ITV

Category: Music and Youth

  • Sony Music signs Mumbai based rapper & hip–hop artist Divine

    Sony Music signs Mumbai based rapper & hip–hop artist Divine

    MUMBAI: Sony Music Entertainment has signed on Mumbai based award winning rapper and hip-hop artist Vivian Fernandes aka Divine to its artist roster. 

     

    According to Sony Music, hip hop has transcended into a global urban culture and goes beyond music, it is a lifestyle and an attitude for people. And an artist like DIVINE represents that culture and is known for being ‘the Voice of the Streets’.

     
    Encouraging the same culture Sony Music through Divine is looking to represent the voice of the youth and the word on the streets. Commenting on this, Divine said, “I am excited to be associated with one of the best labels in India and I couldn’t have asked for more. Together we are going to break some rules and create some great music.”

     
    Divine shot to fame with his first single Yeh Mera Bombay (This is My Bombay), an ode to the diversity of the city and the increasing gap between the rich and the poor. This video went viral and thereafter received a lot exposure across media. His recent 2015 summer-smash “Mere Gully Mein,” where he raps about the streets of Mumbai and the ghettos garnered him an international listenership. 

     
    One can also hear Divine in Nucleya‘s latest track ‘Jungle Raja’ which was last heard at the opening act for Skrillex,  where he featured along with Nucleya.

     
    Born and brought up in the ‘gullies’ of Mumbai, Divine, through his music, narrates tales of people that he’s grown up observing since childhood while paying homage to the characteristics of the city.

  • B4U acquires overseas distribution rights of Wave Cinemas’ six films

    B4U acquires overseas distribution rights of Wave Cinemas’ six films

    MUMBAI: B4U has acquired the overseas distribution rights of six films, which have been produced by Wave Cinemas.

     

    The first film in the deal is Main Aur Charles, which is directed by Prawaal Raman and stars Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadha and Adil Hussain.

     

    The deal was inked between B4U head of films Sunil Shah and Wave Cinemas CEO Rahul Mittra. 

     

    Slated for a worldwide release on 30 October, Main Aur Charles is presented by Wave Cinemas’ Ponty Chadha.

     

    The deal also includes the re-release of the 1969 Prithviraj Kapoor starrer epic Punjabi movie Nanak Naam Jahaj, which is presented by Wave Cinemas’ Ponty Chadha and Shemaroo Entertainment in association with Raju Chadha. The movie will hit theaters in November coinciding with Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birth anniversary.

  • MTV to launch ‘MTV Big F with Gautam Gulati’ – a show about Forbidden Fantasies

    MTV to launch ‘MTV Big F with Gautam Gulati’ – a show about Forbidden Fantasies

    MUMBAI: MTV, the iconic youth brand that has time and again defied norms, pushed boundaries and created shows that understand the psyche of the Indian youth, is all set to launch a brand new show ‘MTV Big F’ which is bound to shatter taboos in a creative way. Giving voice to ‘forbidden fantasies’ the show is all set to showcase real life stories about secret fantasies and forbidden encounters, which the society is often keen on hiding. Launching on 11th October at 7PM, the channel has roped in popular youth icon, the extremely hot and dashing actor Gautam Gulati as the host for this one-of-a-kind ten episode series.

     

    Gautam Gulati, who won hearts with his exuberance and charisma through several stints as an actor and on reality shows in the past, will be, for the first time ever, be seen hosting a TV show. Upping the hotness quotient of the show by presenting the audience with enactment of exciting real life stories from the heartland of the country, Gautam will bring his naughty charm to the show. Adding oodles of oomph and glamour, the actor will be bringing to life the first fantasies of young people. Targeted at youngsters, the show will be a sensual depiction of some of the hole-and-corner tales of the youth that have long been kept under wraps.

     

    Speaking about the unique concept of the show, Shalini Sethi, Programming Head – MTV, said, “MTV understands the youth of today – their interests, their aspirations, their sorrows and their desires. One key aspect of being young is the whole journey of discovering yourself and expressing your desires in different ways. Most people shy away from even talking about this in polite society, but for us at MTV, its essential that we address these desires and fantasies that young people have. MTV Big F is a show that sheds light on a very basic human urge in a non-judgmental yet bold manner – just the way the youth want us to look at them – without any prejudice.”

    She further adds, “Secret desires are not something that are openly discussed in society but the reality is that the youth of today is not afraid to speak their minds and talk about their feelings. They have the courage to stand for what they believe in and MTV Big F is going to portray exactly that by breaking stereotypes. I’m sure that our discerning young viewers will feel a sort of kinship with the characters they will see unfolding on the screen.”

     

    Talking about becoming the host for the first time ever with MTV Big F, Gautam Gulati said, “After having done fiction and reality shows, the prospect of becoming a host was an exciting one. And when MTV came to me with this interesting concept, I didn’t have to think to long about it. I knew I wanted to do it. Viewers will also get to see me in a slightly naughty avatar as MTV Big F is a show that talks about the desires of young India and gives voice to those hidden fantasies and secret encounters that make life so exciting. The show’s concept of bringing the untold tales of the youth to life is very unique and is sure to become a rage among youngsters.”

     

    MTV Big F draws attention to the dreams and fantasies that young people have and gives a voice to these fantasies. The show recreates real-life situations where youngsters have been shown breaking stereotypes and standing up for their beliefs. Like always, treading the untrodden path, MTV brings a sensitive issue and showcases it on Indian television through tasteful representation. MTV Big F will give the audience a glimpse of their own experiences through some of the most exciting and adrenaline- filled anecdotes. The show which is all set to go on air on 11th October 2015 at 7 PM is sure to get the nation talking about secret encounters!

  • 9XM innovates with on-ground standup comedy show Laughter Shots

    9XM innovates with on-ground standup comedy show Laughter Shots

    MUMBAI: Venturing into a new area of content creation, music channel 9XM has launched a new on-ground standup comedy show called Laughter Shots. The first show with the comedian group ‘Improv Comedy,’ was held on 4 October, 2015 at The Little Door, Mumbai at 8 pm.

     

    This is the first time that 9XM experimented with an on-ground comedy event, where standup comedians got people high on laughter whilst getting drunk themselves on shots.

     

    What’s more, the channel also has plans to hold six more shows across Mumbai till January, 2016. Plans are also afoot to take the property to other cities like Pune, Bangalore and Delhi.

     

    Laughter Shots featured the city’s comic talent trying to find the audience’s funny side, one shot at a time. It indeed was a radical step that changed the way comedy is delivered.

     

    While the channel has until now focused on Bollywood music interspersed with animated characters like Bheegi Billi, Badshah Bhai etc, with this new on-ground initiative, 9XM is forging towards comedy.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, 9XM vice president marketing Kapil Sharma says, “It was our first initiative towards such an event and thus we expect engagement of more people by promoting it via social media and to 100 – 200 people through the on-ground show.”

     

    Sharma says that the first event witnessed a packed house with over 120 – 150 people turning up for the event at The Little Door in Mumbai.

     

    Since it was a premature experimentation, the show was not broadcast on the channel. Instead the venture tasted success by targeting people through digital media. Word of mouth was also a key element for the endeavour.

     

    Sharma informs, “Building audience, connecting with viewers and creating high quality content being the prime focus of 9XM, selective moments from the on-ground show will be captured and uploaded on 9XM’s digital and social media accounts on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin amongst others.”

     

    9XM has a community of eight million people across various social media platforms and will be pushing Laughter Shots to their entire fan base online.

  • MTV’s ‘India’s Next Top Model’ experiment pays off with good ratings

    MTV’s ‘India’s Next Top Model’ experiment pays off with good ratings

    MUMBAI: The Indian adaptation of Tyra Banks’ reality show America’s Next Top Model, called India’s Next Top Model has entered in its eighth week and the show has been doing well on the ratings front for MTV. In last week’s ratings, India’s Next Top Model was the second most popular youth show.

     

    The show is produced by Bulldog Media & Entertainment and the makers couldn’t be happier.

     

    Bulldog Media & Entertainment co-founder and executive producer Akash Sharma said, “We are very happy with the ratings. The show is number one in its time slot. We are a way ahead of competition and right now we rank number two among the youth shows, only trailing behind Splitsvilla. Episodic ratings consistently reach 70+ TVTs and weekly episodes are peaking with 120+ TVTs range, which is in line with other well established franchises. We are very happy about the phenomenal ratings.”

     

    America’s Next Top Model is one of the most successful international formats and is currently running in 20 countries as a local version. “So it’s natural to bring a show of this format in India. We have so many fashion weeks happening here besides other fashion events. We acquired the rights of America’s Next Top Model and then put the things together,” he informed.

     

    India’s Next Top Model is being touted as an inspirational show, wherein the audience will see a lot of transformation in the participants, who hail from different backgrounds. Already popular in Asian countries like Thailand and China, Sharma is of the opinion that the Indian audience can relate to the content. “There are several copied shows that are coming to India but we knew that there is room for the original format. So when we bought the show there was big amount of interest.” he said.

     

    Throwing light on the research done before launching the show, Sharma informed, “We observed other channels and the shows that they have launched. We studied the industry, talked to experts and the right people for this format and then started planning. We also studied the show formats of other countries including Germany’s Next Top Model and Australia’s Next Top Model. The whole process took a lot of time to figure out the right formula of India’s Next Top Model.”

     

    MTV has carried out multiple brand integrations on the show with the likes of Tresemme, Lakme and Amazon. Highlighting the role of brands in the show, Sharma said, “The show is centred on fashion and beauty so it is relatable content for FMCG brands. The hair transformation episode received a great response from Tresemme. They actually transformed the way girls looked and made them feel like aspiring models. We did another episode called the ‘Make Up challenge with Lakme.’ Amazon is our wardrobe partner, which helps us in their styling.” 

     

    Primarily known for its youth centric shows, MTV burnt the mid-night oil to ensure that the show was promoted and presented well to the audience.

     

    The proof is in the pudding as the debut season’s runaway success only goes on to show that MTV has tapped right into the heart of an insight.

     

    MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy said, “Fashion and style is a huge part of every young person’s individuality. We believe there is a model hidden in every young girl and all it takes is the right platform to make her a Top Model. It’s been a dream run working with these young girls, our judges and mentors and the entire production team at CBS, Bulldog and Face TV. We look forward to making this into a multi season landmark franchise.”

     

    When a show of international format is brought to India it gets moulded to local tastes, while keeping the target audience in mind. While Bulldog Media & Entertainment didn’t tamper with the original format, a few tweaks were made keeping in mind the Indian viewers. “We didn’t try to change the format but we have tried to add some spice to the show. We showed what others girls think, who should stay and who should go. We played with the extra drama, which we don’t get to see internationally. So these are the small things that add spark and zing, which Indian viewers like to see,” Sharma said.

     

    Following the trend of multiple seasons, he said, “We are still in our eighth week of the first season, while America’s Next Top Model is in its 22nd season. So yes, definitely we will come up with more seasons. We are looking at a long term franchise with India’s Next Top Model. The next season should be the summer of 2016.”

     

    India’s Next Top Model airs on Sunday nights at 7 pm on MTV.

  • 9X Tashan launches ‘Mad Angles Music Star’

    9X Tashan launches ‘Mad Angles Music Star’

    MUMBAI: 9X Tahshan has made way for young music enthusiasts to join the ranks with musical hit makers like Honey Singh and Hard Kaur. The channel has partnered with ITC’s Bingo! Mad Angles to launch a talent hunt for the next music sensation in Punjab. 

    The talent hunt will provide singing enthusiasts an opportunity to showcase themselves and make an album along with the biggest singing superstars from Punjab.

    After successful rounds of auditions, the talent hunt received over 2500 entries. The on-ground reach of the activity was over 2.5 lakhs with over one million YouTube views.

    The talent hunt was launched via a music video titled ‘Bingo! Mad Angles song’ that features Punjab’s popular singers like Badshah, Ammy Virk, A Kay and Maninder Buttar. The song has been written, conceptualised and directed by 9XM and 9X Tashan, cluster head programming Baljinder Mahant, while JSL Singh has composed the music. 

    Those who want to audition will have to record their own renditions of the song and the winner of the talent hunt will get to feature in a music video with popular artists. 

    Elaborating on the thought behind the talent hunt, Mahant said, “Punjabi music is on the rise and there are many new artists that deserve to be heard in the commercial market. But due to the lack of funds and other restrictions in creating a new album or music videos talented new singers are not able to enter the industry. With large brands like Bingo! Mad Angles getting into the music space with such innovative partnerships the journey of new singers gets smooth and effortless.”

    The talent hunt will be promoted across TV, print, radio and on-ground platforms as well as across the digital and social media platforms of 9X Tashan and 9X Media. Big FM & Hindustan Times have been roped in as radio and print partners.

    The journey of the winner of the Bingo! Mad Angles Music Star will be covered in a special half hour episode to be aired on 9X Tashan.

  • 9X Jalwa looks to hook media agencies with Dubsmash challenge

    9X Jalwa looks to hook media agencies with Dubsmash challenge

    MUMBAI: Not only has the Dubsmash craze hooked stars and the common man alike, but television channels are also now making good use of the in-vogue platform. Hindi music channel 9X Jalwa, which launched a filler show 9X Jalwa Ki Dailoguebaazi in July, is now looking at engaging media agencies by throwing the 9X Jalwa Ki Dailoguebaazi Dubsmash Challenge on them.

     

    What started with getting 9X Jalwa fans and viewers engaged with the competition via social media has now reached media agencies across Mumbai and Delhi.

     

    According to 9X Jalwa vice president marketing Kapil Sharma, around 80 – 120 people from every agency will participate in the competition. “The reason why 9X Jalwa keeps doing these activities is to be on top of the mind of not only our viewers but media agencies as well. The idea is to reach out and connect with the media agencies,” Sharma said.

     

    Besides promoting the challenge across television, digital and social media, the channel has taken this contest on-ground through trade activations across Mumbai and Delhi. “To promote this property and generally to have fun with media agencies, we have rolled out the Dubsmash challenge across several media agencies,” informed Sharma.

     

    Three weeks back the channel opened entries for consumers and after gaining traction on social media, it approached media agencies.

     

    Those participating in the competition include: Starcom, Group M, Lintas, Lodestar, Mediacom, MPG, Madison and ZO. The on-ground activation starts between 1 – 2 pm in the media agencies’ cafeteria, where people come and choose a song or any dialogue of their choice and make the Dubsmash video. Participants can perform individually or in a group and upload their entry. Winners get a chance to win a Bluetooth headphone or other general merchandise and every media agency will have one winner. 

     

    “We have done the activations with these media agencies in the past and have received a good response,” he added.

     

    Since 9X Jalwa Ki Dailoguebaazi Dubsmash Challenges are being held only in media agencies, the channel is carrying the promotional activities in the same sector.

  • Saregama launches new digital tool for B2B partners

    Saregama launches new digital tool for B2B partners

    MUMBAI: Music label Saregama India has launched a digital initiative for its B2B partners across sectors like advertising, film production and television companies. 

     

    The new B2B tool called ‘Song Selector’ will allow users to search appropriate songs as per their needs from Saregama’s repertoire of 117,000+ strong catalogue for embedding.

     

    The tool will be available to the creative team of agencies as well as their affiliated production houses.

     

    Saregama India managing director Vikram Mehra said, “Our new initiative – Song Selector – is a single license window, which will ensure all our partners an easy process of selecting songs from our vast repertoire.”

     

    Saregama’s music library comprises various genres starting from Indian classical, ghazal, bhajan, Qawwali to folk music.

     

    With the help of the B2B tool, users can now easily discover the right content, by the name of the song, theme as well as mood.

  • Q1-2016: Films & TV segments contribute to Saregama’s revenue growth

    Q1-2016: Films & TV segments contribute to Saregama’s revenue growth

    BENGALURU: Until the current quarter, revenues of the Indian custodians of music company Saregama Limited (Saregama) Film and Television segment had been contributing about 35 per cent to the company’s Total Income from Operations. For the quarter ended 30 June, 2015 (Q1-2016), the film and TV segment’s contribution of Rs 23.56 crore increased to 45.3 per cent of Saregama’s TIO of Rs 51.97 crore. The company’s Music segment contributed Rs 28.41 crore or 54.7 per cent of the company’s TIO in the current quarter.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh =10 million = 1 crore.

     

    Segment Numbers

     

    The company classifies its numbers by the two segments mentioned above – Music and Film and Television.

     

    Saregama’s Music segment reported operating revenue of Rs 28.41 crore (54.7 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016, which was 1.9 per cent more than the Rs 27.88 crore (65.9 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015, but 25.3 per cent lower than the Rs 38.02 crore (64.3 per cent of TIO) Iin Q4-2015.

     

    Music segment reported operating profit in Q1-2016 of Rs 12.05 crore, which was 6.5 per cent lower than the Rs 12.89 crore in Q1-2015 and less than half (lower by 51.3 per cent ) the Rs 24.76 crore in Q4-2015.

     

    Film and television segment reported operating revenue of Rs 23.56 crore (45.3 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016, which was 63.3 per cent more than the Rs 14.43 crore (34.1 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 and 11.4 per cent more than the Rs 21.14 crore (35.7 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

     

    Film and television segment reported a lower operating loss in Q1-2016 at Rs 0.34 crore as compared to the operating loss of Rs 0.82 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and lower than the operating loss of Rs 6.06 crore in Q4-2015.

     

    Let us look at the numbers reported by Saregama:

     

    The company’s TIO in Q1-2016 at Rs 51.97 crore increased 22.8 per cent as compared to the Rs 42.31 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter Q1-2015, but declined 12.2 per cent as compared to the Rs 59.16 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q4-2015.

     

    The company also reports revenue from three other streams – Net Sales Income, License Fee, and other. Net Sales Income in Q1-2016 increased 57.9 per cent to Rs 23.80 crore (45.8 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 15.07 crore (35.6 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 and increased 5.7 per cent as compared to the Rs 22.51 crore (38 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

     

    License Fees income in the current quarter increased three per cent to Rs 28.15 crore (54.2 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 27.12 crore (64.1 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 but was 23.1 per cent lower than the Rs 36.62 crore (61.9 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

     

    Other Income in the current quarter was Rs 0.02 crore, for Q1-2015 it was Rs 0.03 crore and for Q4-2015 it was Rs 01.2 crore in Q4-2015.

     

    Saregama reported decline in both year on year (YoY) and quarter on quarter (QoQ) profit after tax (PAT) in Q1-2016. PAT in Q1-2016 at Rs 2.63 crore (5.1 per cent margin) was 21.7 per cent lower than the Rs 3.36 crore (7.9 per cent margin) in Q1-2015 and was less than a third (declined by 70.6 per cent) the Rs 8.96 crore (15.1 per cent margin) in Q4-2015.

     

    Saregama’s Total Expenses in the current quarter in Q1-2016 at Rs 49 crore (94.3 per cent of TIO) was 25.1 per cent more than the Rs 39.16 crore (92.6 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 but was 8.2 per cent lower than the Rs 53.40 crore (90.3 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

     

    The company’s Royalty Fee expense in Q1-2016 at Rs 4.79 crore (9.2 per cent of TIO) was 10.3 per cent lower than the Rs 5.34 crore (12.6 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 but was 76.1 per cent more than the Rs 2.72 crore (4.6 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

     

    Saregama’s advertising and sales promotion expense in Q1-2016 at Rs 2.13 crore (4.1 per cent of TIO) was 12.3 per cent lower than the Rs 2.43 crore (5.7 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 but was 19 per cent more than the Rs 1.79 crore (three per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

     

    Saregama’s Employee Benefit Expense in the current quarter at Rs 8.80 crore (16.9 per cent of TIO) was 19.6 per cent more than the Rs 7.36 crore (17.4 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 and two per cent more than the Rs 8.63 crore (14.3 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

  • Zoom ‘Turns On’ its OOH blitzkrieg

    Zoom ‘Turns On’ its OOH blitzkrieg

    MUMBAI: Close on the heels of its new brand overhaul and sizzling fresh content line-up, Zoom recently adopted a high visibility 360 marketing campaign that uses rich mix of media targeting key demographics in focus markets. As part of its marketing initiative, it has wrapped up an entire gleaming, sleek air-conditioned train – both, exterior and interior -on the ultra-modern Mumbai metro line with the channel’s uber-cool logo, ad creatives and colours. In addition to the Metro train-wrapping in Mumbai, Zoom also put up over 200 hoardings across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore at prominent, high traffic zones and has activated a print campaign across 37 cities.

     

    Each day, the Zoom Metro train does 38 runs between Versova and Ghatkopar, taking the brand across 12 stations. The two-week long campaign, is reaching lakhs of people in the city. The number of footfalls in a Mumbai metro is estimated around 4 lakh people.

     

    Shantanu Gangane, Head of Marketing – Times Now, ET Now & Zoom at Times Television Network said, “Bollywood is a big driver of our content mix. Zoom is recognized for providing an authentic, credible connect with Bollywood. Bollywood always towers over popular imagination; it has epic scale, and is truly larger than life. And our OOH campaign too promises to be unique and showcase innovation, our idea was to make Zoom’s marketing communication

    visually striking keeping in line with the complete brand overhaul and a change in the look and feel of the brand. We saw the sleek and ultra-modern Mumbai Metro train service as a great brand fit for the content and personality of Zoom, which delivers the most premium audiences to brands and advertisers.  So it is be-fitting that our brand Zoom literally rides a metro train.”

     

    Five creatives for the visually striking OOH campaign were conceptualized and designed keeping in mind Zoom’s brand keywords, youth-focus and trendy content line-up by Famous Innovations. They feature the channel’s brand ambassador – one of India’s best female actors and recipient of two National Film Awards, a diva with stunning good looks, an enviable style sense, an unique personality and reigning ‘Queen’ of Bollywood – Kangana Ranaut! The campaigns capture a different essence of Kangana and a unique brand dimension.

     

    During the re-launch of the brand, the week saw never seen before innovations in trade media helping Zoom capture a high share of voice using high impact innovations in both offline and online media. Zoom designed a song and a music video which was shot by legendary international director, Harvey Brown, who specialized in larger than life musicals to amplify its

    brand messaging. A fantastic song was recorded, composed by Sachin- Jigar, the flavor of the season and sung by Anuskha Manchanda. The video, titled Hotel Zoom was unveiled on the launch day across platforms and to drive engagement on social media. The song is being promoted heavily on television, radio, social media and is also live on all pan-India telecom

    operators by way of Caller Ring Back Tones (CRBTs).

     

    Additionally, digital media saw countdowns, live tweets, a live telecast of the launch event via Periscope, content promotions across all platforms leading to Zoom announcement trending nationally on Twitter. The hash tag for the campaign #TurnOnZoom received over 250 million impressions on Social media while more than 40,000 tweets were generated within a short-span of three weeks. There were around 6 million interactions on social media during this period. The channel, in order to engage with the internet-savvy generation, also ran a contest wherein the users were requested to sing and record Zoom Anthem on Dubsmash and post the video on Twitter, to win iPhone6.

     

    As for radio, Zoom tied up with radio stations in 13 cities. These radio channels played Zoom Anthem regularly for the mentioned period.

     

    Zoom also conducted extensive branding in top media agencies to create buzz among the media buyers and also arranged to send surprise doughnuts on a Monday morning to sweeten their day.