Category: GECs

Mahasangam of Gangs of Hasseepur & DID Lil Masters

MUMBAI: The L’il Masters bring alive the magic of Bollywood over the decades, leaving Gangs of Hasseepur comedians stumped and speechless You have seen their smashing ‘Bachchagiri’ attitude and their perfect moves, but now the bar of madness and unlimited fun will go up several notches as the kids of DID Lil Masters will be joined by the comedians of Gangs of Hasseepur in bringing the house down with pure, unadulterated entertainment in a special Mahasangam of Zee TV’s two popular non-fiction shows. Gangs of Hasseepur host RaginiKhanna, along with the hilarious impersonators of LataMangeshkar, Salman Khan & Sanjay Dutt will be seen having lively interactions with the kid contestants of DID L’il Masters and DID judges GeetaKapur and Ahmed Khan, leaving viewers in splits with their witty punches and comic timing.

The vivacious host of Gangs of HassepurRaginiKhanna added her own flavor of masti to all the madness on the show as she co-anchored the Mahasangam special with DID host Jay Bhanushali. Bringing the golden era of Bollywood alive on stage, the Lil Masters rendered power-packed filmy dance acts representing the flavors of each decade in Bollywood over the last 30 years. Needless to say, the comedians of Gangs of Hasseepur were left bowled over by their sheer talent!

Lil Masters Teriya& Vishal enthralled everyone with their spunky act on ‘Eena Meena Dika’. Master Geeta, Ahmed & Muddasser and Ragini joined in the fun as they grooved on R D Burman’s classic ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’ on Jay’s insistence.

The cutest Jodi on DID Lil Masters Hardik&Anoushkamade everyone gush as they brought alive the iconic ‘PyaarHuaIkraaHua’,drawing a thundering applause from the audience on the sets. Master Geeta& Ahmed were floored by their graceful moves and the romantic feel with which they performed the entire song.Lady Don AditiGhulap&Venkatesh made everyone remember Rishi &NeetuKapoor with their act on ‘HumneTumkoDekha’

The clone of Sanjay Dutt tickledthe audience’s funny bone with his wisecracks as did Salman’s impersonator.Sugandha Mishrahad Geeta and Ahmed choke with laughter with her howlarious rendition of Lata Mangeshkar’s songs and her sudden lapsing into KanganaRanaut. All the skippers, judges& Lil Masters thoroughly enjoyed the acts of the Gangs of Hasseepur artists. This Mahasangam will be a deluge of dance, laughter & entertainment this weekend which is surely not to be missed at any cost!

Catch this Mahasangam special episode at 8 PM on Saturday, 10th May, only on Zee TV.

May 9, 2014
Gurjeev Singh to head Star India international business

MUMBAI: After the big split last month of Star and Zee’s distribution JV MediaPro, Star India has announced that MediaPro former COO Gurjeev Singh Kapoor will head the company’s international business initiatives.

Once the MediaPro transition is complete, Singh will shift to his new base in London and report to Star India COO Sanjay Gupta. In his new role, Singh will handle distribution, syndication, ad sales and new content development in the US, South Afriaca, West Asia, the UK, Europe, south Asia and Southeast Asia.

“The international business has huge growth potential which has not yet been fully tapped and we believe Gurjeev will add tremendous value to the organization and will build on the foundations that have been put in place and take the International business to new heights,” said Gupta.

“Gurjeev shares our values and our focus on the business and he has proved to be an extraordinary leader throughout his stint with Star and its ventures,” he added.

Singh will take up his new posting only after a few months. Speaking on his new role Singh said, “I am looking forward to be back into Star’s fold and delighted with the opportunity to expand our global footprint. Star is uniquely placed to drive aggressive growth in the international markets based on its great content advantage.”

Star India’s channels are available in more than 120 countries globally. And Singh has his task cut out for him: Zee Entertainment Enterprises channels are available in more than 160 countries globally and a very aggressive IndiaCast has been working aggressively to further the distribution of the Viacom18, Network18 channels worldwide.

Concurrent with Singh’s new responsibility, Star India’s national distribution has been split into two: TS Panesar has been given the task of handling national distribution on DTH and in the digitised markets, while Summit Grover has been brought in to look after distribution in the emerging markets of DAS phase III and IV. Both are expected to report into Singh.

May 5, 2014
Big Magic announces new show ‘Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai’

MUMBAI: Big Magic is set to launch another comedy show – ‘Ajab Gajab – Ghar Jamai’. The new offering featuring popular faces Himani Shivpuri and Sumit Vats premieres on the channel on 12 May at 9:30pm.

A hilarious comic caper produced by Red Dot Productions, ‘Ghar Jamai’ showcases three generations of the unusual ‘Shaktishaali’ family where the family follows a unique tradition of bringing home a son-in-law instead of sending the daughter to her ‘sasuraal’.

The announcement comes soon after the channel unveiled its new packaging and launched ‘Har Mushkil ka Hal, Akbar Birbal’. The channel is also exploring various other programming options that can lend to a holistic light entertainment offering for viewers, drawing more eyeballs.

Reliance Broadcast Network CEO Tarun Katial said in a statement, “The new show is in keeping with our endeavor to offer audiences content in the light entertainment and comedy space. This fun light-hearted drama further enhances our programming offering and we are certain it will be a great value proposition to viewers and advertisers alike. ”

The launch of the show is supported with an extensive multi-media campaign across television, radio, print, digital, out of home, on ground and more, ensuring deeper reach across the markets.

May 3, 2014
A 5-day ‘Mahasangam special’ of Ek Mutthi Aasmaan & Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke

MUMBAI: Adding an extra punch to the weekday primetime entertainment for its viewers, Zee TV brings a dhamakedar Mahasangam of two of its popular shows, Ek Mutthi Aasmaan & Sapne Suhane Ladakpan ke. In an interesting innovation in the GEC space, the Mahasangam will be a week-long special where the pivotal characters from both the shows will cross paths and the tracks of the two ongoing shows will seamlessly blend in to one. Promising to be a sheer delight & thorough entertainment for ardent viewers of both the shows, this Mahasangam will be replete with romance, misunderstandings, dilemmas, a search & startling revelations which will lead to a major turning point in both the shows. This week long amalgamation will be telecast for an hour daily from Monday-Friday at 7 pm only on Zee TV starting from May 5th.

The Mahasnagam will start with Kamla Tai (Shilpa Shirodkar) & husband Vitthal (Mohit Dagga) of Ek Mutthi Aasmaan searching for the engagement ring they lost for Kalpi’s fiancé. Gunjan (Roopal Tyagi) of Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke helps them find it. Gunjan who has come to Mumbai in search of Pihu (Akansha Gilani) who has been kept captive by her stalker, Vicky, comes to the chawl with Kamla Tai on her invitation…Amidst all this, kamla and family have been thinking of Sammy as the groom for kalpi which is later revealed and shocks the entire Jadhav family that kalpi’s groom is none other than Raghav Singhania. Kamla is caught in a dilemma of choosing the happiness of Kalpana & Pooki but with the timely intervention of Shail (Vaishanavi Mcdonald) & Gunjan, she is convinced that Raghav & Kalpana truly love each other and should get married. The celebrations of Raghav (Ashish Choudhary) & Kalpana’s (Rachna Parulkar) Sakharpuda ceremony are in full swing. In the meanwhile, Gunjan gets some clues about Pihu’s whereabouts but will she make it in time to find her and save Pihu from her captor, Vicky?

The much in love couple Raghav-Kalpi manage to surpass the odds and finally look forward to tie the nuptial knot with everyone’s blessings. The Jadhav household is gearing for their marriage and there’s naach gaana galore…But there is no love story which is completed without its fair share of complications…as you head into the finale of this Mahasangam week, the audiences are in for a surprising turn of events that they would not have imagined in their wildest dreams!

With so many parallel stories and nail biting twists & turns happening in each of the character’s lives, viewers can look forward to some high octane drama for a week with their favorite characters.

On being a part of the Mahasangam Shilpa Shirodkar says “I was extremely thrilled to shoot for the week long Mahasangam that brings together artistes from two shows, blending their tracks in an interesting manner. It is the first time that I am a part of something like this and I am thoroughly enjoying shooting with the star cast of Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke. I hope viewers will enjoy the double dose of entertainment”

An equally excited Roopal Tyagi says “This Mahasangam will spell entertainment galore for the audiences as they will witness the intersection of the two most intense gripping tracks from two of Zee TV’s popular shows. The fact that it will not be executed for just a stand-alone episode but run for a week is surely going to enhance the entertainment quotient for the viewers. I had an amazing time shooting with the cast of Ek Mutthi Aasmaan”
Will Gunjan succeed in her search for Pihu and save her from Vicky’s clutches or will she return empty handed? What surprise fate has in store for Raghav & Kalapana…Will this celebration culminate in a blissful marriage for the couple?

Watch your favorite actors coming together in a unique Mahasangam of Ek Muthi Aasmaan & Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Kefrom Monday-Friday only on Zee TV at 7-8pm.

May 2, 2014
Life OK to launch ‘Bhatak Lena Baware’

MUMBAI: Two and a half years ago, Star India decided to turn around one of its older channels and give it a fresh new look and feel. Result: Star One was reborn as Life OK. Two years down the line, Life OK is giving others of its ilk a run for their TRPs, with shows like Savdhaan India and Devon Ke Dev Mahadev in its kitty.

In keeping with its tradition of ‘differentiated content’, the channel is now all set for the launch of another show titled Bhatak Lena Baware at the end of May.

Sunshine Productions of Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha and The Buddy Project fame, Bhatak Lena Baware, is the love story of a singer and a theatre director cum lyricist from Lucknow. It tells the tale of two different people drawn to each other and how that changes at least one of them. “It is a completely fresh love story with lots of surprises. It is not your regular love story that people are used to watching,” says a source close to the show.

Screen writer-lyricist Neelesh Misra of Barfi and Ek Tha Tiger fame has conceptualized the show while Seema and Sudhir Sharma have developed it further. “We are through with the Lucknow schedule and have started shooting in Mumbai at Filmcity,” says Sudhir Sharma.

Shooting started a month ago and three to four episodes have already been canned. The makers want to create a bank of 10 to 12 episodes before launching the show.

Life OK content head Aniruddh Pathak believes that it is a very GEC friendly concept. “Keeping in mind the channel’s agenda of showcasing differentiated content to audiences, we are back with a simple love story but in a different manner.”

He further adds: “You see love stories on every show, but how to make this one different from other offerings was a task. The show is about a small town love story in a realistic zone and a strong narrative. We have got on-board Neelesh Misra who is the co-creator will act as a narrator for the show.”

Pathak reveals that the planning of the show was started five months back. He further said that the channel is planning to make its presence in the comedy genre as well. “We want to do serious comedy and with so many shows already ruling the roost, we really have to work hard on the concept. We are working on it and will have a clear picture in sometime,” Pathak signs off.

In all likelihood, the new show will occupy primetime, reveals the source.

April 30, 2014
Pepsi IPL Extraaa Innings T20 returns at Reliance MediaWorks’ state of the art Sound Stages at Filmcity

MUMBAI: The biggest entertainment format of the year that brings in cricket like never before, PEPSI IPL has already taken a flying start in its seventh edition. And for the second year in a row, the broadcasters Multi Screen Media, who are airing PEPSI IPL 7 on their channels Sony MAX, Sony SIX have chosen the state of the art sound stages at Reliance MediaWorks in Filmcity for Extraaa Innings T20.

The programming contents of the show involve several elements including live stadium action, and studio programming. The overall programming requirements are thereby stringent, especially considering the fact that the show is aired live everyday. Live feeds from the matches played across different locations and the feed from the in studio programming is entirely consolidated at this place so that the seamlessly integrated programme is available to delight the millions of PEPSI IPL viewers on a daily basis.

The entire setup for the show has been done on one of the floors at the studio complex of Reliance MediaWorks. PEPSI IPL is a long format show and from preparation right up to the entire event, the studio facility will be utilized for almost three months for the show. Availability of the best in class infrastructure, on site technical support, high standards of quality & security; all within the reach at a convenient location like Filmcity is a key reason that has made these shooting spaces the preferred destination for several broadcasters and filmmakers alike.

Known for their Hollywood benchmarked infrastructure, Reliance MediaWorks currently offers three sound stages for all production requirements for broadcast, film, TVCs & events. The new set of 5 stages, which also have the same technical specifications, will be operational in the latter half of 2014.

Neeraj Vyas: EVP & Business Head – Sony MAX “With IPL there has certainly been a revolution in the way cricket based programming is created & aired, and we have set new benchmarks from an entertainment perspective. In order to deliver the very best to our viewers, we need to ensure that everything that goes into the creation of the content is the very best. Thereby, we chose the high technology studio facilities at Reliance MediaWorks, yet again. It is convenient, efficient & high quality, just perfect for all the requirements of the IPL.”

PEPSI IPL programming has a bunch of logistical requirements, in terms of technology, infrastructure and also the fact that the show is aired live. Therefore a studio environment that offers the best possible solutions on all the fronts is needed, and hence Reliance MediaWorks was the chosen destination. Agile technology and services par excellence are the key USPs of Reliance MediaWorks that are crucial in this regard.

Venkatesh Roddam, Chief Executive Officer: Reliance MediaWorks added, “We are committed to providing a personalized service through our studios. We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Sony for IPL yet again and contributing to the creation of quality content for millions of cricket fans globally. We look forward to a long and successful association.”

PEPSI IPL 7 continues with the cricket fervour and Extraaa Innings T20 remains one of the highlights of the show as cricket fans across the world continue to be entertained.

April 30, 2014
Full 2 Entertainment on Zee Cinema

MUMBAI: There is no shortage of entertaining Hindi films to get you in the holiday spirit…Whether it ishasna-hasana, rona-dhona,romance, drama, feel-good comedies and everything in between… Bollywood movies have immense entertainment quotient!To beat the heat in the cool surroundings of your home, starting May 5, 2014 every Monday to Friday, Zee Cinema brings its viewers a series of back to back movies at11am and 2 pmin a fun filled month-long festival titled ‘Full 2 Entertainment’. With variety and masala, the ‘Full 2 Entertainment’ festival will definitely take you on a fun summer ride.

As part of the festival, Zee Cinema will be airing movies all through the monthof May. These movies are the very embodiment of entertainment. The ‘Full 2 Entertainment’ festival will air movies ranging from action packed thrillers like Agneepath with Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra in their award winning performances& Players with Abhishek Bachchan and Neil Nitin Mukeshto suspense thriller Mohraand the light hearted fun Mr. India. From Sridevi’s incomparable performance in Chaalbaaz, to her empowering yet heartwarming performance in English Vinglish; the real deal on entertainment is right here on Zee Cinema!

When there’s masti, there’s magic and masala; can romance be far behind? With the ‘Full 2 Entertainment’ festival, viewers will be transported back in time when Salman Khan was totally love-struck in Maine Pyaar Kiya. And, who can forget Hrithik Roshan and Kareena’s on-screen magical romance in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon or Aishwarya Rai – Akshay Khanna’s friendship budding into love in Aa Ab Laut Chale. Add to this, complete family entertainers like Double Dhamaal, All the Best, Mujhse Shaadi KarogiandRaja Hindustaniwill also enthrall audiences.

Commenting on the festival, Ruchir Tiwari, ZEEL, Deputy Vice President – Head of Programming – Hindi Movie Channels said: “With an aim to offer non-stop entertainment in the holiday season, Zee Cinema presentsback to back blockbusters for audiences to catch up with their favourite actors and favourite movies in a special festival, ‘Full 2 Entertainment”. This line-up of films in this festival, at 11 am and2pm every weekday, will surely make Zee Cinema your one-stop destination to enjoy your summer holidays.”

Get ready to sit back, grab some popcorn and watch some of your favourite movies in May… only on Zee Cinema.

So tune-in to Zee Cinema from May 5, 2014 onwards, every day – Monday to Friday, 11:00 pm and 2:00 pm to get truly entertained!

April 30, 2014
Indians Optimistic About Future: Ipsos Study

MUMBAI: 50 per cent Indians are optimistic about Indian economy and expect that the economy will be stronger in next six months, a rise of two points, according to a report by global research firm Ipsos.

According to the “Ipsos Economic Pulse of the World” study, India’s economic confidence level has declined to 58 per cent in March 2014, a decline of three points. However, India continues to hold sixth position as the most economically confident country in the world after Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Germany, China and Canada.

Only 35 per cent Indians believe that the local economy which impacts their personal finance is good, a drop of two points.

“Inflation in India increased on account of higher food costs in March, breaking a three-month easing trend, this would give RBI little scope to support the economy amid fresh signs of slowdown,” said Mick Gordon, CEO, Ipsos in India.

“However Indians are hopeful that the new central government which will come to power with fresh mandate in May will bring in stability, push economic growth and build investor confidence,” added Gordon.

The online Ipsos Economic Pulse of the world survey was conducted in March 2014 among 18,675 people in 25 countries.

Holding steady for a second month in a row, the average global economic assessment of national economies surveyed in 24 countries remains unchanged this month as 38 per cent of global citizens rate their national economies to be ‘good.’

Saudi Arabia (86 per cent) remains the top-ranked country on this measure, but runner-up countries are not far behind: Sweden (80 per cent), Germany (76 per cent), China (69 per cent), Canada (66 per cent) and India (58 per cent). Those least likely to rate their national economies as ‘good’ are in Spain (6 per cent) and Italy (6 per cent) followed by France (10 per cent), South Korea (16 per cent), Hungary (17 per cent) and Argentina (18 per cent).

Countries with the greatest improvements in this wave: Sweden (80 per cent, 11pts), Russia (39 per cent, 7pts), South Africa (21 per cent, 4pts), Canada (66 per cent, 3pts), Hungary (17 per cent, 3pts) Germany (76 per cent, 2pts) and France (10 per cent, 2pts).

Countries with the greatest declines: Egypt (36 per cent, -20pts), South Korea (16 per cent, -7pts), Japan (25 per cent, -4pts), Argentina (18 per cent, -3pts), Poland (22 per cent, -3pts), Australia (54 per cent, -3pts) and India (58 per cent, -3pts).

Six in ten Brazilians (58 per cent) indicate they predict their local economies will be stronger in the next six months. The rest of the highest-ranking countries are: India (50 per cent), Saudi Arabia (49 per cent), Indonesia (42 per cent), China (36 per cent), Argentina (33 per cent) and Egypt (33 per cent).

Only one in twenty (5 per cent) of those in France expect their future local economies will be “stronger” in the next half year, followed by Belgium (8 per cent), Hungary (12 per cent), Poland (14 per cent), and South Korea (14 per cent).

April 29, 2014
PromaxBDA India Unveils First Set of Conference Speakers

MUMBAI: PromaxBDA is pleased to announce the first round of sessions and speakers for the 2014 India Conference in Mumbai. This year’s programme takes place on 27 and 28 May 2014 at the prestigious five-star Westin Mumbai Garden City Hotel and includes sessions by Kendrick Reid – Senior Vice President & Executive Creative Director of Brand Strategy at BET Networks, Tom Palmaerts, Trendwatcher at Trendwolves, Hugo Moss, Designer amd Motionographer at Huge Designs and Ian Wormleighton, Creative Director at Red Bee Media.

Marking its 11th edition this year, the two-day annual conference by the PromaxBDA Association is India’s largest gathering for entertainment media marketing, design and promotion professionals.

Themed ‘Evolution’ – a concept by Official Creative Partner, Ink Project – the conference presents informative and inspiring sessions on critical trends and topics needed to stay relevant in today’s fast changing media and marketing environment.

“The Promax BDA Conference in India brings together some of the most creative professionals in the entertainment media scene. With a decade of experience under our belt, we look forward to once again presenting to attendees two days of inspiring dialogues and specially curated sessions by renowned speakers from the industry..,” said Ms Rajika Mittra, Country Head (India) of PromaxBDA Asia Pte Ltd.

Senior Vice President & Executive Creative Director of Brand Strategy at BET Networks, Kendrick Reid will open the conference with a keynote session on innovation, inspiration and how it leads to brand rejuvenation. Kendrick is responsible for developing breakthrough, brand-building creative marketing strategies and executions for all BET branded businesses. Prior to joining BET Networks, Kendrick led Comedy Central through two successful innovative re- designs and oversaw the branding for the networks multi-platform initiatives as its Vice President and Creative Director.

Presenting a topic on ‘youthwatching’, Tom Palmaerts will reveal how young people are building the future. A Trendwatcher at Trendwolves, an agency specializing in youth intelligence, Tom conducts future trends research on youths for major brands Clariant, HP, Microsoft Innovation Center, Palm, PwC, and Universal Music, amongst others. In 2008, he was awarded ‘Youth Trend Specialist Of The Year’ by the Dutch trendwatching platform Second Sight, and was awarded ‘Trendwatcher of the Year’ in 2013.

The [PRO] Series panel discussion sessions are back again this year with a 3-part series. Leading the [PRO] Series and moderating the panel sessions are prominent and highly renowned industry superstars and veterans such as Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer of Reliance Broadcast Network, Rajiv Bakshi, Vice President of Marketing, South Asia of Discovery Networks, and Gaurav Seth, Senior Vice President and Head-Marketing of Sony Entertainment Television. In this year’s [PRO] Series, speakers will discuss and examine topics such as ‘The Evolution of Branded Content and The Future of the Television Business’ and ‘Marketing to Millennials – Do You Speak Their Language’.

Opening the conference, and coming onboard once again as the Conference Chair is Mr. Raj Nayak, Chief Executive Officers of COLORS.

“Promax brings together the largest pool of mainline and online marketing, promotion and design professionals in the Indian television and entertainment media. It pits vital questions against expert answers. It inspires action based on insight, and not mere trial and error. The creative, the inspiring and the stalwarts meet in one place across two days from across the industry. Information updates, trends and conversation buzzwords – if you’re in the TV industry for the long haul, mark your calendars for the PromaxBDA India Conference 2014,” said Mr Nayak.

Additional speakers as well as the full PromaxBDA India 2014 conference schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

Interested attendees can now register for the conference at www.promaxindia.tv. Registration closes on 19 May 2014.

April 28, 2014
News of encryption bad news for Zee ad sales in Gulf

The Zee bouquet of 14 channels, which will be fully encrypted by 1 June, is likely to witness a drop in revenues in the Middle East markets, according to sources within the network.

There has been a drop in ad sales in the Gulf region for the channel following the news that the Zee bouquet is going fully pay. Advertisers have been pulling out because they see a massive fall in subscriber base once the channel is no longer free to air, the sources say. The Gulf market is very sensitive to price because expatriates from the Indian subcontinent who largely make up the viewership of channels like Zee have comparitively low purchasing power.

With conditional access systems well in place, subcontinental subscribers mostly access free to air channels which is why even Star Plus, which is doing phenomenally well in India, cannot really claim viewership relative to population in the region.

Though Zee officials have not given an exact date as to when the network will be encrypted other than saying it will happen sometime in May, sources say it will be from 1 June.

April 27, 2014