ITV

Category: Regional

  • Tele-wise Bangla to bring together top names from media and advertising

    KOLKATA: Several players including big broadcasters have a strong presence in the West Bengal market. Zee Entertainment and Star TV Network were among the fast movers in the Bengali entertainment industry, followed by Sony, Viacom18, and Sun TV. Over the years, the market has grown to be one of the most important ones for those planning to expand their national footprint.

    The increase of original content, viewership, and advertisers also led the industry to turn its eyes towards the market. Several local brands, pan-India advertisers also began investing in the market. Even amid the pandemic, Bengali GEC and Bengali News continued to contribute three per cent of total volumes each in 2020. Regional growth is here to stay, at least for some time now.

    This Tuesday, 29 June, Indiantelevision.com is all set to bring together some of the industry’s biggest names from the world of advertising, advertising, broadcasting, and production to understand the potential of the market. The leading b2b publication will host the inaugural edition of Tele-Wise Bangla, presented by Zee Bangla.

    The day-long virtual summit will open with a welcome note by Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. BARC India client partnership and revenue function head Aaditya Pathak will share insights on the viewership trends in the market. Kantar Insights Division director Puneet Avasthi will give a glimpse into the consumer profile in West Bengal.

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    In the session ‘Gauging the Might of the market’, representatives from Big Bazar, Godrej, ITC, Maruti Suzuki, Shyam Steel, Wavemaker India will discuss questions like what are the opportunities leveraged by brands on Bengali channels, how different are the approaches to strike a chord with Bengali audience, what are the most lucrative genres to invest in along with many other pertinent issues.

    As the regionalisation of TV channels has made it easier for the local brands to reach a specific audience, advertising spends on the channels have also risen. Leaders from Rollick Ice Cream, Ajanta Shoes, Initiative Media, Keya Seth Aromatherapy will deliberate on the growth of media spends in the last few years, challenges post-Covid, media spend ratio of local to national brands in the session ‘New Bastions for Growth’.

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    From a content perspective, the market has always seen progressive shows and experimentation with new concepts. With more formats of content now available, the audience has grown to accept content that is pushing the boundary of creativity. The panel will focus on the evolving content consumption trends, innovations, content investment in the West Bengal market in presence of spokespersons from Zee Bangla, Colors Bangla, Shashi Sumeet Productions, Acropolis Entertainment.

    To register: https://www.indiantelevision.com/events/telewise-bangla/

    The virtual event will begin at 3:00 pm on 29 June and will be live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. 

    Join us for an insightful discussion! 

  • ZEE Biskope set to launch ‘Talent Camera Action’ season 2

    New Delhi: ZEE Biskope is all set to launch the first-ever virtual talent hunt of Bhojiwood – Talent Camera Action Season-2 on 29 June to mark World Camera Day.

    The campaign that gave viewers a platform to showcase their talents, received an overwhelming response of over 10K entries in just eight days. “It not just yielded a high ROI with a 17 per cent increment in channel reach on the telecast day over the previous two weeks (BARC; BnJ; CS2+, Mon, 29 June 2020, Reach percentage) but was also appreciated with one Gold, one Silver & two Bronze at multiple national & international award forums,” said the channel in a statement.

    The award-winning marketing campaign steps into its second season as ZEE Biskope launches Talent Camera Action Season two on 29 June – Camera Day. Viewers can record a minute video of their talent in dancing, singing, acting, or any other special talent category and send in their entries on ZEE Biskope’s Whatsapp number 8291829134 between 29 June & 11 July. The shortlisted entries will be judged by popular Bhojpuri celebs and winners will be announced.

    The scale of gratification this season makes it again a category first from ZEE Biskope. For the first time, the channel’s Marketing initiative is also facilitating a ticket to Bhojiwood. One winner from each category – Music, Dance, Acting & Special Talent will get a direct entry into Bhojiwood by featuring in ZEE Biskope Originals. With this, Season two offers a bigger opportunity for many Bhojpuri youths who aspire to earn fame through their talent. Not just that, the best entries from every category will also be featured on ZEE Biskope Television & Social platforms and receive a special edition gift hamper from the brand. The videos will be showcased along with the mega winner announcement on  18 July between 12 noon & 6 pm.

    ZEE Biskope has roped in popular Bhojpuri celebrities – action star Yash Kumar & glamour queen Nidhi Jha as the flag bearers of the campaign. The duo will be seen promoting the campaign across TV & digital platforms throughout the journey of the contest. The channel has devised a robust & strategic marketing plan to reach out to the maximum possible audience through TV, digital, radio & print. 

    Speaking on this initiative, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), cluster head, east, Samrat Ghosh said, “Camera Day is a western concept which didn’t have much popularity in the region. However, starting last year, ZEE Biskope curated the occasion with an apt hyper-local quotient that made it not just relevant but even novel for the Bhojpuri audience. The appeal of such novelty evidenced by the overwhelming response received on its debut, motivated us to launch the second season.ZEE Biskope’s viewer engagement drives have witnessed big brands partnering in the past. With a grander scale, this season of Talent Camera Action will offer a wider scope of brand integrations for advertisers to reach out to their relevant audience in the Bhojpuri market.”

    Senior VP, Bhojpuri cluster, Amarpreet Singh Saini said, “Talent Camera Action season two brings two major scale-ups: the gratification of an entry into Bhojiwood & the association of popular Bhojpuri celebs Yash & Nidhi. This is in appreciation of the plethora of talented young individuals in the region who look up to such an opportunity, shelving the limitation in their resources. At ZEE Biskope, we believe in engaging with our viewers to an extent that they feel the ‘apnapan’ with the brand rather than being a mere consumer of commoditized offerings. The brand will remain true to its commitment to extending its entertainment offering beyond the magic of movies.”

    Zee Biskope is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar(channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 859), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). It’ll soon be available on all other major cable platforms. 

  • Colors Kannada relaunches Bigg Boss Season 8 second innings

    Bengaluru: Colors Kannada plans to make a comeback with renewed spirit with the relaunch of its biggest property- Bigg Boss Season 8. This action-packed new season will be hosted by Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep.

    The show will witness 12 existing celebrities, namely – Vaishnavi Gowda, Aravind K P, Divya Urudaga, Divya Suresh, Shamanth, Raghu Gowda, Manju Pawagada, Shubha Poonja, Nidhi Subbaiah, Prashanth Sambargi, Priyanka Thimmesh, and Chakravarthy Chandrachood.

    The shooting for the show was suspended from 9 May on its 72nd day, due to the Karnataka state government imposing state-wide lockdown to curb the Covid-19 second wave. In the interim, Bigg Boss contestants were sent back to their respective places. The contestants will continue for the remaining days of the show, maintaining the regular show format.

    The second innings of this show will be unique as the contestants are aware of public sentiments, their screen presence in the show, unheard stories of fellow contestants from the house, their temperament, and who gets along with everything, post the suspension of the show.

    Viewers can catch this new season of the show from Wednesday, 23 June at 6 pm on Colors Kannada and on-demand on VOOT and VOOT Select.

  • Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs returns to Zee Marathi after 12 years

    MUMBAI: Zee Marathi is all set to bring a new season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs after 12 years. The iconic singing reality show has not only leveraged the power of music in uplifting young kids, but also marked a valuable contribution to the growing talent in the entertainment industry.

    The grand return of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs will see a slightly different format this year. There will be no elimination in the season. It will be the first-ever Marathi singing reality show with no elimination until the grand finale. Total 14 exceptional young talents will be seen competing for the winning title of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs. The mammoth task of grooming and guiding these contestants, rests on the shoulders of the renowned ‘Panchratna’ from the previous season which was aired in 2009 – Kartiki Gaikwad, Rohit Raut, Arya Ambekar, Mugdha Vaishampayan and Prathmesh Laghate.The talented singers won everyone’s hearts in the previous seasons and now they are ready to mentor the contestants by playing the crucial role of the jury in this season. Popular actress Mrunmayee Deshpande will helm the show as the host, starting from 24 June, airing from Thursday to Saturday at 9.30 pm, only on Zee Marathi.  

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, Amit Shah, cluster head – north, west & premium channels, Amit Shah said, “At Zee Marathi, our commitment has always been to deliver the best of Marathi entertainment to our audiences. Our philosophy is Mi Marathi, Zee Marathi – which means wherever there are Marathi viewers, we will be present. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa enjoys a rich legacy of being amongst the longest-running reality shows and we are extremely glad to bring back this popular show for our viewers. With a new and engaging format, we are sure the show will elevate the power of music and positivity, offering an extraordinary entertainment experience.”  

    Zee Marathi, business head, Nilesh Mayekar, said, “We understand that the viewers have been missing out on their weekend dose of authentic entertainment and with the comeback of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs, we intend to bring the entire family together once again to create a wholesome viewing experience. It will be a celebration of singing talent across the State that is bound to increase the entertainment quotient of this season substantially. We are sure that the viewers will shower their love upon this new season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs.”  

    The show will be aired at 9.30 PM on 24 June only on Zee Marathi.

  • Colors Tamil celebrates yoga from home

    New Delhi: Several stars of Colors Tamil came together virtually to celebrate the International Yoga Day 2021 on Monday, advocating the importance of yoga in one’s emotional, mental and physical well-being in these pandemic-hit times.

    Colors Tamil hosted the virtual yoga session in partnership with the Rotary Club of Madras Central, for the second consecutive year, bringing in health experts, sports therapy consultants, reputed yoga instructors, fitness experts and physiotherapists from across the country.

    Spread over an hour, through a Facebook Live for its viewers, the e-yoga meet was led by experts of Ayurveda and fitness trainers, including sports therapy consultant, Dr Dharmesh Kubendran, physiotherapists Dr Simranjeet Kaur and Dr Krishna Shah Ayurveda expert Nathiya and Rotary Club of Madras, president, Supriya Sundaraman. The session had experts talk about coping with stress during the pandemic, working on the body’s flexibility, and overall well-being. 

    COLORS Tamil- business head, Anup Chandrasekharan said, “We have partnered with the Rotary Club of Madras Central for the second time on International Yoga Day and are extremely pleased and enlightened after the virtual session. It’s a privilege to be a part of such a healthy initiative and strongly believe that we all need to include and explore a lot of other exciting things, apart from the usual work schedules and other commitments.” 

    The Colors Tamil stars who took part in the session, said in a joint statement, “It was a very delightful experience to be refreshed and guided by such fine minds and health experts, who have been doing a yeoman’s service through their insightful sessions where fitness, health and Yoga have always been an inspiring force for many to transform their lives with good health, calmness and a healthy lifestyle“.

    The serene yoga session early in the morning had renowned actor/comedian Badava Gopi along with Reshma Muralidharan, Sanjay Raja and Suju from Colors Tamil’s ‘Abhi Tailors’, Sameer, Dharshini, Hanna, VJ Ayub and Shyam from ‘Sillunu Oru Kaadhal’, Amaljith, Pavitra, Vaigha and Harishankar from ‘Amman’ and many others in attendance.

  • ZEE MPCG launches new conversation series ‘Chhattisgarh Ki Baat’

    New Delhi: ZEE Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh has announced a series of events and conclaves called Chhattisgarh Ki Baat, which will be held in various Tier two cities, where both the economy and the society have been deeply affected by the pandemic.

    The channel aims to establish a direct connection with the general viewers through these events & help them raise their concerns. All local and micro-level issues will be discussed and put forward in front of the stakeholders and the policymakers. The initiative will also provide a platform for businessmen and industrialists to put forward their challenges and discuss possible solutions.  

    The first event of the series will start from Bilaspur, the administrative capital of Chhattisgarh on 20 June. Multiple panel discussions and interviews with the policymakers, industrialists, and subject experts will be held on topics varying from the ways to tackle the effect of COVID to the further development of the city. ZEE MPCG will also recognize and honour those people who went out of their way during these tough times and contributed significantly to the development of the state and the region.

    Speaking on the occasion, ZMCL CEO Cluster three, Dileep Tiwari said, “ZEE MPCG has always worked as a bridge between the people of the state and the authority. We felt that at this time when the economy is recovering from the impact of the pandemic it is extremely important to take such initiatives at the city level so that each city and their industries get a platform to connect with the policymakers, discuss their challenges, and have a significant impact on the development of their city.”

    ZMCL, chief revenue officer, Manoj Jagyasi said, “With ZEE MPCG’s wide reach, this initiative will engage the viewers, the leaders, and the facilitators to develop a constructive discussion for the development. We are more than just a news channel, we want to be the ultimate solution provider to our business associates and our viewers. We will take this to 60 cities of MP, CG, UP Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana & Himachal. This will be the biggest outreach program done by a network.”

  • Sun TV Network’s outlook for FY22 remains positive despite short-term headwinds

    KOLKATA: Sun TV Network has navigated the pandemic well through the FY21 despite initial setbacks as it ended q4 with Rs 449.88 crore profit, 80 per cent up year-on-year. While there could be short-term headwinds in ad revenue due to the second wave of the pandemic, the company remains positive that the performance would be much better than the last lockdown.

    The broadcaster saw its ad revenue bounce back in the January to March quarter. However, the second wave hit the performance in the first quarter of FY22. It is still not known if a third wave would be more fatal. Hence, the company has not given any definite guidance for the coming year but its endeavour for the year is to at least reach the levels of FY20, a company spokesperson said in an earnings call.

    In FY 21, the company’s subscription revenue grew by about 11 per cent in FY21. The company is confident to maintain double-digit growth in FY22 as well, especially as it hopes to see a higher purchase of set-top boxes by a related party distribution company. Despite uncertainty around NTO 2.0, the company sees enough visibility on the subscription side.

    The company has improved primetime viewership in the Tamil market from 37 per cent to 42 per cent. As it is eying to come close to 50 per cent, it is taking steps to improve content quality, the overall narrative of storytelling. On the other hand, its overall fiction share has gone up by 36 per cent in the Kannada market as compared to the last two, three quarters. Hence, Sun TV wants to stay focused on gaining market share in these two markets.

    Additionally, it has lined up “some huge launches” in Telugu and Malayalam market in the next one-two months.

    However, its plans for Sun NXT, the over-the-top arm, have been pushed back again, albeit it has seen 40-50 per cent growth in the last six months. Although the company is in talks with a lot of potential producers for OTT originals, it is not going to start anything on that front at least before Q2. But the company can continue with small-medium movie digital premiers on the platform. Whenever the platform uploads a new movie on the platform, the subscription goes up immediately.

    For this financial year, the company has ambitious plans for movie production. It is looking at eight movies, costing nearly Rs 1200 crore. Four movies are under production as shooting has started and in multiple stages and one among those is almost nearing completion, a company spokesperson said. Because of the delay in the first four movies being completed, the remaining might be taken up in the second half of the year.

    Despite the strong performance in q4, the company’s dividend payout policy has attracted sharp criticism from investors in the conference call. For FY 21, the dividend payout dropped to Rs 5 per share from Rs 25 per share in FY20. The investors raised the question around management taking regular commission but not looking at shareholders’ interest. Sun TV Network management has not been able to give any forward-looking statement but has assured that it would share the concern with the board.

  • Colors Tamil wins big at Promax India Regional 2021 conference

    New Delhi: Colors Tamil has won six coveted awards at the first edition of the Promax India Regional 2021 Conference- The Art of the Pivot, announced this week. Competing across 25 categories, the regional GEC bagged four Gold in the Best Programme Campaign, Something for Nothing, Best Entertainment Promo and Best Launch Campaign categories and two Silver in the Best Movie Promo and Best Directing categories for its innovative works and promotions.

    Among the six illustrious Awards, Colors Tamil’s Kodeeswari – the Tamil version of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) – bagged three Gold and one Silver for its first-of-its-kind format, direction, and innovative campaign. Showcased as Asia’s first all-women version of the popular game show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ and hosted by Radikaa Sarathkumar, Kodeeswari was also listed among the finalists under the Best Themed Campaign category.

    Colors Tamil bagged the Gold for its innovative Independence Day promo and the Silver for its best movie promo (Watchman). The channel was also listed among the finalists in Best Children’s Promo category.

    COLORS Tamil, business head, Anup Chandrasekharan, said, “Colors Tamil has always distinguished itself with its innovative content that aims at inspiring, enhancing and engaging individuals. Kodeeswari is one of the biggest milestones in the history of Colors Tamil, where we had put in a lot of effort to create an exclusive platform for women aimed at giving wings to their small dreams and desires. While the show has won millions of hearts, it gives us immense pleasure to witness the same winning the hearts of the eminent jury of Promax, which further motivates us to offer more such unique and innovative content with top-notch quality.”

    Despite the unprecedented times and various challenges during the pandemic, Colors Tamil was among the first GEC to return with brand new episodes and exciting concepts like Mahasangamams to make its fiction shows more exhilarating. The channel has already curated an interesting line-up of shows like Abhi Tailor, which has already created a buzz with its first promo, witnessing over one million views in just 24 hours. It is also set to unveil a few more fresh shows under the fiction category and a couple of innovative non-fiction shows like Dance vs Dance 2, the channel said

  • Zee Chithramandir debuts as #1 free dish channel in Maharashtra

    Mumbai: Zee Chithramandir, the latest movie channel from Zee Enterprises Ltd (ZEE) has emerged at the top spot on the free dish platform within a week of its launch. According to a statement issued by ZEE, the channel has garnered two-thirds of the market share in the Marathi speaking cluster in its debut week. 

    The statement noted that Zee Chithramandir was the most viewed channel with the highest time shift viewing (TSV) of 368 minutes and an opening reach of 39.1 percent on the free dish platform in the state. The channel was launched with the premiere of Sairat, the blockbuster Marathi movie directed by Nagraj Manjule, and it was followed by the telecast of several superhit titles. 

    “We are extremely delighted to receive such a phenomenal response from the audience, despite launching the channel during the pandemic. At ZEE, we are obsessed with a consumer-first approach, our hyperlocal strategy is based on our in-depth understanding of consumers’ interests as well as deep market intelligence, thereby helping us achieve undisputed leadership by garnering over two-thirds of the market share in the Marathi entertainment space. ZEE’s Marathi cluster entertains 43.8 million viewers every week,” said Zee Enterprises Limited, cluster-head, north, west & premium channels, Amit Shah. 

    It is also one of the first channels in the free-to-air market to come up with a one-of-its-kind consumer engagement activity to facilitate the returning of the FTA dish boxes to increase channel sampling and strengthen the connection with consumers. As part of the engagement initiative, viewers can convey their wishes to their loved ones across Maharashtra, on special occasions. The activity witnessed participation with over 30,000 entries within two weeks of its launch. 

    Zee Enterprises Ltd, chief growth officer -advertisement revenue, Ashish Sehgal said, “Since the Covid outbreak, the media and entertainment space has witnessed the emergence of multiple new trends and has broken certain age-old norms. Regional content viewership across the country has registered double-digit growth, suggesting viewers’ reliance on TV as the most preferred medium for entertainment. On a national level, the movie genre has registered significant growth in viewership and ad volumes driven by the rise of family viewing. Zee Chitramandir is tailor-made to suit the palette of viewers in Maharashtra, which has further boosted the advertisers’ response towards the channel.”

  • Zee Thirai announces movies line up for June

    Zee Thirai announces movies line up for June

    Mumbai: Tamil movies channel Zee Thirai has unveiled its line up of movies for June 2021.

    On 4 June, the channel will mark the birth anniversary of legendary singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyan with the telecast of 80’s classic musical drama Sankarabharanam at 07.00 am. The film stands as a milestone in the career legacy of the late S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, who sang all the songs in the film and won multiple awards for his musical prowess.

    On 13 June, at 01.00 pm, Zee Thirai will telecast Mehendi Circus starring Madhampatty Rangaraj, and Swetha Tripathi in lead roles. The movie revolves around the romantic life of a cassette shop owner and a circus performer. The film, directed by Raju Saravanan, features the music composed by Sean Roldan. 

    The most notable film in the lineup of movies is Anushka Shetty’s Inji Iduppazhagi which will be telecasted on 27 June at 01.00 pm. The film has Arya in the role of the male lead, and the movie navigates through the struggles and challenges faced by a plus-size woman and her campaign against fraudulent slimness centres. 

    On 27 June at 03.30 pm, the channel will telecast Dhruvangal Padhinaaru directed by Karthick Naren. Starring Rahman in the lead role, the film showcases the story of a retired police officer who faces the scare of his haunting past. 

    Apart from Kollywood movies, Zee Thirai will also telecast the Hollywood film Vanguard starring Jackie Chan in the lead role on 20 June at 12.00 pm. 

    Zee Thirai has also unveiled the weekly themes for its popular segment ‘1 Mani Thirai Arangam’. They include Zee Thirai lockdown hits, Tollywood Dhamaka, Father’s Day Special, and actor Jiiva Special.

    Zee Thirai will also launch a new program titled ‘Vaanga Paakalam with Abishek Kumar’. The new show will be aired everyday, starting 6 June at 07.00 pm. In this program, internet sensation and stand-up comedian Abishek Kumar will react to the films by creating a first-of-its-kind unique watch-along channel space that has been specially conceptualized to cater to the internet generation. Following this is – Zee Thirai-in Oliyum Ozhiyum, an engaging concept that levels up the celebration of cinema and music on world music day on Monday 21 June.