ITV

Category: Music and Youth

  • ‘100 Pipers Vh1 Sound Nation’ to kick off on 2 May

    ‘100 Pipers Vh1 Sound Nation’ to kick off on 2 May

    MUMBAI: Soaring mercury levels notwithstanding, audiences across the country are in for a first-of-its-kind, multi-genre music extravaganza put together by premier music channel Vh1 along with Seagram’s 100 Pipers.

     

    Starting 2 May, ‘100 Pipers Vh1 Sound Nation’ will witness 28 of the biggest Indian artists and bands perform at 23 gigs across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune spread over 10 days.

     

    Cult performers like Parikrama, Midival Punditz, Indus Creed and Nucleya will be part of the music entourage travelling across the country.

     

    The event will culminate in an exciting awards night in Mumbai where Indian artistes will be recognized for their talent and contribution to music across 13 categories such as rock, electronic, pop, blues and hip-hop. Top honours will include best live performance, best new artist and best music video.

     

    Says Viacom18 Media , SVP and GM, English Entertainment Ferzad Palia, “Vh1 is the most definitive platform for celebrating music talent in India and we are taking this a step ahead through 100 Pipers Vh1 Sound Nation. We are excited to partner with Seagram’s in recognizing and honoring local talent and bringing forth the multi-city music fest at a scale which is worth looking forward to,” before adding, “We could have done it last year, but we waited for a year to get more international traction and interest nationally.”

     

    Palia substantiates saying that there were around 7,000 live events in India two years ago however this year, the number of live performances by independent artists has gone up to nearly 15,000. “Right now, in our country, there is no real platform to showcase talent under one roof. Given the recent rise of English language music artists in India, the cost of making music videos has become less expensive. We’ve had Vh1 India Rules for eight years now, which showcases the top cream of Indian talent and we plan to celebrate that talent with an award show. This year, we have two artists for each gig,” says Palia, pointing out that the event is planned as genre-agnostic.

     

    Viacom believes that Vh1 Sound Nation is a definitive platform to have a stake in and gives no reason for cannibalization; instead, there would be an overdrive to create a different space for different music lovers. Like Vh1 had initiated Super Sonic and then, there was Contraband in association with Hard Rock Cafe and Universal Music.

     

    An event organized on such a vast scale will obviously be supported by 360 degree marketing including on ground and online integrations. With six gigs being held simultaneously in six cities, Palia admits it’s going to be a “logistical nightmare”. He believes that an outdoor event of such proportions is bound to be logistics heavy. “This year, we are facing many revenue challenges though we are in touch with our international counterparts in Viacom. But we are facing a few hindrances in getting them here to join us for this event”, he says.

     

    Viacom’s English entertainment channels, including music channels are treated as brands and not just channels. The four legs of the network include TV, live, digital and consumer products. As far as the last goes, the network has started with official South Park merchandise and will add to that based on popular demand.

  • 9XM’s ‘Cast your Vote & Win’ contest with 2 States

    9XM’s ‘Cast your Vote & Win’ contest with 2 States

    MUMBAI: 9XM, India’s popular Hindi music channel, has associated with Dharma Productions and is enticing the viewers to vote by offering them free tickets to watch the upcoming movie – 2 States.  The initiative is called ‘Cast your Vote & Win contest’ is an extension to 9XM’s on-air election campaign titled Who is the idiot. As part of ‘Cast your Vote & Win contest’ 9XM has organized a  special screening of the latest Bollywood film 2 States on 24th April 2014, exclusively at the IMAX Big Cinemas, Wadala at 6:45pm.

     

    Encouraging the youth to vote and make the change, the Cast your Vote and Win contest provides the viewers and Bollywood movie buffs an opportunity to win free tickets to the latest Bollywood hit. The channel has also partnered with Big Cinema’s to promote this contest across 30 screens in Mumbai.

     

    Speaking of this association Mr. Siddharth Kadam – Marketing Head of Dharma Productions said “We are glad to be associated with 9XM’s election initiative Cast your Vote & Win. This contest on the channel will not only promote the movie 2 States but also motivate the youth to go out and exercise their right to vote. This is a great platform to connect with the youth and motivate them.”

     

    Commenting on this initiative Mr. Kapil Sharma, Vice President, Marketing 9X Media Pvt. Ltd said “The Cast your Vote & Win contest is an extension to our on-air campaign Who is the Idiot. The music video of Who is the Idiot has received a great response from our viewers. Our aim with this initiative is to create awareness among the people about the importance of voting and motivate them to exercise their right to vote. Like all of 9XM’s campaigns, we are engaging with them through music and humour.”

     

    Cast your Vote and Win contest will be promoted through venue and cafeteria branding at the multiplex and through branded slides during the movies. The contest will also be promoted across 9XM and through the digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter (#whoistheidiot) and Youtube.

     

    So ‘Dont be an idiot…Go Vote…Get counted…’

     

  • Bollywood on Sandalwood’s private FM Radio land rocks

    Bollywood on Sandalwood’s private FM Radio land rocks

    BENGALURU:  The FICCI-KPMG Media and Entertainment Report 2014 (M&E-2014 Report) says that the radio industry outperformed all other traditional media segments by clocking a growth of about 15 per cent in 2013. The report further goes on to say that clients are being forced to re-evaluate their media mix as their advertising budgets are constantly under pressure. There has been a tendency to shift focus from nationwide pure brand building to more tactical, local, focused promotional targeting. This has played in radio’s favour as it enables local reach to advertisers, who are looking to target specific audiences at affordable pricing.

     

    Be it a product launch, realty, education institutes, restaurants, jewellery brands, theatres, movie and movie audio launches, the elections, events or artist performance, radio is now an important part of a plan for any media planner.

     

    Click here for full report

  • Sony Music Entertainment announces digital deal with Zee Music Company

    Sony Music Entertainment announces digital deal with Zee Music Company

    MUMBAI: Global music giant, Sony Music Entertainment India and Zee Music Company today announced a strategic world-wide digital deal where in Sony Music will manage all digital assets for Zee Music’s upcoming Bollywood releases. The tie up further extends to exploring Publishing for Zee Music’s assets for the rest of the world through Sony/ATV. Apart from the Zee Music releases, Sony Music will also be working on also other tent pole films with leading production houses including Vishesh Films, Dharma Production and Fox Star Studios. This deal will cumulatively grow Sony Music’s digital market share by 15%.

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited had recently announced its foray into the music label space with its venture, ‘Zee Music Company’ and acquired the music rights of over 20 major motion pictures. With this announcement Sony Music will have access to all of Zee Music’s releases including Holiday, Bang Bang, Bombay Velvet, Humshakal, Hawa Hawaii to name few.

     

    Commenting on the same, Sanujeet Bhujabal, Marketing Director Sony Music India said, “In the past we have worked with leading content creators like YRF and Disney.  This strategic association will provide a global foot print to all the prestigious releases. This is a huge opportunity and together we believe we will be able to provide the best of music entertainment to fans.”

     

    Further adding on Anurag Bedi , Head Zee Music Company said, “We’ve had a great relationship with Sony Music in the past, and are excited to have them as the digital partner for some of our forthcoming films. Partnering with Sony Music will be mutually beneficial as we have a robust slate for this year which includes about 20-25 films, all of which are produced by leading production houses.”

    The soundtrack of Holiday featuring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha will see Pritam collaborate for the first time with A. R. Murugadoss ad the songs are already creating ripples! Humshakals with  Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh who will be seen in a triple role Sajid Khan promises to be a laugh riot with some crazy music by the effervescent Himesh Reshammiya. While Bang Bang the action thriller film directed by Siddharth Raj Anand and featuring nations heartthrob Hritik Roshan and Katrina Kaif will have music by the magical duo Vishal –Shekhar. The much talked about Bombay Velvet feature Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in lead roles while Karan Johar  plays the primary antagonist features Music director Amit Trivedi who began working on the soundtrack after the release of Dev D and adds that the music of the film reflects the age of 1960s Jazz era of Bollywood. The lyrics are being written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

  • The Curious Minds study takes centre-stage at MTV youth forum

    The Curious Minds study takes centre-stage at MTV youth forum

    MUMBAI: If there’s one thing MTV constantly endeavors to know is what makes its core audience – the youth – tick!

     

    Every year, the brand undertakes massive research to understand its target audience and the findings are presented at the annual MTV Youth Marketing Forum.

     

    This year, the highlight of the forum was ‘The Curious Minds’ study conducted by MTV India, which has thrown up some interesting insights into how youngsters today view life and the times in which they are living.

      

    As, part of ‘The Curious Minds’ study, MTV spoke to more than 11,000 people aged 13 to 25 years in over 40 Sec A & B cities across India. “Curious Minds is the largest insight study we have commissioned in terms of spread. We have brought in fresh new techniques to collect and analyze the data. What has emerged is that today, young people are using their curiosity to curate their lives. It was a great pleasure for me to share this with our business partners in order to build a strong connect with young people through cutting edge content. Think Young, Think MTV,” said MTV India executive vice president and business head Aditya Swamy.

     

    Elaborating on the findings of the study, he said: “We’re in the business of young people, not in the business of broadcast. We went to 40 towns, over a period of six months to form the Curious Minds. There were some very stark observations that we noticed viz., for today’s youth, ‘ignorance is not bliss, but blasphemy’. They staunchly believe that they are ‘one’ tribe, and operate accordingly. They want ‘kill boring!’ They feel that their parents are their collaborators and treat them as their partners in crime. 70 per cent of today’s youth, based on our research, feel that when in a relationship, one must nurture it and commit to it. Another interesting observation was that the youth in smaller towns like Meerut are more ambitious and hungry than the ones in bigger towns like Mumbai. The current generation is the largest selling group of youth.”

     

    Swamy said that the purpose for the research was to keep pace with the current audience. “For us, research is the most exciting part of our job. While on our research, we went to watch a movie in Meerut just to understand the difference in the youth’s response from Meerut to that of Mumbai. We started the research in October and ended it in March, and will be publishing the hard copy of the research in the next few months and it is available for pre-order at mtvplay.in,” he said.

     

    The recently concluded MTV Youth Marketing Forum brought together some of the best known marketers, trend hunters and thought leaders from across the globe to dissect the bold and ever-changing world of the youth. The day-long forum saw the best line-up of speakers including Irfan van Ewijk – founding member of ID&T; Steven Sos – regional sales director, Shazam Entertainment; Heather Smith – board chair, Rock The Vote; Christian Kurz – VP – Research, Insights and Reporting, Viacom International; and Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Member of Parliament.

     

    The interaction with Tharoor was moderated by funnyman Cyrus Broacha and had Tharoor saying that he had competed with Rishi Kapoor in a play while at Campion School, SoBo. Tharoor’s observations on today’s youth were rather interesting. He said youngsters today own the country, are worked up by important issues like the Jessica Lall murder case, the Jyoti Singh Delhi rape case and so on. They want the country to be free from the shackles of age-old ideas and opinions.

     

    Asked about the issues that needed to be addressed immediately, Tharoor said: “Firstly, corruption has to be dealt with immediately, followed by, secondly, the inefficiencies in society and finally, the citizens of this country need to have a profound sense of what it is being an Indian.” Predictably, he added that his favourite politician currently was Rahul Gandhi, and his least favourite was Narendra Modi.  

     

    Ewijk of ID&T, which is one of the largest dance organisers in the Netherlands, and the European arm of SFX’s expansion as global EDM events promoter, spoke of his growing up days in Amsterdam and finding his identity and forming ID&T along with friends Duncan and Theo. He pointed out the two things that youth is interested in: Who are you? And who is your next ex? Adding that music reflected the times we live in, he cited the example of the 90s Gulf War and how it inspired music to take a darker route with metal sounds and hard rock. Significantly, he launched the 10,000 hours Project, a project that inspires young people around the world to donate time and give something back. “Renovating playgrounds for disadvantaged kids or offering a smile and a helping hand in a retirement home. United by music, thousands of volunteers are joining our crew and becoming part of our family,” he said.

     

    While Smith of Rock the Vote, a non-partisan organization that supports non-endorsed candidates and encourages the youth to vote and make a difference, said that the best way to tempt the youth to go and vote was to make it relevant to them and encourage them to “demystify” the process and most importantly, encourage them to ask questions, demand answers.

     

    Interestingly, Rock the Vote has registered more than five million young people to vote and has become a trusted source of information for young people wanting to register and cast their vote.

     

    Kurz made an interesting observation during his speech. “Gen X feels that when the youth, separated by geography, can still manage to maintain long-distance relationships, why can’t foreign leaders get along with each other?!” he said.

     

    Meanwhile, MTV: The Curious Minds study has been selected for presentation at the ESOMAR Congress (Nice, France) on the basis of cutting edge research methodologies used for the study, which included excellent use of Google Hangouts and paired research, driven by word-of-mouth.

  • MTV, Vh1 create cyber security awareness

    MTV, Vh1 create cyber security awareness

    MUMBAI: Just like there are two sides to every coin, there are two faces to internet communication; one bright and the other not-so-bright.

     

    Taking upon themselves the task of exposing this dark underbelly of an otherwise sunny occupation are television networks the likes of Vh1 and MTV.

     

    Vh1, which had earlier aired season one of the reality-based documentary-series, Catfish: The TV Show, is all set to telecast season two of it, beginning 27 April. For the uninitiated, ‘catfish’ is not the name of a fish (at least in this case) and refers to a person who creates fake profiles on social media sites by using someone else’s pictures and biographical information only to trick unsuspecting persons into falling in love with him/her. ‘Catfish’ is derived from the title of a 2010 documentary where filmmaker Nev Schulman discovers that the 20-something woman, he’d been carrying on online with, hasn’t exactly been honest in representing herself to him. Vh1’s show is inspired by Schulman’s film.

     

    Meanwhile, MTV India, which had previously aired its own brutally honest take on cyber evil in the form of MTV Webbed season one, is prepping up for the soon-to-be-telecast season two of the show. The 13-part anthology drama series revolves around victims of cyber abuse, cyber bullying and cyber stalking and is targeted at 12 to 24 year olds.

     

    According to MTV India associate vice president, head – content & programming Vikas Gupta, all MTV Webbed stories are based on true incidents that have happened with real people. With India ranking third in terms of prevalence of cyber abuse, it wasn’t difficult finding stories. “In fact, we are working together with the Cyber Crime Awareness Society (CCAS), which is helping us with the research. As the name suggests, the CCAS is an entity that works towards creating awareness about cyber safety. It conducts workshops, offers training programs, compiles case studies and also run a helpline,” he said.

     

    MTV’s social campaign, MTV ACT, which strives to create awareness about social causes, has tied up with CCAS to drive cyber security awareness. MTV is hosting cyber safety awareness workshops in over 200 colleges across 10 cities to encourage students to surf smart. CCAS meanwhile is educating youngsters about apps and measures that can protect them from getting ‘webbed’ in everyday life.

     

    Like season one, MTV India had earlier planned to air season two of MTV Webbed in September, however, the phenomenal response to season one made the network push ahead the dates of telecast.

     

    Talking of the host of the show, Gupta says, “Kritika’s role is not going to be either preachy or detached. While she narrates the stories, she would also be playing the role of a friend and guide, providing tips on cyber safety and basically providing information for the youth to surf smart and stay safe. She will be empowering the youth to enjoy the internet in a secure manner. On the show, at the end of each episode, she will be joined by a cyber expert as well, who will provide easy tips and ideas on how the youth can ensure their own safety online.”

     

    “Our stories are about teenagers who get into difficult situations because of the mistakes they commit online. The protagonists have to believably portray the trauma faced by the victims in order for us to honestly tell the story. Hence, casting plays a crucial role as these actors carry the show on their shoulders,” he adds.

     

     The objective of MTV Webbed season 2 is to create awareness and empower the youth so they can avoid making mistakes that lead to disastrous situations. “With our focus clear, we exercise necessary caution while approaching each story. Hard hitting situations have to be portrayed honestly otherwise bringing out the severity becomes difficult. But yes, having said that, the viewers of MTV Webbed 2, fall in the age group of 12 to 25 years, so we have to be careful as to how graphic we can get. It’s a show that’s meant for all and everyone should and needs to be able to watch it,” says Gupta.

     

    So has MTV started marketing the upcoming season? MTV India head – marketing, media & insights Sumeli Chatterjee says, “Youth preferences today change incredibly fast; hence, it really does not matter how soon you launch the next season. We are happy that the first season was loved and appreciated; and therefore, drafting out the marketing plans becomes that much more interesting. We have dialled up the engagement quotient of the marketing plans this year with the interactive workshops, mall activations and outreach to 200+ colleges.  We have an in-house creative team that produces all previews. And we work with Vizeum that handles our media and digital plans.”

     

    She adds, “We are also using re-marketing based interactive campaigns on web and mobile this time. Through numerous interactive campaigns online and offline, we are driving the message ‘surf smart, stay safe’. While we have put together an extensive TV, radio, web, mobile and outdoor plan – that will drive awareness for the show; we have an extensive online and on-ground outreach that will drive engagements around the key messaging.”

     

    In the digital space too, pop-up spam ads on high traffic websites e.g. e-commerce sites and music / movie streaming portals will urge the audience to click for quick wins, fast bucks and so on – just to reveal the ugly truth of getting ‘webbed’. This interactive campaign integrated with re-marketing-based tailored ads on web, would drive home the message of smart surfing.

     

    Smart surfing is extremely relevant for today’s connected generation. Not surprisingly, season one of MTV Webbed has garnered much love. Whether season two fares as good or better only time will tell…

     

    MTV Webbed airs on Fridays at 7 p.m. on MTV India.

  • Conan O’Brien hosts an epic 2014 “MTV Movie Awards”

    Conan O’Brien hosts an epic 2014 “MTV Movie Awards”

    Comedic genius Conan O’Brien emerged from a 5,000 pound  flaming bucket of popcorn to kick-off an epic 2014 “MTV Movie Awards” by breaking the world record for the most celebrity cameos in a show open.  Conan masterfully film-bombed 50 of the biggest and most eclectic names in pop culture including Taylor Swift, Sir Anthony Hopkins, the cast of “The Big Bang Theory,” Adam Sandler, Katy Perry, Andy Samberg, Jack White, Ashton Kutcher, Martin Scorsese, Demi Moore, Emma Watson, Russell Crowe, Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Lupita Nyong’o and Skrillex.  Telecast from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, the evening celebrated fan-favorite movies with comedy, action, music and of course, Hollywood superstars. 

     

    “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” captured the most golden popcorns of the evening, with Josh Hutcherson grabbing “Best Male Performance,” Jennifer Lawrence winning “Best Female Performance,” and Johnny Depp presenting the star-studded cast with the coveted “Movie of the Year” award.    The cast of “Entourage” reunited for the first-time on-stage to honor actor and producer Mark Wahlberg with the “Generation Award” for his extensive, diverse body of work in the film and television industry.   Quintessential leading man Channing Tatum won the third annual “Trailblazer Award.”  Jordana Brewster honored Paul Walker with a heartfelt, personal speech that introduced a moving tribute spotlighting his career.  

     

    Zac Effron won “Best Shirtless” award, just before Rita Ora helped him show the world exactly why he was worthy of this accolade.  Conan mashed up two of the most popular award categories by debuting the first-ever “best kissing fight” with Will Arnett.  Later in the evening, Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly won “Best Fight” for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”  “Best Kiss” went to the lip-smacking threesome of Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter for “We’re the Millers,” while presenters Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco hosted their own kissing contest with two women from the audience, and even Seth Rogen’s mom.  Shailene Woodley won the first-ever “Favorite Character” award, which was voted on socially, for her role in “Divergent.” 

     

    The evening was also infused with Unforgettable musical performances.  Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum superstars, Eminem and Rihanna re-teamed for an emotionally charged first live performance of their #1 smash single “The Monster.” Backed by a full piece band and a nightmare-come-to-life backdrop, the duo brought the audience to their feet with an explosive performance that blended dark and surreal imagery with raw emotion. 

     

    Fresh from the stages of Coachella, Ellie Goulding and Zedd brought the Divergent soundtrack to life. Goulding delivered a stripped down version of her new hit single, “Beating Heart,” featuring Zedd on piano.  The DJ then took the turntables for a high-octane performance of “Find You” alongside Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant.  Surrounded by a masked fan army, MTV Artists to Watch twenty one pilots delivered a stark and haunting introspective performance of their new single, “Car Radio,” which built to a pulsating crescendo. For more information on Eminem, Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Zedd and twenty one pilots go to MTV Artists on the web, iOS or Android.

     

    Winners of the 2014 “MTV Movie Awards” are as follows (*denotes new category)

    MOVIE OF THE YEAR

    The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

    Director: Francis Lawrence

    Producers: Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik

    BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

    • Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

     

    BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

    • Josh Hutcherson – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate)

    BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

    • Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)

     

    BEST KISS

    • Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter – We’re the Millers (New Line Cinema)

     

    BEST FIGHT

    • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly vs. Orcs

     

    BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

    • Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)

     

    BEST SCARED-AS-S**T PERFORMANCE

    • Brad Pitt – World War Z (Paramount Pictures)

     

    BEST ON-SCREEN DUO

    • Vin Diesel and Paul Walker – Fast & Furious 6 (Universal Pictures)

     

    BEST SHIRTLESS PERFORMANCE

    • Zac Efron – That Awkward Moment (Focus Features)

     

    #WTF MOMENT

    • Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)

    Leonardo DiCaprio’s iconic portrayal of excessive Wall Street player Jordan Belfort takes a turn for the insane when he takes his Lamborghini for a spin.

    BEST VILLAIN

    • Mila Kunis  – Oz The Great and Powerful (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

     

    BEST ON-SCREEN TRANSFORMATION

    • Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

     

    FAVORITE CHARACTER

    • Shailene Woodley – Divergent (Summit Entertainment)

     

    BEST MUSICAL MOMENT

    • Backstreet Boys, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)
      Spoiler alert! Backstreet Boys reunite in heaven to perform “Everybody” with signature boy band moves and flair for this Unforgettable apocalyptic ending.

    BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE

    • Rihanna – This is the End (Columbia Pictures)

     

    BEST HERO

    • Henry Cavill as Clark Kent – Man of Steel (Warner Bros. Pictures)
  • ‘2014 MTV Movie Awards’ Live on Vh1

    ‘2014 MTV Movie Awards’ Live on Vh1

    MUMBAI: MTV today added Hollywood A-Listers Jared Leto, Megan Fox, Jordana Brewster and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as well as musician Rita Ora to its already star-studded line-up of presenters for the “2014 MTV Movie Awards.” Hosted by late night host and comedian Conan O’Brien, the show will air LIVE on Monday, April 14, 2014 at 6:30 am IST and a primetime repeat at 9:00pm IST from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles exclusively on Vh1.

     

    In addition, it is also confirmed that nominees Orlando Bloom, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Johnny Knoxville and Ice Cube will attend the show.

     

    The impressive additions set up a ‘Movie Awards’ telecast that fans will not want to miss. In addition having the quick-witted Conan O’Brien at the helm, Channing Tatum will receive third annual ‘MTV Trailblazer Award’ and Academy Award® nominated actor and producer Mark Wahlberg will be honored with the ‘MTV Generation Award’. Global superstars Eminem and Rihanna will take the stage for their first live performance of their #1 smash hit, ‘The Monster,’ while Ellie Goulding and Zedd will perform selections from the ‘Divergent Soundtrack’ with guest appearances from Miriam Bryant and Matthew Koma. In addition, MTV is adding a music discovery slot that will feature ‘MTV Artist to Watch’Twenty One Pilots performing their current single ‘Car Radio’.

     

    THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2™ and X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST fans will get their fill with exclusive sneak peeks set to be introduced on tape by Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx, and on stage by Ellen Page respectively.

     

    The list of impressive talent attending includes previously announced presenters Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, Lupita Nyong’o, Adam Levine, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Chris Pratt, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Amanda Seyfried, Seth Macfarlane, Mila Kunis, Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton and Nicki Minaj, as well as nominees Backstreet Boys Brian Littrell and AJ McLean, Will Poulter, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Jackson Nicoll and Liam James.

     

     The 2014 MTV Movie Awards will air across MTV’s global network of more than 60 channels reaching more than half a billion households around the world.  In addition, its convergent programming and content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV’s more than 200 digital media properties around the world.

     

     Jesse Ignjatovic serves as Executive Producer for the ‘2014 MTV Movie Awards’. Garrett English serves as Executive Producer and Executive in Charge for MTV. Lee Lodge and Jen Jones serve as Executive Producers. Wendy Plaut serves as Co-Executive Producer and Executive in Charge of Celebrity Talent. Amy Doyle is Executive in Charge of Music and Celebrity Talent. Joanna Bomberg is Executive in Charge of Music Talent.
     

  • UTV Stars launches ‘Yeh Hai Meri Kahani’ season 3

    UTV Stars launches ‘Yeh Hai Meri Kahani’ season 3

    MUMBAI: UTV Stars, is geared up once again to get its viewers up, close and personal with the biggest and hottest stars of Bollywood. The channel has returned with the third season of Yeh Hai Meri Kahani. While the previous two seasons chronicled the lives of legendary actors of the film industry, this season will explore the lives of the young actors, the superstars of today. Premiering on 12 April, Yeh Hai Meri Kahani will air every Saturday at 8 PM. The 13 episode series will feature actor Ranbir Kapoor, in the first episode.   

     

    Dedicated to the achievers in Bollywood, Yeh Hai Meri Kahani is a show that takes the viewers through the life of their favourite star and opens up their world, dreams, achievements and aspirations. It will bring forth the entire story, from struggles, support systems, worst phases and cherished moments that led these actors to become the stars they are today.

     

    The theme for the third season of the show is ‘Youth Icons of Bollywood.’ In the first episode, viewers can watch Ranbir Kapoor getting candid about various aspects of his life, beginning with the pressure of coming from an illustrious film family, his education which was a huge deal for his family and moving on to studying acting. Kapoor goes on to talk about his experiences in the film industry, the many directors that he has worked with; right from his first movie, which was not a runway success.

     

     “We at UTV Stars are continually working towards bridging the gap between stars and their fans by bringing them closer. Hence, with Yeh Hai Meri Kahani, we not only take an exclusive look into the lives of our favourite stars, but also give them a chance to tell their own story. And after the previous two seasons that featured the legends of Bollywood, this year we will bring to our viewers the life stories of the young guns, the entire slew of new age stars who have already proved their mettle in the industry at a young age”, says Disney India director, content UTV Stars, Media Networks Manish Dubey, who will also be seen as the sutradhaar on the show.

     

    While, these young actors speak their heart out – about their struggle story to their victorious moments, Dubey, as a sutradhaar will be share some interesting take away from their lives.

  • 9XM asks ‘Who is the Idiot’?

    9XM asks ‘Who is the Idiot’?

    MUMBAI: The on-going elections have caught the nation’s imagination like none other; be it the political parties themselves or the media which includes print, radio, television and digital.

     

     The latest to join the brigade is Bollywood music channel, 9XM, which has taken upon itself the onerous task of encouraging people to step out and vote. The channel has created a music video titled ‘Who is the Idiot’ in collaboration with Artist Aloud, Rapper BlaaZe, and Paul J, which urges viewers to wake up and cast their vote.

     

     ‘Who is the Idiot’ was launched on 9XM on 3 April and will be played across 9X music channels including 9X Tashan, 9X Jalwa, 9X Jhakaas and 9XO. “This is the way to talk to today’s youth- through music and dance. And that’s how we are educating them. We are playing the video every hour currently,” says 9XM content head Sunder Venketraman.

     

     The video shows a school annual day function, where kids are dressed up like politicians and elders are shown blind-folded. “We are not portraying any politician or political party in a negative way. The video is about being happy and enjoying the right to vote,” says Venketraman. “The idea was to show how, at times, we are so engrossed in our day-to-day work that we tend to take things that are of national importance, lightly. Our effort is to convey to our target group that there is a need to wake up and vote. We are urging the youth to take the elections seriously and take out time and vote.”

     

     To its credit, the video, choreographed by 9XM’s in-house creative team, features the channel’s lovable toon duo – Chhote and Bade. “9XM is a house of Chhote and Bade. At times, a message sent out by them is impactful and so, we had to use them in the video,” says Venketraman.

     

     The shooting was completed in one day. “But the pre-production took us almost 20 days and the post-production took five days. Since we were shooting with kids, we had to manage them well. Also, kids require a lot of attention. We were conscious about casting them,” informs Venketraman.

     

     ‘Who is the Idiot’ is also being promoted on YouTube, which has already got nearly 23,666 views. Apart from the main video currently being aired, eight 30-40 second videos have also been created. “The agenda is to wake up the youth. We are circulating the videos through Twitter, Google+, Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, BBM, Pinterest, Instagram and Vine.” Says 9XM SVP- Digital Vibha Gosher.

     

    Interestingly, the videos draw attention to unique characteristics of the now well-known names in politics in a humorous manner. “Through these videos, we are portraying the ordinary life of these politicians. So, like in one of the videos, we show a Sardar and how while he is trying to talk to everyone in the class, the teacher calls him and reprimands him, and so, he decides to stop talking. In another video, we show a kid who refuses to eat lunch, because he is fasting,” explains Gosher.

     

    How many youngsters will actually go out and vote is difficult to predict but 9XM deserves a thumbs up for the effort.

     

    Click on the link to watch the video