ITV

Category: Movie Channels

  • Star Movies, the home of Oscars for 16 years

    Star Movies, the home of Oscars for 16 years

    MUMBAI: 80 years ago what started as a humble gathering of the movie fraternity to award excellence in cinema has now become Hollywood’s biggest most celebrated night and Star Movies has been the proud partner of this gala event for 16 consecutive years – a stellar partnership.

    Every year, the entertainment community and movie lovers around the world turn their attention to The Oscars. Interest and anticipation builds to a fevered pitch leading up to the Oscar telecast, when every hardcore movie buff tunes in to watch the glamorous ceremony to celebrate the highest honors in filmmaking.

    Star Movies, the Home of Oscars in India continues this royal tradition in 2015. The anticipation of the grand evening has already picked up a storm as the nominations for the most coveted film awards in the world were announced yesterday.

    Alejandro González I?árritu’s ‘Birdman’ and Wes Anderson’s ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ lead with nine nominations each. Richard Linklater’s Boyhood which has been in the making for 12 years follows with six nominations, equaling Clint Eastwood’s war drama American Sniper. The Theory of Everything garnered five nominations, including one for best picture, two for its lead cast Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne, one for music and another for adapted screenplay and Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner took home four nominations for music, production design, costume design and cinematography.

    The 87th Oscars set to be held on February 23, 2015 will be hosted by American actor, writer, producer, director, magician, comedian and singer – Neil Patrick Harris. NPH, as he is fondly called is known for his on-stage theatrics while hosting and will be sure to add his quirky take to the glitz of the evening. NPH sent an exclusive message to all movie lovers in India – a special ‘Namaste’ only on Star Movies.

    Star Movies always wants to cater to its viewer’s wishes and Oscars holds a special distinction for movie buffs and critics alike. From the performances of the most coveted awards night LIVE to the winners of the most prestigious trophy, special programming initiatives, experiences and more are planned by the channel to bring alive the majestic Oscars on Star Movies.

    A cup of hot chocolate in the morning or simmering cup of coffee in the night, choose your drink, set your living room and get ready to witness the grandest stage of Hollywood EXCLUSIVELY on Star Movies live at 5:30 AM IST on 23nd February with a repeat telecast at 8:30 pm!

     

  • Romance and laughter is Romedy Now’s agenda this New Year

    Romance and laughter is Romedy Now’s agenda this New Year

    MUMBAI: Romedy Now heralds a joyful 2015, and presents a smashing line-up of amazing movies and popular series all this month.
     
    Romedy at 9 brings an incredible line-up of the sweetest movies every night at 9pm featuring popular favorites like The Romantics, Monte Carlo, The Rebound, The Sweetest Thing, Something Borrowed, Just My Luck and many more all this month.
     
    Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) discovers the power of a mother’s love in the uplifting film The Blindside. Which is an award-winning performance from Sandra Bullock.

     
    This New Year, Romedy at First Sight brings in a scintillating collection of heartwarming movies premiering for the first time on the channel. And the catalog consists of Something’s Gotta Give, Hitchcock, Tin Cup, Must Love Dogs, Yogi Bear and many more only on Romedy at First Sight this January.

     
    Besides a good set of movies Romedy Now also has intriguingly captivating series comprising of Dharma & Greg, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Better Off Ted. Whether you’re giggling at Dharma’s witty quips in Dharma & Greg or guffawing at Chandler’s inspired one-liners in F.R.I.E.N.D.S, you won’t be able to resist sharing the laughter this January.   

     
    Raising the entertainment quotient this year, Romedy Now brings in a good conglomeration of fresh and contemporary.

     

  • Zee Action to go full-throttle in two months’ time

    Zee Action to go full-throttle in two months’ time

    MUMBAI: With the numerous award shows being held across the world, one thing is clear – everyone loves movies.

     

    And with the number of movie channels increasing in the country, the competition is only growing multifold. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), which boasts of six movie channels – Zee Cinema, Zee Classic, Zee Action, &Pictures, &Pictures HD and Zee Cinema HD – under its banner, plans to revamp its 24/7 action movie channel.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Zeel Hindi movie channel business head Ruchir Tiwari said, “In terms of content, action movies are the most preferred choice for the audiences. This makes us feel very confident of the potential for a focused 24/7 action movie channel and the year 2015, will see a revamped Zee Action in full gear.”

     

    “The channel will explore its maximum potential with an aggressive line-up. We would be experimenting a lot with Bollywood, Hollywood and southern content catering to the needs of voracious action movie lovers,” Tiwari further added.

     

    Come March, and the channel will get into full action with an aggressive marketing plan in its core markets. Been worked upon for the last one year, the channel can now boast of a sizable and fresh library.

     

    “We will launch with a primetime property,” highlighted Tiwari without revealing much. However, he did add that with the content revamp underway, the packaging will too undergo a change to keep up with the new strategy.

     

    Currently, the channel is focusing on a 360 degree robust marketing plan, which will highlight Zee Action as the best in its genre like the network’s other movie channels.

     

  • 2014: The year of fatigue for Hindi movie channels

    2014: The year of fatigue for Hindi movie channels

    2014 has been an interesting year for the Hindi movie genre.

     

    The Hindi movie genre holds about 17 per cent of the total TV viewing pie which has been flat compared to 2013 and on an average per week, it clocked 1,187 GVM (Gross Viewership in Millions) in the year. One of the most positive trends observed in the category is the rise of new and smaller channels finding their share of voice in a cluttered environment. Digitisation has given the consumers today many options to tune in to varied content. Riding on this phenomenon, the Hindi movie genre has finally started to carve out more differentiated offerings and the viewership trends on these channels have been extremely positive.

     

    Let me first share our experiences on Zee’s Hindi movie cluster.  Zee Cinema, the premier leading movie channel launched in India, also enhanced its movie library by premiering recent releases like ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Holiday’. In fact, ‘Entertainment’ was the highest rated premiere of this year. The Independence Day premiere of ‘Holiday’ also raked in good ratings for the channel.  In a unique offering, the channel also premiered Prakash Jha’s ‘Satyagraha’. The film was extensively promoted by the film’s lead talent Amrita Rao and director, Prakash Jha in key HSM regions.

     

    &pictures was launched as India’s first interactive and premium Hindi movie channel in August 2013 and it continues to deliver on its brand promise. The channel that has grown from strength to strength in a very short span of time has pioneered trends in the movie channel industry. For instance, &pictures launched a documentary movie ‘Chale Chalo’ endorsed by Aamir Khan receiving thunderous response for this one-of-a-kind initiative from the industry and consumers alike. It also opened avenues for interactivity by introducing live call-ins for viewers with Aamir Khan for the first time in India. In fact, this concept of engaging with the viewers was again replicated by Aamir in promoting ‘Dhoom3’ television premiere and ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Helming the social cause, &pictures also premiered ‘Manjunath’ a true story of a whistleblower murdered for exposing the petrol adulteration scam in UP.

     

    Zee Classic, on the other hand, has progressed tremendously this year. This re-instates our faith in good quality timeless cinema. The season 3 of ‘Classic Legends’ hosted by Javed Akhtar is the most viewed film based show on television. Zee’s Hindi movie cluster has gained its dedicated viewer base. The entry of Sony Max 2 in the same content space as Zee Classic has created exciting competition and it will only help us nurture the category and carve a niche in this segment.

     

    2014 has also seen bigger channels undergoing a slight decline in viewership. One of the key reasons for this can largely be attributed to their dependence on premiering the latest blockbuster commercial films which add immense excitement to the content mix for all the channels. The comeback of commercial potboilers such as ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’ in 2009-10 made way for a series of such content being dished out from Bollywood.

     

    However, 2014 shall be remembered as ‘the year of fatigue’ for such films.  For instance, the TV premiere ratings of films like ‘Kick’, ‘Singham Returns’ and ‘Dhoom 3’ almost shrunk by 50 per cent as compared to the record breaking ratings achieved by movies like ‘Singham’, ‘Dabangg’ and ‘3 Idiots’ between 2010-2012. 

     

    This fatigue was even more startling at the box office with releases like ‘Humshakals’ and ‘Action Jackson’ that were expected to do well in theatres failed miserably. This occurrence also indicates that there is no fixed formula for success. Bidding for any film after a certain price is definitely not a commercially viable option and even exclusive star led deals struck with A-list actors such as Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn cannot guarantee definite success. Interestingly, these trends in overall viewership and revenues have finally led to the long overdue correction of overpriced satellite rights of most Hindi Movies in 2014. 

     

    2014 has been a great year for Indian cinema as the so-called small films not only increased in numbers but also emerged into huge commercial blockbusters and with them, we also witnessed the younger actors achieve huge successes at the Box office.  Cinema like ‘Queen’, ‘2 States’, ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Heropanti’, ‘Highway’ and ‘Mardaani’ are clearly indicating  the mood of the cinegoers and the need of fresh and new ideas right now is more than ever before.  It’s only a matter of time such movies that get maximum footfalls in a multiplex will also find its space on television. The acceptance of such films will help us garner more eyeballs and I see a wonderful fit for such movies with the High Definition (HD) movie channels.  Zee Cinema HD and &pictures HD have already pioneered its presence in this space.   

                                                                                                  

    With the unremitting motto to engage, innovate and entertain, we are excited and geared up with all our six movie channels. Zee’s Hindi movie cluster offers a very distinct and differentiated content mix and has a lot to look forward in the year 2015.

     

     (These are purely personal views of Zee’s Hindi movie cluster business head Ruchir Tiwari and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • Movies Now to air complete ‘Dark Knight’ Trilogy this January

    Movies Now to air complete ‘Dark Knight’ Trilogy this January

    MUMBAI: Superhero fans have every reason to celebrate this New Year. Starting 2015 on an exhilarating note, Movies Now – India’s No. 1 English Movie Channel brings viewers a blockbuster fiesta every Friday with Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed franchise – The Dark Knight Trilogy. Starting 2 January 2014, watch as Batman rises to defend Gotham City from its deadliest enemies every Friday at 11 PM.

     

    Following the massive success of blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter, the Matrix and Ultimate Bourne on the channel, Movies Now for the first time on Indian television will showcase all three installments of Christopher Nolan’s thrilling series on one destination.  Journey to Gotham every Friday as Hollywood’s best Batman, best Joker, and best Catwoman converge in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises.

     

    Crossing over $2.4 billion in sales at the world box-office, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy went on to become the highest grossing Batman series of all time. This January, catch the award-wining Batman saga only on MOVIES NOW. Every Friday, watch stellar performances from Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart and many more.

     

    Don’t miss Gotham’s epic showdown this January only on Movies Now

  • &pictures to air the latest Bond flicks in Hindi with ‘Bond Nights’!

    &pictures to air the latest Bond flicks in Hindi with ‘Bond Nights’!

    MUMBAI: In keeping with its endeavour of providing its viewers with fresh and clutter-breaking content, &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel extends its festive offering with the premiere of the best of Bond movies all of January and February, 2015. With a festival as massive as Agent 007 himself, &pictures gives its viewers the opportunity to experience a supreme action-packed experience.

    Kick-starting Bond Nights with the premiere of the latest Bond film – Skyfall on 2 January 2015, the channel has gone all out to initiate innovative marketing initiatives and create a colossal brand recall. In a bid to grab maximum eyeballs, &pictures has a populated special billboard branding across Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Rajkot, Mumbai and Delhi with the enormous cut-outs of the blue-eyed Bond – Daniel Craig. To reach out to the movie enthusiasts, &pictures has also devised a strategy to run promos of Skyfall in about 500-600 UFO digital screens during and before the interval of the newly released movie PK in the run – up to ‘Bond Nights’!

    Moreover, social media platforms will be on fire with some surprising contests for viewers that will surround each Bond movie that is to premiere on &pictures. Apart from the fact that audiences will now be able to see their favourite rouge assassin for the first time in Hindi, audiences will also be able to watch them in complete action. A unique line of promos encompassing each Bond movie will also include some tongue in cheek humour.

    Speaking of the action filled line up, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL, stated, “&pictures has always stood for providing premium entertaining content to our audiences. With Bond Nights, we are exhibiting one of the most exclusive and anticipated film franchises across the globe. We are ringing the New Year with super sleek Bond series, with most of the films from the line-up premiering for the first time on Hindi television. Adhering to the nature of Bond films our marketing campaign includes eclectic mix of traditional and innovative strategies specifically targeted consumer as well as trade audiences.”

    In addition, to reach out to the trade agency community &pictures had organized an inventive activity ‘Bond of the agency’ across Mumbai and Delhi. A race car (synonym with Bond) gaming set up was located in the respective agency cafeterias. This exciting gaming console provided a distinctive opportunity to all the employees to partake and win original Bond merchandising. The winner with best score was also granted ‘Bond of the agency’ title.

    The mega movie series of the latest Bond flicks will make its way on television screens for the first time in Hindi on &pictures every Friday at 8:00 PM from 2 January to 13 February!

  • Zee Classic rings in the New Year with the biggest hits of the livewire Shammi Kapoor!

    Zee Classic rings in the New Year with the biggest hits of the livewire Shammi Kapoor!

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic, the Hindi movie channel known for its vast library of India’s evergreen classic movies is all set to entertain its viewers with back to back movie Marathon of the effervescent Shammi Kapoor on New Year’s Day. For the first time as part of its New Year Special programming, viewers can watch Shammi Kapoor’s biggest hits – Prince co-starring Vyjayanthimala and Professor co-starring Lalita Pawar and Kalpana on January 01, 2015only on Zee classic.

     

    Embellished with Peppy chartbusters like ‘Badan Pe Sitare Lapete Huye’ Prince (1969) is a charming film about an arrogant prince having a change of heart post living a life of a commoner. The film also boasts of melodious music from legendary duo Shankar-Jaikishan.

     

    Another swinging sixty’s blockbuster– Professor (1962) is a hilarious film about a young man inadvertently disguising himself as an elderly professor to meet the employment criteria set by the strict Aunt Lalita Pawar. What follows is an entertaining turn of events of Pritam’s double-life as both the old, single professor who charms the otherwise tough aunt and the young man who woos her beautiful niece.

     

    Viewers are in for an enjoyable day this New Year with Prince airing on Zee Classic at 11.45 am followed by another great classic of Shammi Kapoor’s Professor at 2.45 pm. With a line-up of such captivating movies, Zee Classic invites the viewers to be part of Bollywood’s most melodic and sparkling era.

     

    So don’t miss out on the festive fervour and tune-in to Zee Classic on Thursday, January 01, 2015 to catch Shammi Kapoor’s greatest hits for the first time only on India’s number one channel of everlasting movies, Zee Classic!

  • Bid adieu to 2014 with SuperPIX PIXATHON this New Year’s Eve only on SONY PIX

    Bid adieu to 2014 with SuperPIX PIXATHON this New Year’s Eve only on SONY PIX

    Mumbai:  Movie buffs are in for a pleasant surprise as this New Year’s Eve, Sony PIX is offering a treat for it viewers with an interesting line up of entertaining and engaging movies all day long on Wednesday, December 31st from 9.00 AM onwards. The PIXATHON of the heroic and hilarious movies that will be aired are The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Grown Ups 2, The Smurfs 2, Robocop, After Earth and The Expendables 2, making sure you have the coolest, funniest and blockbuster New Year ever.

     

    A world with Giants and Dwarfs awaits you in the remarkable fantasy ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug airing at 9.00 AM followed by the rib tickling comedy, ‘Grown Ups 2’ where the adults get bullied by youngsters at 12.15 PM. Coming up next is ‘Smurfs 2’ at 2.00 PM where the little blue Smurfs set out for a wild adventure around Paris in search of their kidnapped friend Smurfette.

     

    Make way for the Ultimate Shiny reboot of the classic, undisputed crime eliminator in ‘Robocop’ at 4.30 PM and catch him extinguish felony on the city streets as a crime-fighting cyborg! Experience the beautiful journey of a father- son relationship and their fight for survival in the sci-fi action thriller ‘After Earth’ airing at 7.00 PM.  Coming closer to the year end is the multi starrer with the mammoth ensemble with Twice the action and double the punches at 9.00 PM is ‘The Expendables 2’.

     

    Tune in for an extravagant and compelling parade of this year’s most spectacular hits with six back to back movies only on Sony PIX, Wednesday, December 31st, 9.00 AM onwards!

  • Movies Now brings yearend blockbuster experience…Are you ready?

    Movies Now brings yearend blockbuster experience…Are you ready?

    MUMBAI:  Movie-lovers and thrill-seekers get ready to bid farewell to 2014 with a bang as Movies Now, India’s home for best Hollywood films, gets ready to take you on a rollercoaster ride, celebrating this festive season with back-to-back blockbuster entertainment.

     

    Kick starting the festivities on Christmas Day, Movies Now presents ‘Jingle All The Day’, a fantastic line-up of films that guarantee you non-stop entertainment. Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Night at the Museum- Jingle All The Day will be showcasing the best of Hollywood to treat you to an unforgettable Christmas experience!

     

    If the Christmas treat makes you feel like a kid in a candy store, there are more celluloid surprises waiting for you! Enjoy the best end-of-the-year celebration as Movies Now ensures you start your new year on a high, with High on 2014 featuring a non-stop party of some of Hollywood’s most-loved blockbusters. Go on an unforgettable journey with Life of Pi, walk down the memory lane with Grown Ups, groove to the beats of Step Up 3D, take on the bad guys with the accidental spy in Johnny English Reborn, participate in the whirlwind fun journey that is Hangover 2, enjoy the nail-biting suspense & unexpected twists of Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets and experience the best of drama with Titanic! Don’t miss High on 2014, starting 25th December 2014, every night @ 7 PM and a day-long celebration on 1st January 2015.

     

    Celebrate the holiday season with Hollywood’s biggest party only on Movies Now!

  • Jai Prakash Chowksey is new FFI chief

    Jai Prakash Chowksey is new FFI chief

    MUMBAI: At the first meeting of the executive committee of Film Federation of India held after the 61st Annual General Meeting on 17 December, Central Circuit Cine Association Jai Prakash Chowksey was unanimously elected the president.

     

    Other Office Bearers elected are as under:

     

    Vice Presidents:

    Ravi Kottarakara (South)

    TP Aggarwal (West)

    Ram Vidhani (West)

    Sakshi Mehra (North)

    K S Rama Rao (South)

    Pulak Mukherjee-(East),

    KCN Chandrashekar (South)

    K Murli Mohan (South)

    TA Arulpathy (South)

     

    Hon. General Secretary:

    C Kalyan  (South)

    Naresh Mohnot (West)

     

    Hon. Treasurer :

    Sangram Shirke (West)

     

    The secretary general is Secretary General Supran Sen.

     

    The office bearers will assume office on 1 January 2015.