ITV

Category: Regional

  • Zee Picchar’s 12 world TV premiers on 12 days to redefine movie viewing experience

    Zee Picchar’s 12 world TV premiers on 12 days to redefine movie viewing experience

    MUMBAI: Zee Picchar, the new movie channel from ZEEL for Kannada Cinema lovers, went on air from 1 March. 

    Home to the biggest and most popular movie titles, Zee Picchar’s library of 350+ movies stands synonymous to family entertainment. Along with its 12 premiers on 12 days, the channel’s launch is set to re-define movie viewing at home. From 14 March Zee Picchar has been showcasing one World Television Premieres each day at 7 PM; the same will continue till 25 March. The movies will span genres and generations with the best of thriller, action, comedy and romance and will serve as inspiration to audiences in tackling challenges in their everyday lives, thereby making their everyday a hit day.

    In the phase of its launch, the brand has also unveiled unique brand films that bring alive the channel’s brand proposition of ‘Hit Dinada Feeling’ which implies ‘Having a hit day feeling’.  Taking everyday scenarios in mind, the two films launched so far are reflective of the love and passion that Kannadigas have for movies and how they draw motivation from their favorite films in dealing with their everyday challenges. The first brand film   (https://youtu.be/2DiNW1al-Tc) showcases affection that an elderly couple have and how the husband quotes a dialogue from the movie Bulbul to express his feelings to his wife. In the second brand film (https://youtu.be/q2SqaLE-laA), we see a cop, inspired by the movie ‘Doddmane Huduga’, teaching a lesson to miscreants when they think they can bribe him. Zee Picchar is present across leading DTH operators that includes Tata Sky Airtel DTH, Dish TV, D2H and across other cable operators.

    The line-up of upcoming World Television Premiers:

    19 March – Jolly Baaru Mattu Poli Hudugaru:   

    Directed and produced by Kaaranji Shereedhar, this movie chronicles the life of Santhu, a pampered boy played by Krishna who is an heir apparent of a rich money lender mother, whose dream is to see him as an MLA. His life changes when he meets Gowri played by Mansi, a poor woman who owes his mother money. What happens when the mommy’s boy decides to do things his way forms the crux of the plot.

    20 March – Ondh Kathe Hella:

    A horror thriller that promises to leave audiences at the edge of their seats. Five friends from Bengaluru decide to head out for the weekend for a quick getaway. Their journey is peppered with horror stories narrated by each of them. They land at an eerie guesthouse, where their tales continue. Director Girish G presented an anthology of horror tales – a concept that hasn’t been often explored in Sandalwood.  

    21 March – Kalidasa Kannada Meshtru:

    Based on a crucial topic, and directed by Kaviraj, this movie stars Jaggesh and Meghana Gaonkar in lead roles and has the perfect amalgamation of comedy, drama and social messages. The story revolves around a middle-class family man names Kalidasa (played by renowned actor Jaggesh), who works as a Kannada teacher in a government school. He is ridiculed by his upper-class wife for his poor English. When the corrupt government decides to shut down the school, how will Kalidasa fight against the injustice single handedly forms the crux of the story.

    Get ready to be entertained by the biggest Superstars and their Superhits as Zee Picchar promises to leave you with a ‘Hit Dinada Feeling’.

  • ZEE Keralam airs Corona break to create awareness

    ZEE Keralam airs Corona break to create awareness

    MUMBAI: ZEE Keralam, the latest Malayalam General Entertainment Channel, has started a unique campaign to sensitise their viewers on Covid-19 and create awareness among them to keep safe social-distance and wash their hands regularly. As part of its social responsibility Zee Keralam has started airing a 20-second video in between the programmes reminding the viewers to take some time off from the screen, go wash their hands while ZEE waits for them. No ads are played in between these 20 seconds.

    The channel has said that it is important to remind people about the precautions against the pandemic and washing their hands effectively to control the spread of the virus.

    The 20-second break titled ‘Break the Corona Outbreak’ has already started picking momentum with the initiative being widely appreciated by the viewers. Meanwhile, some of the stars associated with the channels like singer Sujatha Mohan and music director Shaan Rahman of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Keralam and Sumangali Bhava serial actor Deepan Murali have already come out with videos that remind the viewers on how important is to take 20-seconds off to wash your hands.

    Zee Keralam has also brought out a digital media campaign signifying the importance of social distancing through their social media pages. On a mission along with the people of Kerala, ZEE Keralam is fighting back along with God's own people to break the Corona pandemic.

  • Zee Kannada garners 3 lakh followers on TikTok within 2 months

    Zee Kannada garners 3 lakh followers on TikTok within 2 months

    MUMBAI: Zee Kannada is the first Kannada GEC to activate a TikTok account on the onset of the year 2020. Crafting yet another social media platform to inspire viewers, especially women, to take initiatives and rise above circumstances to craft their own destiny by 'Bayasid'dha Bāgilu Tegiyōṇa', which translates to “Open Doors to Possibilities”.

    The channel’s most popular fiction and non-fiction shows, Compedy Khiladigalu, Jothe Jotheyali, Gattimela, Genes and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa are now garnering further popularity on TikTok with captivating content. The engaging content from Jothe Jotheyali and Gattimela easily resonate with the everyday life the viewers. Catering to the entertainment needs of all Kannada audiences, the initiation of this account has resulted in highly positive responses across TikTok users from the age of 18 to 30.

    "India is the fastest – growing TikTok market with 467 million downloads, as per Appinventiv. As of  13 February 2020, a quarter of TikTok’s downloads and over 40 percent of new users are from India. Zee Kannada is pleased to enter this space with the hope to find a place in the hearts and minds of fans by presenting viewers with best-in-class entertainment," the channel said. 

  • Zee Keralam to air ‘Funny Nights with Pearle Maaney’

    Zee Keralam to air ‘Funny Nights with Pearle Maaney’

    MUMBAI: Zee Keralam, the latest entrant to the general entertainment channels in Malayalam, is slated to air an entertaining comedy show ‘Funny Nights' with Pearle Maaney’ from 14 March onwards at 9 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

    As the name suggests, the show will be hosted by the popular television host and actress Pearle Maaney. The comedy show will also mark her return to the Malayalam mini-screen after a year break since her marriage to actor Sreenish. 

    Other comedy fames like Manoj Guinness are also a part of the show. The launch episode will feature actor Jayasurya and NamithaPramod as celebrity guests. Pearle herself had announced the show on her social media pages.  

    Pearlie had said that though she had got many offers from the Malayalam television to host various programmes, she found the concept of Funny Nights with Pearle Maaney to be the most appealing one. Moreover, it was a reunion of the family for Pearle, since coming on board Zee Keralam since her husband Sreenish is already plays the lead in the hit serial ‘SatyaEnnaPenkutty’ in Zee Keralam.

    Funny Nights with Pearle Maaney is all set to premiere tomorrow at 9 PM on Zee Keralam.

  • Colors Marathi to explore kids animation, crime and game show genres in 2020

    Colors Marathi to explore kids animation, crime and game show genres in 2020

    MUMBAI: The regional arm of Viacom18 contributes to 25 per cent of company's growth. It is no wonder then that one of its leading regional channels, Colors Marathi, has increased its market share from 20 per cent in 2018 to 30 per cent in February 2020, according to the channel. This year it aims to expand its programming hours by exploring genres like kids animation, crime and non-fiction format in games.

    Viacom18 regional entertainment head Ravish Kumar says, "In 2020, we will be expanding our hours of programming with more shows. We would like to get into genres which have not been tried in this market like kids animation, crime and within non-fiction we are already doing home-grown formats and international formats but we are also trying to consider formats which are new to the market. Game shows have been explored here but we are trying to do a game show which is different."

    He says, "We have very limited hours of programming; the channel has 15 hours of programming in a week, which is less than what Zee Marathi is offering. It is significantly lower than Star Parvah. We are running our primetime originals only from 7 pm to 9.30 pm. Despite having only five original shows three of our programmes are in the top five shows."

    Currently, the channel has three tentpole shows – Balu Mama, Jeev Zala Yeda Pisa and Raja Rani Chi Ga Jodi. He Man Baware, a romantic love story and Swamini, a historical story are the two other shows.

    "Our goal is to try and come up with something meaningful for that market. Our content has to be family-friendly, deeply engaging and it has resonated with the viewers. Typically we pick up shows which hit this entire bracket. They have to be relatable and rooted. Our struggle is always for good stories; there are outstanding stories out there but that might not be right for us," he opines. 

    Kumar also tells that the regional space contributes around 25 per cent and he wants the space to contribute 50 per cent to the company in future. Kannada, Marathi and Tamil are priority markets for Viacom18.

    He further says that advertisers are responding positively to this market because Marathi is growing in importance. "Marathi as a genre has grown much stronger and the quality of programming is amazing. We do Bigg Boss and we were the first in the country to ever take it regional. We started with Kannada, went to Bangla and now we are in Marathi as well. So, there is a lot of interest from advertisers."

    The total TV viewership in Maharashtra has come down slightly since 2018. In 2018 it was 4,475 GRPs which has now come down to 4,000 GRPs. Within that the share of Marathi language GRPs has gone up from 23 per cent to 30 per cent.

    The market witnessed many new entrants like Zee Yuva, Sony Marathi, Fakt Marathi and Shemaroo Marathi movie channel. "Between that and with the quality of content, viewership of Marathi is going up. Even if we look at the top five channels in the market, earlier it would always be Zee Marathi followed by a bunch of Hindi channels; now four out of the five top channels are Marathi channels. The share of Marathi viewership has gone up and the position of Marathi channels has improved slightly. With better content and more channels it is but natural that the share of Marathi will rise," he says. 

    Maharashtra has a rich history of folk and literature. Kumar says that the thrust for good content and nuanced storywriting is much higher in this market; it's less on drama and more on content. So, it's not special effects or high production value which can carry the shows but rather intelligent scripting. "It’s a great system of movie makers, writers, theatre and fabulous stories that have never been told," he concludes.

  • Govt lifts ban on Kerala TV channels

    Govt lifts ban on Kerala TV channels

    MUMBAI: The Central Government on Saturday lifted the 48-hour ban on transmission or re-transmission of Malayalam television channels Asianet News and Media One.

    While the ban on Asianet News was lifted at 1.30 am, the prohibition on the other TV channel was lifted at 9.30 am on Saturday.

    Earlier, the government had prohibited the channels for 48 hours on any platform throughout India with effect from 7:30 on 6 March till 7:30 on 8 March 2O2O in view of their coverage of last month's communal violence in Delhi.

    The government took the action by using the powers conferred by sub section (2) & (3) of Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and under paras 8.1 & 8.2 of the guidelines for uplinking from India.

  • Women-centric shows well accepted in regional markets

    Women-centric shows well accepted in regional markets

    MUMBAI: It’s not only Hindi GECs that have moved ahead of family dramas, regional GECs have also started portraying female characters in strong and fresh story lines. The regional channels' women-centric shows is well accepted by the audience in the regional market. Due to the higher relatability factor the consumption of women-centric shows is also higher.

    Colors Tamil business head Anup Chandrasekharan says, “At Colors Tamil, we have always made a conscious effort to rise above regular kitchen dramas and family squabbles. Known for disruptive, differentiated, thought provoking and socially conscious content, our shows celebrate the inner strength of women as they tackle larger social evils. Championing the indomitable spirit of women from all walks of life, our all-women version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Kodeeswari, established itself as a pathbreaking show which fulfilled its promise of giving wings to small dreams. With our shows namely Amman, Uyire, Oviya and Thirumanam it has always been our endeavour to present content that is innovative and reflective to our audience. With an interesting mix of fiction and non-fiction shows, we will continue to further strengthen our content offering thus catering to a larger purpose than just entertainment.”

    A Zee Telugu spokesperson says, “All stories on Zee Telugu are progressive and empowering, mostly about aspirational women. Every story, every protagonist inspires the viewer with her vision and zeal of achieving what she wants. Be it Varudhini Parinayam then, Muddha Mandaram recently and Kalyana Vaibhogam now, all are powerful stories of empowering women. Recently launched Prema Entha Madhuram & Trinayani are also stories of women who break social stereotypes to a mark for themselves in society.”

    The channel further adds, “All shows on Zee Telugu are women-centric and the stories are received exceptionally well in the regional market, especially because they are told for the woman and by a woman. The relatability factor is high and hence the consumption higher.”

    Zee Telugu shows a range of stories of women being underdogs to achievers, Saraswati from No.1 Kodalu is one such character. Similarly, every story is shouldered on strong and aspirational women which appeals to the regional audience, especially women.

    Colors Gujarati business head Darshil Bhatt says, “Today, women-centric shows both in fiction and non-fiction categories are doing extremely well across all regional markets. At COLORS Gujarati, shows like Mahek, Dikri, Lakshmi, Savaj, and now Abhlisha in the fiction category and Rasoi in the non-fiction, female protagonists are being showcased progressively leading to a higher recall value for all our female-centric shows. We want to further leverage our ideology of presenting stories that are not only entertaining but inspiring as well with our upcoming fiction shows, Kahu Chu Sambhalo Cho, Prem Ni Bhavai and Rashi Rikshawali."

    Shemaroo Entertainment Limited CEO Hiren Gada says that women-centric movies and shows have proven their worth on television and are well accepted by the Indian audience. Movies are a reflection of the society and have portrayed women in strong characters addressing social and cultural issues head-on at the same time entertaining the audiences through their work.

    Colors Bangla business head Rahul Chakravarti says, “Television has moved a long way from just being about regular family dramas. With strong and fresh storylines, Bengali serials have portrayed female characters fighting for their rights and pursuing their goals. At Colors Bangla, we mirror the cultural ethos and the progressive values of West Bengal through innovative and relevant content. With strong storylines, we ensure that all our female protagonists are being showcased progressively leading to a higher recall value for our shows.”

    Regional shows are efficiently addressing the issues related to women and women's day only gives them added power.

  • Zee Telugu to launch ‘Trinayani’ on 2 March

    Zee Telugu to launch ‘Trinayani’ on 2 March

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu has strengthened its primetime offering with a new fantasy drama Trinayani. An impeccable fiction tale, Trinayani highlights the life of a seer, who can foresee the future and the past. Produced by Annapurna Studios, the epic one-of-its-kind fictional drama will go on-air starting 2 March and will be telecasted every monday to saturday at 8:30 pm only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD.

    Contrary to the trend across the industry, ‘Trinayani’ shifts the focus on a love story told against a truly unique and compelling canvas. A world catering to the curiosity of every viewer’s arbitrary beliefs of the supernatural.

    Superstar Mahesh Babu joined hands with Zee Telugu for a unique concept video that garnered numerous accolades from the fans of Prince and ardent viewers of the channel. The charming star shot with the Ashika Gopal Padukone along with the famed anchor Pradeep Machiraju.

    Set in the backdrop of fictional village Mukkantipuram, Trinayani promises to be a visual treat for viewers with outstanding VFX effects offering an authentic film-like experience. An aesthetically narrated saga delves into the life of a suave and ambitious business tycoon, Vishal Verma played by Chandu Gowda. The titular role of Trinayani is played by Ashika Gopal Padukone, a seer who takes the decision to live her life for the betterment of people by leveraging her celestial powers.

    Commenting about her role as Trinayani aka Ashika Gopal Padukone said, “I like to take up the character with different shades because they give me an opportunity to explore a different facet of my personality. I’m positive that the viewers will enjoy watching me as Trinayani.”

    Chandu Gowda, essaying the character of Vishal Varma, commented, “This genre is a completely a new territory for me, and I am more than excited to be part of this show. Have always wanted to be a part of the Telugu industry. Need all your blessings.”

    The gripping plot, theatrical characterization and intense performances make Trinayani an edge-of-seat thriller show. Once the story unfolds, it creates a sense of excitement as the viewers anticipate what new twist and revelation will change equations among the characters at every stage.

  • Fakt Marathi to convert into full GEC from April 2020

    Fakt Marathi to convert into full GEC from April 2020

    MUMBAI: The free to air (FTA) Marathi channel Fakt Marathi has made a strategic move to compete with pay broadcasters in the post NTO era. The channel is all set to become a complete GEC from April 2020. It will air three hours of original content in the primetime slot in genres like kids, mythology, socio-mythology, history, crime and comedy.

    In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Fakt Marathi MD Shirish Pattanshetty shared his plan on competing with pay broadcasters in post NTO era after being sampled by the audience in the transition period of NTO. He also highlighted the need for a level playing field between pay and FTA channels, advertiser’s interest on FTA channels and programming strategy of the channel.

    In the transition period, Fakt Marathi was seen leading the Marathi market for a few weeks in BARC India’s weekly rating but now the channel is observed holding its fourth position for the past few weeks. However the channel has geared up to regain its leading position with the revamp to a complete GEC.

    Original programming will start from 7 pm to 10 pm. Currently the channel airs one hour of original content and will be launching new show Special Police Forces in two weeks. In morning slot, the channel will continue to air devotional content, afternoon slot will have repeat telecast of original shows and primetime slot will have original content. The channel will air movie in two slots one at 9.30 am to 12 noon and other at 4.30 pm to 7 pm.

    Along with original shows the channel will also air the other syndicated shows and dubbed content of Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma as Gokuldhamchi Duniyadari. The show helped channel to grow by 1200 per cent in the time band of 9 pm in Mumbai.

    The channel has strategically decided to air the repeat telecast of original show in the afternoon slot. “In the primetime slot, there is a traction towards bigger broadcasters like Zee Marathi and Colors Marathi. So, people would like to watch our shows in the afternoon to get new content. It might be very difficult to get eyeballs from bigger channel because they also have their popular shows running in that slot for longer time. So, maybe if our shows are not notice at night during other parts of the day viewers may come to see it,” said Pattanshetty.

    According to Chrome LIVE data, pay channels witnessed a drop of 24 per cent from week 4 to week 9 in 2019. On the other hand, FTA channels saw a spike from 21 per cent to 26 per cent in the same time span.

    “During the transition period of NTO, we did a little bit of exposure related to GEC, a lot of viewers got the opportunity to see us for the first time and noticed us. The content that we showcased attracted people. On the movie channel there was only two channels that time Zee Talkies and Fakt Marathi while Zee Talkies turned pay so Fakt Marathi was the only option left,” informs Pattanshetty.

    One of the woes of being FTA is handling ad revenue. "There is no subscription business model like pay channel for us. To create a level playing field for pay and FTA channel either the government should intervene and say that they can make it only premium and no advertising channel or pay channel should stick to a norm of 12 minutes of per hour advertising. There is a norm but nobody is following that, if the rules are followed everybody will co-exist,” he opines.

    With regards to advertisement on FTA channels, Pattanshetty informs that economic slowdown has impacted the market to some extent and till the time it doesn’t improve the industry will not be able to swing around.

    To attract more advertisers, the channel aims to grow in the urban market with the offering of more original content. “If my urban market penetration increases by 35 per cent my advertiser cost will also increase. 60 per cent of the advertisers looks at urban as a market. If I am to upswing there, I’ll be able to get a better ROI," explains Pattanshetty.

    He further adds that the channel has recruited different teams which will look at retail advertisers. "The idea is to have certain field rates coming from retailers. The ad rates for local advertisers will be little different from others and it has to be premium for them because their buying capacity will be smaller. It will not be at the level of national advertisers. For example, if the national advertisers is buying 20,000 sec per month, the retail advertisers will not be able to buy that much," he says.

    With the conversion to channel to complete GEC, the costing will go up but Pattanshetty is confident. "If we bring better ratings then that would be a benefit that we are going to carry further," he concludes. 

  • Zee Telugu to launch new fiction show ‘Thoorpu Padamara’

    Zee Telugu to launch new fiction show ‘Thoorpu Padamara’

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu, a Telugu General Entertainment Channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), is all set to launch its new fiction show Thoorpu Padamara on 24 February. The show, which will air in the early primetime slot at 6 PM, features Yamini, Vinay, Jaya Kavi and Pranay in lead roles.

    Earlier this month, Superstar Mahesh Babu joined hands with Zee Telugu for a unique concept video that was widely loved and appreciated by the fans of the Prince as well as the ardent viewers of the channel. The video also featured Yamini and Jaya Kavi along with the famed anchor Pradeep Machiraju.

    Produced by Palle Prema Sagar Reddy, Thoorpu Padamara chronicles the life of Shruti and Laya. Though they are best friends, Shruti and Laya are as different as chalk and cheese. Laya, played by Yamini, hails from a middle-class family and believes that positivity is the right approach to life. On the other hand, Shruti, played by Jaya Kavi, comes from an opulent background and has a very pessimistic outlook on life. The story unravels when Laya and Shruti are married off to two brothers who also have contrasting personalities. Over time, the show will trace the journey of four contrasting personalities who are joined in an unbreakable bond.

    Commenting on her comeback with Zee Telugu, Yamini says: “Thoorpu Padamara is my fourth show with Zee Telugu, and the range of performance styles that I have been able to explore with this channel has been really vast and extraordinary. Which has made me do intensive behind-the-scene homework to show variations from each character that I've taken up. The unique concept of the show and the incredible experience of working with these teams, which feels like a family to me, has been the biggest driving force for me to agree to do this show, and me getting closer to the audience.”

    How the two friends navigate through the hardships that befall them and find happiness in their marriages forms the crux of the story.