ITV

Category: Regional

  • ETV News sees prospective markets in J&K, Assam, TN and Kerala

    ETV News sees prospective markets in J&K, Assam, TN and Kerala

    MUMBAI: With elections looming large, television networks are prepping to launch news channels in different parts of the country so as to get a decent share of the viewership pie. One such is Network18, which, after completely acquiring all ETV channels (save for Telugu channels) in January this year, decided to launch news channels in states where its GECs were present and not news.

    Recent launches include ETV News Bangla, ETV News Kannada, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana, ETV News Gujarat and ETV News Odiya, with Gujarati and Odiya news channels launching in the next two to three months. What’s more, another set of news channels is being planned for 2015.

    ETV news channels under TV18 are looking to get sister channels in ETV News Jammu and Kashmir, ETV News Assam, ETV News Tamil Nadu, and ETV News Kerala. “If everything goes well, we may launch these channels by the end of 2015,” says ETV News group editor Rajesh Raina.

    ETV news channels under TV18 are looking to introduce news channels in Jammu & Kashmir, north east (Assam), south (Tamil Nadu and Kerala).  “There’s a strong feeling that we should expand our news services into these regions as there is great deal of potential. We would like to expand and spread nationally. However, decisions of when and why to foray in these areas will be taken by the management of the Network18 group,” says ETV News group editor Rajesh Raina.

    As to how ETV will compete in Tamil Nadu and Kerala where current networks have a stronghold, Raina says: “In these states, most of the channels are affiliated to different political parties except a few. ETV is known for its credibility and is the ‘people’s channel’. Wherever we operate our channels, we give priority to ‘people’s issues’ and that is the reason we have the highest viewership in all regions.”

    In Jammu and Kashmir, ETV Urdu has been running two news bulletins every day for the past six years, which the channel claims has become very popular in the region. This in turn will help them create a niche for a 24X7 news channel in the state.

    Whereas in Assam, Raina says, “In a strife-torn state like Assam, we can be a bridge for government schemes to reach the masses and this will work to generate good revenue from both the state and central governments if ads given to TV channels are at par with newspapers, for which our network head Jagdish Chandra has been fighting hard.”

    The network wants to be the ‘voice of the people’ in the country, and “So far, we have been successful and we hope to sustain this success in future also. No channel can match our quality of coverage. We have some distribution issues in some places but they are being sorted out,” Raina adds.

    The focus will be more on rural, less on urban areas. “Quality coverage means raising the issues of the common man. But some channels are focused totally on urban centres and try to attract eyeballs in some selective centres only. But our channel is the common man’s channel and not the channel for the elite class only,” says Raina.

    According to him, no changes have come about in the ETV channels after acquisition. There are investments being made to upgrade the technology. Sources say nearly Rs 10 to 12 crore is being pumped into each channel for this purpose. Recently, Network18 had announced the launch of its regional news website news18.com that provides state-wise news.

    A Ministry of Information and Broadcasting document ‘permitted satellite TV channels as on ‘10 March 2014’ shows that the network already has licences for the channels. However, folks close to Network18  are quick to clarify, that these licences have been given to the Ramoji Rao group. “The Ramoji Rao group had applied for about 28 licences which they have got,” says the source. “The Network18 management has to start the process of applying for the new channel licences afresh.” 

    Currently, ETV runs news channels including Bangla, Kannada, Urdu (news and infotainment), Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh/Chattisgarh, Bihar/Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana/Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Odia. ETV2 News is not under the ownership of TV18.

  • ETV News Himachal/Haryana to launch on 26 March

    ETV News Himachal/Haryana to launch on 26 March

    MUMBAI: Ramoji Rao founded ETV group that is now under Network18 has got one more launch up its sleeve targeting the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Come 26 March, the group will launch its regional Hindi news channel, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana.

     

    Targeted at the age group 15+ SEC ABC, the channel will help the ETV group expand into markets beyond Delhi. To tap into viewership, the launch has been timed ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, just like the recently launched Bangla and Kannada ETV news channels. The 24X7 channel will cover 80 per cent news from the two states and the remaining 20 per cent from the rest of the nation. The news stories will encompass politics, sports, culture and crime.

     

    With 10 reporters, 20 stringers and 10 desk editors currently on-board, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana will broadcast from its Hyderabad studio for now offering only studio based shows and later move to Chandigarh after the polls with a corresponding bureau in Simla to provide full fledged news bulletins and live coverage. There will be bureaus located in Dharamshala, Rohtak and Kurukshetra as well. Balwant Takshak has been appointed as the editor and Narendra Bhaskar as the marketing head for the channel.

     

    “Haryana is a big market. Real estate and other industries are growing day-by-day. In Himachal Pradesh, information about a lot of government schemes does not reach the common people. This channel can be a bridge between the government and the common people. Revenue can also be generated through this mechanism,” says ETV group editor Rajesh Raina. According to sources in the know, the channel has made an investment of nearly Rs 15 crore and is looking to break even in two years’ time.

     

    No advertiser is aboard yet and the marketing campaign will follow only after the channel is launched. Meanwhile, ETV News Himachal Pradesh/Haryana is in for competition from India News Haryana, Focus Haryana, Khabarfast 24X7, Janta TV and Total TV.

  • Zee Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand Rechristened As ‘Zee Sangam’

    Zee Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand Rechristened As ‘Zee Sangam’

    MUMBAI: Zee Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand has been an integral part of the news-media landscape of these two states for many years. The channel, as a part of India’s largest news network, Zee Media Corporation Limited, has always been at the forefront with its incisive and unbiased coverage and analysis of news. In recognition of their trust in the channel, viewers in these states have consistently rewarded the channel with the No. 1 rank.  

    Zee Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand has now been renamed Zee Sangam, as it is the face and voice of the people of the land of the Sangam. Sangam is a name that symbolizes and epitomizes the essence and is truly representative of a culturally rich region and its proud people.

    Zee Sangam provides its viewers a fusion of local, regional, and global news apart from insightful programming and perspectives on local culture, trends, industry, agriculture, history and heritage. The channel has always showcased the authentic and real face of Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand. Whether in highlighting the accomplishments of its people with events like Avadh Samman or by first-on-ground coverage and critical analysis of disasters in Uttarakhand and riots in Muzaffarnagar, the channel has been a forerunner.

    It is therefore no surprise that as the leading news channel of these states, Zee Uttar Pradesh /Uttarakhand has maintained its numero uno position with more than 45% share in the market (CS 15+Tam, Wk 10, UP).

    Mr. Vasindra Mishra – Editor Regional Channel, said, “A symbolically rich name like ‘Sangam’ will create a more intense connect with our viewers as our content is a perfect blend of traditional and modern India. ‘Sangam’ serves its viewers not only with news of Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand, but also real-time coverage of national & international news.  Apart from news, there would be a blend of cultural programming, intellectual debates and many more flavors for the viewers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to enjoy. We expect this to further strengthen the affinity that viewers have for our channel.”

  • TV18 launches ETV News Kannada, targets Rs 20 crore revenue

    TV18 launches ETV News Kannada, targets Rs 20 crore revenue

    MUMBAI: With digitization setting in and general elections just round the corner, television networks are increasingly looking to tap regional markets. Not so long ago, Network18 acquired a posse of channels from the Ramoji Rao-founded ETV Group.

     

    And now, its news broadcasting arm – TV18 – has gone ahead with the launch of ETV News Kannada that went live yesterday at 5:00 pm. G N Mohan has been roped in as editor, S Divaakar as business head and Subba Naidu as general manager, with Rajesh Raina as ETV group editor. The channel has 150 full-time employees and nearly 150 stringers on board with the latter to keep a close eye on political developments in each district of Karnataka.

     

    While ETV News Kannada is currently operating out of its Hyderabad studio, the channel will shift base to Bengaluru post-elections and set up five to six bureaus in the state.

     

    Raina sounds confident about the venture.  Speaking to indiantelevision.com, he says,“Ultimately, it is the survival of the fittest. ETV group has always stood for credibility and we are sure we will do well in the market.”. The pay TV channel has already invested Rs 5 crore and will be pumping in another Rs 10 crore in the coming months. “The Karnataka market is very fertile. A 10-second slot in the Hindi market is priced at Rs 500 whereas there, it is nearly Rs 1,500,” says Raina. He added that business worth Rs 50 lakh has already been booked by advertisers.

     

    Official sources say the channel is targetting an ad revenue of Rs 20 crore. 

     

    Promotional campaigns have already begun across Karnataka through radio, transit advertising and digital with print to follow soon. The channel has decided to stay out of outdoor due to the high cost of hoardings in Bengaluru.

     

    Election Express and an election satire are among the shows to be broadcast on the new channel. Initially, the channel will be available on cable TV with DTH platforms yet to be signed on. Karnataka chief minister K Siddaramaiah and Union petroleum and natural gas minister M Veerappa Moily are expected to grace the launch event.

     

    More ETV news channels are expected to follow suit like ETV Himachal/Haryana in March, ETV News Gujarati in April, and ETV News Odia in July.

  • Sun TV Network signs ‘pay per view’ deal with iTunes and YouTube

    Sun TV Network signs ‘pay per view’ deal with iTunes and YouTube

    MUMBAI: In a major initiative, the south Indian broadcasting giant Sun TV has signed a mega deal with YouTube and iTunes to monetise its vast content libraries. The group’s proprietary content will be available to people across the globe on a ‘pay per view’ basis.

     

    “Sun TV has a wide ranging repertoire of content, with its channels offering almost every genre of entertainment with the exception of sports and business news,” Sun TV group CFO SL Narayanan told indiantelevision.com. He also added that a total of more than 25,000 hours of content would be available for viewing on both the platforms.

     

    In a growing internet world, Sun TV is looking at creating a mark for itself through its variety of programming.

     

    “This initiative positions Sun TV very well and much ahead of the shifts anticipated in buyer behavior with regard to consumption of entertainment services. More and more people are accessing content through mobile devices while on the move and over the internet. We believe that the revenues from these new formats could accelerate rapidly once smart phone penetration picks up in India,” says Narayanan.

     

    Apart from these two distribution platforms, Sun TV has also inked a deal with Mumbai based Purple IFE to license its popular Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu programmes as in-flight entertainment on leading airlines such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air India, Etihad, Jet Airways, Oman Air, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways.

     

    The broadcaster says these airlines carry a lot of south Indians who would consume its content.

     

    According to industry sources, the network would be looking at making approximately Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore through both the deals depending upon the kind of content that it offers to viewers  and its currency.

     

    “What’s called as catch up TV – which is episodes being uploaded as soon as they go on air – has good revenue generating potential as compared to catalogue content which adds to the volumes,” says a media observer. “Many of the TV shows are available on torrent sites online at no cost, which viewers download and watch. Sun TV can optimise its revenues on Youtube if it can attract viewers to its legitimate content – and away from these torrent sites.”

  • Star India paid $160 mn for added 12% interest in Asianet Communications

    Star India paid $160 mn for added 12% interest in Asianet Communications

    MUMBAI:  Star India’s equity interest in Asianet Communications in June 2013 increased by 12 per cent to 87 per cent from the earlier 75 percent. The price the India subsidiary of 21st Century Fox paid for the additional interest in the south Indian general entertainment television network was approximately $160 million.

     

    The price paid by Star India for the additional interest values Asianet Communications at $1.33 billion.

     

    According to 21st Century Fox, in June 2013, it acquired the 19 per cent stake in Vijay Television that it didn’t own and, as a result, it now owns 87 per cent interest in Asianet Communications.

     

    Star India holds its interest in Asianet Communications through Vijay Television. The 19 per cent equity stake in Vijay Television that it bought in June 2013 was held by Rajeev Chandrasekhar and K Madhavan.

     

    In January 2009, Star India and Asianet TV Holdings formed a venture Star Jupiter and the Asianet Communication’s general entertainment channels were brought under the joint venture. Star India’s Tamil channel, Star Vijay was also consolidated with the Asianet channels but the shareholding structure of Asianet Communications is not clearly known as it is a closely held company.

     

    In 2009, Star India paid approximately $235 million in cash and assumed net debt of approximately $20 million for a controlling interest in the four channels owned by Asianet. The price Star India paid for the 51 per cent stake in 2009 meant Asianet Communications was then valued at $500 million.

     

    Asianet Communications broadcasts Malayalam language channels Asianet and Asianet Plus, Kannada language channel Suvarna and Telugu channel Sitara.

     

    In July 2010, Star India increased its stake in Asianet communications to 75 per cent from 51 per cent, for which it paid approximately $90 million in cash.

     

    Asianet Communications was founded in 1991 by Reju Menon and Shashi Kumar. Rajeev Chandrasekhar acquired a 51 per cent stake in the company in 2006 for a reported price of Rs 150 crore (about $25 million at the current exchange rate) and also became its chairman.

  • Didi graces the launch of ‘ETV News Bangla’

    Didi graces the launch of ‘ETV News Bangla’

    KOLKATA: It was a big affair when TV18 Broadcast launched the 24-hours Bengali news channel – ETV News Bangla on Monday evening. The network got West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and actor Prosenjit Chatterjee for the launch that was live telecast on the network’s general entertainment channel (GEC) – ETV Bangla and also on the other Hindi news channels whose viewership is more than 20 crore.

     

    ETV Head, Hindi & Urdu Channels Jagdish Chandra said during the launch that the test signal for the Bengali channel is on and it will go on air on 19 March in all probabilities.

     

    The event became even more interesting when the network announced its plans to launch ETV Kannad on March 19. Chandra also revealed the plans to launch ETV Gujarati news channel on 30 April, in case it is extended it would be launched by 31 May. Even ETV Oriya will be launched on 31 July.

     

    Banerjee, praising the network’s initiative, highlighted the role of the media in molding the society and said ETV’s foray into 24-hour news channel would create employment and give the audiences one more platform to watch news. Lightheartedly, she even remarked that the channel should work in a way that it becomes the ‘essential’ news channel in future.

     

    Chandra spoke elaborately on the editorial policy of the news channel and said the network follows the “news only” concept and would cover welfare and developmental news.

     

    TV18 Broadcast’s non-executive chairman Manoj Mehanka said “content is the king” and asked the journalists of the channel to work hard to get the interesting stories out to the audiences.

     

    It looks like TV 18 Broadcast is on a super active mode to make an effect in the regional news space.

  • ‘ETV News Bangla’ launch today

    ‘ETV News Bangla’ launch today

    KOLKATA: TV18 Broadcast is launching its 24-hour Bengali news channel ‘ETV News Bangla’ today at 5 pm.

     

    West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will be present at the inauguration, ETV News sources said.

     

    TV18 Broadcast’s non-executive chairman Manoj Mehanka, ETV Network editor Rajesh Raina and ETV News Channel head Jagdish Chandra would be present at the launch.

     

    Veteran political journalist Prabir Ghosal has been appointed as an advisor to ETV News Bangla.

     

    Senior journalist Saptarshi Som has joined the channel as the deputy bureau chief (incharge of input).

     

    Earlier indiantelevision.com had reported that Dhrubajyoti Pramanik has joined the news channel as its editor. The channel has on board more than 40 journalists.

    Bengali general entertainment channel ETV Bangla will soon stop having its three news bulletins with the launch of ETV News Bangla.

     

    Studio 33 head producer Pranab Ganguly said, “The ETV Bengali news capsules were always liked and appreciated by the audience primarily because of their ability to put in good information in limited time. I am hoping the new channel will keep up with the good work.”

     

    A consultant with Corpus Media GK Viswanath felt there is absence of non-biased news channels in West Bengal.
     

  • Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati – Marathi television’s 1st 1 Crore Winner

    Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati – Marathi television’s 1st 1 Crore Winner

    MUMBAI: Marathi television’s iconic and redefining show “Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati” has been a mega platform for the people of Maharashtra to translate their dreams into reality. For the first time in the history of the format, the show witnessed the “Power of Two” taking the hot seat by storm with the “Jodi” together vying for the 2 Crore mega bonanza. Produced by Big Synergy, this epic show since its beginning has seen entire Maharashtra wait with bated breath for the first Crorepati. The much awaited momentous occasion is finally here  with Mahadeo Jadhav & wife Anita Jadhav from Faltan, Satara  achieve this significant feat of winning the much coveted  and life changing 1 Crore  on Kon Hoel Marathi Crorepati.   Watch this epic journey of Mahadeo & Anita Jadhav from a couple facing lives challenges to becoming the 1st Crorepati on ETV Marathi’s Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati on Monday, 17th March 2014 from 9.00pm onwards.

    Mahadeo & Anita Jadhav, journey towards success has been brought alive by the Power of 2 unleashed on the show.   A civil engineer and a labor contractor Mahadeo Jadhav, with the support of his wife   has weathered challenges like social discrimination, responsibilities towards a 35 member family and a demanding financial scenario. Mahadeo’s thirst for knowledge and support of his wife finally got the couple the much deserving golden opportunity to take on the hot seat and move towards securing the title of 1st Crorepati on Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati.

     The much deserving Mahadeo & Anita Jadhav commenting on their life changing experience stated “This is a surreal experience and I have no word to express my emotion. This is a realization of all my struggles in life and I thank ETV Marathi for giving me this opportunity. I hope to secure the future of my entire family” The further added that they would also want to contribute towards society by creating awareness about female infanticide in the country.
    Speaking on the momentous occasion of finding the 1st Crorepati, Anuj Poddar, EVP Viacom18 & Business Head, ETV Marathi said “Our objective with Season-2 was to transform the lives of people while enriching the family viewing experience. The show by unleashing its power of two and now with finding its deserving 1st Crorepati Jodi, has successfully achieved this feat. Truly bringing alive the promise and ethos of “Asel Saath Tar Jamel Baat”   the show has become an integral part of their television viewing experience.”

    The shows reckoned host and revered superstar Sachin Khedekar on witnessing this epic moment added “This was  the most overwhelming  and unforgetful moment for me through the 2 seasons  and I am glad to be part of this momentous journey. Most importantly, to witness a deserving Jodi who has always taken challenges head on with the coveted 1 Crore makes me proud of being a part of this show that has the power to change peoples lives and destinies”

    ETV Marathi’s Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati’s foray into the Marathi Entertainment space has redefined the scale and grandeur witnessed in Marathi Television.  With the Second Season of the epic show that witnessed the reward and the opportunity being doubled, the stage was set for the people of this Maha – Rashtra to walk the path towards glory and success.   Now with the finding of the 1st Crorepati, this engaging and life altering show is all set move to the next echelon entertainment. Watch the enthralling story of Mahadeo Jadhav & Anita Jadhav on Monday, 17 March 2014 at 9.00 pm

     

  • Sun TV Creates Guinness World Record

    Sun TV Creates Guinness World Record

    MUMBAI: Consider it an achievement or a moment of pride or a record-breaking effort at continual entertainment, we at Sun TV Network would like to celebrate this triumph of officially being recognized in the Guinness World Record by sharing the news with all our stakeholders and the media.

     

    We have set the record for LONGEST CONTINUOUS TV CAMERA SHOT ‘LIVE’ where the record attempt was telecast live on 5th March 2014 on Sun TV clocking 23 minutes 25 seconds to celebrate the 1000th episode of the TamizhTV serial ‘Nadhaswaram’.

     

    This challenging attempt involved three arduous days of planning and preparing by the 96 member cast and crew with an entire episode filmed as a single shot with a single HD camera handled by cinematographer, Mr. Sarath Chandar throughout. The scenes that required a zero margin error were backed by impeccable performances by the artists who are mostly newcomers introduced in this serial with very few experienced actors. Unlike re-recording that gets done in a closed studio much later after the editing is done, this task was executed flawlessly by Mr. Sanjeev Rathan with on-the-spot background music streamed in sync with the dialogues and telecast ‘live’ for the first time by any television channel in the world. The audience of Sun TV got to witness a ‘Live’ episode of their favourite serial with all elements of drama, comedy, suspense and action without any technical glitches or time lag in the transmission and telecast of the episode. Shot in a small village near Kaaraikudi, the cast and crew had the co-operation of the residents of the entire village, Pallathur, where the episode was shot and they maintained absolute silence during the filming of the episode to control any kind of ambient noise that could reach the place of shooting.

     

    Sun TV Network lapped up the idea of doing this ‘live’ episode without a scintilla of doubt to pull this off when the director Mr. Thirumurugan suggested this idea and promptly came forward in organizing the OB (Outdoor Broadcast) Van, HD Camera, additional security and everything else required to make this a spectacular success.

     

    Guinness World Record receives more than a thousand applications a week with fewer than 5% of these ever becoming a Guinness World Records title. In such a competitive scenario, Sun TV Network Limited headed by Sun Group Chairman Mr. Kalanithi Maran is glad to have broken the record as a well-coordinated team in association with the director and producer of the ‘Nadhaswaram’ serial Mr. Thirumurugan Muniyandi of Thiru Pictures.

     

    Two words to finally sum up our feat as how Guinness World Records, the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievements think and describe the record holders to the whole world: Officially Amazing