ITV

Category: GECs

  • Zee Entertainment launches its first lifestyle channel, Zee Zest

    Zee Entertainment launches its first lifestyle channel, Zee Zest

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (Zeel) launched its first lifestyle channel – Zee Zest, where one can unlimit life through its varied and comprehensive line-up of shows. The channel which has started from will present content that will be a perfect encapsulation of food, travel, lifestyle, home improvement, wellness, culture, and DIY to enable one to unlimit life straight from the confines of your armchair.  

    Zee Zest will bring unique offerings to the audiences as they meet our desi stars like chef Ajay Chopra, Rakesh Raghunathan, and our very own celebrity chefs – Pankaj Bhadouria, and Kunal Kapur through some highly engaging original shows like 100 per cent south Indian, India’s 50 Best Dishes, Ghar Sa Yummy – Swaad Familywala, Food Veda, and Meetha toh Banta Hai. Through these shows, the audience sets on a journey to shortlist India’s 50 best dishes with the host Ajay Chopra, witness stories of home cooks and what is cooked in a million Indian homes with chef Pankaj, and discover 100% South Indian dishes with the host Rakesh Raghunathan. Determine the importance and methods of adapting the age-old tradition of ayurveda into our modern-day lifestyle with host Kunal Kapur, while host Akanksha Khatri will take you all on an exciting journey to discover the emotion behind ‘Meetha toh Banta Hai’.

    The channel will also bring some highly popular global shows for the first time in India, like Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown season five, Jaime: Keep Cooking & Carry On, Far Flung with Gary Mehigan, MasterChef Australia – season 9, MasterChef USA Junior season five, and much more across various genres. Late Anthony Bourdain, the famous American celebrity chef, author, journalist, and travel documentarian, traveled across the globe to uncover little-known areas of the world and celebrated diverse cultures through his show. Jamie Oliver shows some incredible recipes, tips and hacks, specifically tailored for the unique times we're living in, through Jamie: Keep Cooking & Carry On. The portfolio of international shows on this channel will be newfound in India. While the international shows will give a perspective for global offerings, the original shows are a self-reflection of the audience’s aspirations and interests.

    Zee Zest business head Amit Nair says, “Zee Zest is the promise of a new tomorrow with taking charge of life and experiencing newer journeys and amazing stories. Our carefully curated international shows and India originals will be an escape from the regular, a path to your aspirations, a catalyst to unlimit the horizon of your experiences. The diverse content across sub-genres with a homegrown appeal will entertain, lead to discovery, and will liven up every moment of the viewer with the intent to unlimit life itself. We hope to inspire our audiences to take up their own journeys of joy, creativity and breaking boundaries by adding Zest to their lives”

    Zeel north, west and premium channels cluster head Amit Shah says, “Zee has always created strong curated brands that cater to the diverse entertainment needs of the consumer. We have been market leaders with our offerings, the pioneers in setting trends when it comes to content creation. Zee Zest’s unique proposition of offering an enhanced experience with a TV & digital presence ensures we engage with our viewers across all relevant touchpoints and are also able to provide more value to the advertisers with platform agnostic solutions. Zee Zest will capture the consumers’ mind space by offering the best of lifestyle content with shows that not only entertain but educate and add value to our viewers’ lives.”

    Zee Zest will be a 360-degree platform and will reach the audience via TV, internet, events, and social media. While TV will bring interesting content, the social media platform will provide as a means to make it happen. Stay tuned as the web platform and events will become the two-way communication channel between the audience and the brand. With various recipes, itineraries for road trips, DIY hacks, articles on interesting cultural and historical facts will bring the audience a step close to the life they have always hoped to explore. To sum it up, unlimit life by joining Zee Zest to imagine and experience some of the never seen before, heard before ideas and stories as the channel offers shows revolving around travel, food, culture, home decor, health, relationships and more along with some exclusive global content featuring for the first time in India.

    Zee Zest will be available across all major cable, DTH, and digital platforms starting from 1 October 2020. The channel will also be available on Zeel’s digital and mobile entertainment platform, Zee5.

  • Zee TV set to launch four TV shows in October

    Zee TV set to launch four TV shows in October

    MUMBAI:  With the upcoming festive season around the corner, Zee TV has a bumper entertainment extravaganza coming its viewers' way that is bound to spread cheer and bring families together over sampling a vast array of fresh content in the month of October. The channel finally let the cat out of the bag at its virtual press conference, unveiling four exciting upcoming shows that it plans to launch all in a span of a month – Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare, Apna Time Bhi Ayega, Hamariwali Good News and Brahmarakshas 2.

    Over the last one week, several popular faces of Zee TV including Sriti Jha, Shraddha Arya, Karan Jotwani, Kanika Mann, Adnan Khan, Sehban Azim, Reem Sheikh, Abhishek Kapur, Pratibha Ranta, Manit Joura received hampers at their respective homes that left them guessing about a train called the ‘Zee TV Entertainment Express’ delivering a big surprise from the channel on 28 September. They took to social media, expressing excitement about these hampers that contained delicacies from four different cities of India like Jaipur ke Ghewar, Bhopal ki Gujiya, Punjab di Chana Barfi and Agra ke Pethe, asking their fans to guess and watch out for the unveil of a special October surprise from Zee TV.

    Read more news on Zee TV 

    Through the unique device of a train called the ‘Zee TV Entertainment Express’, the channel took the media fraternity and netizens logged on to its social media handles on a virtual journey to four different destinations in India where each of its four new fiction shows is based and the intriguing new show concepts were revealed for the first time by its lead protagonists. Actors Juhi Parmar, Anushka Sen, Jyoti Sharma and Nikki Sharma spoke of how all the four shows reflect the positive change in relationship dynamics that is taking place currently and represent a contemporary picture of the emerging great Indian middle class – Aaj Ke Kirdaar, Aaj ke Kisse.

    Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare is a light-hearted situational comedy following the life of Dulari and her maryada purushottam husband – Ram. The story captures how this Bhopal-based married woman, who feels insecure because of her ideal husband being the cynosure of every woman's eyes, turns to a book of worldly wisdom and traditional ‘nuskhaas’ to keep him safe from their clutches. Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare premieres on 5 October and airs every Monday to Friday at 10:30 PM on Zee TV.

    Jyoti Sharma who plays the role of Dulari said, “I’m quite excited about essaying the role of Dulari. It seems like quite a challenge since I am very different from this saucy, sassy Bhopal-based housewife. To see her fears of losing Ram translate to the use of some hilarious nuskas from a traditional book and then landing up in an even bigger mess in the whole process will prove to be an entertaining watch for viewers.”

    Apna Time Bhi Ayega is a thought-provoking drama that debunks the deep-rooted class system and questions its unwritten rule book of ‘aukaat’ in our society – one that curtails the chances of the lower strata in taking charge of their destiny and rising above their means. The show follows the story of Rani and her father, who despite being from a modest background, has raised his daughter like a princess. Although Rani learns to dream big and becomes an engineer, unusual circumstances compel her to take on his position as the head servant in the Rajawat household. She faces many challenges owing to her social status and financial background. With the challenges thrown in her path, will Rani be able to establish her own identity, rising above her roots? Apna Time Bhi Ayega premieres on 20 October and airs every Monday to Saturday at 7 PM on Zee TV. Anushka Sen who plays the role of Rani shared, “I’m quite excited as Apna Time Bhi Ayega addresses the pertinent issue of class barriers in our society. I feel shows that talk about such issues are extremely important for society as TV holds the power to influence many. Essaying the role of Rani who breaks the shackles of her background and emerges #AukaatKeBaahar is something I look forward to.”

    Hamariwali Good News is a completely refreshing take on the evolution of the saas-bahu relationship in Indian society. The show presents the most unique role reversal between the daughter-in-law Navya and her mother-in-law Renuka to give their family the much-awaited ‘Good News’. This time around, it is the Saas who rather than pressurising or berating her bahu for not being able to conceive, will go the extra mile, brush aside considerations such as age and 'Log Kya Kahenge' by conceiving a baby with her husband to bring the 'Good News' that they collectively await. After all, who better than your own family to back you up when your chips are down and there seems to be no hope! Hamariwali Good News premieres on 20 October and will air every Monday to Saturday at 7:30 PM on Zee TV. Juhi Parmar who plays the role of Renuka mentioned, “I am always up for challenges and when Renuka's role was offered to me, I felt that this would be very different. The makers have given the Saas-Bahu relationship a dynamic and fresh twist by redefining the equation. More and more saas bahus are sahelis today and our show reflects that. The story line is very unique and for a woman to have a child for her own son and daughter in law is so different.”

    In collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, Zee TV is also set to take its audience on a trip to the land of fantasy with the second season of its immensely successful Brahmarakshas. The second season will depict the journey of an ordinary young girl, Kalindi – whose destiny gets entwined with the evil forces and a drastic twist of fate has her drawing all her inner strength to combat the evil Brahmarakshas. While the latter garners its strength from kidnapping brides of Songadh on their wedding day, and casting a dark spell over the town, Kalindi’s only source of strength is her love for her partner, Angad. Brahmarakshas 2 will premiere soon on Zee TV as a weekend thriller.  Nikki Sharma who will be seen essaying the role of Kalindi shared, “This is my debut as a lead and the fact that this opportunity comes with my first thriller fantasy show is all the more exciting. Fantasy shows are one of my favourites as they come with a lot of scope to experiment which I believe is always such a treat for an actor’s soul. The grand launch onboard the Zee TV Entertainment Express was also really unique and now I hope the audiences just love our show.”

  • Sony Pictures Networks India features in list of India’s best workplaces for 2020

    Sony Pictures Networks India features in list of India’s best workplaces for 2020

    MUMBAI: Cementing its stature as an 'Employer of Choice', Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has been featured amongst the top 50 in India's best workplaces for women 2020 by Great Place to Work Institute. This is the third accolade for the conglomerate, earlier in June 2020 they were honoured with India's best companies to work For 2020 and India's best workplaces in media 2020 lists by the Great Place to Work Institute.

    Through its rigorous and objective methodology, the Great Place to Work Institute helps organizations identify, create, and sustain great workplaces worldwide through the development of high-trust cultures. In this year's study spanning 800 organizations and 21 industries, SPN leads the way in ensuring gender parity and inclusion of women at work. 

    At SPN, people, passion, and purpose are aligned to enable employees to ‘tell stories beyond the ordinary’. It is a strategic priority for the network to provide a conducive environment for our employees, especially the women workforce to help them to excel in their personal and professional careers.

    · The SPN Apex Diversity and Inclusion Council, comprising top leaders and external diverse advisory members, charts the course for Inclusion at SPN from a cognitive, generational and gender perspective. The council hosts unconscious bias sensitization trainings, internal campaigns for leaders and employees, and incentivizing diverse referrals with 2X rewards

    · Women are always given equal weightage during talent reviews for identifying critical high potential talent and succession planning, resulting in 50 percent of our workforce comprising high potential and talented women. Additionally, our continuous performance philosophy holds managers accountable for their adherence to corporate values and believing in the power of diversity  

    · Through women leadership programs such as 360-degree feedback, Pivot-Ups, online platforms and educational assistance, women employees can avail multiple avenues to chart the career of their choice. We also host internal forums helmed by our leaders and encourage women leaders to participate in external forums and conferences

    · Signature initiatives like ‘live your dream’ encourage women to shatter their inhibitions and help manage imposter syndrome by fuelling their entrepreneurial dreams, with sponsorships from the CEO. With support from the flagship channels of the network and content ideation platforms like Dastangoi and 'SPNI Pitchers', women can re-invent themselves and deliver the next big idea

    · As a measure towards adapting the new normal, the network launched Ace: Act. Care. Engage. This umbrella wellbeing philosophy provides end-to-end solution for benefit and care, mandatory leaves, scheduled downtime, plus a holistic set of physical and mental wellness benefits such as enhanced EAP and wellbeing resources

    · Stringent Posh policy championed by select employees across teams ensures a safe work environment. Enhanced maternity benefits (fertility treatments), universal primary caregiver leave (26 weeks – childbirth, adoption and surrogacy), free near-site creche, preferential parking for expectant and new mothers, mother’s room, medical insurance is some of the additional favourable initiatives

    At SPN, inclusion is a strong cultural thread that drives employees to push the envelope in generating pathbreaking, premium, progressive content. As an 'employer of choice,' SPN has regularly featured among 100 best companies for women in India by Working Mother & Avtar. Its 'wellbeing', 'meaning at work', and learning practices are recognized by Chambers D&I (APAC), UK, BW BusinessWorld, and PeopleStrong.

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) MD and CEO N.P. Singh said,“Being featured amongst India's Best Workplaces for Women 2020 is a milestone achievement that reflects our belief in the power of diversity. This accolade has strengthened SPN’s stance as an inclusive industry leader and raised the benchmark criteria for an Employer of Choice. I dedicate this recognition to our passionate and committed workforce.”

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) chief human resource officer Manu Wadhwa said,“At SPN, employee voice is of paramount importance. This recognition of being an equal workplace is a testament to our efforts towards building a culture of trust, connectedness and care with heightened zeal, empathy and passion. The consecutive wins empower us to continue accelerating our endeavours in this direction.”  

  • Virtual Fireside Series: Watch BARC India CEO Sunil Lulla live on 25 September

    Virtual Fireside Series: Watch BARC India CEO Sunil Lulla live on 25 September

    MUMBAI: Taking ahead its virtual fireside series with leading professionals spearheading the broadcast industry in India, Indiantelevision.com will be hosting BARC India CEO Sunil Lulla on 25 September 2020. The session will be helmed by our founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    During this chat, Lulla will be sharing the impact of pandemic on the television and broadcast industry, television viewership, technology, advertising, and much more. 

    Read more news on BARC

    With over 35 years of industry experience, Lulla has worked in leadership roles across media (TV, Digital), brands (marketing) and advertising (agencies). He has worked at J. Walter Thompson, Balaji Telefilms, HMV Saregama, MTV India, Diageo, Indya.com, Sony Entertainment Television, Grey Group, Times Television Network, and others. Lulla's longest stint was at J. Walter Thompson as director of client services for India, China and Taiwan between 1985 to 1996. He was also part of the which helped turn around Sa Re Ga Ma (HMV). Lulla played a key role in starting, shaping and developing the Times Television Network (owned by the Times Group) which comprises successful and leading TV channels: ET NOW, MOVIES NOW, ROMEDY NOW, TIMES NOW and zoom. 

    He is associated with several industry bodies and associations and drives policy and agenda setting for the advertising, media and entertainment industry. Simultaneously, he continues to be on the boards of multiple companies.

    Watch our previous virtual fireside chats with industry veterans

    The virtual fireside series in its previous sessions has hosted eminent industry professionals such as Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd chief growth officer – advertisement revenue Ashish Sehgal; Sri Adhikari Brothers Group MD Markand Adhikari; Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair; Republic Media Network founder Arnab Goswami and several others.

    Keep watching this space to know more.

  • Ten brands partner with season 12 of Kaun Banega Crorepati

    Ten brands partner with season 12 of Kaun Banega Crorepati

    MUMBAI: Celebrating two decades of unparalleled success and popularity, Kaun Banega Crorepati not only emerged as a game-changer for the Indian television industry but also instilled a larger focus on the power of knowledge being a great leveler. In its twelfth season, the show makes a comeback with a two-fold messaging which conveys not just the bigger and better return of the show amidst a pandemic, but also a motivational nudge for participants and viewers to consider setbacks as a stepping stone for a greater comeback. Produced by StudioNEXT, and hosted by the superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, the game show will premiere on 28 September and will air every Monday to Friday at 9:00 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.

    A thunderous response during the first-ever digital audition for KBC season 12, underlined the raging fire of hope, dreams and aspirations within people from all nooks and corners of the country. As a platform, KBC has gone beyond its capacity as a show year after year, putting the common man at the forefront and celebrating human virtues of self-belief, patience, perseverance, courage, confidence, optimism and intelligence. 

    The season 12 of KBC is co-powered by Vedantu and Tata Salt. The associate sponsors are IDFC FIRST Bank, LIC, Asian Paints, Ultratech Cement, QuickHeal, Sensodyne and Nissan. Reserve Bank Of India is the special partner on the show. 

    Read more news on KBC 

    While the core of the show remains the same, KBC season 12 comes with a few changes relevant to the current times. For starters, for the very first time in 20 years, KBC will not host in-studio audience keeping in line with the government-mandated safety guidelines and protocols in response to Covid2019. The in-studio audience played a huge role as a lifeline – audience poll in helping the contestants on the hotseat move ahead in the game. This year, the audience poll will be replaced by the lifeline video-a-Friend. The other three lifelines remain the same – 50:50, ask the expert, and flip the question. The number of fastest finger first contestants who will compete to be on the hot seat per week has been reduced from the usual ten to eight.

    With KBC Play Along on Sony LIV, viewers can enjoy the thrill of the gameshow by participating and matching their power of knowledge with the contestants on the hot seat simultaneously, starting 28 September.

     

     

    Sony Entertainment Television and digital business content head Ashish Golwalkar said, "Reinvention, they say, is the key to success. And thus, we began the preparation of the season 12 of Kaun Banega Crorepati, a show that has been nurtured as a brand over its 20-year history in India. Considering the current times, the interest in participation through digital registrations has been very encouraging this year. And the numbers showcase that people are readily embracing the 'new normal' brought on by the pandemic. This year's theme, 'Jo Bhi Ho Setback Ka Jawab Comeback Se Do', reflects in the real-life stories and experiences that contestants will be seen sharing on the show, thereby serving as inspiring examples for the millions of viewers."

    StudioNEXT head Indranil Chakraborty said, "For season 12 of KBC we have consciously looked at re-engineering the set so that the distancing norms are met while the impact of this property is retained. Due to no studio audience, we have changed the lifeline audience poll to a video-a-friend. Having said that, we are certain that Amitabh Bachchan's charisma and the interesting on-screen and off-screen journeys of contestants, will keep the audiences engrossed. The show continues to be iconic in many ways and is sure to raise the bar this season as well."

    Read more news on Sony TV

    KBC – season 12 consultant Siddhartha Basu said, "KBC turns 20 in 2020, and with all the challenges of this tough year, looks to come back as strong as ever, reviving the much-loved magic of the khaas khel with the aam aadmi and the adwitiya host. While adapting to the realities of today, the show still packs a punch, reaching out to both the mind and the heart, touching lives in a very real way.  Viewers can also look forward to playing along with the contestants, as they watch, with richer pickings than ever before."

  • Now you see him…now you don’t – the Invisible Hero,

    Now you see him…now you don’t – the Invisible Hero,

    MUMBAI: Sony SAB is all set to enthral the audience with the launch of its brand new offering 'Hero – Gayab Mode On'. The show slated for release in November is one of its kind and the first-ever show on Indian television that brings the best of science fiction and mythology together, where the protagonist with the power to turn invisible battles aliens invading earth in search of a mystical ring.

    Produced by Peninsula Pictures, Hero – Gayab Mode On is an incredible journey of a common man and in his intense urge to search for his father and clear his name. The journey, at each step, gets increasingly fascinating as 'Hero' first chances upon the miraculous power of invisibility through a ring, which also happens to be sighted by evil aliens. While the ring has the powers to corrupt him to become the biggest villain himself, his virtues and the goodness in his heart inspire the 'hero' within him and with invisibility, as his new superpower he dares to do the impossible.

    The show will keep the audience on the edge of their seats, with thrilling and nail-biting action sequences backed by state-of-art production and broadcast techniques and visual effects bound to leave the audience spellbound. 

    Here is the latest glimpse of what’s in store for the fans:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ8p0x1XSRc

    Neeraj Vyas, Business Head – Sony SAB

    “We strongly believe that values-driven stories and relatable characters are the secret sauce for Sony SAB’s success and we are confident that ‘Hero – Gayab Mode On’ will be a true testament to that. With world-class visual effects, a storyline that perfectly blends science fiction with mythology and a character that personifies extraordinary heroism, we believe the show has all the perfect ingredients to make the television audience fall in love instantly. We are confident that a story that inspires, instills a feeling of hope and takes the audiences into a wonderful new world through fantastic visual effects will be something that viewers of Sony SAB will admire and embrace with open arms.”

    Stay tuned for more updates and the cast reveal of Hero – Gayab Mode On only on Sony SAB

  • Sapangeet Rajwant and the art of building Bigg Boss 14

    Sapangeet Rajwant and the art of building Bigg Boss 14

    Bigg Boss is all set to return to the television with its season 14 starting 3 October 2020. The show commands a massive loyal audience that loves to watch the participants locked in the house. Every year, when it launches on the Hindi general entertainment channel, Colors, there is a lot of chatter around the show, its host – Salman Khan, the participants, politics, fun, fights and a lot of other things. There is no doubt that Bigg Boss  has been earning loyal sponsors and huge earned media year-on-year for the network. As a result, the teams at Viacom18 are putting their entire might to make it even more entertaining and exciting for the audiences. 

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment brand solutions, marketing & digital head Sapangeet Rajwant says, “Bigg Boss is one show that over the years has brought the viewers together and been the most sought after entertainment reality show. But the pandemic has bought a change in consumer sentiment wherein they’ve made a seamless transition to digital mediums. Digital is the most growing medium, I think marketing, therefore, will be redefined.  We would now look at investing in the right places to ensure the mediums we choose hereon are more effective and collaborative.”

    Rajwant should know. She has been at the forefront of building the Bigg Boss brand over the years through effective promotions across media, right from print to on-ground to digital to television. Given that, the show is a tentpole high impact property for the Colors, no efforts are being spared to continue pushing and promoting just like in previous years. A major blitz with budgets at the same level as last year is planned.

    Indiantelevision.com’s Shikha Singh got into a converation with the savvy marketer to get insights into what’s planned for this season. Excerpts from the conversation:

    Read more news on Bigg Boss

    What is the marketing strategy for Bigg Boss this year?

    Bigg Boss has a magnetic appeal for brands and marketers alike. Due to the huge fan following and the constant chatter that is there about the show, the brands look forward to associating with the show. The show because of its mass appeal is usually talked about on a daily basis. Hence from a marketing standpoint, the idea is to build the campaign and create conversations. This year though, we have tweaked our marketing strategy as owing to the pandemic there are a few mediums that have become redundant and therefore focus has been more on television and online. 

    We are relying specifically on television heavily as it is one medium that has stood the test of time throughout this lockdown and the viewership has only grown in the past few months. Fortunately for us, Viacom18’s network channels have great strength and it provides us conversions across genres. We will also be going outside the network and tapping different news, movie, and music channels to create awareness about the tune in time of the show. We aim to generate a lot of content in the online space on social media and have planned innovations that you will witness soon. We will also look at tier 1 and tier 2 cities for print advertising in editorial format.

    What was the thought behind the Bigg Boss campaign?

    Bigg Boss is a cult show that has a massive and loyal following. The show has grown year-on-year and the last season of Bigg Boss broke viewership records both on television and online. The year 2020 has been the most trying and difficult year for humanity in the recent past.  Hence, we had to come up with a theme that could give a befitting response to 2020 and announce the return of the show- ‘Ab scene paltega, kyunki Bigg Boss dega 2020 ko jawaab’. With everyone looking eagerly towards the first rays of a restart and television being a surreal medium that helps you find an escape, the viewers will get a chance to witness things that they deprived of this year- A theater, spa, mall etc in the Bigg Boss house. It will be a peek into what a ‘regular’ life looks like. A welcome change to the past year; it’s bound to change the scene in every household when it comes on their television sets.

    Due to the pandemic the on-ground activities are halted, so how are you planning to engage with the viewers?

    The lockdown has put restrictions on on-ground events and activations but on the other hand, we have also seen a surge in television viewership and digital platform consumption. We will be focusing our energies and investing in television and digital mediums for a greater ROI and measurability. A lot of programmatic buying happens on digital and on TV too and we will continue to do it.

    Most importantly, is the marketing budget for Bigg Boss similar, increased or reduced as compared to the previous year?

    We have not made budget cuts for our marketing but we are focusing on optimizing it. For the new season, we will be restricting the use of mediums but we will channelise our energies into planning creative engagement ideas. Rather than reaching out to five different mediums, we will probably stick to only one or two mediums but you will see heavier buzz and bigger innovation. We don’t want to compromise on the reach and frequency and that remains our focus.

    How are you going to promote the show on TV?

    When we look at the last few months, television is the only medium that has remained steady and it has been the biggest driver for all the broadcasters. It is the only medium that not only gives you the desired reach but also conversion and effectiveness for the campaign. Hence, television is going to be the primary medium in all the campaigns. As I have mentioned earlier,  Viacom18 has a huge network strength and it provides us with a large range of channels across genres and delivers higher conversions due to affinity. Having said that, we will also go to non-network channels to see where we get incremental audiences. We will be doing huge bursts of our promos across channels.

    Coming to digital, what is your individual plan for each platform like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram? For example, are you looking at buying a mast-head on YouTube, or how you have partnered with AliveNow to launch an immersive Instagram AR filter for Bigg Boss? Will you be using the same technology this year?

    The primary aim is to be innovative and engage with the audience across platforms and hence we have customized strategies for each platform. For example, Facebook and Instagram are more viable and have a large user base. We are planning to leverage all its features like polls, reels, Q&A, stories, IGTV, etc. to dish out short bursts of snackable content in fun and creative ways that encourage two-way communication and engagement. On the other hand, we are also planning a pure video consumption-led YouTube feature for longer video pieces like mashups, contestant journeys, music videos etc. However, there are also times when we may use both together for a live stream simulcast as well. On Twitter, sparking debates, holding celebrity AMAs, asking people’s opinions and engaging with fan clubs using exclusive content works the best.  So it’s all about continuously trying different approaches and we will be using each of them.

    Read more news on Bigg Boss 

    Will you be collaborating with any influencers?

    A show like Bigg Boss has such mass appeal that in every household, there will be at least one individual rooting for the show. In this case, in every household, there is an influencer and they help us drive conversations about the show. Having said that the contestants of the Bigg Boss from the last season or the contestants from the current season act as brand endorsers. Moreover, the fan clubs and viewer base can be equated to an influencer and they automatically generate a lot of hashtag and short format videos that help us drive our campaign.

    Will you be using old Bigg Boss moments, winning spots or making of the show as a promotional strategy?

    Definitely. Bigg Boss is one of the most popular reality TV properties with massive amounts of conversations, debates, and points of view being put across by fans and celebrities regularly. So yes, leveraging past moments is always a strong pillar of our digital campaign strategy and one that has always worked terrifically for us. Simply put, the show is about real people – and people identify and relate with it – making them extremely passionate about the show. Probably this is why you will see the show trend on Twitter organically almost daily when on-air.

    IPL is doing heavy promotions across all platforms, whereas Bigg Boss has just started its marketing and promotional activity, how much do you think you will be able to make space for yourself in terms of creating buzz?

    Both IPL and Bigg Boss are huge and most anticipated properties. Last year we reached out to some 213 million audiences on the back of just the announcement of the show. This year, when people are deprived of entertainment, there will be more people flocking in to watch the show. We have started the conversation of Bigg Boss from August and both the properties have their own fan base. Having said that, there will be a very minimal clash between both the properties as  Bigg Boss on weekdays starts at 10:30 pm and IPL starts at 7:30 pm making the overlap of only 10 per cent.

  • Zee Biskope presents yet another set of category firsts – the first brand song rap & the first Bhojpuri celebration of Dance Day

    Zee Biskope presents yet another set of category firsts – the first brand song rap & the first Bhojpuri celebration of Dance Day

    MUMBAI: Dance Day is a carnival of dance that is celebrated on the third Saturday of every September. Dance is an integral part of Indian entertainment, especially movies. Be it Kathak, Indian Classical, Western Popular, Jazz or just freestyle, Indian cinema has imbibed and elevated dance forms of varied types. Bhojiwood is no exception. Known for its Lallan Top dance, the Bhojpuri movie industry grooves up with the popular Thumkas and Launda Dance. Regarded as the home for unlimited and authentic Bhojpuri entertainment, Zee Biskope has been leading the game in differentiation by continually curating viewer experiences beyond just movies. ZEE Biskope launches a rap version of its brand song on the occasion of Dance Day followed by a viewer engagement drive – Kamariya Kare Hip Hop that will raise viewer engagement to a groovy joyride. Through this initiative, the channel seeks to encourage people to embrace dance as a fun & healthy form of performing art that expresses emotions both aesthetically & symbolically.

    The brand has delivered many category firsts since its launch and the rap version of its brand song is yet another milestone in that. Composed by 5 Tricks – a rap group from Bihar, this edition of the brand song will rev up your spirit for a scintillating dance number. To participate in Kamariya Kare Hip Hop contest, viewers need to give a missed call on8563856302 following which they will get an SMS with a link to download Zee Biskope’s rap song. They can further perform on the rap song, record it and share with ZEE Biskope team through Whatsapp on the same number- 8563856302 along with their name & location. The best entries will be featured on ZEE Biskope channel social media platforms.

    Taking the entertainment quotient, a notch higher, Zee Biskope will launch a full 30-minute original Kamariya Kare Hip Hop show. Anchored by a popular Bhojiwood celebrity, the show will telecast on ZEE Biskope on 4th October 2020. The delightful half-an-hour show will not only showcase the winning videos but will also project the significance of dance in Bhojpuri movies and how celebs have banked on it to entertain audience. Featuring the rap song, the show will be ornamented by bytes from Bhojiwood celebs who will elaborate their take on dance and the channel’s endevour to promote dance.

    Talking about the initiative, Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Head East, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said, “In these restricted times when people are homebound for about 6 months now, entertainment plays a significant role in upscaling their emotional cushion. Despite the constrained reality, people look for opportunities to stage their aspirations through the lens of entertainment. The engagement drives of ZEE Biskope are designed exactly to meet that latent need of our viewers. Kamariya Kare Hip Hop is yet another unique way for viewers to showcase their talent to the world through the channel’s TV & social platforms. The multi-media initiative also gives advertisers an opportunity to reach out to incremental audience.”

    Speaking on the launch, Amarpreet Singh Saini, Business Head, Zee Biskope and Big Ganga said, “The Bhojpuri entertainment market is becoming increasingly cluttered. It’s hence important to keep a strong point of differentiation that uniquely identifies the brand. The channel is catering to that differentiator through novel viewer engagement drives like Kamariya Kare Hip Hop. The endeavour is to establish ZEE Biskope as not just a movie channel, but a Movie+ brand that brings category firsts at every occasion. This is a stand which no other channel in the category has been able to take till date.”

    Dance is a performing art that brings people together in the celebration of life. Taking this very thought forward, the channel rejoices Dance Day through in the Hip Hop way. Touted as the go-to destination for every Bhojpuri movie lover, Zee Biskope is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar(channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 859), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). It’ll soon be available on all other major cable platforms.

    Stay tuned and make the most of entertainment only with ZEE Biskope.

  • Colors’ Bigg Boss promises to give a befitting reply to 2020

    Colors’ Bigg Boss promises to give a befitting reply to 2020

    MUMBAI: The year 2020 has been the most trying and difficult year for humanity in the recent past. From everyone getting exiled within their homes to embracing uncertainty, we are living in the new normal. As we all look forward to the first rays of a restart, the new season of Colors’ reality show, MPL presents Bigg Boss powered by Dabur Dant Rakshak Ayurvedic Paste and TRESemmé will hopefully change the course of events and bring back normalcy into our lives. Featuring a great mix of contestants and bringing back the magic of the inimitable host, Salman Khan, the new season of Bigg Boss promises to be packed with drama, thrill, and excitement. Through the new brand campaign, Bigg Boss Dega 2020 Ko Jawaab , Colors is set to give viewers a peek into the regular life through various innovative engagements. Bigg Boss will premiere on 3 October 2020 at 9 pm and air Monday- Friday at 10.30 pm and Saturday-Sunday 9 pm on Colors and before TV exclusively on Voot Select.

    Conceptualised by advertising agency Leo Burnett, the campaign highlights how this year has robbed us of our freedom, limited our entertainment avenues, and forced us to live in a confined environment without actually being able to enjoy the normal aspects of life. But the new season of Bigg Boss will serve as an antidote to the viewers’ humdrum and fuel their lives with unlimited entertainment, drama, and emotions. The promos of the show have also been interestingly shot and they showcase Salman Khan mopping the floor resonating with everyone’s sentiment of being caught up with daily household chores. In the next one, he is seen sitting in a theatre relishing popcorn while watching a movie signifying that 2020 might have put a brake on our entertainment outings but Bigg Boss will give it a befitting response by bringing Manoranjan back into our lives. In the recent promo, he is seen depicting that Bigg Boss will break the chain of monotony and boredom and set the ball of entertainment rolling once again.

    Read more news on Bigg Boss

    Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment & brand solutions marketing & digital head Sapangeet Rajwant said, “Bigg Boss is one show that over the years has brought the viewers together and been the most sought after entertainment reality show. With an unprecedented disruption and uncertainty looming of when things will improve, we wanted to evoke a sense of normalcy through the campaign and give a befitting response to all the challenges that 2020 has put us through. Taking into consideration the shift in the marketing paradigm, we have also pivoted our promotional strategy to generate maximum talkability and engagement. By creating different zones in the Bigg Boss House, like a movie hall, mall, spa, and dining area , we have magnified the theme of the show, Ab paltega bhi scene, kyunki Bigg Boss dega 2020 ko jawaab. It also allows us to further our brand engagement and strike a better consumer connect.”

    Leo Burnett chief strategy officer south Asia & MD India Dheeraj Sinha said: “2020 has been a difficult year thus far. The word ‘unprecedented’ has made its way all the way up the charts. In these times, what people need in their lives are predictable anchors – familiar things and a part of our lives. Bigg Boss is one such pop-culture event in India. It has been a show that’s given us much entertainment and conversation material over the years. The unveiling of this season of Bigg Boss is not just an unveiling of yet another show, it is a statement that we are standing up to adversity and ready for a change of scene. Moreover, in terms of the sheer package, this year’s show is designed to be even more entertaining, a befitting reply to all the drama that this year has subjected us to. Just that in the case of Bigg Boss , this is the drama that we are eagerly looking forward to. The launch campaign this year, captures this sentiment of a comeback.

    Read more news on Colors

    Leo Burnett national creative director Sachin Kamble said: “This year, the challenge of creating a campaign for Bigg Boss , felt even bigger. But we knew if we ended up doing something that helped people feel positive about themselves and life, we would have done the correct thing for the show as well. As a result, we knew we had to upturn the scene altogether.”

  • Star Plus most watched pay TV channel across genres in Week 35

    Star Plus most watched pay TV channel across genres in Week 35

    BENGALURU: Star India’s Hindi GECs’ Star Plus and Star Utsav topped all the three across genres weekly lists published by Broadcast Audience Research Council of India in the public domain for Week 35 of 2020 (Saturday, 29 August 2020 to Friday, 4 September 2020, week or period under review). While Star Utsav topped BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres and Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres, flagship Hindi GEC Star Plus topped BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across genre during the period under review. Further, Star Plus was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres.

    Hindi GEC’s once again prop up Television Viewership

    BARC data reveals that viewership in Week 35 and Week 34 was the same at 16.9 billion weekly impressions. Analysis of BARC data for the Top 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 channels of genres/sub-genres/languages/ platforms in the public domain indicates that as in the case of Week 34, it was again Hindi GECs’ that propped up television viewership. The Top 5 Kids, Hindi and English Movies and News channels in 10 languages lost viewership in Week 35 of 2020 as compared to the previous week. Analysis of BARC data for the top 4, 5 or 10 GEC channels reveals that though GEC viewership climbed up slightly, GECs’ of most languages lost viewership, while the Hindi GEC genre, which is quite a large genre, gained viewership. To quite an extent, Hindi GECs’ helped maintain television viewership in terms of weekly impressions. It must be noted that Week 34 of 2020 had witnessed the largest drop on 0.7 billion weekly impressions from the 17.6 billion weekly impressions in Week 33 of 2020.

    Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres

    The Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres were all GECs’. Hindi GECs’ dominated the list in Week 35 of 2020. There were eight of them present in the Across Genres on All Platforms list in Week 35 of 2020. Besides the 8 Hindi GECs’, there was one channel each from the Tamil and Telugu genres. As mentioned above, Star India’s Hindi GEC Star Utsav continued heading BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres in Week 35 of 2020 for the fourth week in a row.  As a matter of fact, 8 of the 10 channels in BARC’s Weekly list for Week 35 of 2020 were the same as in the previous week. Two Telugu channels from the weekly list for Week 34 0f 2020 exited and were replaced by two Hindi GECs’ in Week 35 of 2020. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) flagship Kannada GEC and the Network18 (Viacom18) affiliated ETV Telugu exited and were replaced by Zeel’s flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV and Viacom18’s Hindi GEC Colors Rishtey.

    There were 3 Star India channels, two channels each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) and Zeel and one channel each from Enterr 10 Television, Sun TV Network (Sun TV) and Network18/Viacom18 in the list for Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres in Week 35 of 2020.

    Please refer to the chart below:

    Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres

    Sun TV gave way to Star Plus which led BARC Weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres during the period under review. Nine of the 10 channels in BARC’s weekly list for Week 35 of 2020 were the same as in the previous week, but with some shuffling of ranks. Zee Kannada, exited the list and was replaced by Star India’s flagship Tamil GEC Star Vijay. BARC’s weekly list of Across genres pay channels was dominated by two South Indian languages GECs’ – there were six of them – three each from the Tamil and Telugu genres and four Hindi GECs’ in the list for Week 35 of 2020.

    There were three channels each from Star India and Star India two channels from Network18/Viacom18 and one channel each from SPN and the Sun Tv Network in BARC’s weekly top pay channels list for Week 34 of 2020. Please refer to the chart below.

    Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres

    Star Utsav headed BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in Week 35 of 2020. All of the 10 channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in Week 35 of 2020 were the same as in Week 34 with only one shuffling  ranks – Zeel’s Big Magic moved up one rank to eighth place and Viacom18’s Hindi Movies channel Rishtey Cineplex dropped a rank to ninth in Week 35 of 2020 as compared to Week 34.

    There were three channels from Zeel, two channels from Viacom18 and one channel each from B4U Network, Enterr 10 Television, Goldmine Telefilms, SPN and Star India in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in Week 35 of 2020. There six Hindi GECs’ and four Hindi Movies channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in Week 35 of 2020. Please refer to the figure below: