries like China, South Africa, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, Italy and the US.

  • Zindagi to bring new show from Turkey

    Zindagi to bring new show from Turkey

    MUMBAI: Living up to its brand philosophy of ‘Jodey Dilo Ko,’ Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited’s (ZEEL) Hindi premium entertainment channel Zindagi is all set to bring a new tale from Turkey.

     

    Starting 15 September, the channel will launch its first Turkish show titled Feriha that will be aired from Monday to Saturday at 7 pm.

     

    Feriha is a Turkish television drama series produced by Med Yapim. The series is about the life of a young and beautiful girl named Feriha Yilmaz, a doorkeeper’s daughter, who gets into a university through full scholarship. Ever since her first day there, Feriha poses as a rich girl with a very wealthy father. There she meets a handsome and rich boy called Emir Sarrafoglu. Feriha lies about her whole life and background. Emir falls in love with her not knowing who she really is. Unfortunately, she also falls in love with him and is trapped in her own lies.

     

    So far known for its content from Pakistan, the channel in August, had forayed into a new territory by coming up with its first original non-fiction show titled as Shukriya. Produced by Frames Production, the show was launched in keeping with the channel’s aim to give its viewers varied content experience.

     

    It can be recalled that in May 2015, Zindagi also launched two shows of US origin, dubbed in Hindi-Urdu. While the first show Simply Beautiful was a health and beauty tips based programme hosted by Roni Proter, the other was a cookery series by Chef Nirmala Narine titled Nirmala’s Spice World.

     

    Zindagi which completed its successful one year in June 2015 has so far aired some memorable drama series from Pakistan including Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Aunn Zara, Mera Saaya, Khwahishein, Maat, Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain and Noorpur Ki Ran among others.

     

    In such a short span of time Zindagi has appealed to the audiences of all age groups. According to the week 34 of TAM Media Research ratings, the channel garnered 10 GVTs.

     

  • Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to show her ‘Jazbaa’ at Zee’s Ganesh celebrations in America

    Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to show her ‘Jazbaa’ at Zee’s Ganesh celebrations in America

    MUMBAI: Zee TV, along with 1947 media is bringing the biggest Ganesh celebration in America, spanning for 5 days, with over 150,000 people in attendance from all over North America.

     

    The celebration this year will begin on 17 September, which is the day of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sthapana), and will take place until September 21st, which will be the visarjan. This is North America’s very first and biggest Sarvajanik (Community) Ganesh Utsav.

     

    The idea is for people to experience the same celebrations, as they would in India. A few highlights in store for Ganesh Utsav will include; all day performances by contestants from DID North America, DID Super Moms, SRGMP winners, and appearances by some of the biggest TV stars.

     

    To top it all, we are proud to welcome the lead star cast of one of the most anticipated Bollywood films, Jazbaa, with the one and only Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in attendance! Not only will she be present at the event to interact with fans, but to also seek blessings!

     

    Sameer Targe, GM of Asia TV USA says, “When we decided to enter the events space, we saw an obvious need to fill gaps towards events that are fun, and have something in store for everyone. Ganesh Utsav is a celebration that connects our community. Most importantly, we want for all Indians, especially 2nd and 3rd generation Indian Americans to experience what a Lal Bagh ka Raja feels like. We want them to experience how the Ganpati festival is celebrated in India, which is what we are bringing here, right in America!”

     

    Piraan Erachshaw, President of 1947 Production and Entertainment says, “In partnership with ZEE TV, we are proud to successfully bring one of India’s favorite festivals to life for the very first time in the USA. The entire South Asian community will be able to experience the event in person instead of just viewing it digitally or on TV.”

     

    This will be the second year for the spectacular festival. In its first year, the event was a huge success, attracting nearly 97,000 people. Held on 10 acres of open ground in Edison, New Jersey, also known as Little India, last year’s event attracted one of the most diverse crowds, with 25% Gujarati, 25% Telugu, 25% Punjabi, 10% Marathi, 5% Tamil, 5% Bengali, and 5% of various other backgrounds. Apart from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, attendees travelled all the way from Canada, Washington D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and even New England States.

  • Star India valued at $11.3 billion: Morgan Stanley

    Star India valued at $11.3 billion: Morgan Stanley

    MUMBAI: Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has reason to cheer as 21st Century Fox’s India subsidiary – Star India has emerged as a strong contributor to the parent company.

     

    As per a brokerage firm Morgan Stanley’s Year End ‘Fair Market Value’ report for financial year 2016, Star India has been valued at a whopping $11.3 billion, leaving behind its competitors.

     

    The number makes a deeper impact on the parent company’s financial performance worldwide as ad revenue for the media giant from developed markets is slowing.

     

    End of June financial reports saw Star India’s earnings from just entertainment business alone at about Rs 1,920 crore.

     

    An earlier report titled ‘Grow Fox, Grow’ from the same investment firm recognised Star India’s growing profitability as one of the key drivers of healthy acceleration in financial year 2017 for 21st Century Fox. On the basis of their growing revenue, the report estimates Star India to contribute 11.3 per cent to the overall fair market value of the American parent.  The report comes in the wake of a financial statement released by 21st Century Fox highlighting their overall performance and acknowledges the role played by Star Sports in giving Fox a commendable financial year.

     

    In an earlier financial report released by the company, media mogul and 21st Century Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch highlighted the importance of their newly acquired sports rights. “The appeal of our new sports rights resonated with consumers globally, whether it was Star Sports in India setting new records with hundreds of millions of viewers for the ICC Cricket World Cup, or the more than 25 million viewers who watched the Women’s World Cup Final on FOX,” said Murdoch.

     

    With Star India acquiring broadcast rights of Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) domestic and international matches in India through 2018, the network has made a conscious effort to optimise their revenues through sports in India.

     

    As per Morgan Stanley’s report, the other key factors that will dictate the Fox’s performance in FY17 include TV margin expansion, operating leverage from domestic affiliate revenue growth and growth at film productions, which was valued at $4.7 billion.

     

    On the other hand, the risks to the growth over the next two years are advertising pressures, pay­ TV sub erosion against the strong pricing growth at Fox’s networks and capital allocation as forecasters feel that Fox is most likely to lead the industry in the dynamic landscape ahead.

  • Life OK to adapt Dharamvir Bharat’s ‘Gunahon Ka Devta’ novel into show

    Life OK to adapt Dharamvir Bharat’s ‘Gunahon Ka Devta’ novel into show

    MUMBAI: Life OK is all set to launch a new show based on the popular novel titled Gunahon Ka Devta written by Dharamvir Bharat, which was published in 1949. So far 71 editions of the book have been published.

     

    The new show – Ek Tha Chandar Ek Thi Sudha, which will go on air from 21 September, is an unconventional and timeless love story. It will be aired from Monday to Friday at 7 pm.

     

    The legendary author Bharati, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, is also known for his creations like Suraj ka Satvan Ghoda and Andha Yug.

     

    Gunahon Ka Devta was written at a time when Indians were moving from colonialism to independence but were still engulfed by regressive norms within the country.

     

    Gunahon Ka Devta was path breaking as it was the first Hindi novel that honestly talked about tabooed subjects like sexuality, caste and religious discrimination. The book boldly questioned the place of sex in ideal love, an untouched and controversial topic that resonated deeply with the youth of that time. The book written way ahead of its time inspired an entire generation of writers and movie makers to court the conflict between physical and platonic love more openly. 

     

    In the last 65 years, many film makers have tried to adapt the story, but have found it extremely difficult to portray the complex set of relationships on screen. The only known adaption today is a movie with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha in the lead roles, but the film was never released.

     

    Set in the backdrop of Allahabad, it is the story of the young, fervent and mischievous Sudha and the gifted researcher Chandar who is a protégé of her father. The bond that Chandar and Sudha share is that of two good-humoured, inseparable friends, and neither understands that their relationship may have a name. It is only when Chandar is asked to convince Sudha to get married to a man of her father’s choice, that it is apparent how the two pine for each other. The story questions the boundaries defined by our society and redefines the very idea of love. The love between Chandar and Sudha transcends the realms of physical proximities. It’s a tale of unadulterated, self-sacrificing and overwhelming romance that is as relevant today as it was six decades ago.

     

    On Life OK’s show, Chandar will be played by Rahil Azzam and Sudha will be essayed by Umang Jain.