ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • Cornershop Entertainment Company appoints Parag Kamani as new Business Head

    Cornershop Entertainment Company appoints Parag Kamani as new Business Head

    MUMBAI: Parag Kamani has joined Cornershop Entertainment – An Essel Group Enterprise – as Business Head Wireless. Parag will be reporting to director Cornershop, Chirag Shah and will be handling the entire wireless entertainment and enterprise business, including the management of Short Code 7575 among various new initiatives that are in the pipeline, said an official release.

    “7575” was the first to launch Voting and Polling for Reality television and mobile enables all Zee Network Channels and is a leading provider of wireless entertainment, its applications and services.

    Parag’s vast experience in the entertainment space – initially in the record industry and, thereafter, in the home video business – has seen him execute various roles at Magnasound, BMG Crescendo, Virgin Records [now EMI India], Saregama India [formerly, popularly known as HMV], and the Dubai-based Vanilla Group [now known as Viva Entertainment].

    Commenting on Parag’s appointment, director Cornershop, Chirag Shah says, “We are really happy to have Parag on board, his vast experience in the music and home video industry will shed a fresh perspective to our existing business and add value to new initiatives in the wireless space.”

    Parag says, “Having worked for the music industry for 14 years, followed by four years in the home video business, I have always pursued a career providing me new challenges. For the immediate future and, without compromising on my passion for entertainment, I have found it in wireless entertainment and the enterprise business.” Parag is a music aficionado and used to write for various publications on aspects of the entertainment industry.

    Cornershop is looking forward to having Parag on board and scaling new heights. The Cornershop team believes there will be a fresh strategic perspective for all with the synergies of Cornershop’s inherent strengths of being backed by the reputed and well-established Essel Group and Parag’s past experience obtained in the entertainment business, ensuring that it is only a matter of time before Cornershop takes on the wireless entertainment world.

  • SaharaOne initiates prime time revamp; 8 shows on the anvil

    SaharaOne initiates prime time revamp; 8 shows on the anvil

    MUMBAI: SaharaOne Television is about to make a big splash in the Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) space by introducing not less than eight new programmes. The channel, having set an ambitious 2006-end target of achieving the third position in the market, hopes a near complete revamp of the sensitive 8 pm to 11 pm prime time band would drive the turnaround.

    “By the end of 2006, we want to become the third most successful general entertainment channel in the Hindi space. We will be unleashing a series of programming activities in the coming weeks. Two new soaps Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye and Solhah Singaarr will start the proceedings and four more soaps will be launched in the prime time band. The picture will be complete with the introduction of two big ticket format shows,” Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited CEO Shantonu Aditya tells indiantelevision.com.

    The channel’s most successful soap Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki will however escape the revamp exercise. Another prime time soap Hare Kkaanch Ki Choodiyan is giving way for Solhah Singaarr. SaharaOne is yet to decide the slot for Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye, according to Aditya.

    Speaking on the reality shows in the pipeline, Aditya said the channel was yet to finalise certain details and would be sharing information on the initiatives at a later period. However he hinted that one of the reality shows planned would be celebrity-based.

    “We had been planning to launch a celeb-based reality dance show Superstars. But, looking at the way the existing celeb dance shows are faring in the rating charts, we have decided to take a re-look at Superstars,” Aditya says.

    When the sliding market share of SahraOne (based on July to September CS4+ HSM Tam ratings) is brought to his attention, Aditya counters by saying that the channel has already been showing signs of a good comeback.

    “Last week, we have improved our GRPs to 87 from 60 of the previous week. The reach has been improved to 51 per cent. Our belief is that the latest programming efforts, backed by the strong movie properties we have, will strengthen the channel’s position tremendously,” he says.

  • Filmy to launch Hollywood dubbed block ‘Firangi Filmy’ on 20 October

    Filmy to launch Hollywood dubbed block ‘Firangi Filmy’ on 20 October

    MUMBAI: Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd’s Hindi movie channel Filmy has chosen the occasion of Diwali to unveil its Hollywood dubbed movie block Firangi Filmy.

    The property, slotted for Fridays at 8 pm, will debut on 20 October with the Jackie Chan starrer Shanghai Knights.

    In order to bring in the Bollywood flavour in its Hollywood properties, Filmy will be renaming the film titles in Hindi. Accordingly, Shanghai Knights will be titled Jackie Chan Ki Sholay.
    “Our effort is to present the Hollywood titles we have acquired in very Bollywood style. Hence, we have invested extra efforts in the quality of dubbing, choice of movies and the on-air promotions. We are largely lying on our existing viewers to make this property a big hit,” states Filmy Marketing & Content head Shailesh Kapoor.

    As per Kapoor, Filmy has acquired 25 Hollywood movies for the initiative in the first phase. “We will be expanding this library once the property establishes its position,” he says.

    In the Hindi movie channel space, Max and Star Gold telecast Hollywood flicks dubbed in Hindi, where as Zee Cinema is yet to adopt this programming trend.

  • Virgin Comics & Tiger Hill launch ‘Seven Brothers’ in Yahoo’s Time Capsule

    Virgin Comics & Tiger Hill launch ‘Seven Brothers’ in Yahoo’s Time Capsule

    MUMBAI: Virgin Comics and Tiger Hill Entertainment have announced that their new comic John Woo’s Seven Brothers is available online exclusively through Yahoo!’s Internet Time Capsule, an electronic anthropology archive.

    Seven Brothers is the initial launch in Virgin Comic’s “Director’s Cut” imprint, which for the first time allows the world’s top filmmakers to incubate stories and characters in comic book form for further development into film and animation, informs an official release.

    Developed by popular Hollywood director John Woo (Face Off, Mission Impossible 2) and Tiger Hill Entertainment in collaboration with Sir Richard Branson’s newly formed comic book media company, Virgin Comics, the inaugural issue of Seven Brothers takes place in contemporary Los Angeles and follows a global epic spanning seven centuries and seven continents featuring a cast of international characters, each with supernatural abilities.

    While the debut issue of Seven Brothers will be released in the US on 18 October, an exclusive digital version of the comic book will be offered through the Yahoo! Internet Time Capsule, which will be featured on localised Yahoo! home pages around the world, including the most popular home page on the Internet, www.yahoo.com, the release adds.

    “Graphic novels are an exciting new medium for me and I am excited to work with Yahoo! to bring this comic book series to audiences around the world and to preserve it for the future,” says series creator John Woo.

    “John Woo is an international icon who stands at the forefront of creative innovation,” said Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Virgin Comics. “Yahoo! is an excellent partner to help us share this milestone entertainment event with a worldwide audience.”

    In collaboration with John Woo, Seven Brothers is written by renowned comic book author, Garth Ennis. Ennis, whose work includes the action comic titles Punisher and Preacher, is regarded as one of the industry’s bestselling and most critically acclaimed writers.

  • It’s ‘Open Season’ for Sony Pictures this festive season

    MUMBAI: On Friday 20 October 2006 Sony Pictures Releasing of India will release Sony Pictures Releasing‘s first animated film Open Season.


    The film is about Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear finds himself stranded in the woods three days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.


    Sony is doing innovations to push this film. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on this Sony Pictures Releasing of India manager advertising and promotions Harshvardhan Gangurde says that a campaign on television has been running on kids channels for the past couple of weeks.


    The idea of using the likes of Pogo, Animax, Nickelodeon is that the main audience for this film is kids. So spots pushing the film have been airing together with soundbytes from the voice cast. This includes Martin Lawrence who provides the voice for Boog and Ashton Kutcher who voices Elliot talking about their experiences making the film.

    30 prints of the film will be released. Interestingly the film will not be dubbed. Open Season is also being released in Imax. So Sony Pictures and Imax are doing a special push. From tomorrow on ground activity will start where the two characters from the film will be present in person.


    They will start their activity by visiting malls in Mumbai as well as Imax Adlabs at Wadala. They will then go to Hyderabad. A bus has been arranged for and the two characters will visit different locations with the aim of meeting kids and families. Imax is also looking at having a mini jungle set up in their theatres where kids can play.

    Sony Pictures also kicked off a school contact programme which is drawing to a close. This was done in conjunction with Sanctuary Magazine. Since the film is about nature conservation the partnership was a natural fit.


    Activity was done in 200 schools across the country. An activity sheet was given where kids did mazes, colouring, essays. Talks were also given on the importance of preserving the natural environment. Screenings will now be held for school kids. In addition Sony Pictures is also looking to help Sanctuary Magazine with its Save A Tiger petition. So at cinema halls people who buy a ticket for the film will be urged to sign the petition. This will then be sent to the President of India.


    Booproo chewing gum is the brand that has tied up with the film. They have cut a TVC which seeks to push the brand by leveraging the equity of the film‘s characters. On the mobile front Sony Pictuers through its partner Hungama Mobile will be distributing content. This includss games, voice tones, video ringtones. One can send an SMS to 4646 to get these products.


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  • Sony set to launch ‘Bigg Boss’ on 3 November

    Sony set to launch ‘Bigg Boss’ on 3 November

    MUMBAI: Sony is ready to roll on its its big ticket property for the latter of half of 2006 – Bigg Boss, the Indianised version of the international format Big Brother.

    Can a show that has a highly voyeuristic core with a lot of negative machinations at play work in the Indian context? Most certainly, asserts Sony chief creative director Sandiip Sikcand. The reality show will have all the elements and more that make saas-bahu weepies such a rage in India, avers Sikcand, giving his reasoning on why he expects the concept to replicate the success it has enjoyed in territories like the UK.

    Bigg Boss launches Friday, 3 November, with the unveiling of the 13 celebrity participants. It will have a 12-week run, with telecast running from Monday through to Friday.

    On Fridays, Bigg Boss will run the elimination episode, where as the Monday to Thursday episodes will be packed with the regular drama and reality content. Significantly, Sony has opted for the 10 pm slot (Monday to Thursday) at a time when an interesting fight is going on between Star Plus and Zee TV in that time band. Bigg Boss will be confronting Star Plus’ Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, which airs from Monday to Thursday and Zee TV’s newly launched show Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann.

    The Friday episodes are slotted for 9 pm. On Friday, Bigg Boss will be attacking Star Plus’ Baa, Baho and Baby and Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs’.

    Bigg Boss, the real life soap will have 13 celebrities confined inside a specially designed house where every single point in the house is within view of a video camera. The housemates will be watched by 28 cameras.

    They will not be permitted any contact with the outside world: no TV, radio, telephone, internet, not even writing materials. The public is invited to vote to evict one of the contestants. The last remaining is the winner who bags Rs 500000/-. The ‘Bigg Boss’, an omnipresent voice will be watching all the moves of the housemates. And the popular ‘Circuit’ of Munnabhai MBBS – Arshad Warsi – will be anchoring the show.

    The repeat telecast will be aired in the afternoons. Bigg Boss is regarded as Sony’s next big offering after Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi and Indian Idol. Set India COO NP Singh believes that Bigg Boss, the format show that has successfully attracted millions of viewers over multiple seasons in some of the countries will change television viewing in India too.

    The channel is also planning a multiple season run for Bigg Boss. This time, they have roped in celebrities primarily because curiosity and obsession about the stars have exploded in the country, explains Sikcand.

    The channel has already started marketing this property through a 360 degree campaign. This would be the first time that the channel will be creating mobisodes for the format show. The users can access 30-second to 90-second clips, but Singh refused to divulge as to which telecom operator, the channel had inked a deal with.

    Internet will be yet another medium through which the channel will exhibit its property. A mircosite will be created, through which the streaming of the show will be offered and the mobile episodes will also be accessed, informs Singh.

    It remains to be seen if Bigg Boss brings in the big audiences that will help propel Sony back into the ratings reckoning.

  • ICC sets 7 Nov for audio-visual rights tenders submission

    ICC sets 7 Nov for audio-visual rights tenders submission

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the availability of its Invitation to Tender (ITT) document for audio-visual rights for ICC Events from late 2007 to 2015.

    This is the latest step in the process of exploiting its rights for the eight-year period and follows a series of meetings between the ICC and interested broadcasters and agencies over the past month.

    Those broadcasters and agencies wishing to pursue an interest and receive the ITT can do so by applying to the ICC through email.

    Once they have done that they will be sent a confidentiality letter. When they sign that letter and pay a fee to the ICC they will receive the tender documentation. The deadline for submission of tenders is 7 November 2006.

    ICC CEO Malcolm Speed said, “This is the latest stage of the process to sell the ICC’s commercial and broadcast rights and it is a hugely significant and exciting time for cricket.
    “We have already been gratified and encouraged by the meetings we have held with many interested parties and those meetings have indicated to us that the level of interest in these rights is extremely high.

    “The sale of our rights gives us the opportunity to place cricket on a sound financial footing for the next eight years and, by doing that, it will provide all our Members with the chance to both sustain and grow the game. Yhroughout this whole process we have only one aim in mind – securing the best deal for cricket”.

    Included in the eight-year period under discussion are 18 ICC tournaments with two World Cups, in Asia (2011) and Australasia (2015), and a minimum of three ICC Champions Trophy tournaments.

    Also included are the first two ICC Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009), the latter taking place in the ICC’s centenary year.

    And there are Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, four ICC U/19 Cricket World Cups, and, for the first time, the Women’s Cricket World Cup, with two tournaments scheduled for 2009 (Australia) and 2013 (India) in the eight-year timeframe.

    Meanwhile the BBC’s head of sport, Roger Mosey has said it would bid for live English cricket rights in 2010 when the ECB’s existing deal with pay-broadcaster BSkyB expires. He said that cricket should follow the model used for football, where rights are sold in packages, allowing several broadcasters to share the rights for live games and highlights.

    He has been quoted in media reports saying that a multi-platform model with BSkyB having live Premiership games; the BBC showing Match of the Day and live FA Cup games; ITV and BSkyB sharing the Champions League worked well.

    Further details and updates of the sales process will be announced by the ICC in due course.

  • Brett Lee to offer his experties on Times Now’s ‘League of Champions’

    Brett Lee to offer his experties on Times Now’s ‘League of Champions’

    MUMBAI: Times Now ropes in Brett Lee for its show League of Champions. Times Now brings the world’s fastest bowler up close and personal to all viewers with an exciting contest which will give them a chance to face his deliveries upfront.

    League of Champions, the special show on ICC Champions Trophy, will showcase Lee’s review of the match from the midst of all the action, straight from the cricket field. Everyday the game is analyzed by experts in the studio like Sanjay Manjrekar, a test double-centurion and the world famous commentator and ex-chairman of selectors of the Indian Cricket Team, Kiran More, according to an official statement.

    Winner of the Wisden Young Cricketer of the Year Award, Brett is admired in the cricketing world for his never-say-die attitude and brave performances with both the bat and the ball. Commenting on the association with Lee Times Now editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami said, “Brett Lee is not only the world’s fastest bowler, but also one of the most dynamic personalities in world cricket. Times Now viewers enjoy his candid analysis on television.”

    The channel has been hosting contests for the viewers wherein one can win right from premium tickets to ICC Champions Trophy cricket matches to cricket balls personally autographed by Brett Lee or even a personal appointment with the bowler. The audience can SMS LEE to 8888!, informs the release.

  • Adlabs Films Q2 net profit up 224 per cent at Rs 204 million

    Adlabs Films Q2 net profit up 224 per cent at Rs 204 million

    MUMBAI: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group controlled Adlabs Films’ net profit stood at Rs 204 million for the quarter ended 30 September as against Rs 62.86 million for the same period last year.

    The second quarter total income recorded an increase of Rs 595.97 million from Rs 246.82 million for the July-September quarter 2005.

    Operating profit stood at Rs 309.51 million as against Rs 110.04 million for the corresponding period last year .

    The company’s expenditure for the quarter closed at Rs 286.45 million as compared to the previous fiscal period Rs 136.79 million.

    Recently, the company picked up 51 per cent stake in Siddharth Basu promoted Synergy Communications. The company also launched its radio stations in Delhi , Hyderabad , Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore, under the brand name Big 92.7 FM.

  • Universal Music sues content sharing sites Grouper, Bolt

    Universal Music sues content sharing sites Grouper, Bolt

    MUMBAI: The world’s largest recording company, Universal Music Group is charging the operators of two video-sharing Web sites for illegal downloading.

    The company has filed lawsuits against Grouper Networks which operates Grouper.com, and Bolt which runs Bolt.com.

    Grouper.com was recently acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment for $65 million. Media reports indicate that the suit charges that both grouper and Bolt.com had built traffic by encouraging users to share music videos from its artists without their permission. In one incident, it claimed a video for the Mariah Carey song “Shake it Off” was viewed more than 50,000 times on Grouper without the company’s permission.

    Earlier Universal had threatened to sue YouTube. However later on the two parties signed a deal to distribute music videos. YouTube agreed to pay a small licensing fee for the material and to share associated advertising revenues. Universal says that prior to filing the suit had looked to reach licensing deals with both Grouper and Bolt.