ITV

Category: GECs

  • Ajay Bhalwankar to join MSM’s Sony Entertainment Television from 7 April

    Ajay Bhalwankar to join MSM’s Sony Entertainment Television from 7 April

    MUMBAI: Almost a month-and-a-half ago, Indiatelevision.com reported that one of Zee Entertainment’s most cherished employs, Ajay Bhalwankar, has put in his papers as the content head-Hindi GECs. Now, it is learnt that he is joining Sony Entertainment Television as the chief creative director, effective from 7 April, 2014.

     

    Bhalwankar will report to Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Sr. Executive Vice President and Business Head, Nachiket Pantvaidya. He will provide creative leadership and direction for the channel and will lead the Programming and OAP teams.

     

    He said, “I’m delighted to join SET again and hope to provide valuable programming inputs across content on the channel. It is an extremely challenging role and I am looking forward to this exciting journey.”

     

    Bhalwankar is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience and has worked with MSM in the past as the programming head for SET from November 2009 to June 2011.

     

    Interestingly, earlier we even reported that Sony is trying to strengthen its team by bringing in the best people from the industry. This seems to be a step ahead towards that.

     

    Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “Ajay is an extremely experienced individual with a rich experience of over 20 years in Journalism and Television, spanning various roles of creating, writing, programming, producing and directing entertainment content. Under Ajay’s leadership I am confident that we will make the right strides towards our vision of best in class content for SET.”

     

    According to inside sources, Bhalwankar’s last date at Zee entertainment is 21 March, 2014.

     

    Bhalwankar joined Zee Entertainment in 1994 as the assistant director of Dream Merchants – the company’s advertising and marketing magazine. As one of the oldest employees of Zee, Bhalwankar has been instrumental in creating path-breaking content for the network. He also spearheaded the launch of Zee Anmol. He was also instrumental in launching Music Asia that later became Zee Muzic and is now called Zing. He even worked on the launch of Zee Marathi in 1999. He later became Zee Marathi’s business head and then vice president of Zee Marathi and Zee Talkies. He took charge as the programming head of Zee in 2008. Bhalwankar had then quit from Zee in October 2009 to join Sony Entertainment at the same position. However, after a brief stint, he left Sony to join back Zee.

     

    Now, Bhalwankar is again moving back to Sony. We hope he will be instrumental in bringing back the channel that has been struggling in the ratings chart to the top position.

     

     

     

     

  • SET airing month-long Mumbai special on CID, Crime Patrol

    SET airing month-long Mumbai special on CID, Crime Patrol

    MUMBAI: As the undisputed leader in the crime genre, Sony Entertainment Television has kicked-off a one-month special titled Mission Mumbai dedicated to maximum city.

    The series started airing early March and will continue through the month, and sees two of Sony’s longest running crime shows – CID and Crime Patrol – showcasing actual crime in the city.

    Sony has come up with a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote its Mumbai special on CID and Crime Patrol.

    Speaking of CID, the channel has flagged-off a campaign where Mumbaikars can participate in a plethora of fun-filled activities across prominent areas of the city. Twenty-five to 30 localities are on the radar where functions are held every week to felicitate the winners of what Sony calls the ‘Heroes initiative’.

    Sony SVP head marketing Gaurav Seth says they wanted to re-energise Brand CID that has successfully completed 17 years and 1,000 episodes. “Plus, we’ve been noticing that Mumbai, which had become a key market for CID and Crime Patrol over the years, is responding in a lukewarm manner to CID over the past few months. We wanted to bring back the show to this market and make it alive for consumers here once again,” he adds.

    We wanted to re-energise Brand CID – Gaurav Seth

    Sony has ensured that the message of ‘Mission Mumbai’ goes out everywhere, with over 500 outdoor hoardings, bus shelter hoardings, bus panels, platform boards and inside train panels dedicated for the purpose.

    The channel has tied up with 10 to 15 McDonalds’ outlets where kids will participate in a contest by answering why they want to meet the CID protagonists. Writers of the best replies will get to interact with CID actors.

    Further, SET has tied up with Radio Mirchi where the listeners can nominate their near ones or themselves for the ‘Mumbai ke Heroes’ contest. One more initiative on the FM channel called Mumbai bana CID will have radio jockeys quiz Mumbaikars about their city. The one who gives the most correct answers will get to feature in one of the CID episodes.

    What’s more, the channel has collaborated with certain local cable operators to get TV audiences direct transmissions of these one-off events. It is also promoting the Mumbai special on regional news channels to target the local, Marathi-speaking junta with over 1,000 spots.

    Seth claims the response received in the very first week has been fantastic. “Over 2,500 people turned up for the event and over 1,000 people interacted and played games during the three-day pre-promotion phase. We reached over 1,000 households and invited them for the main event,” he says.

    “We are extremely happy, we have always been doing ground out-reach programmes in terms of how people react to our programmes. This gives us a good feeling that the brand is alive and people love the show and the characters and the channel.”

    Buzz is, SET plans on more specials like Mission Gujarat and Mission Delhi but is testing the waters with Mission Mumbai first.

  • Viacom18’s Rajesh Iyer joins Zee Entertainment as business head

    Viacom18’s Rajesh Iyer joins Zee Entertainment as business head

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment today announced the appointment of Rajesh Iyer as business head – new initiatives in Hindi Broadcast. Iyer will report to Zee Entertainment chief content and creative officer Bharat Ranga.

     

    Speaking on his appointment Ranga said, “Rajesh is a superior talent with marketeering approach and consumer focus. We are delighted to have him on board to create some thrilling benchmarks in our industry. Zee family welcomes Rajesh and wishes him all the success.”

     

    Iyer said: “I have always admired the Zee group, who have been pioneers in the Satellite and Broadcast space. To be a part of this ever-growing dynamic industry is going to be challenging and I further, look forward to developing and strengthening the brand.”

     

    Iyer brings with him over 13 years of experience in the areas of marketing and business. His last assignment was as vice president marketing for Colors, Viacom18 where he set up the marketing operations including teams and processes, planned and implemented the marketing strategy for the launch of the brand. Prior to joining Colors, he worked with Star India on Star Plus, interactive services and content and communication for Star Movies and Star World. He has also worked with Ambience Publicis and Ogilvy & Mather.

     

    Iyer’s appointment is with effect from 19 March 2014.

  • Hindi GECs lend colour to Holi celebrations

    Hindi GECs lend colour to Holi celebrations

    MUMBAI: Squirt coloured water on your friends and dear ones or smear their faces with Gulaal… anything goes for it’s that time of the year when you can say, “Bura na maano, holi hai”.

    With the festival of colours just round the corner, Hindi GECs are going hammer and tongs to jump into the Holi revelry. Kick-starting the celebrations will be Colors’ ‘Beintehaan Jazbaat Ke Rang’ on 15 March from 7.30 to 9pm. The show will bring together protagonists of Colors’ many shows such as Bani- Ishq Da Kalma, Uttaran, Balika Vadhu, Beintehaan and Rangarasiya. Among a slew of performances, Sunny Leone, who stars in Balaji Motion Pictures’ upcoming Ragini MMS 2, will be seen shaking a leg to the films hit number, Baby Doll.

    Zee TV will air a three-hour special titled Zee ‘Holi Mahotsav- Ladakpan ke suhaane’ rang on 16 March at 6pm and 17 March at 4pm. The Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke team will invite other Zee artistes to celebrate Holi in the Benares style while audiences will be given a sneak peek into celebrations in other states of the country including UP, Punjab and Rajasthan. Hasya kavi Surendra Sharma will grace the event that will also witness performances by on-screen couples such as Jodha-Akbar and Zoya-Asad.

    Says Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma: “This year, the Holi Mahotsav on Zee will be a celebration of the sheer diversity of content we offer as a broadcaster. The grand revelry with colors will be in Benares where the Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke family invites artistes of all our other primetime shows to join in. Showcasing the various styles in which Holi is celebrated across different Indian states, we’ll have beautiful acts that represent the country’s vibrant cultural canvas.”

    As for Star Plus, the channel is all set for a waterless Holi on 17 March at 12.30pm with ‘Masti Gulal Ki’, a two-hour-long celebration highlighting the importance of conserving water while keeping the fun element intact. Produced by Frames Productions, the show will be hosted by real-life couple Jennifer Winget and Karan Singh Grover with Ritvik and Asha, Ravi and Sargun, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Digangna Suryavanshi (Veera), Sayantani Ghosh, MJ 5 and Krushna Abhishek joining in the celebrations.

    Star Plus SVP and programming strategy Nikhil Madhok says: “Star Plus’s initiative of a waterless, environment-friendly Holi is in perfect sync with our core philosophy of Nayi Soch. Holi this year coincides with World Water Day, so the message becomes even more relevant. Masti Gulal ki will show how Holi can be great fun even without the use of water. It will be a really entertaining event.”

    According to Frames Productions founder Hemant Ruprell, it took almost three weeks to put together the show. “It is a message. We are heading toward summer and with the kind of drought in so many parts of India, we thought we would do it differently this time and send out a message to people that celebration of Holi is about colors and not necessarily asking for 20-25 water tankers. We wanted to go waterless, but wanted to make it as colorful and dynamic,” he says. “Unlike others, we have done a proper stage event for Holi and not in a fictionalized manner.”

    Star Plus’ sister channel, Life OK, will telecast ‘Holi Hain… Life OK Hain’ on 17 March at 8 pm. Bharti Singh and Karan Kundra will be the hosts while Savdhaan India presenters Sushant Singh and Pratyusha Banerjee will join in the festivities and talk about women’s safety on the occasion of Holi.

    Vibhav Roy and Parvati Sehgal (Gustakh Dil) will showcase fun acts, while Gaurav Bajaj and Sukirti Kandpal ( Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai)) will recreate romance on the small screen. The star performer will be Yo Yo Honey Singh and the music will get a comic tadka as Yo Yo Honey Singh and Bharti Singh slug it out in a Punjabi versus Bhojpuri rap.

    On Sony Entertainment Television, there will be Holi integrations on three shows – Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, Boogie Woogie and CID.

    During the 16 March episode of Boogie Woogie, along with performances by the top six contestants, hosts Sargun and Rakshit will perform on the song Balam Pichkari from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. They will be later joined by the judges and there will be performances on songs like Holi Khele Raghuveera from Baghban and Do me a favour let’s play Holi from Waqt-The Race Against Time.

    Ek Nayi Pehchaan will see the entire Modi family gather under one roof to celebrate the festival on 17 and 18 March. As for CID, there will be a special one-hour episode on 17 March at 9 pm, replacing the two daily soaps, Nandini and Jee Le Zara.

    Sony Entertainment Television SVP head-marketing Gaurav Seth says: “A lot of the channels use these special days for topical value and obviously, cultural festivals hold a big place in the Indian family. Viewers like to see their favourite characters mirroring their own lives. It is good for us to have those special events.”

    As for Sony’s sister channel, Sab, this year, it will celebrate a Bollywood-style Holi with all of its actors on 17 March at 9pm. ‘Sab Ki Filmy Holi’ will ensure that viewers shake a leg alongside as they watch it with their family.

    The lovable small screen couple, Daya and Jetha, will anchor the show that will see performances by Daya – Jetha, Taarak – Anjali, Bhide – Madhavi, BabitaIyer, Indu-Mukundi, Koel-Ghotak, Jeannie-Juju, Bagha-Bavri, Chukku-Lily and Machli-Kapi. While gags by Aamir Ali, Sayantani, Kamya Punjabi, Kiku Sharda and Rajesh Thakur will tickle the viewers’ funny bone.

    On-screen celebration of festivals such as holi help these channels make a stronger connect with their audiences.
  • Satyamev Jayate campaign pays off

    Satyamev Jayate campaign pays off

    MUMBAI: When it aired on Star Plus two years ago, it took the nation by storm even as it brought home uncomfortable realities for not one but 13 weeks. At the time, Satyamev Jayate was the most talked about television show; its title the most searched phrase on Google. The channel claimed that the Aamir Khan-hosted show, simulcast in seven languages, reached a staggering 600 million viewers in its first season.

     

    Two years later, the show is back by popular demand, with even more hard-hitting content – pertinent social issues that a majority of Indians are cut off from. And while it’s too early to predict how season two will fare, judging by viewer response to the first couple of episodes, one can safely say that Star Plus’ 360-degree promotional campaign is working well for the show, and the channel.

     

    The Campaign

     

    Launched on 26 January this year, the marketing campaign for season two of Satyamev Jayate was conceptualised around the thought, “Jinhe Desh Ki Fikr Hai” (Those who care for their country).

     

    Spread across platforms including TV, print, digital, radio and outdoor, a series of on-ground activations with ambient touch-points called ‘Fikr touch points’ were held across the country. To drive greater affinity in the south, actors Mohanlal and Suriya were roped in as cultural ambassadors. A special people’s version of the Satyamev Jayate anthem was created on Radio Mirchi that had ordinary people singing the original anthem and making it their own. What’s more, the show promo garnered 4.4 million views on YouTube before its launch, which is a massive number.

     

    On social media, on the day of the launch of season two, #SatyamevJayate trended as the number one topic across both Twitter and Facebook and together, resulted in 54.2 million impressions. On Yahoo, the show owned it for a day across each Yahoo webpage, resulting in more than 108 million impressions per day and more than four lakh clicks.

     

    To top it all, out-bound calls in Khan’s voice went out to people across the country, resulting in a total 23 million impressions in a day.

     

    The Launch

     

    The opening episode, focused on rape, received an overwhelming response from viewers. The show urged Indians to ‘Vote for change’ and one of Star Plus’ leading protagonists took the cause forward by urging viewers to give a missed call on a toll-free number to help create One stop rape crisis centres across the country. Over 57 lakh missed calls were registered, of which 40 lakh calls were made within the first 72 hours of telecast of the show.

     

    Among the seven hash tags created around the first episode, #FightingRape became the top trending hash tag in India on the day of the launch.

     

    Four weeks before the launch, Satyamev Jayate‘s facebook page had nearly 10,000 PTAT (people talking about this). Today, the number is 7.5 lakh and counting.

     

    At the end of season one of the show, the fan base was 1.4 million fans on facebook, which has now more than doubled to 3.4 million.

     

    The Strategy

     

    Satyamev Jayate is very important for the network at every level; be it content, marketing or any other.

     

    “It’s a unique show like no other. It’s a show that leverages the power of a celebrity and the Star platform to create social impact. The reason it works is because it resonates with the citizen and the viewer who cares for the country and is concerned about these issues. Because these are issues that impact every family,” says Star India EVP marketing and communications Gayatri Yadav.

     

    The theme of the entire first season was “Dil pe lagegi, tab hi baat banegi”. True to its theme, the show talked about issues that touched everybody’s heart. The second season takes it a notch higher.

     

    “The second season takes the whole promise forward. Because it taps into a sense of commitment and concerns that the average citizen has for the country,” she says.

     

    As for the theme of season two, the germ of the idea came from Star India CEO Uday Shankar. “We were thinking about what should be the theme of season two. From the season one, some complained that the show was too heavy and too difficult to watch on a Sunday morning. And we felt that is the nature of the show. The show is intense, it is going to be dealing with issues that are important to address,” she says.

     

    While it may not be the kind of stuff you’d want to see on a Sunday morning, people still do watch it because of the deep love they have for the country. Tapping into the love and concern every citizen has for the country is the promise of season two. “We don’t really see as the episode is over, the cause is over,” says Yadav. “This year, you will see a lot more engagement with the causes, even after the episode airs. As there are only five episodes this month, there will be a real focus on driving a very strong season finale which is the fifth day.”

  • Hindi GECs gear up for Women’s Day

    Hindi GECs gear up for Women’s Day

    MUMBAI: This Women’s Day, television is pulling out all stops to celebrate womanhood. As a tribute to the fairer sex, Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) will run special tracks on some of their popular female-oriented shows.

    As part of its new series, No More Kamzor, Star Plus will honor women who’ve refused to let society defeat their indomitable spirit, empowering others of their ilk through their stories of triumph.

    None other than Vidya Balan, who is the epitome of the strong, modern woman, will host the show that will also see issue-centric performances by the likes of Lauren Gotleib, Sayantani Ghosh and Shakti Mohan, among others.

    Balan will interact with women who dared to bring about a change while sharing with the audience valuable information (guidelines, laws and help lines) during the course of their stories, the aim being to create awareness and empower women.

    “When Star Plus approached me to be part of this show, I didn't have to think twice because as a woman, this is very close to my heart. It is truly an honor for me to be a part of this event, which will inform, empower and inspire millions of women across our country. What better way than this to celebrate womanhood on Women’s day?” said Balan about her participation in the show.

    Not just Star Plus, its sister channel, Life OK, too, will be airing women fight back specials as part of Women’s Day celebrations with Pratyusha Banerjee as host.

    Not to be left behind in the race to woo women, Zee TV will air Stree Samman special at 7pm. The one-hour show will see Neha Marda aka Urmi of Doli Armaanon Ki taking viewers through a journey where protagonists of Zee TV’s different shows will protest injustice against women, sending out a strong message of naari shakti and women's equality and liberation. Some hard-hitting scenes picturized on Zee TV’s leading ladies will be featured on the show; be it Urmi speaking up against eve teasing, Kamla Bai protesting the demolition of her chawl, Gunjan busting a Bihari gang of thugs or Jodha Bai fighting for justice for the slaves in Emperor Akbar’s harem.

    Coming to Colors, with women-oriented shows like Baalika Vadhu and Uttaran already in its kitty, the channel will showcase how Baalika Vadhu’s main protagonist, Anandi, fights for women’s rights along with her sister-in-law, Sanchi. The duo will be seen helping a woman called Avanti in a small village near Jaitsar, even turning to a women’s rights association for help. In addition, the 8 March episode of Bani-Ishq Da Kalma will feature the mother-son bond where the son, in order to make his mother feel better, will prepare a special breakfast for all the ladies of the house, especially his mother.

    Sphere Origins producer Sunjoy Waddhwa who produces Baalika Vadhu believes that women are more superior species than men. “Women’s day is very important, because when we are talking about Baalika Vadhu, we are per say talking about women. In our show, we have shown women’s journey starting from childhood. I think in our show, women’s day has a very big significance because the topic and the issue which we had taken five years back and what we are showing right now is all related to women. The stories are connected to women and what they have gone through and as Baalika Vadhu, how it affects women.”

    As for Sony Entertainment Television, it will air a women’s day special on its dance reality show, Boogie Woogie Kids Championship, where the small fatakas will dedicate the entire episode to all the women they respect and admire.

    For instance, one of the contestants, Abhishek, will dedicate his performance to his mother and perform a stunning dance on the song O naadan Parindey, followed by him humming a few lines of the song Maa from the movie Taare Zameen Par.

     About a whole lot of brands looking to celebrate women this Women’s Day, one media planner says: “There are brands which are targeting to be present on Women’s Day. It helps them to probably improve their presence and therefore better revenues for channels. I am sure they are looking for opportunities which can be leveraged and made bigger.”

    While another planner says that channels witness a 10-15 per cent hike in their revenues during special occasions like Holi, Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day. “Channels which have a special line-up, earn some extra bucks, but by and large, regular programming does not see a huge shift,” he adds on condition of anonymity.

  • ‘Pyaar Ka Dard Hai’ promotes Tourism Australia

    ‘Pyaar Ka Dard Hai’ promotes Tourism Australia

    MUMBAI: Tourism Australia (TA) in partnership with Tourism Victoria (TVIC)and Malaysia Airlines have collaborated with Star Plus, India’s leading Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) to showcase Australia on their top-rated show ‘PyaarKaDard’ (The Pain of Love). Shot at iconic locationsin Melbourne and surrounds, uniquely Australian tourism experiences will be highlighted through a romantic journey of the iconic characters of the show thereby influencing viewers to consider Australia as their next holiday destination.

     

    As part of this highly popular drama series by Rajshri Productions, the lovable young couples of the Dewan family, Aditya and Pankhuri,along with Rubel and Payal set out on a honeymoon visit to Melbourne, Australia. The highlights of their trip includes the lead couplessoaking in the sights and sounds of Melbourne city and surrounds including a fascinating horse carriage ride around the iconic Flinders Station and Federation Square, visit to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, interacting with kangaroos and koalas at Ballarat Wildlife Park, reliving the times of the gold rush at Sovereign Hill, indulging in gourmet delights, enjoying in a self-drive journey across the scenic Great Ocean Road, a helicopter ride over the Twelve Apostles, watching fairy penguins waddle along at Phillips Island, amongst many others.

     

    Mr. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India& Gulf, Tourism Australia, said,“We are extremely pleased to partner with Star Plus to promote Australia as the preferred destination for romantic and family holidays through a show that has a huge appeal for our audience. Through this integration we have the fantastic opportunity to showcase Australia to dedicated viewers of daily soaps and entice them to replicate the holiday experiences of their favorite television actors. This ties in well with our strategy of educating the audience on the range of experiences available in Australia and we look forward to it translating into higher visitor arrivals for the destination.”

     

    Tourism Australia’s brand promotion activities are ongoing till end March 2014 in the two primary markets of Delhi and Mumbai, featuring television, print, digital and out-of-home advertising. Complemented with prominent content integration activities including on Star Plus and the film Shaadi Ke Side Effects are expected to further enhance top-of-mind recall as the next holiday destination for Indian travelers.

     

    As part of the airline co-op activities, Tourism Australia will have a campaign withMalaysia Airlines, also a key partner in the Star Plus content integration project with attractive tactical offers for Indian travelers to Australia.

     

    Celia Ho, Regional Manager South and SE Asia, Tourism Victoria stated “PyaarKaDard airing on Star Plus has one of the highest viewership in India especially across the family audience. We are pleased to be associated with a show that offers a perfect fit to showcase Victoria as a fun and family destination. The state offers an intriguing dimension to the story of the couple. We hope that seeing their favourite characters enjoying the sights and sounds in Victoria will highlight the sheer variety of options and encourage the desire to visit Melbourne.”

     

    According to Mr. Azahar Hamid, Malaysia Airlines’ Regional Senior Vice President, South Asia and Middle East, ‘We are thrilled to be associated with one of the most popular and leading TV programmes like ‘PyaarKaDard’ at Star Plus. This is a great opportunity for us to promote Malaysia Airlines’ five star services globally. I am confident that such associations will help us build major presence in India to showcase our premium offering when travelling on Malaysia Airlines.’

     

    Nikhil Madhok Senior Vice President Marketing and Programming Strategy, Star Plus said, “Star provides the most relevant platforms to brands from across categories to showcase their offerings through seamless integration with our content. Tourism Australia wanted to connect with our audiences at an emotional level hence the honeymoon track in PyaarKaDard has been designed to showcase the scenic offerings of Melbourne as well as well as position Australia as an aspirational honeymoon destination”

     

    Australia has witnessed a solid increase in visitor arrivals from India which is currently its 10th largest inbound tourism market. There were 20,600 visitors from India during December 2013, bringing the total for the twelve months to December to 171,700, an increase of 7.9 per cent relative to the same period previous year. Leisure arrivals during the year 2013 recorded an impressive 15 per cent increase over 2012. India is also the 11th largest source market in terms of expenditure.

  • Sony kick starts its month-long ‘Mission Mumbai’

    Sony kick starts its month-long ‘Mission Mumbai’

    MUMBAI: The last few years have seen the rise of the crime genre on TV. The number of shows in the genre hasn’t just increased in numbers but also in popularity. Usually featuring the stories from the Indian hinterland or Delhi – the crime capital and the surrounding areas. Not much has been told about the crimes in the city of dreams – Mumbai. However, now Sony Entertainment Television is set to tell the gory stories of Mumbai with a one-month special series – Mission Mumbai.

     

    Mission Mumbai will see the two leading crime shows of the channel – CID and Crime Patrol showcasing the terror, corruption, greed, slavery, molestation, kidnapping prevailing in aamchi Mumbai. ACP Pradyuman and his team and Anoop Soni will depict the tale of horrendous crime stories which have recently taken place in the city.

     

    In CID, ACP and his team will solve a series of mysterious and baffling crime cases of Mumbai – from the locals in the city to the interiors of the bustling city – the team will be seen covering all the lifelines of Mumbai. In fact, to bust the crimes, the CID inspectors will also be seen donning the role of dabbawallas. They will investigate crimes targeting women at the lonely kharghar skywalk to going on a chase across Mumbai in search of clues. The cops would also become passengers on a BEST bus to investigate strange murders on a particular route. The cops also solve a case of missing college girls at kanheri caves, a diamond robbery and a mystery at the worli chawl where the cops go undercover.

     

    In Crime Patrol, two incidents which recently shook the city to the core will be recreated. The first case is about the mysterious disappearance of the small-time theatre actress from Mumbai and the second case focuses on the horrific acid attack which ruined the life of a young girl and took place in Mumbai last year.

     

    Mission Mumbai will start from 7 March onwards, 10:00 pm to 11.30 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Punit Goenka crowned ‘Entrepreneur of the year’

    Punit Goenka crowned ‘Entrepreneur of the year’

    MUMBAI: Enterprise Asia conferred the esteemed title of ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ on Mr. Punit Goenka, MD & CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2014 which was held on 4th March 2014 in New Delhi. The award was presented to Mr. Goenka by former Chief Election Commissioner Dr. GV Krishnamurthy.

     

    The prestigious Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) recognises and honors business leaders who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in developing successful businesses within the region. Mr. Goenka was bestowed this award for leading an ever-growing media conglomerate with passion and determination.

     

    On receiving the award, Mr. Goenka said, “I accept this award on behalf of the entire ZEE Family, for it is the result of their hard work and dedication. Our visionary Chairman, Mr. Subhash Chandra, pioneered the private Satellite Television Industry way back in the year 1992, and has proven the importance of foreseeing the market demands well in advance, setting higher benchmarks of entrepreneurship for all of us at ZEE. With great pride, the entire ZEE Family aspires to take his vision forward.”

     

    Mr. Goenka further commented, “During the initial days of my career at ZEE, I came across this beautiful quote on ‘Entrepreneurship’ by Peter Drucker, which said that ‘A true entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.’  In my opinion, it is the best definition of a true entrepreneur in today’s era. An Entrepreneur in this era, has to be all ears to these ever-rising demands of today’s consumers across the globe, and has to satisfy the consumers, by proactively presenting them, the customized offerings. This evening, I believe is a celebration of this entrepreneurial spirit, across Asia Pacific, and I am glad to be a part of it.”

  • Digitisation worked wonders for TV industry, FICCI-KPMG report

    Digitisation worked wonders for TV industry, FICCI-KPMG report

    MUMBAI: The Indian media and entertainment industry grew by about 12 per cent in 2013 amid overall muted growth due to economic slowdown, but digitization of cable TV worked wonders for the television industry, according to a FICCI-KPMG report released ahead of FICCI Frames 2014.

     

    The three-day trade event for the entertainment industry will be held from 12 March, and is expected to be attended by over 2,000 Indian and 600 foreign delegates.

     

    The FICCI-KPMG report said due to the economic slowdown, advertising revenue dependent sectors such as TV and print were impacted on a large scale. The depreciation in the rupee also affected print, cable and DTH companies adversely but helped export oriented sectors such as animation and VFX to some degree. At the same time, this was countered by the impact of continued digitisation of media products and services, and growth in regional media.

     

    Digitisation was moving in the right direction, with the mandatory Digital Access System (DAS) rollout almost complete in Phase II cities. The impact was felt to the extent that carriage fees saw a reduction of 15-20 per cent overall, however the anticipated increase in ARPUs and subscription revenues for broadcasters and MSOs (Multi System Operators) is expected to be realized only over the next 2-3 years.

     

    Other key highlights in 2013 were the inclusion of LC1 (less than class I) markets in TV ratings, the 12 minute advertising cap ruling and the shift from TRP to TVT ratings.

     

    What gained was the film industry by recording a double digit growth, albeit slower than in 2012, thanks to the multiple movies scoring big at the box office collections. Approximately 90-95 per cent movie screens are now digitised in the country, with a shift in focus to tier II and III cities. Going forward, multiplex growth is expected to slow down, in line with the overall delays and future expectations for retail sector and commercial real estate development, impacting box office growth in the short term.

     

    The Print sector continued to buck the global slowdown trend. The sector grew at a CAGR of 8.5 per cent this year to reach INR 243 billion. Regional markets performed exceedingly well on the back of steady advertiser spends, state election impact and new launches. However, with the validity of IRS data called into question by the industry majors, the sector in the short term suffers from the lack of a robust measurement system, critical for decisions on media planning and allocations.

     

    The total internet user base in India grew to approximately 214 million by end of the year with almost 130 million going online using mobile devices. Mobile Internet users dominated the total internet user base capturing an overall share of 61 per cent.

     

    Digital media advertising in India grew faster than any other advertising category. Streaming and download services continued to see growth in the music industry, with the growth in mobiles, in particular smartphones, contributing significantly to increased consumption of music ‘on-the-go’. However, with the continued decline in physical sales, compounded by the significant fall in ringback tone revenues (following the backlash of TRAI guidelines issues in 2012), the sector saw an overall fall in size by 10 per cent in 2013.

     

    Going forward, digital revenues are expected to drive growth in the sector. Further, the vibrant live events sector is expected to continue its role as a catalyst for driving growth in artists’ fan-base, and public performance royalties.

     

    FICCI M&E committee chairman Uday Shankar said 2013 was a challenging year for the media and entertainment sector. He opines: “2013 has been an important year for the media and entertainment sector. It was a year of challenges and significant change. The industry dealt with a host of issues that will lay the foundation for robust growth in the years to come.”

     

    Television saw the implementation of the 10+2 advertising cap, seeding of set top boxes in DAS 1 and II phases was largely completed – setting the stage of revenue growth and expansion in genres. The film sector continued to mature on the back of multiplex expansion and a wide range of content succeeding.

     

    Radio and print continue to defy global trends and await positive regulatory intervention that will take these sectors to greater heights. I am certain that the insights and findings from this report will provide a comprehensive and useful lens for all of us in the industry.

     

    KPMG head of M&E Jehil Thakkar states: “2013 was a year in which many parts of the M&E industry paused and took stock. Focus shifted from top line growth to bottom line growth with companies focusing on operations and efficiency. Inspite of a very challenging macro environment, the industry grew 12 per cent, a far better performance than many other industries. The structural changes taking place in the industry – especially in television and digital, continued to take the industry down the path of fulfilling its potential.”

     

    This year, the report also highlights opportunities that could come from tapping international markets such as the US and Middle East, with a special feature on opportunities in South Africa and Nigeria.

     

    Going forward, there is need for continued positive regulatory intervention, such as implementation of Phase III for the radio sector. In an increasingly digitised media world, the ability to create compelling and targeted content across multiple channels, will be the bedrock for creating differentiation in a cluttered market.