ITV

Category: GECs

  • ‘Pavitra Rishta’ to be replaced by Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Kumkum Bhagya’

    ‘Pavitra Rishta’ to be replaced by Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Kumkum Bhagya’

    MUMBAI: Two decades ago, Ekta Kapoor started her association with Zee TV with the popular sitcom – Hum Paanch.

     

    And since then there is no looking back. The queen of television especially the primetime slot is back with a new show on the channel.  The new offering will be replacing her own successful and popular show ‘Pavitra Rishta’.

     

    The show ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ will once again see Kapoor’s blue-eyed boy Shabbir Ahluwalia who has shied away from facing the camera since 2012, essaying a role of Rockstar with a cult following on the show. The lead actress of the show is played by Sriti Jha who will play the elder amongst the two sisters on the show loosely based on Jane Austen’s classic ‘Sense and Sensibility’.

     

    The Indian interpretation follows the life of a mother who runs a marriage hall and lives with the hope of seeing her two daughters – poles apart in bearing, outlook and disposition, happily married some day. Known for making shows that are women-centric, the pivotal characters of the show are a bunch of strong, feisty women, living together in an all-female, matriarchal family.

     

    On her new show, Kapoor said, “All I can say is that it’s a very passionate story of love …!”

     

    But does this spell ‘The End’ for the former show?  Not really, ‘Pavitra Rishta’ will now be aired Monday to Friday at 6:30 pm on the channel.

     

    Talking about the time shuffle amongst her projects, Kapoor said, “Pavitra Rishta has been on-air for over four years now and the journey has been most gratifying for me as a maker. After ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu thi’ if there is any other show which is close to my heart, then it is ‘Pavitra Rishta’. The characters of Manav, Archana, Arjun, Purvi and now Ankita-Naren have endeared themselves to the audience, so much so that they are an inseparable part of their lives. While the audiences who are hooked on to ‘Pavitra Rishta’ will continue to enjoy the show at 6:30 pm, the new show ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ will open at 9 pm, drawing maximum eyeballs.”

  • MSM Motion Pictures unveils first look of its new movie Youngistaan

    MSM Motion Pictures unveils first look of its new movie Youngistaan

    MUMBAI: It will be the third film from its slate to hit Indian screens when it releases on 28 March this year. Youngistaan, a collaborative venture between Multi Screen Media (MSM) Motion Pictures and the Vashu Bhagnani owned Pooja Pictures, is scheduled to be simultaneously rolled out on 1,000 screens nationally and shows the studio’s commitment to bring out medium to small budget films which are likely to find a connect with India’s urban youth.

     

    Directed by Sayed Ahmed Afzal, the movie is about Abhimanyu Kaul played by Jackky Bhagnani who after the sudden turn of events is expected to fill his father’s shoes as the Prime Minister of India. The film has been shot in several locations including Japan, Lucknow, Agra, Indore, Gurgaon and Noida. Apart from Jackky, the film also stars Neha Sharma, the late Farooq Shaikh and Boman Irani.

     

    “Youngistaan is a movie that should appeal to the youth. It is not about who you vote for but it’s about your right to vote and that you must exercise that franchisee,” says MSM Motion Pictures CEO NP Singh.  “Vashu Bhagnani, the co-producer of the movie,  approached us some six months back. We have earlier acquired a lot of movies from his banner for our TV channels. So our association goes long back. The best way to do a business is to completely trust your partner and this is the relationship I share with Vashu and so got into producing this movie with him. The script was powerful and we wanted to make a movie with a message. This was the right kind of movie for our banner.”

     

    Adds Jackky: “The movie is a complete entertainer that caters to the fervent and enthusiastic youth of our nation. It centers around the lives of today’s youth, who want to be heard and want to make a difference. The movie is special because I believe in it.”

     

    Singh points out that the film has pan India appeal. “So we are not after a particular market, but targeting all the markets. Though no final decision has been taken, but the movie will be released to close to 1000 screens,” adds Singh.

     

    A push across several media has been planned for Youngistaan.  Right from using all MSM network channels to using various digital media. “We will not leave any stone unturned in marketing the movie. We are planning a city wise promotion tour as well as several shows aired on Sony will see be used to integrate the film and its actors,” he informs.

     

    A Youngistaan campaign has also been created as a mobile app for promotions. “For the first time ever, the app will contain photos and trailers of the movie with a watermark. This is to help youngsters interact with each other through the app which will be launched on all the platforms,” adds Jackky.

     

    MSM Motion Pictures’ has taken dainty and cautious steps into the business of movies over the past year with its first venture being Bajate Raho.  Its second title, a horror film,  Darr at the Mall will release on 21 February pan India in around 800-1000 screens, while Youngistaan will be followed by Mango. Its fifth offering Ghoom Ketu has signed up the new darling of several film makers – Nawazuddin Siddiqui. “This should release in July. And with that we will have five films on our slate. Then in the next couple of months we will get into commissioning other films,” reveals Singh.

     

    Is its film catalogue helping MSM make money? Its debut film Bajate Raho did not really get the cash registers ringing. “We have just had one commercial release so far which was Bajate Raho. So it is too early to comment on whether we are making money. We can talk about it only after all the five releases,” confesses Singh.

     

    With most movies being aired on television now, will we  see a world television premiere of Youngistaan sooner than later? “It is true that the windows today have shrunk but we will take a call on Youngistaan’s  TV premiere post its release in cinema halls, ” concludes Singh.

  • Life OK rakes in ratings with ‘Screen Awards’

    Life OK rakes in ratings with ‘Screen Awards’

    MUMBAI: In the week 4 of TAM TV ratings, Colors returned to the number two position. Life OK that acquired one of the biggest award properties – the Screen Awards – this year, gained a lot because of it. The award show that was telecast on 25 January with Shah Rukh Khan as the host, garnered 8,998 TVTs for the channel.

     

    While the top three Hindi GECs – Star Plus, Colors and Zee TV, witnessed a sharp decline in their viewership, Star Plus continued to lead the ratings chart by garnering 606,361 GVTs (625,772). Colors reclaimed its second position and registered 449,428 GVTs (466,690), whereas Zee TV that moved to its usual third spot garnered 441,168 GVTs (470,680). Life OK maintained its fourth spot with a record 375,025 GVTs (347,326). Sab fetched 323,148 GVTs (318,311), and Sony at number six scored 253,722 GVTs (257,635). Sahara One continued to be at the bottom of the chart by recording 36,351 GVTs (35,959).     

     

    Coming back to Star Plus, its dance reality show Nach Baliye 6 saw a dip and recorded at 3,727 TVTs (4,449). The viewership of the epic series Mahabharat also declined as it could manage just 6,954 TVTs (7,538).

     

    On Colors, the fifth edition of the talent reality show – India’s Got Talent lost viewers too as it scored just 7,187 TVTs (7,857) on Saturday and Sunday. However, Comedy Nights With Kapil scored 10,091 TVTs (11,016)

     

    Zee TV again witnessed a dip in almost all its offerings. Its sitcom Bh Se Bhade scored 1,712 TVTs (1,931), dance reality show – Dance India Dance 4 lost its charm on Saturday when it witnessed a major drop and scored 2,974 TVTs (6,838). However, on Sunday it got a better response as it garnered 4,036 TVTs (3,878). Its fiction series Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya also saw a minor rise in its viewership with 3,883 TVTs (3,637).

     

    Sony’s dance reality show – Boogie Woogie Kids Championship saw a drop in its seventh week and garnered 2,080 TVTs (2,381).

     

    In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 221,256 GVTs (198,135); Star Gold registered 211,743 GVTs (216,328) and Movies OK scored 140,490 GVTs (138,124). While &pictures scored 93,142 GVTs (93,317), Zee Anmol earned 71,456 GVTs (74,522) and Max scored 230,720 GVTs (203,203).

  • Life OK brings Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav initiative to Kolkata

    Life OK brings Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav initiative to Kolkata

    KOLKATA: After getting an overwhelming response in Haridwar, Allahabad, Varanasi, New Delhi, Kanpur and Patna, general entertainment channel (GEC) Life OK has brought the “Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav” initiative to Kolkata, titled Kolkatta Samvaad.

     

    The initiative was started in January last year and was to be held in eight cities across the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal with the hope of becoming the harbinger of change. The initiative, during the launch promised to take small differentiating steps to ensure a brighter future for Ganga.

     

    “Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav is a program to sensitise and create social awareness towards the issues impacting and the plausible solutions required to the conservation of the river Ganga,” said a release issued to the press in Kolkata.

     

    In fact, the GEC organised a discussion session on – ‘Need to save the Ganga for the future generations’ which explored the impact of polluted Ganga on every individual and the measures that can be taken to save it.

     

    Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur remarked that the initiative would engage all stakeholders to find probable solutions to conserve the river.

  • Satyamev Jayate back for season II – with a difference

    Satyamev Jayate back for season II – with a difference

    MUMBAI: In its first season, it did swimmingly well for Hindi GEC Star Plus. It created humungous amounts of buzz, won critical acclaim from industry leaders and activists and also generated laudable veiwership ratings for an otherwise barren Sunday morning slot. Now, the Aamir Khan-hosted Satyamev Jayate is ready to make a comeback for its second season; to engage viewers with its hard focus on tackling ills which plague the Indian social system.The format is almost the same; viewers will see that when it begins airing sometime in March 2014 – the difference is that it will be telecast in tranches.

     

    Satyamev Jayate season 1 marked the debut of the method actor Aamir Khan on the small screen. It also marked the debut of social activism television in India, decades after shows such as Raajni did on Doordarshan in a fictionalised format. His inimitable and methodical approach towards exposing society’s malaises helped Satyamev Jayate  become a household name. Viewers eagerly waited for the clock to strike 11 am every Sunday morning so that they could catch Aamir Khan at his inquisitive best.  

     

    The director of the show – Satyajit Batkal says that season 2 will have the same tenor and feel in the creative. The decision to showcase the episodes of the show in parts, with breaks in between was taken because “as we feel there is so much we want to tell and do and this will help us in that. Also, it will let people work towards the causes they want to change.” 

     

    Apparently, the year-long break helped the team at Aamir Khan Productions to conduct elaborate research on the topics chosen. The show has a sticker price of around Rs 3 crore to Rs 3.5 crore according to sources and all the five 

     

    March episodes have already been fully shot and wrapped up, says Batkal.

     

    But will this tack of airing just five episodes and then taking a break before airing the next tranche work? A media planner says the show will be a big draw at a time when the country is going through an upheaval  politically and economically. But however he admits that audience stickiness could be an issue.  “Out of sight is out of mind,” he says. “It is quite probable that  channel will lose out on some money with this break pattern.” 

    Others disagree.  “Remember, the show is about sparking social change amongst Indian citizens; raising social awareness. Giving the common man some hope, this is what Satyamev Jayate did, and the initiative has been recognised by not just governments but also by several organisations,” says another media planner. “You can’t forget how AAP  – which is about the common man – stormed its way into the hearts of Delhi-ites who then swept it to power. Aamir Khan is Aamir Khan. The loyal followers are going to be drawn in come what may, even if there is a break”
     

    No official communication has emerged from Star Plus as yet, but the show is quite likely to to air on all channels of the Star network to get it maximum viewership.

  • Chrome Data: AAP helps English News genre to claim the top slot in week 4

    Chrome Data: AAP helps English News genre to claim the top slot in week 4

    MUMBAI: After a lull period in week three, the viewers are back in form as the viewership of the idiot box has gone up considerably.

     

    It seems the AAP tactics worked well for the news channels as the English news genre garnered 30.6 per cent opportunity to see (OTS) collated by Chrome Data Analytics & Media for week four of the year.

     

    As expected, Times Now in the eight metros once again ruled the genre with 87.8 per cent OTS.

     

    English entertainment channels also got a grip over its loyal viewers and bounced back with 20.9 per cent to be at the second position in the eight metros. Star World took over AXN to be at the top in the genre with 71.9 per cent OTS.

     

    English movie channels also got back on track with the telecast of new and interesting movies that got the viewers hooked on to the genre. It gained 14.3 per cent in the eight metros. Pix continued to rule the genre in the eight metros with 78.5 per cent OTS.

     

    Music genre was at the fourth position with a marginal jump of 0.2 per cent. MTV, thanks to its popular property – Roadies that came back with its eleventh season, over took Sony Mix to be on the top of the chart with 88.6 per cent OTS.

     

    As for the bottom four, the kids genre saw the highest dip with 18.3 per cent in the all India segment. Cartoon Network remained the most popular among the kids with 85.9 per cent OTS.

     

    Infotainment channels too witnessed a dip of 13.7 per cent across India. However, Discovery got the highest  OTS among the genre. The channel scored 90.8 per cent.

     

    Hindi news and religious channels saw a dip of 9.4 per cent and 6.4 per cent in the Hindi speaking market (HSM). In the Hindi news genre, ABP News gained 93.1 per cent, while Aastha channel continued to show viewers their philosophical side and garnered 98.5 OTS.

  • Colors to extend four weekday shows to Saturday from 1 Feb

    Colors to extend four weekday shows to Saturday from 1 Feb

    MUMBAI: The TV production community was agog with the news that leading Hindi general entertainment channel Star Plus is stretching its weekday fiction prime time programming lineup to Saturday. But no official announcement was a-coming from it. However, the other leading GEC Colors has gone ahead and announced that it is extending four of its weekday fiction shows to Saturdays. And promotions are already underway.

     

    Colors’ CEO Raj Nayak even went ahead and personally posted a promo on social networking sites – Facebook and Twitter – highlighting what was being planned.

     

    Come Saturday, 1 February viewers will get to engage with Sanskaar, Sasural Simar Ka, Balika Vadhu and Madhubala between 7 pm and 9 pm.

     

    “We implemented six days a week last year; we took a break as we needed to give our production teams and artistes a breather. Having taken a short interval, we are coming back six days a week,” remarks Nayak,  adding that the experiment had worked well for the channel in 2013 and that is why it is being repeated.

     

    Two promos are hammering this message out to viewers across all the channels of the Network 18 group.

     

    The reason for choosing these particular shows is not their popularity but the time band they air in, says Nayak. Colors has two popular non-fiction properties – India’s Got Talent and Comedy Nights with Kapil – being telecast on the weekend at 9 pm and 10 pm respectively. However, the channel had nothing else to fill the slot prior to 9 pm. In the earlier weeks of January, it chose to telecast the summaries of two of its newly launched shows – Rangrasiya and Beintehaa, while last Saturday a special programme – Mirchi Top 20 – ran. 

     

    In fact, it is win-win situation for all parties associated. The production houses associated with these shows think that telecast of the shows on four extra days in a month gives the shows more visibility, also resulting in good GRPs. However, since the number of episodes per month are increasing, so is the pressure to deliver.

     

    “But we try to balance that out by introducing parallel tracks and planning episodes much in advance,” says Saurabh Tewari from Nautanki Films  that produces Madhubala, who also adds that the remuneration of almost everyone associated  has also increased for the extra work.

     

    Putting fiction shows on the weekend is also cheaper for Hindi GECs. New Hindi movies are becoming more and more expensive; big ticket non-fiction shows cost a bomb, thanks to the fat cheques dished out to film stars for becoming a part of them. Additionally, in the case of Colors, it is most likely going to put aside expensive properties on its second GEC Rishtey to build a connect with audiences. Hence, fiction shows, with a tab of Rs 7 lakh to 10 lakh and episode on an average are less of a drain on resources.

     

    Advertisers have welcomed the weekend fiction deluge, says Nayak, adding.  “they put their money where there is good content. All our advertisers who buy advertising on these shows will extend their buys to the weekend as well.”

     

    Lodestar UM vice-president Deepak Netram – while accepting that moolah will be made – however, is more circumspect and cautious from the viewer’s viewpoint. 
     

    He says: “I am not too sure if the regular weekday fare would work during the weekend. Since the number of male audiences are more, non-fiction or special programmes work better.”

     

    Netram opines that reason for Colors to extend its programming till Saturday could be because rival Star Plus is also walking the same path. He remarks: “The core audience of any GEC is the one which consumes fiction. Colors is probably wanting to retain its fiction show fans; and not lose them to a rival channel which is extending its fiction content to the weekend also,” he says.

     

    Colors has already announced the D-day for its new programming tack: 1 February. Star Plus has not; but the buzz is that the date might well be 8 February. The battle for eyeballs on the weekend has just begun.

  • MTV India gets a programming head in Vikas Gupta

    MTV India gets a programming head in Vikas Gupta

    MUMBAI: MTV India is all set to strengthen its programming team. After almost a decade, the channel will have a programming head in Vikas Gupta. The channel confirmed the development with indiantelevision.com. An official from the channel informed that Gupta will take up the new role from 3 February, 2014 and will report to MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy.

     

    Confirming the news Gupta ecstatically remarked, “Yes, I am going to join in as the programming head for MTV India.”

     

    “MTV is always known for the brand it is. The fact that it has an amazing youth appeal will always be at the back of our mind while making the shows. Making aspirational and youth-centric shows will always be the mantra for the channel,” adds Gupta.

     

    He started his career as a trainee with Balaji Telefilms and then moved on to DJ’s Creative Unit as an associate creative head where he worked for four months. He went back to Balaji Telefilms for a successful stint as an associate creative director and was associated with shows like Kis Desh Main Hai Meraa Dil and Kitni Mohabbat Hai.

     

    Interestingly, the TV fraternity also recognises him as the youngest creative director of the industry. He entered the industry at a young age of 19. After getting enough experience as a creative, he turned to production and started his own banner – A Lost Boy Productions – almost three years ago. In the last three years, the production house has come up with entertaining and critically acclaimed shows like Channel [V]’s Gumrah and The Serial (co-produced with Balaji Telefilms); and Bindass’ Yeh Hai Aashiqui.

     

    Earlier, he has also worked with Max New York Life Insurance for almost a year.

  • Sri Adhikari Brothers to raise Rs 100 crore

    Sri Adhikari Brothers to raise Rs 100 crore

    MUMBAI: It is one of the more successful Indian-origin companies in the media industry that delved into the comedy genre with SAB TV, which it sold to the Sony Entertainment Television in India. It followed that up with niche channel forays, the most recent of which is a Marathi comedy and music channel Maiboli. Now, Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd (SABTNL), has once again drawn up ambitious expansion plans and has decided to raise funds of upto Rs 100 crore to bankroll them.

     

    In a disclosure to the Bombay Stock Exchange, SABTNL  says that it will be offering 100 lakh warrants with an option to subscribe for equivalent number of equity shares of Rs 10 each at a price that may be determined by SEBI regulations. The warrants are to be issued on a preferential basis to the persons in the promoter group and others.

     

    The purpose of the fund raising exercise, says SABTNL, is to meet general long term financial and working capital needs and also to expand its successfully growing broadcasting business. The plans are subject to shareholder approval  which it will be seeking through postal ballot.

  • Shutters down on Life OK’s ‘Do Dil Ek Jaan’

    Shutters down on Life OK’s ‘Do Dil Ek Jaan’

    MUMBAI: Recently, Star Plus announced that it will be extending its weekday programming till Saturday.

     

    The team at Life OK, the second GEC from the Star Network, seems to be following suit. The channel plans to increase the telecast time of two of its popular fiction shows – Gustakh Dil and Tumhari Paakhi – to one hour. The move comes after the channel’s decision to pull the curtains down on Nautanki Films’ Do Dil Ek Jaan on 24 January.

     

    The producer of the show, Saurabh Tewari confirmed the news to indiantelevision.com and said: “May be, the characters of the show did not click with the audiences and it resulted in poor TVTs and thus we had no option but to pull the curtains down.”

     

    However, the two shows that will fill the void have been doing really well and thus they will now air for an hour each. Gustakh Dil which airs at 7.30 pm will now be telecast from 7-8 pm; and Tumhari Paakhi which currently airs at 9.30 pm, will be telecast from 9-10 pm from 27 January onwards.

     

    The two shows have registered 1,930 and 2,130 TVTs respectively in the Week 3 of TAM TV ratings.

     

    However, when we contacted the producers of the two shows, they were unavailable to comment.

     

    But a source from the channel reveals that the decision has been taken as the channel doesn’t plan to launch any new shows for the next two to three months. Says the source: “The shows are doing really well and I hope the viewers won’t be complaining.”

     

    Even media planners think this to be a good move, not just for the channel but also the advertisers. However, some feel that there are chances of people switching to other programmes during the telecast of the show as they would not like to miss the shows they are used to watching during that time slot.