ITV

Category: GECs

  • Big Magic International enhances content portfolio in the US and Canada

    Big Magic International enhances content portfolio in the US and Canada

    MUMBAI: Big Magic International, launched a year ago, will now beef up its content line up with two new fictional shows ‘Raavi’ and ‘Nadaniyaan’ along with films acquired from Viacom 18.

     

    With a content mix that ranges entertainment shows to daily business news from BloombergTV India, the international channel promises an inclusive and absolute package for its viewers. At start, the shows will be available on BIG MAGIC International – in the United States and Canada.

     

    Through exclusive partnerships, ‘Raavi’ and ‘Nadaniyaan’ will air on Big Magic International in the US with the largest DTH platform – Dish Network and in Canada with Ethnic Channels Group (EGCL).

     

    In the United States, Dish Network will ensure it reaches a sizeable and relevant audience of more than 14.3 million households. In Canada, with Ethnic Channels Group (EGCL) a Canada-based television broadcasting, distribution and communications company, specializing in multicultural television, the Channel will air across all major platforms like Rogers Cable, Bell DTH, Bell Fibe, Cogeco and Telus, reaching over 6.4 million households.

     

    Marketing of the shows will see an extensive digital and on air campaign, along with an on ground leg. With Big Magic International’s alliances with large scale events like Shankar-Ehsaan Loy Concert, India Fair, Asian American Fair etc.

     

    Speaking on the announcement, International Business executive VP Soumen Ghosh Choudury said “The new shows on Big Magic International are part of our endeavour to offer a complete entertainment package that appeals to the Indian Diaspora. Both shows add to the robust programming line-up, and meet the entertainment penchants of our audiences. We will, through our Channel, engage with audiences across the mediums of on air, digital and on ground for a more holistic entertainment experience.”

     

    “BIG Magic International being the Variety entertainment channel has marked its presence in USA. These new fiction and comedy shows, and Bollywood movies on the weekend, will definitely add on to its growth and increase its viewership”, said Big Magic International’s exclusive advertising agency in the US market Mediamorphosis co-founder Poulami Mukherjee.

     

    With Ethnic Channels Group as its exclusive partner in Canada, the group’s president Hari Srinivas, said, “Big Magic is poised for greater growth in Canada, and the new programming initiatives will fuel this growth”

     

    The channel’s programming remains an eclectic mix of daily sitcoms, socio-mytho programs, crime shows, dramas, and religious shows handpicked from Big Magic India, along with news from the very credible BloombergTV India.

  • Havells eyes 11% growth in FY14

    Havells eyes 11% growth in FY14

    KOLKATA: FMCG and electrical company, Havells India is looking at a growth of 10-11 per cent in the current fiscal 2013-14.

     

    The company is investing a whopping Rs 50 crore for new home appliance facility at Neemrana – Rajasthan, said Havells associate director Y K Gupta in Kolkata on Thursday, on the sidelines of launching a range of products including, new air-fryer.

     

    Tollywood actress Rituparna Sengupta launched a new range of home appliances.

     

    The company said the total debt in the books of London based Havells Sylvania, subsidiary of Havells India, has come down to close to € 80 million and the loan had been rescheduled this year.

     

    “The initial loan was € 220 million when we acquired it in 2007 and that has been reduced to € 80 million now. The repayment will be done through internal accruals of Havells Sylvania and there is no stress in that,” Havells officials said.

     

    The company already has a large scale lighting fixture plant at Neemrana and is now expanding into new products. The plant is expected to be operational from February next year. Home appliances business which stood at Rs 200 crore is projected to jump to Rs 500 crore by 2015, the company said.

     

    The company’s revenue accounted for Rs 7,248 crore while Rs 3,000 crore was the turnover came from overseas during the last fiscal.

     

    “We are happy to launch two of our topline products during the festive period of Durga Puja. Food has always been an integral part of our celebrations and this Puja one can enjoy healthy food with the newly launched airfryer,” ended Gupta.

  • Zeel adds more zeal with Mihir Modi as CFO

    Zeel adds more zeal with Mihir Modi as CFO

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) today appointed Mihir Modi as chief finance & strategy officer in place of Hitesh Vakil, who is now elevated as CEO – service excellence.
    Recognising his valuable contribution, the company has elevated Hitesh Vakil as the CEO – service excellence

    Hitesh Vakil has been with Zeel for the last 19 years, and has been an integral part of the company’s journey of over two decades. Recognising his valuable contribution, the company has elevated him as the CEO – service excellence, making him responsible of setting up a state-of-the-art shared service centre which will offer shared services across the group.

    Modi, a chartered accountant and post graduate in management from Indian School of Business (ISB), comes with over 16 years of experience spanning across M&A, strategy, finance and general management in diverse businesses across Europe, Africa and India in varied roles. His last assignment was as CFO-Darling Business (JV between Godrej and Darling Group) at Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. Modi as chief finance & strategy officer will be responsible for finance, strategy and business development.   

    Modi’s appointment is with effect from 10 October, 2013 and he will directly report in to Zeel MD & CEO Punit Goenka.

  • Reliance joins the horde of TV channels challenging the 12 minute ad cap in TDSAT

    Reliance joins the horde of TV channels challenging the 12 minute ad cap in TDSAT

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) today said a petition by Reliance Big Broadcasting, Mumbai, relating to their television channels will be heard along with other matters challenging issues relating to the ad cap sought to be implemented by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

     

    The matters will be heard by the TDSAT on 21 October along with other channels such as Music Xpress, Mastiii, B4U Music, M Tunes and 9XM.

     

    Earlier, TDSAT had accepted an assurance by TRAI not to take any coercive action against television channels from 1 October, when the ad cap of 12 minutes per hour was to have come into force.

     

    In a hearing earlier this week in a similar matter, counsel for TRAI had told TDSAT that an anomalous situation had been created with some channels having accepted the ad cap with effect from 1 October. It was therefore requested that the matter be resolved once for all.

     

    TRAI has so far admitted a large number of matters including one by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which seeks to challenge the status quo of TRAI in the matter. That petition had been listed for hearing on 11 November but will now be heard along with the others.

     

    The Tribunal had earlier said that while the channels will maintain weekly records of the advertising time per hour on a weekly basis, they will not be required to submit this to the regulator. Unlike the current practice, the records will only be submitted to TDSAT at the time of the hearing of the case.

     

    At that time, Counsel A J Bhambani for the NBA had said that a delegation of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) had submitted a formula to the regulator but that did not preclude the broadcasters from challenging the validity of the regulations.

     

    He also said that this was only a compromise reached between the broadcasters and the regulator and could not form the basis of penal action since it was not a regulation or legal provision.

  • Now avail Dish TV on the go

    Now avail Dish TV on the go

    NEW DELHI: Commemorating completion of 10 years in the business, the country’s oldest DTH platform – Dish TV – today launched its services on laptops, tablets and smart phones, albeit available only to those customers who subscribe to the platform on television.

     

    Significantly, this is a first for any DTH player to have launched a full-fledged, OTT (Over the top) streaming application that provides unlimited entertainment ‘on the go’.
    The platform expects to add nearly 50,000 subscribers in the same period for its latest innovation

     

    Dish TV will make available the additional service in two packages: the Jumbo Pack for Rs 129 per month and the Starter Pack for Rs 49 every month. Initially though, these packs will be available for Rs 69 and Rs 29 per month, respectively. However, the platform will offer a free trial for the first two days.So what’s on offer? The packs come with 35 plus live channels, 1000 plus films in their video library, and the capacity to see repeats of TV series episodes within 24 hours. CEO RC Venkateish says he expects the number of live channels to increase further.

     

    How can the service be accessed? It’s available on Android and Apple app and works wonderfully on 3G or Wifi. Powered by Essel owned Zee’s Ditto TV aided by Siemens, the service will shortly be available on Windows 8. The application can be downloaded from the Google Playstore or Apple App Store.

     

    Speaking of Dish TV’s versatility as a platform, vice president (marketing) Anjali Malhotra says Dish TV was the first to launch HD TV channels (42 channels presently), Dish on wheels which made it possible to view channels in moving cars/trains/ships, recorders with unlimited capacity, value added services, and now Dish Online – Anywhere, Everywhere.

     

    Malhotra claims 50,000 recorders have been sold in just six months and the platform expects to add nearly 50,000 subscribers in the same period for its latest innovation, considering 35 per cent mobile consumers use smart phones. Malhotra says Essel is now a Rs 2,200 crore company while COO Salil Kapoor says Dish TV is Asia’s largest and the world’s third largest DTH platform.

     

    About the films component of the package, Kapoor explains Dish TV subscribers can register simply by sending their account details where expenses would be added to their main bill.

     

    Apart from print and other media, the service will be mainly marketed on Zee channels and through messages to all Dish TV subscribers through their mobile numbers.

     

    Fielding queries as to why Dish TV thought of such a service, Kapoor goes on to explain that India is the third largest Internet player in the world with 74 million subscribers; 75 per cent of whom are between 15 and 35 years of age. This demographic is expected to increase five-fold by 2015, of which three-fourth is expected to own mobiles. Currently, an estimated 60,025,000 Indians have watched videos on their personal computers or laptops.

  • Bollywood war breaks out over Middle Eastern skies

    Bollywood war breaks out over Middle Eastern skies

    MUMBAI: Very soon, Hindi film fans in the Middle East are going to be spoilt for choice. Here’s how.

    After launching Zee Aflam in 2008, Zee Entertainment Enterprises yesterday premiered the Dubai-based Zee Film Hindi, which boasts a repertoire of over 500 movie titles and up to 1,500 hours of entertainment every year. Zee Film Hindi has an operational office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and can be accessed through the Arabsat Badr-4 satellite on frequency 12111. What’s more, mid-October will see the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) launch MBC Bollywood, a free-to-air channel available via Nilesat and catering to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, with a portfolio of over 300 Hindi films – dubbed in Arabic or sub-titled.

    While this promises a visual feast for Bollywood fans, what cannot be ruled out is the severe competition it will spark.

    About Zee Film Hindi, Zee Entertainment president – Middle East, North Africa, Turkey & Pakistan Mukund Cairae says: “Since its inception, Zee has worked towards widening the reach of Indian cinema to audiences across the world. We started Zee Aflam five years ago to re-introduce Bollywood to the Arab world. The acceptance from the viewers has led to a huge growth of the genre itself. The launch of ‘Film Hindi’ is a testament to our efforts to continue to bridge and unify audiences in the Middle East, by building on the similarities with the Indian Subcontinent.”

    Cairae points out that  between Zee Aflam and Film Hindi, Zee plans to offer a variety of movies straddling Bollywood and Indie cinema.

    About MBC Bollywood, which is expected to give other Bollywood channels a run for their TRPs, a Dubai-based source says: “With the MBC group already capturing 80 per cent of the advertising market in the Middle East, the new entrant may impact the fortunes of  even Zee Aflam and B4U Aflam.”

    The latest addition to MBC’s existing bouquet of 10 channels, MBC Bollywood, promises to cater to the huge demand for Bollywood movies in the Middle East.

    “Zee Aflam is presently the number one bollywood movie channel in the Middle East, with an estimated $ 9 million per annum  advertising revenue. This will surely get impacted with MBC Bollywood,” the source said. And if reports are to be believed, MBC Bollywood may be one of the reasons why  UTV Movies Arabia could be going off-air by the end of this month.

    A trip down MBC lane

    Historically speaking, the satellite transmission for MBC first started from London in September 1991, making it the first-ever, independent Arabic satellite TV station, and a market leader – delivering news and quality, family entertainment programming to over 130 million Arabic speaking people around the world.

    The channel recently moved its headquarters to Dubai Media City, bringing production closer to its Arab viewers.

    The group’s channel bouquet reach out to nearly 300 million Arabs across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and South America.

    Among these figure: MBC1 (general family entertainment), MBC2 and MBC MAX (24-hour movies), MBC3 (children’s entertainment), MBC4 (entertainment for new Arab women), MBC Action (action series and movies), MBC Persia (24-hour movie channel dubbed in Persian), Al Arabiya (the 24-hour Arabic language news channel), Wanasah (24-hour Arabic music channel) and MBC Drama (Arabic drama).

    The group also has two radio stations: MBC FM (Gulf music), and Panorama FM (contemporary Arabic hit music) and O3 Productions (a specialised documentary production unit).

    For all purposes, it is the Goliath of the middle east. Can the Davids measure up?

  • HBO’s ‘Hello Ladies’ debuts in India 8 October on HBO Defined

    HBO’s ‘Hello Ladies’ debuts in India 8 October on HBO Defined

    MUMBAI: In his first lead role in a comedy series, Golden Globe winner Stephen Merchant (executive producer, director, writer and actor of Life’s Too Short and executive producer of The Ricky Gervais Show) stars in a brand new HBO Original series Hello Ladies as a gawky, 6’7” tall web designer named Stuart, searching for excitement and romance in Los Angeles. This hilarious eight-episode season premieres in India on Tuesday, 8 October at 9.30 pm exclusively on HBO Defined.

    The storyline follows Stuart, a recent transplant from England, in search for the woman of his dreams amidst the dazzling nightlife of Los Angeles, but his romantic aspirations far outstretch his looks or appeal. Half as charming – and twice as desperate – as he believes he is. Stuart is obsessed with infiltrating the glamorous world of beautiful people who won’t let him in.

    Other series regulars on Hello Ladies include Christine Woods (Go On, Perfect Couples) as Jessica, an unsuccessful actress unsure of both her place in the world and her on-again, off-again romance with her agent; Nate Torrence (Get Smart, She’s Out of My League) as Wade, reluctantly re-entering the dating world after being dumped by the wife he still loves; and Kevin Weisman (Alias) as Kives, who parlays disability to his advantage in picking up women. Guest stars on the show include Crista Flanagan, Jenny Slate, Sean Wing and Sarah Wright.

    Hello Ladies was created by Stephen Merchant, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg; executive producers, Stephen Merchant, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg; co-executive producers, Danny Chun and Ron Weiner; producer, Dan Kaplow. Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg’s credits as a team include writing and executive producing Bad Teacher and writing and co-executive producing the American version of The Office, for which they were nominated for four Emmys.
    This half-hour HBO Original comedy series Hello Ladies about a bumbling English transplant who struggles to find love in the city of dreams premieres on Tuesday, 8 October at 9.30 pm on HBO Defined. Brand new episodes will air weekly at the same time.

  • Doonya premieres on Zee TV Americas

    Doonya premieres on Zee TV Americas

    MUMBAI: Zee Americas has added Doonya: The Bollywood Workout to its fall weekend schedule. The Doonya series premieres on 5 October 2013 on Zee TV, Zing and Zee Cinema in North America bringing dance and fitness (with a Bollywood twist!) to 800,000 homes.

    Doonya’s founders – Priya Pandya and Kajal Desai – have created a program that takes Bollywood inspired movements and connects them to target muscle groups. Their clear and easy-to-follow instruction allows the audience to burn calories (up to 800 per hour) and build strength and stamina through cardio and conditioning workouts.

    “We know south Asians love to dance,” says Desai, “but working out isn’t something our community is known for.”

    “Diabetes, coronary artery disease and obesity are all issues plaguing our community right now. And it can be hard to combat these diseases when working out isn’t always fun,” adds Pandya.

    “Doonya bridges that gap and provides a workout that is fun for the entire family! You’ll dance to songs you recognise using moves you already know, but will do them in a way that gives you results,” says Desai.

    Pandya finishes, “Over the last seven years we’ve been teaching Doonya, we’ve seen our students’ bodies transform through our program. We are excited to share a program that is so rooted in our culture and upbringing with our community.”  

    Zee Americas GM Sameer Targe said, “Doonya is the first of its kind fitness program that is based on Bollywood dancing.  We are very excited to partner with them as it coincides with our programming philosophy of “Entertainment with a Purpose”. A locally produced show was a natural move for us as it further strengthens our leadership position in the US.”
    Zee subscribers would be able to catch Doonya’s workouts on Zee Cinema every Saturday at 9:30 am, Zee TV on Saturdays at 11:30 am, Zee TV Canada on Saturdays at 11:30 am and on Zing every Sunday at 11:00 am.

  • Vodafone ushers in ‘Durgotsab’ with 13th edition of ,Aagomoni’

    Vodafone ushers in ‘Durgotsab’ with 13th edition of ,Aagomoni’

    KOLKATA: Vodafone India has announced the 13th edition of ‘Vodafone Aagomoni’, a nightlong grand musical extravaganza to usher in Durgotsab 2013 to be held on 3 October, at Science City Auditorium, in Kolkata.

     Featuring performances by eminent artists from diverse fields, ‘Vodafone Aagomoni’ is an eagerly awaited annual ritual for the citizens of the city of joy, as they get set to welcome Goddess Durga for the five day Puja festival.

     Some of the noted performers for this year’s ‘Vodafone Aagomoni’ are – filmmaker and actress Aparna Sen, musicians Purbayan Chatterjee, Soumyojit, Sourendra and Anubrata Chatterjee; Bangla band Chandrabindoo, Rupankar Bagchi, Bickram Ghosh, Vocalists Jolly Mukherjee and Shailaja Subramaniam with RD Burman’s original musician Nitin Shankar, Kishore Sodha, Raj Sodha, Suraj Sathe, Franco Vaz and others.

    Vodafone India business head – Kolkata and West Bengal Anand Sahai said: “It is one of Vodafone’s special initiatives to engage and touch the lives and hearts of customers in West Bengal.”

    Additionally, Vodafone is also running a singing contest – ‘Vodafone Shera Voice’, added Sahai.

  • DD launches new family game show

    DD launches new family game show

    MUMBAI:  DD National will soon be airing a new show. It is a game show christened Family No 1: Rahein Saath, Khelein Saath (Stay Together, Play Together) and will only have family members as contestants.  The show aims to bring the families together to have good times together and have fun.

    The format of the show is very simple wherein the games played will be as easy as breaking matkas while blindfolded, finding coins from cake with your hands tied and so on. Every episode has two contestants (families) playing against each other. The innovative and interesting games will be played in four rounds. In the first round one member from each team will participate, second round will involve two members from each team, third round will have three members from each team and fourth round will be open.

    The ultimate winner will get a Family Car, first runner up will get a trip to Disneyland and the second runner up will get a bike. Episodic winners will get a full year supply of Pepsodent. The show is sponsored by the toothpaste brand.

    The show will be hosted by the stand-up comedian Rajiv Thakur of Comedy Circus and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge fame and Sa Re Ga Ma L’il Champs anchor Afshaa Musani.

    It is directed by Gajendra Singh and produced by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Saa Productions. Singh is the pioneer of the music reality shows in India and has given super hit shows such as Antakshari, Sa Re Ga Ma, Voice Of India, Music Ka Maha Muqabla, Sur Kshetra among many others.
    The show will be aired from 5 October 2013 every Saturday and Sunday from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm.