ITV

Category: Music and Youth

  • Shemaroo Entertainment Acquires the Worldwide Distribution Rights of “Roshni”

    Shemaroo Entertainment Acquires the Worldwide Distribution Rights of “Roshni”

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., one of the leading pioneers of content acquisition and distribution, acquired the worldwide distribution rights of documentary film “Roshni”, written by Nazneen Bhatia. The documentary film is produced by ‘The Unknown Film Company’ and is directed by Nazneen Bhatia and Anshul Adhikari. The documentary can be watched on Amazon Prime.

    The documentary revolves around a woman named Roshni who lives in the land of the gods known as Dev Bhoomi and wants to travel to the land of illusions, Mumbai city known as Maya Nagari. Located at the foothills of the Himalayas the north Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are known as the land of the gods. The team interviewed some dynamic personalities like Dr. Om Kumar Sharma, a Sanskrit scholar, Vidya Rao, an Indian classical singer and literary writer and Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned scientist, quantum physicist and Vedic ecologist, who gave them a plethora of knowledge while crafting the documentary. The film beautifully portrays the thoughts of the people who live in the Himalayas. The self-reliant mind-set and the words of the people interviewed speak of a message that is both personal and universal.

    Shemaroo Entertainment Limited came forward and acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the documentary film Roshni. The documentary film was released on Amazon Prime, which supports such motivational and inspiring content.

  • Gaana ‘Tunes – Up’ App For An Elevated User Experience

    Gaana ‘Tunes – Up’ App For An Elevated User Experience

    MUMBAI: Gaana, the leading music streaming player in the Indian market has rolled out a  new version of the app on Android and iOS platforms that would offer music lovers a never before immersive experience by enhancing the discoverability of music, aiding in decision making of playlists, a better voice search and with the availability of lyrics making it more engaging and interactive than ever before. 

    The app is now with with more than 80 mn users and over 1.2 billion streams a month across 30 languages including Indian regional languages has introduced a facelift to improve user experience on the app. Some of the new introductions are as follows:

    Hassle Free Discoverability:

    With the new app discoverability become a lot simpler. Users can now quickly select their choice of music by taking help of the Personalized Music Feed at Search. The app will track your listening history and prompt suggestions thus saving you the drudgery of browsing through a vast library of music to make your pick. The smart feed is powered by the ML models to expose users to varied content in one go.

    Aids Decision Making:

    The revamped version also features a Made for you Mixes and Playlists. This will aid in decision making with tailor made playlists to cater to your eclectic preferences. These will have tracks across genres for various occasions put together just for you. 

    Engaging Content

    And engaging modern UX will ensure that music lovers  experience a Fresh Content Everyday. It will filter music based on what you have listened and what you have not and will suggest new content accordingly. AI and Machine Learning (ML) has been the key driver in leveraging the user behavior for understanding taste profiles and tailoring music listening experiences for each unique user. 

    Easy Accessibility

    Voice is the most convenient medium for input unlike a keyboard and we see the millennial generation moving to Voice in a big way.  Also the new wave of internet users will primarily use Voice as input as many will not be comfortable with typing. The Voice Search option will make accessibility faster as it gives you the freedom to make movements on the app without having to type details of the songs. Users can search for their favourite songs by saying the name of song, singer, movie, lyrics, moods and occasions. 

    Immersive Experience

    Consumers can not just listen to the music but also sing while the song is playing. The new feature will let consumers view Lyrics With Full Screen Players. The font and the style can be changed to make it appear more legible. 

    In addition to the above, the app has been made more user-friendly with an increased focus on imagery and breathing spaces. It has also improved player experience and onboarding process.

    Commenting on the new launch, Mr. Prashan Agarwal, CEO – Gaana said,“Today we are at more than 80 mn monthly active users with an active subscription base. We are extremely passionate about elevating consumer experience at every step which is why we decided to give the app a facelift to further enhance user interaction. Over the last few months, we have increased investment in machine learning and AI to improve our recommendation algorithms and today almost 15% consumption on the platform is being delivered through our recommendation engine. “

    He further added, Our focus at Gaana is to be the everyday companion of every user by being there through all the different moods and phases that our user goes through.  Keeping in line with this, we are certain that the revamp will help us curate a fulfilled user experience on the App.”

    The new app will be available to Gaana’s IOS and Android user base. 

  • EPIC CHANNEL CELEBRATES 4 YEARS OF GENRE DEFINING CONTENT

    EPIC CHANNEL CELEBRATES 4 YEARS OF GENRE DEFINING CONTENT

    MUMBAI: Launched on November 19, 2014, EPIC celebrates the completion of four years on air, in which it has set aspirational benchmarks for Indian TV content. During this short run, it has already accrued a formidable reputation as a premium content hub with signature shows like Stories by Rabindranath Tagore, Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, Tyohaar Ki Thaali, the Raja Rasoi series, Umeed India and its latest offering – Regiment Diaries, which is a never before attempted comprehensive series on the Indian Army.

    Showered with critical acclaim and a loyal following for its array of innovative programming, the channels content has found resonance and support from some of the most recognizable, and respected personalities in the country including Javed Akhtar, Mahesh Bhatt, Virender Sehwag, Devdutt Pattanaik, Sakshi Tanwar, Juhi Chawla, Radhika Apte, Naseeruddin Shah, Rasika Dugal and Ranveer Brar.

    Aditya Pittie, MD, EPIC Channel, added “Over the last 4 years our aim has been to break through the clutter of the Indian television space and bridge the gap in Indian infotainment.  We have evolved since our entry into the space and we are thrilled to have carved a strong identity as quality and original content creators.  Our viewers have been our primary focus and we are thankful for their loyal support and constant appreciation, as we continue our run in creating quality content for Indian infotainment”.

    On the eve of its 4 year anniversary, the channel has also won the prestigious Indian Telly Technical Trade and Programming Awards for its shows Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha and Umeed India reinforcing the fact that it has created landmark content in just 4 years and promising to introduce more breakthrough content for Indian TV audiences. Previously for its other shows, EPIC has won ITA Award for Best Mini-Series for Stories by Rabindranath Tagore, Promax India Awards Best Innovative use of Digital for Khwaabon Ka Safar, amongst others.

    The channel will mark the occasion with a selection of its best and most appreciated shows which will run from 1 pm onwards on 19th November 2018. Shows which will air during this course include EPIC Ke Dus – which explores the top ten thinkers of India, Adrishya – a story on the real lives of ancient Indian spies, followed by popular shows Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha, Stories By Rabindranath Tagore, Tyohaar Ki Thaali , Indipedia, Sanrachana, Umeed India and Ekaant Sarhad Paar. 

  • Eros International acquires highly anticipated Telugu film Amar Akbar Anthony

    Eros International acquires highly anticipated Telugu film Amar Akbar Anthony

    MUMBAI: Eros International Media Ltd, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, in association with Mythri Movie Makers will be releasing Telugu action entertainer Amar Akbar Anthony. The action filled romantic drama is slated to hit the screens on November 16.

    Co-produced by Naveen Yerneni, Ravi Shankar Yalamanchili and Mohan Cherukuri under the banner Mythri Movie Makers, the film has all the elements of a masala entertainer – action, comedy and romance. Largely filmed in the USA, Amar Akbar Anthony is directed by Srinu Vaitla starring celebrated Telugu actor Ravi Teja in three different roles along with Ileana D’Cruz, marking the fourth venture of the hit couple together. Srinivas Reddy, Raghu Babu, Jayaprakash Reddy, Tanikella Bharani, Satya, Vennala Kishore, Ravi Prakash, Tarun Arora, Aditya Menon, Abhimanyu Singh, Vikramjit, Rajveer Singh, Shiyaji Shinde, Subhalekha Sudhakar comprise the remaining cast. The music has been composed by renowned composer, S Thaman.

    Speaking on the announcement, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said, “We are excited to collaborate with Mythri Movie Makers once again for Amar Akbar Anthony. The film looks very promising with its mass appeal and popular pairing of lead actors. We are looking forward to entertaining the audience with this light rom-com action film and remain focused on expanding our regional presence across languages and genres”.

  • Shemaroo Entertainment brings back the Golden Era of Nimmiji

    Shemaroo Entertainment brings back the Golden Era of Nimmiji

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment’s retro music channel Filmi Gaane launched a compilation of 35 songs of 1950’s veteran actress Nimmi by the name “SUPERHITS OF NIMMI – The Vintage Beauty”. The actress of Bollywood’s Golden era, Nimmiji, herself launched the compilation at her residence. The compilation includes 35 songs from her notable 1950’s films like Barsaat, Aan, Uran Khatola, Daag, Amar, Deedar, Bhai Bhai, Sazaa and many more famous Bollywood movies.

    While watching the compilation of her songs, the 85-year-old actress went down the memory lane of her unforgettable journey and thanked Shemaroo Entertainment for releasing it on its YouTube Channel Filmi Gaane. Popular songs like “Jiya Beqaraar Hai Chhayee Bahar Hai” from Barsaat, “Tum Na Jaane Kis Jahan Mein Kho Gaye” from Sazaa, “Hamare Dil Se Na Jaana” from Uran Khatola and many more are included in the 2 hours long audio-visual compilation. The recently-launched compilation has already garnered over 1.6 lakh views. Shemaroo Entertainment’s YouTube channel, Filmi Gaane, has always strived to keep the magic of retro music alive and has created several other interesting compilations launched by celebrities like Khayyam, Anandji (Kalyanji Anandji fame), Bappi Lahiri, Sameer & Mohd. Aziz.

    Shemaroo Entertainment’s YouTube channel, Filmi Gaane, is a popular destination for listeners of Bollywood Music with a subscriber base of over 16 Million. It is a one stop destination for all the chart buster songs from super-hit Bollywood movies right from “Mughal-E-Azam’ & ‘Sangam’ to ‘Don’ & ‘Namak Halal’ to ‘Dil’, ‘Beta’, ‘Jaanwar’ & ‘Andaaz’, it encompasses the best of all decades. The compilation of Nimmiji’s songs can be viewed on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rAUA5N0mQk

  • Calm your Paww-some friends this Diwali with ‘MTV Woofer’

    Calm your Paww-some friends this Diwali with ‘MTV Woofer’

    MUMBAI: India’s much-awaited festival of lights is just round the corner and its time the country will regale in the festive fervour. But amidst the festive madness, the welfare of our beloved animals, what we love to call Man’s best friend, becomes a significant concern. Music is a therapy and studies have proved that much like humans, the adorableanimals also de-stress with tunes that is calm and composing to their ears. This Diwali, MTV, India’s No.1 Youth Brand brings ‘MTV Woofer’, a special music showdesigned for our furry friends from 6th November to 10th November, from 12:30AM to 1AM.The music will also be available on MTV India Facebook page starting today. The agency partner on this initiative is Tonic Worldwide – an independent digital agency. 

    MTV Woofer brings together the creative expertise of the young, talented musicians- Sidharth Basrur, Winit Tikoo and Sid Coutto. With 24 minutes of impeccable tunes that has required weeks of research and trial with special low-level beats and rhythm. The trials have conclusively proven that the tunes have a soothing effect on the pets.

    Speaking about this initiative, Navin Shenoy, Marketing Head –Youth, Music & English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “As one of the most auspicious festivals of India, Diwali calls for a big family gathering, with each member of the family indulging in the joy of festivities. The only member of family who does not share the same joy is the innocent pet.  Our pets are hugely affected by noisy firecrackers & it is our responsibility to protect them from any sort of discomfort. MTV is proud to announce a first-of-its-kind initiative – MTV Woofer, to help this cause. Through this initiative, a supremely talented bunch of dog-loving musicians of our country have created some soothing music exclusively for dogs. We are proud to be India’s first TV channel to have a time band dedicated to playing soothing music for dogs. We hope our special initiative for the welfare of pets makes this Diwali more comfortable for our pawsome friends.”

    Pratik Hatankar, Head of Innovations – Tonic Worldwide said, “The stress that dogs go through every Diwali is known to all. Year after year the awareness about the cause seemed to be increasing, but there’s been no real solution. With MTV and the special show that we are co-curating with them, the objective is to reach out to as many dog lovers as possible and scale up the solution.”

    This Diwali, rejoice to the tunes of #MTVWoofer with pooch buddies, starting today the music will be available on MTV India Facebook Page and on TV Screens from 6th November to 10th November, from 12:30AM to 1AM.

  • Set the stage on fire with Diwali Special on MTV Beats

    Set the stage on fire with Diwali Special on MTV Beats

    MUMBAI: It’s time for happiness and celebrations galore with the much-awaited festival of the country! The festival of lights, Diwali is just around the corner and MTV Beats has a sizzling surprise for you. Taking the excitement of the Diwali celebrations a notch higher, the channel brings the Diwali Dhamaka with some of the favourite songs featured back to back with ‘Mera Wala Song’, India’s first live request show. With peppy lineup of blockbuster songs and soul trapping music starting 4th November, 9AM onwards, MTV Beats will lock in your requests Live during the show and play the songs you love to rock the floor on. With break free hours that will lift your spirits like never before, the ‘Musical Ladi’ will keep you off your seats with continuous dancing. 

    To take the madness a notch higher, MTV Beats is coming up with a massive watch and win contest from 3rd November to 10th November, where gratifications will be like Activa, Ipad, Dell Laptop and much more. All you need to do is, watch MTV Beats between 9 am to 11 am and send the flashing song codes to 8828807807 along with your name and city name. The lines for the contest will open from 8:45 to 11 am every day and the winners will get an auto response of Congratulation SMS while the song will be played in sometime. 

    What’s Diwali without Pathakas and Bollywood without our Pathakas? No fun, right? As part of the Diwali specials, MTV Beats brings a special lineup of break-free Bollywood songs from our very own dancing diva and Pathakas in town like Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone and many more. How can we miss out on our drool worthy Bollywood Crackers like Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor? Known to set the stage on fire with their energetic and captivating songs, these men surely know how to keep you on your feet all day long! 

    Bring out all the shades of filmy and dramatic in you with songs that you can choose from, across an array of genres and films. Tune-in to MTV Beats, 4th November onwards for a hearty and a dancing Diwali!

  • ‘Imperfect’, the third original series from The Zoom Studios rewrites the notion of a perfect life

    ‘Imperfect’, the third original series from The Zoom Studios rewrites the notion of a perfect life

    MUMBAI: The Zoom Studios, original content arm of zoOm styled by Myntra is all set to celebrate the imperfections in life with its new show – ‘Imperfect’. The romantic comedy, unfolds the journey of 27-year-old girl Isha Sanghvi, who in her relentless pursuit of perfection faces a whirlwind of uncertainties that life throws her way and rediscovers herself when her fairy tale world gets shattered.  Creating a buzz on social media within a short span of time, ‘Imperfect’ show promo has received rave reviews and garnered an astounding 2.5 million views. The show will premiere Thursday, November 1 at 8.00 p.m. on The Zoom Studios YouTube Channel and zoOm styled by Myntra.        

    Isha Sanghvi, played by Samridhi Dewan, is not a typical conventional lead protagonist. She is a simple, naive young woman with her own quirks. Nothing in life can be perfectly planned and Isha reached rock bottom after losing both, her job and her prince charming. As her dreams crumble in front of her eyes, Isha sets on a journey to turn around her imperfect life. A 55-year-old sassy Life Coach, Simmy played by Sushmita Mukherjee, teaches Isha to love herself, to stand up for herself and to value herself. When her life falls apart, Isha realizes perfection is an overrated concept.

    Speaking on the latest offering, Imperfect, Nikhil Gandhi, President, Times Network says, “We are excited to launch our new original series, ‘Imperfect’, a slice of life and refreshing take on the concept of perfection. We are particularly thrilled with the initial response the show is getting on the trailer and show look. Unconventional and humorous in its storytelling & treatment, I’m sure the show will strongly resonate with the audience. At Zoom Studios, it’s our continuous attempt to deliver on our promise of offering real, conversational and engaging content.”

    Imperfect is produced by Anand Tiwari and Amritpal Singh Bindra of Still and Still Media Collective’s (SSMC) and directed by India’s first female director duo – Vidhi Gulati and Ruchi Joshi.

  • RAJA RASOI’s Andaaz Gets more Anokha

    RAJA RASOI’s Andaaz Gets more Anokha

    MUMBAI: Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha opened to rave reviews from viewers and foodies alike. Fans of both, the Raja Rasoi franchise and of celebrity chef host Ranveer Brar found much to like in the new format. It is no surprise then that Season 2 of the successful series is all set to bring fresh episodes on EPIC Channel.

    The franchise created and virtually owns the niche in the genre of Indian food stories and in Season 2, Ranveer continues his experimentation with Indian cuisine on the show which he fondly calls his ‘food laboratory’. This time the ‘kitchen of experiments’ is set up in a beautiful retreat home Alibaug -the rustic coastal town of Maharashtra where the chef continues to be ably supported in his whims by his trusted  aide – Manu Bhai, played by Manvendra Tripathi. The repartee between the two provides for memorable moments in the show.

    The series of 14 episodes is curated with menus set around interesting themes like ‘Food of the Literati’, where Ranveer cooks the favourite food of Mirza Ghalib and Rabindranath Tagore while narrating some interesting stories from their lives. Other themes include ‘Railways and Daak Bangla’; ‘Kashmiriyat’; ‘Tibetan food’; among others.

    “The more you get to know Indian cuisine, the more you realise there is a lot left to discover” commented Chef and Host Ranveer Brar. “Through this show I have deep dived into the DNA of Indian cooking and returning to Raja Rasoi’s kitchen, rediscovering recipes and reviving forgotten ingredients once again was a thrilling experience. We have more insights into our culture of food and Season 2 will cover a lot more than viewers have seen before.”

    Akul Tripathi, Head, Content & Programming, EPIC Channel added, “India’s infotainment is just incomplete without Indian food. The Raja Rasoi series, right from the inception has been a huge hit with the audiences. Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaaniyaan received rave reviews and along with it several requests to do a cooking format to it. That is how Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha was born. Season 1 was lapped up and Ranveer carries the show as if it was made for him. His spontaneity and his easy charm are sure to win hearts all over again.”

  • MTV brings unique twist to concept-based outdoor marketing; creates live billboards for Ace of Space and Elovator Pitch

    MTV brings unique twist to concept-based outdoor marketing; creates live billboards for Ace of Space and Elovator Pitch

    MUMBAI: Building on its quirk, wit and innovation, India’s No. 1 Youth Brand- MTV recently launched a clutter-breaking concept based marketing campaign for two of its latest shows, Ace of Space and Elovator Pitch. Conceptualised in house and executed by Zenith, the billboards bring to life the shows’ content theme and gives the audience a sneak-peek of what to expect when they tune-in. 

    Speaking about concept-based outdoors, Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18said “Innovation is core to MTV and It’s a way of life for us. With both Ace of Space and Elovator Pitch, we have pushed the envelope for innovative content. Hence, for marketing these unique shows, we have built a concept-based advertising campaign and utilised the high impact medium of billboards that stand out and give a real-life slice of the show’s content.”

    For the show Ace of Space, the live billboards showcase real people enacting the scenes of being trapped in a small room. Specially designed to bring alive the uniqueness of the show, the billboards went live on October 19 between 5-9 pm and 4-6pm on Sunday at a strategic location in Mumbai. The hoardings have the anchor Vikas Gupta, shrinking the room with the press of a button causing panic and mayhem amongst the contestants, much like the show ‘Ace of Space’.

    The billboard for Elovator Pitch anchored by Gaelyn Mendonca makes for an interesting and thought-provoking visual as well. In line with the show’s concept where 10 boys try to woo one girl with quick creative thinking while riding a lift between two floors, the hoarding features Cyrus Sahukar in different avatars across each level. Sahukar is a visual reflection of the 10 participants who fight it out for their dream girl’s attention.