Category: GECs

  • Zee Telugu to premiere dubbed version of Hotel Mumbai on 26 April

    Zee Telugu to premiere dubbed version of Hotel Mumbai on 26 April

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu will have the world television premiere of the dubbed version of the film Hotel Mumbai in the Telugu Language. The movie will be broadcasted on Sunday, 26 April at 1:00 pm.

    More than a decade on, Hotel Mumbai is the cinematic re-creation of the 26/11 terror carnage that shook Mumbai in 2008, focusing on the terrorist attack inside the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel.

    The film has been directed by Anthony Maras, produced by Thunder Road Pictures and distributed by Zee Studios in India. The film stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi and Anupam Kher among others.

    The story revolves around a chef at the hotel, Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher), and a hotel steward, Arjun (Dev Patel), who put themselves in unimaginable risk to save the lives of the frightened guests at the hotel, whilst the militants are on a rampage inside the hotel.

  • ZEE Picchar brings Raj Kumar’s magic alive

    ZEE Picchar brings Raj Kumar’s magic alive

    MUMBAI: On the occasion of Dr Raj Kumar’s birthday on 24 April, ZEE Picchar is taking viewers down the lane of nostalgia by telecasting his blockbuster movies and an exclusive event.

    As the country battles COVID-19 pandemic, the channel has curated a library of titles that viewers can enjoy with their families from the comfort of their homes.

    ZEE Picchar, the destination for Sandalwood’s movies, has specially curated a line-up that includes movies like Nyayve Devru, Mayura, Mayor Muthanna, Bangarada Manushya and Bhagyada Bhagilu.

    The channel will also telecast the exclusive event Rajadhaniyalli Raj Rasasanje as a tribute to Dr Raj Kumar. With Dr Raj Kumar’s movie festival and the special event on 24 April, the channel is ready to entertain viewers.

  • Time travel with The Wonder Years and relive nostalgia on Star World

    Time travel with The Wonder Years and relive nostalgia on Star World

    MUMBAI: It has been over 30 years since The Wonder Years first premiered, and this show holds up to be essential now more than ever – by giving us the much needed sweet nostalgia. Keeping this thought in mind, Star World, home to some of the finest TV shows from around the world, is all set to take you back to the simpler times as it brings one of the golden TV classics from the era of the 1980s. The Wonder Years, which gave television a rich history, can be watched in India only on Star World, starting 27th April, weekdays at 6 PM!

    For the 90’s kids, satellite TV coming to India was like being seduced by a shiny new toy. Suddenly, Star had opened a world of foreign shows.

    The Wonder Years made many of those kids, who grew up with satellite TV at home, crush over Winnie Cooper, seeing Kevin Arnold as their alter-ego. The mundaneness of suburban America, however far-removed geographically, found deep resonance with teens here, who found the awkwardness of adolescence and many messy complexities of relationships completely relatable. In many ways, it was a cultural milestone in our country.

    Starring the award-winning Fred Savage, with voiceover narration from one of the most memorable TV villains from Home Alone, Daniel Stern, this coming-of-age show takes viewers back in time on two fronts – from the 60s, aired in the 80s. The show revolutionized the TV industry by making many bold first-timers strikes such as the single camera format which is now a trend in the comedy genre, seen in The Office, Modern Family, Silicon Valley, among other sitcoms. Adding more to the trendsetting strikes, the show introduced the no laugh track, again, a style adopted by many present time sitcoms. And what’s more, the show also gave us one of the best pilot episodes, incredible soundtracks, and the worldly-wise narration.

    If you could survive those formative years, now is a chance to look back and laugh at Kevin’s exploits, relatable to so many!

    Relive your ‘Wonder Years’ and watch this TV show from the 1980s on Star World on weekdays at 6 pm.

  • Stay at home and ‘Stay Amazed’ with Sony PIX

    Stay at home and ‘Stay Amazed’ with Sony PIX

    MUMBAI: This summer, Sony PIX has got the viewers covered with an exciting line-up to drive away everyday blues. The ‘Stay at Home’ and ‘Stay Amazed’ line-up involves the biggest Hollywood blockbusters and franchises, many hunky actors and extraordinary actresses, family viewing mornings and Mega PIXathons, language option for a lot of audience’s favorite movies and twice the fun with Friday Night’s ‘Twice is Nice’ property.

    Starting with ‘Mind It!’, the multi-lingual property is back to entertain the viewers in a language of their choice. Viewers can now choose between English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu for the movies airing on Sony PIX, every night at 9. Another addition to drive away the morning blues is ‘Family Viewing Mornings’. Starting 24 April at 10:30am, jump out of bed to tune-in to light-hearted, fun movies like Secret Life of Pets, Despicable Me, The Grinch and more to start your day on a happy note.

    Next off, starting 25 April, 12:30pm onwards, viewers will get to spend their afternoons binging on the biggest franchises like The Mummy, Jurassic, Fast & Furious, The Hulk, Harry Potter and more with ‘Mega PIXathon’. Last but not the least, why settle for one, when you can watch Skyscraper along with Journey 2, The Conjuring along with Conjuring 2 and Jurassic World along with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Starting 8 May, expect a double dose of everything – your favorite actors, directors, franchises and genres – with Friday Night’s ‘Twice is Nice’.

    Sony Pictures Networks India business head, English cluster, Tushar Shah said:   “With approx. 500 top-rated blockbuster titles including the biggest franchises, there’s something exciting for everyone, through the day. Stay at home and ‘Stay Amazed’, as we continue to offer a wholesome Hollywood experience to drive away the blues.” 

     

  • ShortsTV brings the best of Indian short films

    ShortsTV brings the best of Indian short films

    MUMBAI: If you have exhausted your watchlist of films and web series and continue to seek unique content options and spellbinding stories, then we have you covered! From science fiction to drama, comedy to crime, ShortsTV brings you a specially curated selection of Indian short films featuring some of the finest talent from Bollywood. Tune in to watch the excellent performances from the likes of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jackky Bhagnani, Pravin Dabas, Sonali Kulkarni, among many others as they deliver the thrill of a strong story all under 40mins. ShortsTV is available across platforms such as Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV and D2H.

    MY SUN SETS TO RISE AGAIN

    Starring Parvin Dabas, My Sun Sets to Rise Again is a beautiful dramatic story of forbidden love and one woman’s dreams that are bigger than the caste system that has suppressed her family for generations. Will her life take an unexpected turn, or will she make her own destiny?

    KALL KARO…SAMBHAL KE

    Directed by Sudhir Achary, the short film is a hilarious take on the incessant calls for insurance, credit card, instant loans…that we all have been troubled by. Here's some payback.

    REWIND

    Marriages are made in heaven. But what if your arranged marriage is with a girl with a past she would like to forget, but which you can never forget?

    CARBON

    Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jackky Bhagnani and Prachi Desai, Carbon is a dystopian science-fiction short film on global warming. Set in a futuristic world, the short film will underline the emotion of greed overpowering humans inhabiting the Earth.

    THE ETERNAL

    The film is about a boy who has a differently abled mind. He speaks to his Goddess Durga and imagines her talking to him with a lot of love and affection.

    SULTAAN

    Directed by Karan Vyas, Sultaan is the story of a drug dealer whose first offshore drug deal with Indian mafia goes horribly wrong. Watch as a selfish drug dealer survive on the streets of India with help of local slum kids and tries to escapes the country.

  • Hagemaru Show’s relaunch episode grabs 1.6 mn kids’ eyeballs on Hungama TV

    Hagemaru Show’s relaunch episode grabs 1.6 mn kids’ eyeballs on Hungama TV

    MUMBAI: The re-run of old shows is not only helping GECs but also  kids channel. Disney India kids channel has garnered 1.6 million kids' viewership on the re-launch episode of The Hagemaru Show. The show was re-launched on April 17, 2020 and the first episode was telecasted at 12 noon which recorded viewership of 830 TVT, while the repeat airing of the show delivered a viewership of 885 TVT.  As a part of summer line-up, the channel is set to launch its new kids show Bapu soon.

    According to BMW Software India, the launch episode and repeat episode garnered 2.8 millions kids (2 to 14 years) viewership in urban and rural markets. Disney's spokesperson said, “The Hagemaru Show embodies the spirit of Hungama, bringing together fun, mischief and a riot of laughter, and we are overwhelmed with the love and response we have received from our viewers in just a week of its launch. Kids have immediately connected to the antics of the quirky lead Hagemaru and his family and friends, made more relevant by its unique dubbing tone and style."

    The spokesperson also informed, "As we do every summer, we are committed to bring our young viewers fresh entertainment across the kids network through new shows and new seasons of popular shows , and are eagerly awaiting the next show in our summer line up – ‘Bapu’ on Disney Channel”.

    The show is aired on Disney Network's Hungama channel every friday at 12 noon and 3 pm in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The Hagemaru Show is based around the adventures of Hagemaru Hageda, a class 4 student who is the only child of his parents. Each episode centers around the lives of this unique family that find hilarious and groundbreaking ways to save money! Every way adopted is extremely innovative and sometimes really exceptional, much to the dismay of their pet dog Pesus.

    In the beginning of the week, Disney Kids Channels announced that it will bring-in 100 hours of fresh content as a part of the summer line-up which includes shows like Bapu, Guddu, Gadget Guru Ganesha, The Hagemaru Show, Selfie with Bajrangi, Doreamon and new episodes of Chacha Chaudhary and Miraculous.

  • BARC week 14: Sony Marathi enters top five Marathi channels list

    BARC week 14: Sony Marathi enters top five Marathi channels list

    MUMBAI: In week 14 of BARC India ratings Sony Marathi entered the top five Marathi channel list at fifth position by replacing Colors Marathi. The channel garnered 61,709 weekly impressions (000s). In Gujarati market, TV9 Gujarati grabbed the leading position. Last week the channel was seen at second position and ABP Asmita was leading. The pecking order of Bhojpuri channels remained unchanged in week 14 of BARC India ratings.

    In the Bangla market, Zee Bangla, Jalsha Movies, Star Jalsha, Sony Aath and Zee Bangla Cinema were the top five channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings.
     
    Bangla
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Zee Bangla 200906
    2 Jalsha Movies 141855
    3 STAR Jalsha 131566
    4 Sony Aath 101667
    5 Zee Bangla Cinema 95196
    WB (U+R): NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 

    In Bhojpuri market, Bhojpuri Cinema, Zee Biskope, B4U Bhojpuri, Big Ganga and Danbang were the top five channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings.  

    Bhojpuri
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Bhojpuri Cinema 62426
    2 Zee Biskope 46281
    3 B4U Bhojpuri 41200
    4 Big Ganga 28270
    5 Dabangg 22393
    Bihar/Jharkhand (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 

    In Gujarati market, TV9 GujaratiABP Asmita, Colors Gujarati Cinema, Zee 24 Kalak, and Sandesh News were the top five channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings.  

    Gujarati
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 TV9 Gujarati 63645
    2 ABP Asmita 58375
    3 Colors Gujarati Cinema 39371
    4 Zee 24 Kalak 32033
    5 Sandesh News 28954
    Guj / D&D / DNH (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals, 

    In the Kannada market, Zee Kannada,  Udaya TV, Udaya Movies, Star Suvarna  and Colors Kannada were the top five channels  in week 14 of BARC India ratings.  

    Kannada
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Zee Kannada 364213
    2 Udaya TV 273127
    3 Udaya Movies 268849
    4 Star Suvarna 182390
    5 Colors Kannada 165552
    Karnataka (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 
    In the Malayalam market, Asianet, Surya TV, Mazhavil Manorama, Flowers TV and Kairali TV were the top five channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings    
     

    Malayalam

     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Asianet 186281
    2 Surya TV 131401
    3 Mazhavil Manorama 125643
    4 Flowers TV 96085
    5 Kairali TV 81387
    Kerala (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 

    ZeeTalkies, Zee Marathi, Fakt Marathi, Shemaroo Marathibana and Sony Marathi were the top Marathi channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings.

    Marathi  
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Zee Talkies 173323
    2 Zee Marathi 167099
    3 Fakt Marathi 163877
    4 Shemaroo Marathibana 111093
    5 Sony Marathi 61709
    Mah/ Goa (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 

    Pitaara TV, PTC Punjabi, Zee Punjabi, Manorajan Movies and PTC News were the top five channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings.  

    Punjabi  
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Pitaara TV 88813
    2 PTC Punjabi 70135
    3 Zee Punjabi 47417
    4 Manoranjan Movies 39082
    5 PTC News 30514
    Pun / Cha (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals,

    Sun TV, KTV, Star Vijay, Zee Tamil and Star Vijay Super were the top five Tamil channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings  

    Tamil  
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 Sun TV 968775
    2 KTV 579197
    3 STAR Vijay 329663
    4 Zee Tamil 292500
    5 STAR Vijay Super 198579
    Tamil Nadu/ Puducherry (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 

    Star Maa, ETV Telugu, Gemini TV, Zee Telugu and  Gemini Movies were top five Telugu channels in week 14 of BARC India ratings  

    Telugu
     
    Rank Channel Name Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
        Week 14
    1 STAR Maa 567870
    2 ETV Telugu 526159
    3 Gemini TV 483977
    4 Zee Telugu 346496
    5 Gemini Movies 280344
    AP/ Telangana (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals, 
  • Zee Keralam engages audience with a variety of content during lockdown

    Zee Keralam engages audience with a variety of content during lockdown

    MUMBAI: Zee Keralam, the fastest growing general entertainment channel in Malayalam, is introducing a variety of content to engage their audience confined to their homes due to the national lockdown.

    Zee Keralam took to its social media handle to do daily Facebook Lives of its fiction stars, SaReGaMaPa Keralam finalists and non-fiction celebrities. All of them connected from their respective homes and gave the audience a look into how they’re spending this lockdown with their families and encouraged everyone to stay home. Some of the popular stars include Pearle Maaney who stars in the channel’s comedy show Funny Nights with Pearle Maaney, Amala Gireesan and Stebin Jacob who play the lead roles in Zee Keralam’s top fiction Chembarathi, actor Shiju from their latest fiction Neeyum Njanum followed by the leads of most of the serials on the channel.

    The latest FB Live : https://www.facebook.com/ZeeKeralam/videos/208181637148784/?vh=e&d=n

    As a Vishu special release, the SaReGaMaPa Keralam contestants have not let the lockdown stop their music from reaching their audience base. The five confirmed finalists Aswin Vijayan, Swetha Ashok, Keerthana, Libin Scaria and Jasim Jamal have sung an Acapella song together for the Zee Keralam's audience from their homes which received tremendous response on Zee Keralam’s social media handle.

    Link to the Vishu Special Song: https://www.facebook.com/2013890732265019/posts/2619583835029036/?vh=e&d=n

    Furthermore, the channel has also launched an entertainment show on the story of legendary poet Thennali Raman who outwits everyone with his sharp wit and intelligent charm. The programme targets audience of all age groups. It’s currently being aired from Monday to Friday at 6 pm.

    Link to the latest Tennali Raman promo: https://www.facebook.com/2013890732265019/posts/2617953295192090/?vh=e&d=n

    The channel continues to add more progressive shows to their programming mix. Zee Keralam has seen incremental growth since its launch and is completing one-and-a-half years of operations in Kerala the following month.

  • MTV and MTV Beats launch digital innovations amidst lockdown

    MTV and MTV Beats launch digital innovations amidst lockdown

    MUMBAI: MTV and MTV Beats are here to ensure that the audiences are in for daily dose of entertainment during lockdown. Be it on TV or on social media, there is a host of content to offer that will surely keep the young guns engaged and entertained.

    Viacom18 youth, music and English entertainment marketing head Navin Shenoy said: “We have always believed in a hybrid approach i.e. inclusive of TV and digital when it comes to our young audiences. Therefore, amidst this lockdown, we have created a strong proposition on both these platforms. Television consumption for youth in India has risen by 12 per cent* while there is an 87 per cent* surge in social media usage. Our content, therefore, is reflective of this paradigm shift and designed to pique consumer intrigue and interest.” He further added, “While on TV we are bringing back some of the most popular seasons of our tentpole properties, on social media we have created content capsules such as MTV Adda and Lockdown Stars that cater to the varying interests of our fans and curate a more personalized interface for them with their favourite celebs while being at home. Music From Home on MTV Beats is an apt offering to make social distancing an entertaining experience.”

    MTV Adda comes as the ultimate recipe to kill quarantine boredom. To help the audience get the best out of social distancing, this initiative lets the fans get up, close and personal with their favorite celebrities from the house of MTV. From the OG Roadie Rannvijay Singha and beauty with brains Neha Dhupia, to the ever-gorgeous Anusha Dandekar, designer Masaba Gupta, the very witty Vikas Gupta and the suave Nikhil Chinappa, MTV Adda has the most loved celebs give away easy home workouts and beauty tips, dance lessons, culinary guidelines and much more only on Instagram. Some lucky fans will also get a chance to be a part of the LIVE and interact with their favourite celeb while showing off their in-home skills.

    Catering to its whopping following of over 25 million on social media, MTV has also introduced a one of a kind offering to tap into the diverse talents of its fans and help them be the next social media sensation. Hosted by the super gorgeous VJ Gaelyn Mendonca, MTV Lockdown Stars is an innovative talent hunt show that gives MTV fans a chance to impress everyone with their talent but in less than a minute. All they need to do is upload a video of a performance on Instagram, tagging @MTVIndia with the hashtag, #MTVLockdownStars. From dancing, singing, cooking to mimicking and even standup comedy, MTV Lockdown Stars has a place for everyone to excel. The best entries shortlisted by Gaelyn along with MTV will get a chance to perform their acts in an hour-long LIVE event on Instagram as part of the final artist line-up, curated by the channel.

    Tapping the popularity of gaming amongst the youth, MTV also brings MTV After Hours, a unique initiative that lets the users interact with the MTV squad in an innovative format, every Friday at 11 pm. For the first time, MTV will step into the world of popular online games and dabble with the players. As part of the property, MTV will reach out to the superstars of digital cult games and bring together novices and pros alike, engaging them on MTV’s buzzing social media.

    And there's more to indulge in. Hustle from Home is yet another exciting initiative to get up and close with some aspirational rappers on how they’re honing their skills amidst the lockdown. On the Instagram page of @mtvhustle, top contenders of the first season will go live and interact with budding rappers, every day at 6PM to discuss how they are utilizing this phase to improve their writing and composing skills.

    To add a splash of music to the monotony, MTV Beats has launched Music from Home to make ‘work from home’ more musically +VE. As a part of this, fans can log into the Instagram page of MTV Beats and witness a stellar line up of artists like Darshan Raval, Kailash Kher, Shreya Ghosal, Papon, Dr. Palash Sen, Shalmali, Jonita Gandhi and many more go live from their homes and jam to their most popular tracks. Fans can also dedicate songs to their loved ones with MTV Beats Farmaaish, where the artists will perform to the song requests during the LIVE and also call out their endearing dedications. Not just that, fans will also get a chance to do a Social-Distancing Chat and interact with the artist during the LIVE using the dual video feature on Instagram. The channel has also curated a special Work From Home and a House Party playlist to dabble through the never ending work tasks with some fine soulful Bollywood melodies and refreshing upbeat music.

    On television, amidst the lockdown, MTV and MTV Beats has brought back some of its highly rated shows to let its audience relive the drama and excitement. Some of the most loved shows like Ace of Space S1, Love School S3, MTV Hustle and Splitsvilla X along with Roadies Revolution are back on MTV, FitStop with Sunny Leone, Dil Beats with Darshan Raval on MTV Beats are there to ensure there isn’t a dull moment for its fans.

  • Disney Star India commences voluntary salary reduction plan

    Disney Star India commences voluntary salary reduction plan

    MUMBAI: The SARS CoV2 (COVID-19) virus is leaving its impact on even the big players of the media and entertainment industry; Disney Star India, for instance. The Indian broadcasting and streaming megalith is going in for cost reductions, what with the IPL being postponed indefinitely, and TV originals productions being stopped.

    Speaking at an UpGrad webinar, The Walt Disney Company APAC chairman and Star and Disney India president Uday Shankar said, “We have voluntarily rolled out a programme for senior executives to take salary cuts. We don’t need to, to be honest.  We decided to do that as an investment for the future. We want to be prepared. And I am happy to say that it has been hugely received. Everybody has very positively reacted to that.”

    Sources reveal that the salary cuts that have been put in place vary from 15-20 per cent.

    While the top executives are taking pay cuts, Shankar has a message for his company employees. “We had a town hall meeting and I said that this is the time we start investing in the next cycle and work towards that. In one or two years’ time, can we be twice as stronger as we were when the crisis hit us?”

     Shankar admits that it is important to accept the grim realities of what lies ahead of this pandemic. He expects that the next few quarters will be crucial for everyone to buck up and create a new game plan.

    Talking about the near future, Shankar said that it will be ‘fluid and bad’. “We will face second-order challenges such as a reduction in salaries. Some may, unfortunately, lose jobs while businesses may struggle with liquidity,” he said.

    Being a practical person, he also warned people to not have high hopes. “I think that all of us should hope for it to get better but we need to be realistically prepared for it to get worse. Do not expect the short term to get better. You may even have to take a reduced income,” he said.