ITV

Category: GECs

  • Colors announces new talent show ‘Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan’

    Colors announces new talent show ‘Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan’

    Mumbai: Colors has announced the launch of its new talent show “Hunarbaaz – Desh Ki Shaan” which will give people a platform to showcase their extraordinary skills. 

    Produced by Frames Production and hosted by Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa, the show will premiere on 22 January, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m. Bollywood celebs Mithun Chakraborty, Karan Johar and Parineeti Chopra will be seen on the judge’s panel.

    “At Colors, it has always been our endeavour to bring to our viewers innovative and diverse indigenous content across fiction and non-fiction shows,” said Viacom18 head of Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network Nina Elavia Jaipuria. “We are delighted to start the new year with a bang by adding a new homegrown talent show ‘Hunarbaaz- Desh Ki Shaan’ to our various offerings. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to a great and exciting year ahead with some extraordinary shows in the pipeline.”

    “The most unique factor of the show is that it puts power in the hands of the live audience to decide the fate of the Hunarbaaz. We have a distinctive panel of judges including Mithun Chakraborty, Karan Johar and Parineeti Chopra who will mentor and guide the contestants in their journey. We have seen some incredible talent in the auditions phase, and we are looking forward to a great season,” added Viacom18 CCO Hindi mass entertainment Manisha Sharma.

    The channel has devised a robust marketing and digital outreach plan for the show. On the digital front, the campaign will be driven through fan and influencer engagement activities such as the ‘Hunar Hour’ that will give daily shoutouts to talented people. Top influencers will create videos showcasing their skills and also encourage the audience to upload similar content that will be further amplified via platforms including Takatak, Moj, Josh and Instagram, said the statement.

    On the launch day, the Colors TV social media handles will ring in a 24-hour long celebration showcasing different types of ‘hunar’ every hour on the page, finally leading the audience to the show, it added.

    Additionally, a 10-day campaign has been planned to promote the spectrum of talent through promos playing out across Hindi news, Hindi films, Hindi music, kids and regional genres. Launch day print ads are planned across key markets targeting top publications through a combination of large format as well as premium position ads. 

  • Viacom18 to launch its first NFT marketplace Fully Faltoo

    Viacom18 to launch its first NFT marketplace Fully Faltoo

    Mumbai: Viacom18’s youth, music and English entertainment (YME) cluster is all geared up to set its foot in the rapidly growing digital space of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with the announcement of Fullyfaltoonft.com. The NFT marketplace, set up by GuardianLink.io – a pioneer and innovator of NFT Technologies, will go live globally on 14 February.

    NFT, essentially blockchain-certified digital art, has been gaining popularity among brands, artists, and celebrities both in India and globally. Viacom18’s Fully Faltoo NFTs will offer  ‘fully valuable’ digital art conceptualised and created by the team that brings to life brands like MTV, Vh1 and Comedy Central in India.

    This initiative will also mark the extension of the Fully Faltoo franchise that went on from being a show on MTV and a brand solutions studio, to now an NFT marketplace, that will launch its diverse range of digital collectibles. Giving fans the opportunity to claim ownership over edgy and unique digital art pieces, the exclusive collectibles will also have creations inspired from iconic pop culture properties like “Roadies” and “Bakra,” that will be up for auction across the globe, said the statement.

    Speaking on the introduction of Viacom18’s maiden NFT offering, Vicaom18 head for YME Anshul Ailawadi said, “The global media and entertainment industry has recognised the power of NFTs. As one of the world’s largest media markets, India is uniquely positioned to be at the focal point of this Web3 revolution.”

    “The brands that make our YME portfolio – MTV, MTV Beats, Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity, have always stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging trends and pop culture. Our entry in the NFT space with Fully Faltoo is another step in the same direction. We look forward to building FullyFaltoonft.com as the go-to destination for must-have digital art,” he added.

    With industry-standard security layers enabled, the NFTs can be bought at a set auction price. Users will have to register on the platform to be able to make a purchase through the use of a custodian wallet. The security layers set up by GuardianLink.io are to ensure the security of minting, transferring and storing NFTs. 

    “As a technology framework ecosystem, Guardian has always been on the forefront of the race to build and operate some of the largest marketplaces and most advanced creative NFTs in the space,” remarked GuardianLink.io co-founder and CEO Ramkumar Subramaniam. “With its foundation in creative media, Guardian has led the race in terms of designing high impact creative NFTs protected by our Anti.RIP technology and legitimacy protocol.”

    The cluster will roll out an elaborate integrated marketing plan that will leverage Viacom18’s presence on digital and linear TV to create awareness about FullyFaltooNFT.com. The Fully Faltoo campaign will also aim at educating consumers about non-fungible tokens and digital collectibles while attracting them to bid on the platform.

  • The Q announces influencer-led comedy show ‘Hasi Ka Hahakaar’

    The Q announces influencer-led comedy show ‘Hasi Ka Hahakaar’

    Mumbai: Hindi GEC The Q has announced its first original for the year “Hasi Ka Hahakaar” with Gaurav Gera as the host. Premiering on 22 January, the scripted reality comedy series will feature popular comedy influencers and artists as guests. The show will air every Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m and 10 p.m.

    “Hasi Ka Hahakaar” will give viewers and Gaurav Gera fans an opportunity to see him in a different avatar in each episode along with his Man-Friday and co-actor Sandesh Nayak playing the character of Khurram Bhopali. The show will give popular comedy entertainers and influencers from the digital world an opportunity to be on television alongside Gera, bolstering the overall comedy quotient, said the channel in a statement.

    Each episode will have a special segment with comedians Kettan Singh, Ankita Srivastav, Ishtiyak Khan and Mubeen Saudagar joining the host. Their engagement with emerging comedy influencers on-air will further the brand’s proposition of providing a platform for digital talent on national television, it added.

    Speaking on the launch of the new show, The Q programming head Tanya Shukla said, “Given the external environment and the volatile times we are living in, the comedy genre has naturally cemented its position in the minds of viewers. Hasi Ka Hahakaar is India’s first large-scale influencer-led comedy show on television. It is conceptualised upon The Q’s ‘Zara Hatke’ proposition. The fresh and innovative concept brings together talented individuals with great comedy timing.”

    “Viewers will get to witness Gaurav Gera in some of his most popular digital avatars including Chutki, Shopkeeper, and Biddu Uncle among others. We are sure that show will strike a chord with viewers making them return for more. We look forward to creating, curating and investing to bring more such content that connects and resonates with our loyal viewer base while attracting new viewers to The Q,” she added. 

  • Zee TV’s ‘Swarna Swar Bharat’ premieres on 22 January

    Zee TV’s ‘Swarna Swar Bharat’ premieres on 22 January

    Mumbai: Zee TV is all set for the launch of its new devotional singing reality show “Swarna Swar Bharat” on 22 January. Hosted by actor Ravi Kishan, the show will be aired every Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m.

    “Conceptualised with the aim of celebrating Indian values and connecting the audiences to their roots, the show will bring alive stories of Vedic Gods and Goddesses through soulful devotional music,” said the channel in a statement.

    “Music is the most organic and powerful medium for man to communicate with the powers above, irrespective of faith. It is through devotional music; be it in the form of the flute, the shankh naad or chanting that most of us feel connected with divinity,” said Zee TV business head Aparna Bhosle. “Offering our audiences a few moments of solace while reconnecting them to their roots through devotional music and stories of Indian culture narrated in verse, we are happy to present ‘Swarna Swar Bharat’. This first-of-its-kind devotional singing reality show is a grand celebration of Indian culture.”

    Veteran singers and Padmashree recipients Kailash Kher and Suresh Wadkar will be seen on the judge’s panel along with poet Kumar Vishwas. The show is produced by Fathom Pictures and Kailasa Entertainment.

    “I have been a part of several TV shows, but it is the first time I have got such a unique opportunity to host a singing reality show that centres on the devotional genre and attempts to take viewers back to their cultural roots,” shared Ravi Kishan. “I am also making a return to hosting after a long time, which makes the opportunity even more exciting. I have the responsibility of not only holding the show together as a sutradhar, but also motivating the talent on it.”

  • Zee Media promotes its biggest ever opinion poll with extensive campaign

    Zee Media promotes its biggest ever opinion poll with extensive campaign

    Mumbai: Zee Media Corp recently executed a campaign to promote its opinion poll which claims to have been conducted with the largest sample size in the electoral history of India. The poll, carried out as part of election coverage, was aimed at creating more viewership for the channel and engaging existing viewers with comprehensive reporting on the big five state elections scheduled for early this year.

    The first phase of Zee Media’s campaign intrigued viewers with the question – ‘Why do opinion polls fail?’ to promote participation there were iPhones on offer as gratification. This revealed that the audience didn’t trust the opinion poll because the sample size was often too small and didn’t represent the voice of various stakeholders.

    Considering the feedback in the second phase, Zee media launched ‘Desh ke itihaas ka sabse bada chunavi opinion poll’ – an opinion poll with the largest ever sample size in the history of elections in India, providing a comprehensive opinion as well as representation for all sections of the populace. The massive on-ground opinion poll was conducted with the help of political research and campaign management company DesignBoxed.

    The campaign was executed with over 300 hoardings, print ads in four publications, radio campaigns spread across four stations, airport branding, cable TV spots, extensive digital and trade website communication among others. Humorous OOH creatives were used to break through the clutter of hoardings on DND flyway and Noida Expressway just outside the film city.

    “News viewers had stopped believing in the numerous opinion polls conducted around elections simply because they weren’t representational enough. Our extensive activity and research helped us with this insight, and at Zee Media we used our resources to create the biggest opinion poll of the election season, with the largest sample size ever,” stated Zee Media marketing head Anindya Khare. “We have created a comprehensive, genuine and transparent opinion poll in the history of elections and regained the trust of the viewers.”

    Through this campaign, Zee media’s Zee PHH saw 38 per cent growth in December 2021 as compared to November 2021. Growth was more than 130 per cent as compared to the previous six-month average in December 2021. Zee News YouTube channel also saw a 68 per cent increase in viewership, said the media company in a statement.

  • Zee TV to launch singing reality show ‘Swarn Swar Bharat’ in Jan

    Zee TV to launch singing reality show ‘Swarn Swar Bharat’ in Jan

    Mumbai: In keeping with the prime minister’s ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence’ initiative, Zee TV will be premiering a new devotional singing reality show “Swarn Swar Bharat” in January. The show will be hosted by popular actor Ravi Kishan.

    “Swarn Swar Bharat” will celebrate Indian values and take the audience back to the roots through relatable stories narrated in verse and soulful devotional music, said the statement.

    Veteran singers and Padmashree recipients Kailash Kher and Suresh Wadkar will be seen as judges on the show along with poet Kumar Vishwas. 

  • Lifestyle channel Zee Zest launches website ZeeZest.com

    Lifestyle channel Zee Zest launches website ZeeZest.com

    Mumbai: Lifestyle channel Zee Zest has launched its digital offering called ZeeZest.com. The platform offers influencer marketing solutions to brands with a varied talent roster of influencers across categories.

    ZeeZest.com will offer insights across categories – food, travel, health, culture, style and beauty and homes. The website will provide glocal content across core lifestyle genres that are informative, entertaining and will pivot content based on national and international pop-culture trends, said the channel in a statement. The website has led to three million+ users in its soft launch phase, it added.

    The content will be spread across multi-formats such as shows, recipes, articles, original videos, web stories, multilingual and aims at generating curiosity and making aspirational lifestyle more accessible. Along with access to Zee Zest shows, the website will also host contests on an ongoing basis to engage with users.

    The website will be populated by stories curated by in-house and contributing authors. The website will feature articles on Bollywood celebrities such as Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Dino Morea, Sonu Sood; and popular influencers such as Shenaz Treasury, Yohani, Tesher and Sejal Kumar.

    “Over the last few years, we have seen a major growth in lifestyle content consumption with people wanting to express their individuality and seeking to live a higher quality life,” said Zee Zest business head Amit Nair. “ZeeZest.com is uniquely positioned to be that guide for the urban millennial and the youth to express themselves sharply whether its food/travel/homes and health. The strategy of having a strong TV+ digital presence helps to capture a sizable user base that spends on the diverse categories to always stay several notches ahead. The future sees multiple India Originals for TV, Digital first ideas and initiatives that will raise the bar for lifestyle content delivering immersive and engaging IPs with key focus on user and revenue growth.”

    Zee Zest has 45 per cent viewership share in the lifestyle genre with original shows like “From Fit Fab Feast with Huma Qureshi,” “India’s 50 Best with Chef Ajay Chopra,” “Goan Gullies with Rocky and Mayur,” and “Grand Trunk Rasoi.”

    “With the phenomenal success garnered by Zee Zest within a span of just one year, we are now thrilled to launch the website that will house original and quality content across lifestyle categories,” said Zee Zest chief cluster officer – West, North and premium Amit Shah. “Digital will play an important role in our overall strategy and we will be a unique brand that will have both linear, digital and social presence and thereby be an attractive option for advertisers. With the ambitious goal of being the top five publishers in lifestyle the path is clearly chalked out for the next 3-5 years of bringing together content, community and commerce.”

  • Zeel-Invesco case: Bombay HC to resume hearing on 6 December

    Zeel-Invesco case: Bombay HC to resume hearing on 6 December

    Mumbai: The division bench of the Bombay high court has kept the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) and Invesco case for further hearing on 6 December. Invesco has challenged the injunction order by the court that restrained the majority shareholder from calling an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of shareholders.

    The court had granted the injunction on 29 October.

    The Zeel-Invesco boardroom began when the media company’s two top investors Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC who combined own ~18 per cent stake in the company had sent a requisition notice to the company on 11 September to call for an EGM.

    The investors had also sought the removal of long-standing directors and close associates of the Chandra family from the board. The two independent directors Ashok Kurien and Manish Chokhani have already submitted their resignations. 

    The investors moved to have six nominees appointed to the board of Zeel, which included Surendra Singh Sirohi, Naina Krishna Murthy, Rohan Dhamija, Aruna Sharma, Srinivasa Rao Addepali, and Gaurav Mehta as independent directors of the board for a term up to five consecutive years. The notice was received by Zeel on 12 September, and it informed the stock exchanges on 13 September, adding that the appointments are subject to approval by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).

    Zeel refused to conduct the EGM citing ‘shareholders interest’ and moved to Bombay high court on 2 October seeking to declare the requisition notice as “illegal and invalid.”

  • Zeel-Invesco case: Bombay HC to continue hearing on 30 Nov

    Zeel-Invesco case: Bombay HC to continue hearing on 30 Nov

    Mumbai: At the Zeel-Invesco hearing held on Monday, the division bench of the Bombay high court decided to continue the hearing on 30 November. On 29 October, the court had granted a temporary injunction against the requisition notice by Invesco.

    Counsel appearing on behalf of Invesco stated that the court’s judgement to give injunction against requisition will have a far-reaching impact. He said “Court cannot injunct a meeting as it is the statutory right of shareholder with one-tenth share capital,” according to a Moneycontrol report.

    The Zeel-Invesco tussle began when the media company’s two top investors Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC who combined own ~18 per cent stake in the company had sent a requisition notice to the company on 11 September to call for an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders.

    The investors had also sought the removal of long-standing directors and close associates of the Chandra family from the board. The two independent directors Ashok Kurien and Manish Chokhani have already submitted their resignations.  

    The investors moved to have six nominees appointed to the board of Zeel, which included Surendra Singh Sirohi, Naina Krishna Murthy, Rohan Dhamija, Aruna Sharma, Srinivasa Rao Addepali, and Gaurav Mehta as independent directors of the board for a term up to five consecutive years. The notice was received by Zeel on 12 September, and it informed the stock exchanges on 13 September, adding that the appointments are subject to approval by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).

    Zeel refused to conduct the EGM citing “shareholders interest” and moved to Bombay high court on 2 October seeking to declare the requisition notice as ‘illegal and invalid.’

  • NBCUniversal launches DreamWorks, E! Entertainment in India

    NBCUniversal launches DreamWorks, E! Entertainment in India

    Mumbai: NBCUniversal International Networks and Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) on Thursday announced the launch of DreamWorks and an E! Entertainment branded zone for Jio subscribers in India.

    Jio subscribers will be able to access a broad selection of territory premieres and catalogue of compelling programming from DreamWorks and E!, alongside a companion package of on-demand content on Universal+.

    The offering will include DreamWorks franchises such as “Trolls: The Beat Goes On!,” “All Hail King Julien,” “The Adventures of Puss in Boots,” “Dragons: Race to the Edge,” “Dawn of the Croods,” “Spirit Riding Free,” and “Voltron Legendary Defender.”

    E! will bring its slate programming to JioTV and on JioTV+ for JioFiber subscribers. This includes popular shows like “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Dating No Filter,” “Very Cavallari,” “Flip It Like Disick,” “Botched,” and “E! True Hollywood Story.”

    E! will bring live red carpet coverage from signature events such as the Grammy Awards and Academy Awards. In addition, viewers will have access to Daily Pop, the daytime series that covers the biggest stories in entertainment and features discussions of the latest pop culture buzz.  Plus, the launch will also see the arrival of “Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump” and “Celebrity Game Face,” hosted by Kevin Hart.

    “We are thrilled to be extending our footprint into India with DreamWorks and E! on JioTV+,” said NBC Universal International Networks and DTC Asia Pacific managing director Christine Fellowes. “It is exciting to be debuting these popular brands in this territory and we look forward to bringing Jio and JioFiber subscribers companion on-demand content, conveniently packaged under Universal+.”