ITV

Category: GECs

  • Treeview partners with Arzooo to bolster its TV business in India

    Treeview partners with Arzooo to bolster its TV business in India

    Mumbai: Treeview, Thailand’s LED TV and appliance manufacturer, will leverage retail tech platform Arzooo’s network of retailers to market its smart android full HD range of TV models in India, from 24 inch to 85 inch. Treeview is spread across geographies such as the Middle East and African countries, among others.

    The company said India is currently witnessing a massive demand for world-class smart televisions as an increasing number of consumers are looking forward to transitioning from non-smart TVs to smart TVs with larger screen sizes. Treeview sees this as an opportunity to introduce its smart TVs. It aims to register sales of over half a million smart TVs in the next 12 months.

    Arzooo’s network of offline retail channels in India will enable Treeview to scale up and achieve pan-India penetration in the shortest span of time.

    “Our aim is to reach more households through Arzooo’s retail network. With enhanced specifications, superior quality, and affordable pricing, our range of smart TVs are best suited for Indian consumers,” said QThree Ventures director Jubin Peter.

    Arzooo director of TV categories Sai Krishna said, “We are pleased to extend the Arzooo platform to Treeview to offer high-quality smart TVs to Indian consumers through our retail network. This partnership is another step forward in strengthening our portfolio of large appliances going forward. We are committed to getting more high-quality brands on the platform from across the world and making them accessible to offline retailers and Indian consumers.”

    Arzooo Express, backed by a network of 35 hubs and warehouses across 22 states, will play a pivotal role in the distribution strategy. Recently, Arzooo has launched Quick Retail, which promises next-day delivery to metro cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. It will further the quest of retailers to provide consumers with smart android TVs at viable prices with speedy delivery.

  • India’s smart TV market grew 74 per cent YoY in Q2’ 22: Report

    India’s smart TV market grew 74 per cent YoY in Q2’ 22: Report

    Mumbai: mediasmart, an Affle company, has published the second edition of its India CTV Report 2022, titled “India Says Yes to Connected TV!” The report stated that India’s smart TV market grew 74 per cent YoY in Q2’22.

    The report focuses on consumer adoption trends in metro and non-metro areas, as well as a significant shift in CTV ad potential for brands and marketers. According to its report, CTV viewing is a part of the daily routine and a preferred source of entertainment. CTV consumption is driven by adults, including grandparents. 78 per cent had a smart TV, of which 93 per cent used the internet to consume content.

    TV subscriptions stood at merely five million subscribers in 2020, but quickly doubled to 10 million in 2021. By 2025, this figure is expected to become 4x.

    mediasmart vice president (India & SEA) Nikhil Kumar said, “Our report this year goes deeper into the reach and impact of CTV. It is interesting to see how far CTV has grown into the metros and non-metros. It’s a stark revelation to see CTV’s growth into a family viewing phenomenon that is bringing people back to their living rooms. The audience for CTV is fairly well spread across the diversity of content offered by multiple OTTs and is now beginning to explore newer genres like games and live news as other top choices. This consumption shift has also led to significant growth in co-viewing, which is not restricted to a certain demographic or geographic segment either. This holds huge potential for advertisers who can leverage emerging technologies like mediasmart’s CTV Household Sync to connect the worlds of TV & mobile and drive impact.”

    The report highlighted that viewers spend an average of four hours daily watching CTV content, as opposed to three and a half hours in 2021. 69 per cent spend  one to four hours/day watching CTV.

    72 per cent of respondents above 35 years of age consume CTV content after 6 p.m., indicating that CTV is a preferred source of entertainment for people to wind down after work.

    50 per cent of respondents said they prefer Smart TVs for watching content at home, while only 36 per cent prefer mobile devices. 84 per cent of households have more than one person watching CTV, and 64 per cent of respondents claimed to prefer watching CTV together with their families, unlike the solo viewing experience.

    The covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of wired broadband connections in homes. As the country enters the holiday season, more users are discovering CTV as a new way to consume content at home with their families. Adults, including users from older demographics, drive the co-viewing phenomenon on CTV in many Indian households.

    On-demand content on OTT continues to remain the preferred choice for most viewers (41 per cent) with music (17 per cent), games (11 per cent), news (10 per cent) and user-generated content (21 per cent) being other options. 66 per cent have a subscription to more than one OTT app.

    The reports stated that people use multiple OTT apps across global, national, and regional apps and switch between multiple apps based on the content genre of their preference. 82 per cent of CTV devices generate active bid requests from more than four OTT platforms.

    Marketers are using CTV for high-impact storytelling, increased brand engagement, and driving action and conversions on mobile globally and in India. With CTV’s ability to provide measurable advertising on television and to connect users’ journeys both online and offline, CTV presents remarkable opportunities for brand impact during the current holiday season.

    Nine out of ten CTV viewers recall being exposed to advertisements, and 81 per cent of those exposed to advertisements claim that the advertisements influenced them. Nudging the users on their mobile devices within 24 hours helps improve the purchase intent for users who have seen ads on connected TV.

    VTION chief business officer Shailesh Varudkar said, “Our partnership with mediasmart in 2021 was the first-of-its-kind research on CTV viewers in India and their habits, sliced-and-diced by various demographics, and came at a time when there was little industry knowledge about this category. This year, as we go deeper and wider into the country, the newer learnings from our CTV2.0 report will further give an impetus to the growing appetite and enthusiasm for CTV among consumers and advertisers.”

    Elaborating on India’s potential as a robust market for CTV adoption, Interactive Avenues co-founder & CEO Amardeep Singh said, “CTV has the potential to truly democratise TV advertising by allowing even low-budget advertisers to connect with audiences on TV. This edition of mediasmart’s report will help advertisers understand the nuances of the medium better along with changing consumer behaviour and also instil confidence regarding CTV’s role as an impactful advertising medium through measurable technologies like mediasmart’s CTV Household Sync.”

    mindshare head of digital (South Asia) Gopa Menon added, “India is a young market with tremendous potential for CTV adoption and offers great opportunities to advertisers where they can get strong consumer insights on viewing habits and also target specific cohorts to drive the brand message effectively and efficiently.”

    Madison Digital CEO Vishal Chinchakar added, “We have come a long way from last year, when the ecosystem in India was just beginning to explore the CTV opportunity, to now when top clients are insisting on the inclusion or better understanding of CTV in their media plans.”

    Commenting on CTV’s impact for brand lift, Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi said, “CTV ecosystem creates meaningful exposures to reach the target audience. The platforms and the formats have opened up a vast opportunity for us in terms of innovation, strategy, and creating best practices for CTV advertisers.”

    PivotRoots founder & managing director Shibu Shivanandan said, “The good thing about CTV advertising is that, unlike traditional TV, advertisers get to choose their potential audience. Hence, a complete shift from spot buys to audience buys on a large screen is now possible with digital targeting capabilities and can be bought and served programmatically.”

  • Zee introduces its leadership and development academy ‘Lead Your Ship’

    Zee introduces its leadership and development academy ‘Lead Your Ship’

    Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) has launched its new academy of leadership and management development – ‘Lead Your Ship.’ The academy is an industry-first initiative that aims to develop new-age leadership and managerial capabilities at all levels. Its vision is to build a resilient and agile organisation where leaders’ skills and capabilities are a true cornerstone.

    Zee has made significant strides toward workforce capability development by establishing a 4×4 academy framework that allows for the development of compliance, techno-functional, behavioural, and leadership skills across the organisational pyramid.

    These academic pillars are built on four beams: integrated academy journeys; learner-centric technology; assessments & certifications; and career progression; providing the company’s workforce with long-term development and growth plans.

    The academy provides career-related development interventions at all levels of the organisational pyramid.

    The five interventions—arise, aspire, advance, ascend, and accelerate—are specifically designed to develop foundational proficiency at the bottom of the pyramid into critical leadership, managerial, and transformational competencies, ultimately enabling them to transition to higher roles within the organisation.

    Commenting on the launch, ZEEL head of HR, content SBU & head of enterprise culture and capability development Dheeraj Jaggi said, “Being the first media and entertainment powerhouse in India, ZEE has always been an Academy of Talent. Over the years, we’ve nurtured great talent who have shaped the future of the industry. Once again, we are delighted to launch the Lead Your Ship Academy, another pioneering and first-of-its-kind initiative, that will play a critical role in upskilling the workforce to keep up with the fast-changing industry environment.”

    “Given the shift in workforce development needs post-covid,” he continues, “the curriculum of all 5 career-linked development interventions is designed to meet the new capability requirements for managers and leaders, ultimately promoting science-based self-development for inclusive and global leadership and supporting their career progression.”

    Lead Your Ship Academy will provide holistic development to Zee’s workforce through a blended delivery model based on extensive research-led insights. The curriculum has been developed in collaboration with renowned industry partners and academic institutions, and it will include modern pedagogy to assess, develop, engage, and reinforce new-age skills. The Lead Your Ship Academy will develop the skills of over 3,400 employees across the organisation and will provide over 6,000 hours of training. It is one of Zee’s most ambitious capability-building initiatives.

    Following the success of initiatives such as the Compliance Academy and Digicademy, the company is taking workforce capability development a step further by establishing Lead Your Ship as an academy of excellence. Last year, Zee launched the first digital academy of its kind, which received an overwhelming response from both internal and external stakeholders, successfully onboarding 97 per cent of employees.

    The Digicademy has consistently outperformed the majority of the key platform KPIs at the AMEA and global levels. The academy received accolades and awards at prestigious industry forums such as ET HR World, People First, Transformance HR Forum, and BusinessWorld People HR, to name a few. In the future, the company intends to launch a techno-functional academy, which will primarily focus on improving technical and digital skills, making employees more adept in this fast-paced industry.

    For more than three decades, Zee has had a strong legacy of home-grown leaders who have been at the forefront of innovation and pioneering initiatives around the world. Zee is committed to strengthening the leadership pipeline and building a future-ready workforce in order to lead the next disruption in the M&E industry and drive hypergrowth in the new normal.

  • Zing brings a supernatural thriller ‘Master’s Sun’

    Zing brings a supernatural thriller ‘Master’s Sun’

    Mumbai: Youth-centric channel Zing has added a crowning stroke to its “Apni Vibe, Apni Tribe” mantra with its new showMaster’s Sun.

    It’s the first supernatural thriller in Zing’s Hallyu time slot, and its social media announcement has already gotten the ‘Rizing Tribe’ (Zing’s K-drama tribe) fans excited!

    Master’s Sun will premiere on Zing on 17 October and will air every Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

    Commenting on this occasion, Zing chief channel officer Arghya Roy Chowdhury said, “At Zing, we always aim at entertaining our audience with quality entertainment. We are beyond excited about bringing various K-Dramas to our audiences in the past few months, and their tremendous success on our channel is overwhelming. Keeping the excitement up, the latest addition to our content line-up, Master’s Sun, has an engaging storyline and a beguiling soundtrack that will hold viewers’ attention.
    Master’s Sun tells the story of Joo Joong-won (So Ji-sub) and Tae Gong-shil (Kim Myung-soo), a young couple whose lives are filled with shocking supernatural encounters. Destiny brings them together, and Gong-shil realises that as long as Joong-won is by her side, the ghosts don’t bother her. This situation sets in motion a heartfelt journey of love and adventure that will captivate K-drama fans.

  • Q Marathi announces its new show ‘Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak’

    Q Marathi announces its new show ‘Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak’

    Mumbai : QYOU Media India’s channel Q Marathi has announced first-of-its-kind non-fiction programming initiative Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak.

    Mumbai: The maiden non-fiction offering will showcase more than 25 handpicked One Act Plays popularly known as Ekankika. Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak will premiere on 7 October and air daily at 7:30 p.m.

    The show is presented by Veet and co-presented by Lizol and Garnier along with the short-format app Chingari as a digital partner.

    In Maharashtra, theatre is a popular storytelling format, and this post-pandemic initiative is designed to encourage and provide a platform for emerging talent to present entertaining, relevant, and thought-provoking plays.

    Q Marathi conducted city-wise judging and screening of the semi-final rounds across key cities of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Aurangabad to bring the best of the plays and received a tremendous response of over 70+ entries across young theatre groups of multiple colleges and independent theatre groups. The handpicked plays will be judged by eminent marathi veteran actor Dr Girish Oak; Director, Writer, and Actor Chandrakant Kulkarni and renowned Marathi actress Aditi Sarangdhar, allowing the youth of Maharashtra to present their stories.

    Q Marathi will present awards in categories such as Best Ekankika, Best Actor Female and Male, Best Writer, Director, Light, Set Design, and Music to promote these Ekankikas and encourage young talent.

    Furthermore, to increase viewer engagement, the channel has launched ‘watch & vote,’ which will award one of the finalist’s plays as the ‘viewers’ choice winner.’

    Speaking on the launch of ‘Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak’, QYOU Media India’s CEO Simran Hoon said, “At Q Marathi, we have always innovated to launch new and meaningful ways of entertaining and engaging our viewers. Theatre takes one back to their culture and the Marathi theatre industry is rich in culture and storytelling. Through our first non-fiction show, Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak, we aim to empower the real storytellers and the youth creators of Maharashtra by creating a platform that sets benchmarks and captures the ethos and love for dramatics at its best. We are very happy to have already earned Veet as the presenting partner on this initiative along with Lizol and Garnier as co-presenting partners. True to our unique approach to engaging brands, this show will offer an integrated solution for advertisers to target youth on multiple platforms, be it television, digital, radio, on-ground, and curated branded content to leverage the power of upcoming digital creators in the Marathi space.”

    Q Marathi business head Neeta Thakare, said, “At Q Marathi, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to connect with our audiences across interesting and engaging initiatives. The launch of Q Marathi’s first non-fiction show, Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak provides an opportunity and platform to the young creator economy, making it a notable value-driven property. Staying true to our core DNA, we are delighted to rope in Chingari as our digital partner for this show, as we look forward to leveraging the might of digital creators to further amplify and promote this initiative to take it to a wider base of youth audiences. With this launch, we are hopeful to create new benchmarks in entertaining and engaging our existing viewers as well as captivating new audiences.”

  • Charter communications signs deal with Zee for distribution in the US

    Charter communications signs deal with Zee for distribution in the US

    Mumbai: Charter Communications announced the launch of new South Asian-focused video packages with up to 24 new channels as part of a programming expansion made possible in part by a distribution agreement for all of India’s Zee channels.

    The new India View packages, which feature significantly more content than Charter’s previous South Asian video offerings, are available to spectrum TV subscribers as well as customers who prefer to receive a streaming video package over the Internet+.

    The most popular Indian networks and Zee channels have been added to the India View tiers as part of Charter’s new distribution agreement with Asia TV USA, a Mumbai-based affiliate of Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

    The agreement includes the addition of 22 ZEE channels in multiple languages for spectrum video customers, including &TV, Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada, Zee Keralam, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Zee Tamil, Zee Telugu, Zee News, Zee World, and WION, in addition to the renewal of the agreement for the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV, which is already offered by Charter.

    Charter’s executive vice president of programming acquisition, Tom Montemagno, said,”Our agreement with ZEE gives Spectrum customers access to some of the most popular news, sports, and entertainment programming from India in multiple languages.”

    He further said, “The addition of ZEE’s channels to our lineup enables us to offer our customers South Asian-focused video packages that are meaningfully more robust, with enhanced flexibility and value, and directly aligns with our commitment to provide programming that reflects our customers’ diverse interests and perspectives.”

    To promote the new programming and India View tiers, Charter and Zee have launched a co-branded marketing campaign in Spectrum markets with large South Asian populations, such as Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas, focusing on the streaming packages India View Stream ($19.99/month) and India View Stream Plus ($29.99/month).

    Zee’s agreement with the companies is the latest step in the company’s efforts to serve the growing South Asian communities in the United States. Since 1998, Zee has been present in the United States, promoting culturally rich stories while connecting South Asian audiences to their heartland.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises content and international markets president Punit Misra said,”The U.S. market is an important part of Zee Entertainment’s international strategy, and the increase in the South Asian population in the U.S. gives us an opportunity to serve the content needs of the growing population segment,”

    He added, “The vast majority of our audiences who live in the U.S. are foreign-born and have immigrated to the U.S. There is a very strong brand affinity in this group towards ZEE. We are delighted to expand our partnership with Charter to make this premium suite of channels available to Spectrum customers.”

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises chief business officer for international business Ashok Namboodiri said, “Our partnership with Charter is extremely vital to our growth objectives in the U.S., and the agreement facilitates the availability of a large variety of entertainment options targeted towards the South Asian audiences for Spectrum customers.”

    He added, “In addition to the Hindi content, we firmly believe that our next set of growth is expected from the vernacular languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, and Punjabi, and ZEE is evaluating various production opportunities which will bring immense value to this growing population segment in the United States.”

  • India’s first private satellite TV channel Zee celebrates 30 glorious years of entertainment

    India’s first private satellite TV channel Zee celebrates 30 glorious years of entertainment

    Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) celebrates 30 years of glory in India. The company has transformed the media & entertainment industry by providing the best experiences to audiences in India and around the world.

    Throughout its glorious three-decade journey, the company has consistently evolved, paving the way for it to become one of the most iconic home-grown brands. From its humble beginnings as the country’s first private satellite television channel, Zee has made significant contributions to the nation’s liberalisation journey by driving positive societal change on and off screen.

    The company’s spokesperson said, “Today, Zee is not only a well-loved household name, but it also enjoys a formidable position as a global media & entertainment powerhouse with its consumption platforms as the cultural ambassador for Indian content on the global stage.”

    In line with its Zee 4.0 vision, the company is broadening its horizons by establishing a strong tech foundation through its state-of-the-art technology and innovation centre to boost innovation and data-led capabilities, as well as recently re-entering the sports segment.

    The company further added that the mantra at Zee has always been to lead by example, demonstrating its commitment and determination to create a robust version of the company while also defining the future of the media and entertainment industry in India.

    On this milestone, Zee Entertainment Enterprises MD & CEO Punit Goenka said, “It is indeed a momentous occasion as the nation’s first home-grown entertainment company, Zee, completes three wonderful decades of entertainment and value-creation. This milestone is extra special as we also celebrate the genesis of the media & entertainment industry in India. Zee’s journey over the years can be defined by its sharp growth, its risk-taking ability to constantly tap into newer avenues and its consistent vision to generate higher value for all stakeholders.”

    He added, “As  we lay the strategic roadmap for the next 30 years, we are gearing up to propel the company’s growth and transform into a formidable player from the emerging markets. With our sharp strategic vision across the business coupled with a keen eye on profitability, our endeavour will always be to stay ahead of the curve. I would like to extend my gratitude to all our viewers, stakeholders, and partners, for sharing this memorable journey with us and expressing their continued faith in our capabilities.”

    For three decades, Zee has been known as an academy of talent, and its alumni have played an important role in shaping the industry’s future.

    On this occasion, several stalwarts acknowledged the industry and Zee’s contribution towards making India a formidable economy on a global stage.

    Actor Vidya Balan expressed, “It fills me with pride to note that Zee, the institution that gave me a platform to showcase my talent through an iconic show like Hum Paanch, has completed 30 magnificent years. Zee has been a home to a thousand stars and has relentlessly encouraged homegrown talent, irrespective of their background, to achieve their dreams. I hope that the company continues to remain a beacon of hope for budding talent across the nation and wish the Zee family all the very best for the journey ahead.”

    A leading investor and ENAM group co-founder Vallabh Bhansali stated, “As someone who believes in entrepreneurs as the prime drivers for creating valuable businesses, I have always trusted Zee’s ability to generate consistent returns for its stakeholders. I have been an ardent admirer and supporter of its amazing entrepreneurial journey—from a single channel on a rented transponder to a global media conglomerate. Throughout its journey, Zee has taken necessary risks and proved time and again its ability to stay ahead of the curve. I congratulate Punit and team for achieving this glorious milestone and wish them all the best for a bright future.”

    Zee has also made significant contributions to the welfare of society, driving positive societal change not only through iconic stories but also through various initiatives that improve the lives of people from all walks of life.

    Zee is laying a strong foundation for its next phase of growth by focusing its investments on television, digital, and its movie production businesses.

  • Colors Marathi announces fourth season of ‘Bigg Boss’

    Colors Marathi announces fourth season of ‘Bigg Boss’

    Mumbai: Colors Marathi is all set to roll out the fourth season of Bigg Boss Marathi, hosted by versatile actor-director-producer Mahesh Manjrekar.

    Bigg Boss Marathi 4, powered by Airtel and special partners A23 & Finolex Pipes, will make a grand debut at 7 p.m. on 2 October with an exciting mix of 16 celebrity housemates, making the season an entertainment extravaganza!

    The show will be subsequently aired on Colors Marathi at 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday and at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This season promises its viewers non-stop entertainment, exclusive cuts, round-the-clock content drops, and a 24-hour live feed from the house, exclusively on Voot.

    Speaking about the fourth edition of the entertainment reality show, Colors Marathi business head Aniket Joshi said, “Bigg Boss Marathi is the audience’s favourite reality show. There are countless reasons why the viewership grows every season, and the audience connects with the show on multiple levels; be it the members’ relationships with each other or their journeys; their feuds; their friendships; or the fast-paced format of the show. Timed with the festive season, the show is a favourite of the advertisers as well, because of its tremendous reach.”

    Adding to it, Colors Marathi head of programming Viraj Raje said, “Hearing the name Bigg Boss Marathi, the first thing that everyone remembers is fights, friction, fractions, and arguments. But like in any family, difficulties only bring us closer. Differences are meant to be celebrated, distances to be bridged, and at the end of the day, all is forgiven and all is well. Bigg Boss Marathi is an unscripted reality show that gives you a feeling of gratitude for everything that we take for granted and presents life and interpersonal relationships in their myriad hues and shades. Locked in a house without any contact with the outside world, time stands still, and one’s focus is inward, not outward. This change in perspective of seeing oneself through the eyes of others forces one to better themselves. And this journey of self-discovery and self-betterment is what entices, enthrals, and entertains viewers because they see themselves in the contestants.”

    Upcoming Bigg Boss Marathi 4 host and actor Mahesh Manjrekar commented, “Bigg Boss Marathi is very close to my heart. This year’s season is going to be special for everyone because there will be no glass wall between the contestants and me, as well as the guests. The new season waits for some spectacular surprises. I’m going to a ‘different kind of school.’ The audience will soon know exactly what it will be like. Bigg Boss is a show with unpredictable twists and turns where the emotions and patience of the members are tested. A lot changes this time with the theme “All Is Well.” Just like the audience, I am also waiting to see the drama unfold. Let’s see how the house members make this happen. The whole of Maharashtra is waiting with bated breath for the unexpected twists that this season will bring with it.”

    Expressing his excitement, Endemol Shine India CEO Rishi Negi said, “Exciting, entertaining, and engrossing—that’s the best way to describe season four of Bigg Boss Marathi! For us at Endemol Shine India, the enjoyment of our audience is paramount, and to this end, we are continuously innovating and experimenting with the format to ensure that the contestants and our viewers are constantly engaged! Every week, expect the unexpected as host Mahesh Manjrekar takes our diverse contestants on a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, many surprises and sudden twists and turns… so, stay tuned!”

  • Kansai TV’s Elpis to be screened at content marketplace, Mipcom Cannes

    Kansai TV’s Elpis to be screened at content marketplace, Mipcom Cannes

    Mumbai: RX France and Kansai TV have announced that event series Elpis will be this year’s Asian World Premiere at the entertainment content marketplace, Mipcom Cannes. It takes place in Cannes, France next month.

    The event will take place on 18 October. The premiere screening will be followed by Q&A with cast member Toko Miura (star of 2021 Best Foreign Language Academy Award winner “Drive My Car”) and producer Ayumi Sano (My Dear Exes, “Quartet”).

    Inspired by multiple true cases of false accusations, Elpis follows Ena Asakawa (Nagasawa), a former network anchor whose star has faded due to scandal and now helms a late-night, less-formal magazine show. Under-rated and rookie director Takuro Kishimoto (Gordon Maeda) begins to doubt a death row conviction, which, together with Asakawa, make-up artist Cherry (Miura), and star reporter Shouichi Saito (Ryohei Suzuki), they investigate and unravel as a state-wide conspiracy to cover-up.

    Kansai TV executive managing director Miho Okada said, “Though it deals with a serious issue, Elpis has darkly comedic dialogues along with a plot that will pack an emotional punch for viewers. We are very proud of what the amazing production team and performers have created, and to share it first in Cannes with our global industry is a privilege. We believe it is a show that will surprise people in Japan and internationally this fall.”

    Mipcom Cannes & MipJunior director Lucy Smith said, “The global appetite for authentic, authored international drama has never been stronger. The standard has also never been higher, with Elpis yet another exceptional example. We are thrilled to stage it and to bring the tradition of the Asian World Premiere back to its full strength.”

  • Colors launches its new fiction show ‘Sherdil Shergill’

    Colors launches its new fiction show ‘Sherdil Shergill’

    Mumbai: Colors is all set to launch its new show Sherdil Shergill. The show will premiere on 26 September, from Monday to Friday at 8:30 p.m.

    Produced by Parin Multimedia, the serial will present popular actors Surbhi Chandna and Dheeraj Dhoopar in the lead roles.

    Determined to make a mark in the male-dominated career of architecture, Manmeet Shergill is a fearless woman who has all her life fought societal norms. Rajkumar Yadav, born with a silver spoon, a comedian by passion, and an architect by education, has a knack for jugaads and is forced into architecture by his family. As different as chalk and cheese, what happens when the worlds of these two individuals collide, and the adventure ensues?

    Colors’ latest show Sherdil Shergill brings you the story of Manmeet and Rajkumar, who are poles apart but find themselves tied together by fate.

    Even though their ideologies differ, they are both unequivocally set on fulfilling their dreams. Popular actors Surbhi Chandna and Dheeraj Dhoopar will be seen essaying the lead roles of Manmeet Shergill and Rajkumar Yadav respectively.

    Speaking of this new show, Viacom18’s chief content officer (Hindi mass entertainment) Manisha Sharma said, “Delivering variety content, novel storylines, and inspirational characters, have always been our core focus at Colors. Our latest offering, Sherdil Shergill is about two contrasting personalities, and their determination to fulfill their career ambitions despite societal and parental pressures. The viewers will relate to the characters’ trajectories, their professional journeys and their engrossing love story. We are excited to join hands with Parin Multimedia yet again for a promising new venture.”