ITV

Category: GECs

  • Zoom’s Facebook boom

    Zoom’s Facebook boom

    MUMBAI: Not only does Times Television Networks’ channel Zoom enjoy the distinction of being the first Indian television channel to air all the hot gossip from tinsel town, it is now also the first to cross five million likes on Facebook.

    Indeed, at the time of filing this news piece, the number stood at 5,164,957 with 484,777 ‘talking about it’ (the channel).

    So how does Zoom pull it off? The channel claims its target audience is mainly youth, which is most interested in the happenings in the Bollywood universe.

    The Facebook page keeps audiences updated on all that they’ve missed out even if they’re not actively watching the channel. “Zoom has systems in place to ensure that even if one is not in front of the TV, one never has to lose access to the latest news,” explains Zoom CEO Avinash Kaul.

    It’s a known fact that building traffic is difficult and sustaining it even more so. In such a scenario, Zoom claims it focuses on understanding conversation patterns to come up with newer, more innovative posts in the future.

    “The choice of topic, stars, the time of the day (when an update is put out) and selection of hash tags – all comes from a close and mindful study of past trends,” elaborates Kaul, adding that the channel tries to put out breaking news to create buzz among youngsters.

    An in-house team handles social media and is responsible for selection of posts to keep audiences engaged, which includes contests, trivia and news. According to Kaul, the team micro manages the posts to draw and keep traffic. “Immediate response and relevant content through posts is our key focus that has ensured a fantastic interaction,” he says.

    Zoom’s Facebook page, which started in 2009 and reaches 95 million people weekly, also has a show called ‘Zoom It’, which plays song dedications made by its Facebook followers. The fact of the matter is Zoom has sped past GECs in terms of Facebook likes and the reason, according to Kaul, is: “As part of family TV viewing, the youth has to follow GECs even when they’re not their most preferred choice of entertainment. In the digital space however, it’s entirely up to them to choose and watch exactly what they want.”

    As things stand, only MTV just crossed the level of five million likes as well, coming a close second to Zoom with 5, 013, 539 Facebook likes, followed by Zee with 49, 349, Star Plus with 3, 184, 230 and Colors with 2, 225, 824.

    While Zoom may want to be cautious about MTV’s proximity in terms of Facebook likes, for now, it sure is leading the pack…

  • 100 women on the BBC

    100 women on the BBC

    MUMBAI: Women will be better represented in the BBC’s global output in future, the BBC pledged as it launched a new season of programming, 100 Women.

    The season will turn the spotlight onto women’s lives around the world, and kick start a drive to feature more women’s voices and women’s stories on the BBC’s global news channels – BBC World News, BBC.com and BBC World Service.

    The 100 Women season of special reports, programmes and discussion will run during October 2013. It will culminate in a global conference where 100 women from around the world will assemble at new broadcasting house in London to discuss some of the crucial issues facing women today.

    Editor of the 100 Women season Fiona Crack said: “We’re determined to make sure we are hearing women’s voices and telling women’s stories on all of the BBC’s global news channels. This season is a chance for us to look at the big picture and take stock of where we are with women’s rights around the world.”

    “More women than ever are finishing school, getting jobs and making their way in politics and in business. But violence remains a real threat to millions of girls and women around the world. And what about the demands of balancing work and family life? We want to look both at how things are changing, and into the future to see where these trends may take us,” she added

    Controller of Language Services Liliane Landor said: “This season comes in direct response to our audience’s feedback. Women have told us they want to hear themselves and their experiences better reflected and represented on the World Service.”

    Starting from 1 October 2013, content will run on TV, radio and online, including: Katty Kay will report on how more US families now depend on women’s wages, Anne Soy will report on Uganda’s Nobel prize-winning midwife and the changes in maternal mortality in the country. With rape reporting doubling in the last year in India, authorities are looking at more ways to make women safer, including female police patrols in Delhi, Rupa Jha will look at how effective changes have been. While Karishma Vaswani will ask how this will change women’s lives and job opportunities with a moratorium on domestic workers being introduced from 2016 in Indosenia. Shaimaa Khalil will go home to Cairo to see what girls and women could learn from their sisters in Kurdistan about curbing the practice. VladSokhin will examine the extreme levels of violence against women in Papua New Guinea. Mishal Husain will interview Pakistani school girl, Malala Yusufzai in her first broadcast interview since surviving being shot in the head by the Taliban last October.

    The 100 women conference will be streamed on a live event page on the BBC News website and broadcast live in English on BBC World News TV and World Service radio, as well as by many of its 27 global languages services.

  • Fortis brings ‘Mumbai ki Dhadkan’ on World Heart Day

    Fortis brings ‘Mumbai ki Dhadkan’ on World Heart Day

    MUMBAI: Fortis Healthcare Limited (Fortis), one of India’s largest private healthcare chains, dedicated the anthem Mumbai Ki Dhadkan, to the spirit of the Mumbaikars in tackling heart disease. The anthem has been specially created for Fortis by renowned singer-composer and guitarist Lesle Lewis on the occasion of World Heart day.

    Mumbai ki Dhadkan – urges people to adopt a healthier lifestyle for a trouble free heart. The anthem will be promoted in Mumbai through several platforms and will be available for download on the microsite – www.mumbaikidhadkan.in. It will also be accessible on Saavn, YouTube and Facebook. In addition, Mumbai Ki Dhadkan CD’s will also be distributed free in colleges, gyms and clubs.

    Fortis will organise a ‘World Heart Concert’ on 29 September on the occasion of the World Heart Day. Lesle Lewis will perform the Anthem live at the MMRDA grounds. Along with Lesle, 10-12 youth bands will also render their own compositions in support of the initiative. The youth bands are being chosen from college-wide promotions that Fortis is currently organising.

    Fortis Healthcare regional director – east and west Varun Khanna said, “Music holds a special place in the hearts of people. We hope our musical anthem will serve as a powerful reminder for everyone to wake up to a healthy heart every day of the week. Using youth as the core of our initiative and with the help of colleges in Mumbai, we will hold awareness programs, conduct CPR training sessions and free cardiac check-up camps at all Fortis hospitals in Mumbai and Rotary Clubs over the next month. We hope our initiatives will not only motivate people to live a healthy lifestyle but will also equip them to handle emergency situations to save valuable lives.”

    Notably, studies show that people though aware of heart attack as a deadly disease end up ignoring early diagnoses. More than 80 per cent of heart attacks turn fatal because patients do not receive immediate attention following visible signs of a heart attack. This raises the importance of medical help within the “Golden Hour” or the crucial sixty minutes following the first symptom that an attack is in progress.
    Lesle Lewis said, “The connection between music and the heart is eternal. It gave me great pleasure to create the music that hopefully will make people listen to their hearts. I hope this unique initiative by Fortis Hospitals will strike the right chord with Mumbaikars in this drive to promote a healthy heart.”

  • Antara Kak joins the Colors fiction team

    Antara Kak joins the Colors fiction team

    MUMBAI: She started off her career as an assistant director working mostly on nonfiction shows and documentaries. Now Antara Kak has shifted gears and has joined the Colors team as a fiction producer. “I’ve always wanted to do fiction shows and this is a complete jump for me,” admits Kak who joined the channel on 16 September.
    Antara Kak is ecstatic about joining the Colors team

    Kak comes to Colors loaded with an experience of 20 years. She worked on Surabhi, which was produced by her father Siddharth Kak, for about eight years. Post that she directed a documentary- A life in dance- that won her the prestigious IDPA (Indian Documentary Producers Association) award for debutant director.

    She was also the creative director for ‘Mano ya na mano’ on the erstwhile channel Star One as well as the supernatural thriller ‘Sambhav kya’ on 9X. Till now she was a part of Cinemavision production house with her father and now she has been given the responsibility of handling her first show on Colors which is to be a relaunch, the name of which was not revealed. Work is on in full speed as the show is expected to go on air in one month.

    As producer, Kak will be responsible for producing shows for Colors along with Prashant Bhatt, who is the weekday programming head.

  • Saif Ali Khan to be brand ambassador for Siyaram Silk Mills

    Saif Ali Khan to be brand ambassador for Siyaram Silk Mills

    MUMBAI: Siyaram Silk Mills has roped in Saif Ali Khan as the brand ambassador for their parent brand Siyaram’s Suitings and Shirtings.

    Siyaram Silk Mills president Rahul Akkara pleased with the association between the brand and the film star commented “We are delighted to have Saif Ali Khan as the brand ambassador of Siyarams Suiting s and shirtings.  We have released this commercial for the forthcoming season. It will be played on local and national channels across India.”

    Saif Ali Khan expressed his enthusiasm by stating, “It is really an ecstatic feeling to be associated with an Indian brand that has been in the industry for years together and has a very ethnic appeal to it. I look forward to capture the fabric space post being the face of their readymade apparel Oxemberg. Moreover, sharing the Siyarams parents brand’s endorsement space with Mahendra Singh Dhoni is itself a privilege.”

    Siyarams has signed Saif Ali khan for the next two to three years. The brand has gone ahead and shot an exclusive TVC with him in Jaipur.
    The latest TVC conceptualised and created by Makani Creative and highlights the bond between mother and son while showcasing the colours and the beauty of Rajasthan in the background.

  • Grazing Goat Pictures looks at digital pastures

    Grazing Goat Pictures looks at digital pastures

    MUMBAI: To keep up with the age of contemporary advances, Akshay Kumar and Ashvini Yardi’s production banner Grazing Goat Pictures recently launched ‘Grazing Goat Digital’. The first venture to emerge is the YouTube channel ‘FOMO Fashion On My Own’, India’s first Hindi fashion channel which lets trend-conscious women transform into a glamorous avatar without having to step into a salon.

    The fashion channel will cater to women aged between 15 and 34 and will provide them with the latest trends, tips and tricks of the fashion trade. The channel broadcasts step-by-step tutorials on such subjects as hair styling tips, make up tutorials, getting the look of your favourite celebs and more. The channel will be broadcasting videos in Hindi and English, and will upload new episodes every Monday.

    Commenting on the launch of their new digital channel, Grazing Goat Pictures co-founder Ashvini Yardi said, “Grazing Goat Digital is proud to present FOMO Fashion On My Own, India’s first Hindi fashion channel in association with YouTube, targeted at women not only in metros but even in smaller towns who have the fashion sense but not the required facilities at their disposal. FOMO will be catered in Hindi to reach a wider audience and will also available in English. It’s not very cost effective for women to visit a salon each time they desire a particular look hence they can watch it anywhere at any time and still manage to look a million bucks!”

  • Chhota Bheem’s store takes kids for a roller coaster ride

    Chhota Bheem’s store takes kids for a roller coaster ride

    MUMBAI: Chhota Bheem, the Indian toon phenomenon launched its brand new Green Gold store in Chembur, Mumbai on 14 September. This merchandising arm of Green Gold Animation, creators of Chhota Bheem is the third Green Gold store in Mumbai and 27th in India. The opening of this store aims to bring this toon character even closer to his young admirers and give them an opportunity to endorse him.

    The event also gave kids the chance to meet and play with their super-hero in person. “Chhota Bheem today is an iconic character in the arena of Indian animation. A phenomenon in India with a viewership of over 40 million, the character has begun to enjoy a cult status. Bringing him closer to his audiences was an obvious extension. At our store, our young customers can buy a variety of Chhota Bheem merchandises. And the experience is uniform and seamless across all our stores”, says Green Gold stores head Sudeesh Varma.
    Kids have a gala time with their favourite toon character

    Of the numerous activities lined up to entertain the young guests, the ‘Meet & Greet’ activity evoked tremendous response with children clamoring for more of the toon character. Also the store was stocked with Chhota Bheem merchandises and goodies that kept the kids enthralled for hours.

    “From clothing to comics, bedroom decor to accessories, movies to apparel, board-games to puzzles the store is a one stop destination for every Chhota Bheem fan. Green Gold store houses all essential Chhota Bheem merchandises and offers a unique experience to his young fans. The store will introduce an exciting range of merchandise for the upcoming festive season soon.  The new line will include school stationery, toys games, apparel and many more,” adds Varma.

    With a country wide distribution network of merchandises, Green Gold stores showcase and sell a wide variety of branded apparels, comics, DVDs, watches, mugs, photo-frames, key chains, magnets, school bags, labels, stickers, tattoos, masks, toys, board games and other gift items. “All products sold at the stores go through rigorous quality inspection and are sourced from the best vendors in India.
    The merchandise price range starts from Rs 20 to Rs 1699 covering various kids’ product categories.

  • One more feather in Star’s English GEC cap

    One more feather in Star’s English GEC cap

    MUMBAI: Not content with having a clutch of channels firmly ensconced in the English entertainment space, Star India is gearing up to add one more English GEC to its existing bouquet.

    Titled STAR World Premiere HD, the channel will debut on the Star network on 24 September. It will cater to a super premium audience aka global Indians by airing the biggest US shows from the biggest studios like FOX Studios, Warner, Disney and Sony in a cluster of 26 episodes.

    Speaking about its TG, STAR India business head Kevin Vaz said: “We thought there is a certain super premium kind of audience, which is very up-to-date with global trends. And I would like to call it more as global Indian.”
    We want to eliminate the concept of a release gap between US and India says confident Kevin Vaz

    “They know the space in terms of luxury goods, technology, entertainment needs etc. When it comes to television, many channels have a longer gap from the US release. So how do we satisfy this audience? We thought this would be a good opportunity to give them entertainment on a daily basis.”

    Spelling out who constitutes its TG, Vaz said: “It is the most premium audience in India, comprising the one per cent of top SEC, A+ and between the age group of 20 to 35.”

    With Star reaching out to 67 per cent of the total English audience, STAR World Premiere HD will air four hours of original content every day,Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday will see a lot of catch-ups with the channel planning to air drama and comedy-based shows, respectively.

    The newbie’s proposition reads: ‘Watch with the World’ for it will air shows on television that are playing in the US at the same time and will play in India within the same week. “We want to eliminate the concept of a release gap between US and India,” Vaz pointed out.

    So, shows including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Blacklist, Betrayal, Dads, The Goldbergs, The Michael J. Fox Show, Mom and Sleepy Hollow will be telecast on television for the first time both in the US and in India. While audiences here will get to see the latest seasons of shows such as The Simpsons (S25), New Girl (S3), Revolution (S2) , Two & A Half Men (S11), White Collar (S5), Sons of Anarchy (S6), Revenge (S3), Person of Interest (S3), New Girl (S3), The Neighbors (S2), Last Man Standing (S3), Modern Family (S5), Homeland (S3), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (S9), Castle (S6) and Criminal Minds (S9).

    The network will aggressively promote the new channel through digital and on-air. For starters, the Facebook page boasts 1,221 likes and is being kept up-to-speed with pictures, videos, polls and all the hot goss, even sharing links with official pages of the various shows aired on the channel. So also the official twitter handle of the channel @SWPremiere was abuzz with nearly 188 tweets from over 521 followers at the time of penning this article. It also has the hash tag #WatchWithTheWorld.

    Its main website http://premiere.starworld.in/ is also decked up with pictures of the biggest shows.

    But will the network tie-up with other network channels as well? “At the end of the day, through our star network channels, we will reach out to most of our audiences. I don’t think we need to go outside the kind of network that Star network has,” said a confident Vaz

    On the other hand, planners feel that the channel is not going to be a typical advertising model. Agreeing on this, Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan states: “In today’s time, people download all the latest shows on the internet and then watch it, because they are not able to watch seasons parallel happening in the US. So it is a good move by the network, which is trying to attribute this small bunch of audiences who are doing that.”

    Radhakrishnan feels that the advertising GRPs will be very small for the newbie. She says: “The network is trying to address those audiences and people who download from net and will be open to subscription model. They will go more for the subscription model revenue driven rather than advertising one. The way they are advertising is watch it along with the America. So whatever shows is getting premiered in America, you don’t have to wait for it to come to India and you don’t have to download it from the net and they will air it. So that is their USP.”

    This is the fourth English GEC from the STAR Network stable after STAR World, FOX Crime and FX.

  • Star Jalsha Movies’ tricks for better audience engagement

    Star Jalsha Movies’ tricks for better audience engagement

    KOLKATA: Star Jalsha Movies which recently acquired broadcast rights for Calcutta Football League (CFL) is going extra miles to woo its audiences and develop a connect. The channel has deployed ten cameras including one each on both goal posts along with helicopter shot of stadium for better connect with around 80 lakh football lovers who are watching CFL live every evening.

    The channel has also put together a commentary team that boasts of two former India internationals Debjit Ghosh and Rajat Ghosh Dastidar and tollywood Diva Sayoni as star presenter.

    “Big lenses (tele-lenses) have been used, backed by crystal clear capturing of sound of players, crowd and even kicking of ball. All ten cameras have the capability to show replays,” said a city based sports analyst.

    Two characters of Phuchka and Goleda have been added to bring in the fun factor into the game, said the analyst.

  • Jawhar Sircar, CVL Srinivas, Suhel Seth to talk at Social Media Week

    Jawhar Sircar, CVL Srinivas, Suhel Seth to talk at Social Media Week

    MUMBAI: Seven days to go for Social Media Week (SMW) which will make its debut in the maximum city on 23 September.

    The event will see an exciting list of some of the most renowned professionals as speakers. Interacting with the crowd of Mumbai and speaking in special sessions on every possible aspect of social media will be names like:

    1.Subramanian Swamy, President, Janata Party

    2.Suhel Seth, Managing Partner, Counselage India

    3.Milind Soman, Runner, Model, Actor and Film Producer

    4.Gul Panag, Actress and Activist

    5.Jawhar Sircar, Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati

    6.Dr. Sharad Kale, Padma Sree Award Winner, Professor- Homi Bhabha National Institute

    7.Devika Bhojwani, Socialist

    8.Alex Oberberg, Global Head of Markets Engagement, Social Media & Digital at Nokia

    9.Toby Daniels, CEO & Founder, Social Media Week

    10.Richard Lui, Journalist, MSNBC

    11.CVL.Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia

    12.Max Hegerman, Managing Director, Edelman

    13.Simon Ashwin, Head of Digital, Mindshare North Asia

    14.Kiruba Shankar, Digital Entrepreneur, Author, Teacher & Farmer

    15.Kiran Khalap, Co-Founder, chlorophyll

    16.Kalyan Varma, Freelance Wildlife Photographer

    Mantralaya is one of the main venues where multiple events will take place for the government employees. Further, many Govt. of Maharashtra officials are actively taking part in this mega festival. Ajay Ambekar, Deputy Secretary Protocol, is on the Advisory Board and Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Directorate of IT, will initiate the proceedings at Mantralaya with an opening address on 24 September.

    Multiple venues across the city are hosting the various events at SMW Mumbai. Catch these 100 plus exciting events across five days at iconic venues like: National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), blueFROG, Barking Deer, GroupM office, Westin and Trident.

    Kick start the week running with Milind Soman and end it with a ‘Chai & Pakoda’ bike ride with more than 250 bikers, while partying every evening at various hotspots of the city.

    One can register on www.socialmediaweek.org/Mumbai. Registration for all events is free of cost except for some events on the opening & the closing Day.