ITV

Category: Regional

  • First time in history of Kannada television, fans dedicate a 60ft cut out for Jothe Jotheyali

    First time in history of Kannada television, fans dedicate a 60ft cut out for Jothe Jotheyali

    MUMBAI: Zee Kannada’s heart winning show Jothe Jotheyali has pioneered and revolutionized the Kannada television industry. Some shows become popular, a few others attain cult status, but Jothe Jotheyali has become an institution in itself.

    The fiction show has achieved the number one position and witnessed a total of 171% of growth in the first week of its launch. For such a remarkable show, the fans have been showering their love in remarkable ways and now taking their love to new heights. The ardent fans had made a 60ft cut out for their beloved stars – Arya Vardhan and Anu in the city of Chitradurga at Jothe Jotheyali Jaathre on 22 December 2019. Since its launch until this milestone, the show has been seeing many firsts and this was one of them.

  • Zee Telugu’s Muddha Mandaram bids adieu on 27 December

    Zee Telugu’s Muddha Mandaram bids adieu on 27 December

    MUMBAI: Over the last half decade, Zee Telugu’s Muddha Mandaram has been among the top shows in the Telugu Television Industry and now the much-talked about show is all set to say goodbye to its viewers. The family drama starring Haritha, Pawan Sai and Thanuja Gowda in lead roles is set to go off air on 27 December 2019.

    Produced by Annapurna studios, the first episode which premiered 5 years ago, garnered eyeballs with its compelling story line and strong characterization. The show encapsulates the story of a strong-willed and stubborn woman, Akhilandeshwari, her elder son Deva, and his love story with Parvati, their help. This popular show had reached a novel milestone earlier this year by completing 1500 episodes and has also been remade into various languages like Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.

    Since its launch, Muddha Mandaram has garnered a huge fan base in the Telugu market. Audiences have fondly adored and loved the on-screen chemistry between the lead characters Parvathi and Deva, who reincarnated as Soundarya and Abhinandan. The show was also widely popular among mothers, owing to their strong connect with Akhilandeshwari’s character and her compassion towards her son.

    Speaking on the show’s wrap-up, an emotional Thanuja Gowda who plays the role of Soundarya shares, “Every fairy tale has a happy ending, so does mine! Muddha Mandaram has been nothing less than a dream come true for me, right from the very first promo to the entire journey of Parvathi and Soundarya on the show, everything has been totally outstanding. The show has given me immense recognition and love. My heartfelt thanks to my director to whom I presented the ‘Best Director’ award. I will definitely miss the show, entire cast and crew.”

    Commenting on his stint on the show, her co-actor Pawan Sai says, “5 years, Over 1580 episodes, and Infinite love. It’s difficult to contain the myriad of emotion running inside me and yet words elude me. Muddha Mandaram for me is a pure sign of family attachments and emotional bonding followed by responsibilities. I take the liberty to say this on behalf of the entire cast and crew, that we gave it our all. There were no half measures. All I feel right now is overwhelming gratitude for all the lives who collaborated on this epic journey and the ones embraced this as your own.”

  • Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Adhirindi’- comedy reality show on 22 Dec

    Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Adhirindi’- comedy reality show on 22 Dec

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu is all set to launch its latest comedy reality show Adhirindi on 22 December at 9 pm. The weekend show is a reality talent hunt for the next generation of comedy stars. Zee Comedy Show 2007, Zee Comedy Club 2011-12, Family Circus 2014, and Comedy Khiladilu 2017 are a few successful shows that have built a special place in the hearts of the Telugu audiences. 

    The cast of Adhirindi went LIVE with a curtain raiser on 15 December.  This is a brand-new show where comedy superstars, and the audience will get together every weekend to elect a new generation of comic geniuses. 

    Sameera Sherief will debut as the anchor for the unique show that includes the popular Nagababu as the judge or shehensha. The participants, selected from auditions, will be split into four teams which will each be led by Dhanraj, Venu, RP and Chandra, where they perform comical skits to amuse the ‘shehensha’. Adding to its uniqueness, the team members will receive the opportunities of being exclusively hand-picked by the said team leaders, for the first-time-ever in the history of comedy shows in South India. The selection criterion would include electing individuals possessing distinct dialects from across the State, embracing the wit that every dialect has to offer.

    The show comprises of a missed-call campaign where every episode will consist of audience voting along with the judges’ points that determine the course of ‘Adhirindi’. Starting from the 4th episode, votes of the audience will be displayed and updated on the leaderboard on a weekly basis, however, the scores of the jury will only be unveiled in the finale of the show.

    The very first episode will witness Nagababu's daughter, Niharika Konidela as the walk-in judge. Heightening the entertainment quotient for the night, Raj Tarun made a special appearance for the promotions of his film Iddari Lokam Okkate, and performed in one of the skits that left the audience splits.

    The champion of the show will be pronounced through a division of audience vote (50%) along with the votes of the judges (50%). The show guarantees to provide pure laughter and an enjoyable ride where we collectively embark on a journey of ushering in a new generation of comic sensations.

  • Colors Tamil’s ‘Kodeeswari’ ropes in Colgate as presenting sponsor

    Colors Tamil’s ‘Kodeeswari’ ropes in Colgate as presenting sponsor

    MUMBAI: Viacom18’s Tamil general entertainment channel, Colors Tamil is all set to launch Kodeeswari starting 23 December. The show adapts the popular television game format of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire to have only female contestants with the aim of empowering women from all walks of life, and give wings to small dreams. The show has bagged Colgate as the presenting sponsor, with overall seven sponsor in their bucket. On the video-on-demand platform VOOT, the show has roped in Medlife as the online pharmacy partner while Nippon Paint has come on board as the co- powered by sponsor.

    Last week the channel has announced six sponsors coming on board of Kodeeswari- Nippon Paint, Arun Excello and RIN as powered by sponsors; Kotak Mahindra Bank as the banking partner; and Tamil Matrimony App and Helo App as special partners.

    The show will be hosted by the iconic superstar of Tamil Cinema, Radikaa Sarathkumar and in a first ever, there will be only women on the Hot Seat. Even before the launch, the show has witnessed a lot of attention from brands across categories.

    Viacom18  network sales head Mahesh Shetty says, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has been a trailblazer on television and has been loved by audiences across the world and in India. Being the first ever all-women edition, our endeavour through this show is to encourage strong willed women to challenge stereotypes and live their dreams. Kodeeswari has garnered a lot of attention and interest even before its launch, not only among viewers but also brands. The purpose of this show is so focused and powerful that we have a plethora of brands which have jumped on board across platforms. We have roped in seven sponsors for the show on Colors Tamil. For VOOT, the show has caught the attention of brands with two sponsors. We have also secured five sponsors for our international feed which will take this show to Tamil audiences in Singapore, Malaysia and USA.”

    VOOT will keep its digital viewers attuned with  various opportunities to Watch, Play Along and Win every day! With interactive offerings such as Play Along on VOOT , presented by Medlife, the users can enjoy the thrill of the game show by participating and simultaneously matching their power of knowledge with the contestants on the hot seat, and win prizes every day. Furthermore, viewers will get a chance to win Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot, sponsored by Nippon Paint.  The viewers will have to log on to VOOT to answer the question and the first person to answer will be chosen as the winner.

    For its international feed, Colors Tamil has roped in Sivanesan Company (Premier Range of Products) as the Title sponsor, while the show is being powered by Gits (Gits Foods). In addition to this, Tamil Nadu Tourism- Enchanting Tamil Nadu and GMT (GMT Jewellers) have come on board as Special Partners while Gooday Beauty Parlour has been roped in as the Grooming Partner.

    Kodeeswari will go on-air starting 23 December at 8 pm from Monday-Friday on Colors Tamil and Viacom18’s video-on-demand platform VOOT.

  • Zee seeks to tap into regional opportunity with four new language channels

    Zee seeks to tap into regional opportunity with four new language channels

    MUMBAI: Expanding its regional footprint further, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Thursday announced four new regional channels — Zee Punjabi (GEC channel) and three movie channels Zee Biskope (Bhojpuri), Zee Thirai (Tamil) and Zee Picchar (Kannada).

    Zee Punjabi and Zee Biskope are scheduled to go on air on 13 January and 14 January 2020 respectively whereas, Zee Thirai and Zee Picchar will launch between February and  March  2020.

    Zee Punjabi is to be a mixture of shows, films, and movies. It will have five fiction and three non-fiction shows along with music, movies and more at launch. The channels tag line has been decided as ‘Kahaaniyaan Punjabi, Boli Punjabi, Zee Punjabi’.

    The three regional movies channel — Zee Biskope, Zee Thirai, and Zee Picchar will be  in addition to the already established regional GEC channels that Zee has  in Bhojpuri, Tamil, and Kannada languages.

    ZEEL’s domestic broadcast business chief executive officer, Punit Misra said, “We have always believed that deep understanding of cultures across the nation and serving people entertainment rooted in each culture win hearts. In the last four to five years, if you look at the regional viewership then all Hindi i.e., GEC and movies was let’s say 38 percent of the total television consumption. All languages (GEC+movies) were around 32 percent. So, there is movement ahead of overall market growth in all regional markets put together. Plus, if you look at the movie genre it has grown in the regional market 2x of the total viewership growth of the country.

    He further added that cultural pulse is at the core of the differentiated strategy at ZEEL. “Our newest offerings are designed to add to our growth trajectory, further cementing our belief in winning hearts across many states.”

    ZEEL’s chief growth officer, Ashish Sehgal spoke about the disruption in the broadcasting industry due to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) New Tariff Order (NTO). He said that the dust is settling and the industry has started showing signs of revival and growth and hence the new channels will only help the network going forward.

    Zee's regional portfolio contributes to over 50 per cent of its overall share, with GECs contributing almost 90 per cent of the regional pie. It is the dominant market player in Marathi, Bangla and Kannada with over 50 per cent market share in Marathi and Bangla markets.

    The content of all these four channels will be shared and available to viewers on Zee’s OTT platform ZEE5, so that they continue binge-watch their favourite TV shows missed episode and films any time.

    ZEEL’s chief marketing officer, Pratyusha Agarwal said: “From a highly TV penetrated but hugely under-consumed latent Punjabi GEC opportunity to insatiable, thriving demand for movies in the Bhojpuri, Tamil, and Kannada markets, the regional need gaps present the perfect opening to further deepen the bonds we have with viewers all over India in various languages. We crafted and curated these four new offerings powered by deep viewer understanding, loads of passion and hoping that our viewers enjoy them as much as we did creating them!"

    ZEEL has completed 27 illustrious years, now entertaining over 800 mn people across India, 650 mn of which comes through non-Hindi offerings, a press statement said.

    Zee Punjabi

    With over 20 hours of original weekly content, Zee Punjabi is the first Punjabi GEC that will celebrate Punjab with stories of Punjabiyat. Zee Punjabi offers its viewers a mixture of blockbuster cinema, ground contest shows, and chart-busting music.

    ZEEL’s cluster head – north, west premium channels, Amit Shah said, “Despite the highest TV penetration (88 per cent) in the country, Punjab has a significantly low time spent and that is a factor of not having dedicated Punjabi content across that does justice to the region and culture.”

    He added, “Zee Punjabi is being launched by understanding the viewer’s need gap; for a culture that is so powerful, Punjab definitely needs its own authentic Punjabi channel.”

    “We have a strong line-up of stories with themes familiar to Punjab, characters that people will fall in love with and faces like Gurdas Mann, Jazzy B, Sonu Kakkar among others, who are respected in Punjab,” adds Zee Punjabi’s business head, Rahul Rao.

    Zee Thirai

    Zee Thirai is a new Tamil movie channel that will present the passion of Tamilians for their cinema and will fuel their heroic spirit through powerful movies, a press statement added.

    The channel will have a programming library of above 400 celebrated titles from Tamil cinema that includes widespread genres from blockbuster hits to critically acclaimed movies such as Mersal, 2.0, Kanna, Kolamavu Kokila among others.

    The channel is to have uninterrupted entertainment with break-less movies in the afternoon slot. The first look of the channel will be unveiled during Zee Cine Awards Tamil in January 2020.

    According to ZEEL’s south cluster head, Siju Prabhakaran, “The launch of Zee Thirai is a showcase of Tamil cinema which has deep-rooted cultural and emotional context. We are seeking to channelise the heroic spirit it infuses in people into a strong brand and content stance.”

    Zee Picchar

    Zee Picchar is a new Kannada movie channel that will make every day a superhot day for the Kannadiga families, a press statement said. The channel will have a library of over 35 celebrated titles spanning across genres and generations from timeless classics to new age trendsetters.

    With an aim of a one-break movie at specific slots for entertainment with minimal disruptions, ZEEL will launch the channel with 12 Picchar premieres to be aired on 12 consecutive days.

    Zee Kannada’s business head, Raghavendra Hunsur said:  “After winning hearts of Kannadigas with Zee Kannada, we are all set to appeal to the viewers’ appetite and further strengthen our presence in the state.”

    Zee Biskope

    Bhojpuri movie channel Zee Biskope will be in addition to the successful GEC Zee Gang and will have a library of over 300 super hit movies with the biggest blockbuster movies of the last five years.

    “Larger-than-life’s south Indian movies dubbed content will be broadcast on Zee Biskope,” a ZEEL official said. He added that people in the north relate to the story of the movies made in the southern part of India, especially Telugu and Tamil cinema.

    ZEEL cluster head, east, Samrat Ghosh added: “The Bhojpuri content industry is increasing manifold in recent years. While Hindi GEC has grown at 40 per cent in the past three years in terms of consumption, the Bhojpuri GEC and movie verticals have grown by 85 per cent.”

  • Colors Tamil ropes in six sponsors for ‘Kodeeswari’; premiere on Dec 23

    Colors Tamil ropes in six sponsors for ‘Kodeeswari’; premiere on Dec 23

    MUMBAI: Colors Tamil and Studio Next are all set to premiere the all-women edition of ‘Kodeeswari’ from December 23 at 8 pm onwards every Monday to Friday. The show has also roped in brands like Nippon Paint, Arun Excello and RIN along with Kotak Mahindra Bank as Banking Partner and Tamil Matrimony App and Helo App as Special Partners. 

    Kodeeswari is produced by Studio Next, the production house of Sony Pictures Networks. Studio Next holds the license of the format, for all Indian languages and has produced more than 1,800 episodes of the show across nine languages.  

    “The Tamil market is an incubator for path-breaking content, be it in films, art, print or television. COLORS Tamil has, since its inception, pushed the boundary in terms of innovative content – through the stories we tell and through the way we tell them,” said  Viacom18 regional entertainment cluster head Ravish Kumar adding, “How apt a homage to the culture and ethos of this market that one of the world’s most successful format shows ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ will go in for a global first with an all-women version on COLORS Tamil. Because we at COLORS Tamil believe that hearts which beat for others, should not forget to beat for themselves.” 

    Expressing delight on putting together such a purposeful show said COLORS Tamil business head Anup Chandrasekharan, “It gives us great pleasure to put together this experiential stage that will empower women who are smart, aware and knowledgeable. We have had an overwhelming participation from the Tamil speaking women across the nation whose life stories are heroic in their own unique way. While the format of the game remains unchanged, our endeavour is to encourage strong-willed women to challenge stereotypes and emerge victorious. We are happy to have on-boarded the indomitable superstar Radikaa Sarathkumar in this journey who will multitask as a host, a friend and a guide.”

    The popular television game format will see host Radikaa Sarathkumar quiz contestants on the Hot Seat 15 questions with prize money ranging from ₹1000 to ₹1 crore. If a contestant successfully answers all 15 questions correctly, she will be awarded a prize money of Rs 1 crore. During the play the contestants get to take 4 help-lines namely, 50-50, Audience Poll, Ask the Expert and Flip to survive through the game.

    Radikaa Sarathkumar who has over 300 films across several languages to her credit said on hosting a distinctive concept like Kodeeswari, “The thought of making an ordinary woman a ‘Kodeeswari’ is extremely gratifying. Forty years back when I had made my debut, I too had dreams in my heart and small desires which grew over the years which I fulfilled with my work and I can see the same vision in each of these contestants.
    And I am glad that this platform is there for them to take a huge leap in fulfilling their dreams and desires.”

    On this occasion, Studio Next head Indranil Chakraborty said, “This year Studio Next is completely in charge of this iconic show across the languages, making Tamil the 6th launch for the year 2019. While the game has been evolving through the years, this is the first time we are going to have an all women contestant show in Kodeeswari. This season will give all the women a great opportunity to take the front seat and drive their
    dreams forward with their knowledge.”

    COLORS Tamil viewers can now download the VOOT app and Watch, Play Along and Win every day! This time around VOOT – India’s 2nd biggest premium AVOD platform, gives the digital audiences a chance to not only win Gold Coins everyday with “Watch and Play Kodeeswari on VOOT” but also gives them a shot at reaching the Kodeeswari Hotseat – a real time opportunity for highly engaged fans to reach the Hot Seat via VOOT’s interactivity gameplay. Upping the entertainment experience further for the digital natives, VOOT will also bring to life exclusive videos showcasing the contestants stories.

    Leaving no stone unturned for the promotion of the show, COLORS Tamil has designed a 360-degree marketing and promotional campaign with touchpoints across On-ground, Outdoor, Radio, Print, Cross channel and Digital.

  • Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Dhrusti’ on 15 Dec

    Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Dhrusti’ on 15 Dec

    MUMBAI: Zee Telugu always brings the best of Telugu entertainment with a wide array of classic movies for its viewers on small screen. Decked with cinematic splendor and super visual experience, the channel has always taken the onus to showcase new enchanting movies for its audience, since inception.

    Adding to its vast repertoire of movies across genres, Zee Telugu will now host the exciting Premiere of Dhrusti on  December 15, 2019 at 12:00 PM. Drushti is directed by Ram Abbaraju staring Rahul Ravindran, Pavani Gangireddy, Vennala Kishore, Ravi Varma and Pramodini among others who play other pivotal characters in the film.The camaraderie between Rahul and Vennala Kishore turns out to be the USP of the film.

    ‘Dhrusti’ revolves around Mohan, played by Rahul Ravindran, a freelance photographer with a fractured limb, who happens to be a witness to a murder of an apartment neighbor. Despite being unaware of the killer’s identity and having reported the incident to the police, Mohan shockingly emerges as the key suspect to the murder. Will the police trust him? Just when the police think they have solved the case, a new twist leads the film.

    The film also showcases well-executed cinematography by P. Bal Reddy and mesmerizing music by Naresh Kumaranthat is sure to satiate the entertainment needs of the audiences.

    To ensure you do not miss out on your favorite Zee Telugu shows, choose the Zee Prime Pack that includes Zee Telugu, and Zee Cinemalu alongside 7 other top channels of the Zee Network that cater to the daily entertainment needs of your entire family at Rs. 20 per month only. For further information, contact your DTH or Cable operator.

  • Zee Kannada to premiere Kurukshetra on 15 Dec

    Zee Kannada to premiere Kurukshetra on 15 Dec

    MUMBAI:Produced by Munirathna Naidu, Zee Kannada will air the world television premiere of ‘Kurukshetra’ on 15 th December at 6:30 PM only on Zee Kannada and Zee Kannada HD. Mahabharat, the revered classic, forms the bedrock of Hindu mythology and its teachings are deeply
    engraved in our cultural history. Narrating the virtues of Mahabharat through the lens of Duryodhana in an artistic rendition of the scared scripture is Naganna’s magnum opus film ‘Kurukshetra’. 

    The 3D mythological film will unearth Duryodhana’s other side includes Sneha as Draupadi, Sonu Sood as Arjuna, Late ‘Rebel Star’ Ambarish as Bhishma, Darshan as Duryodhana, Arjun Sarja as Karna, Danish Akhtar as Bhima, V. Ravichandran as Sri Krishna among others. 

    The film dates to the magical era as it begins with the laugh of Draupadi at Duryodhana in Maya Sabha. The film encapsulates the rise and fall of Duryodhana, Karna’s loyalty towards Suyodhana, Mahabharata war and concludes with the ‘Gadhayuddha’ between Bhima and Duryodhana where Sri Krishna advises Bhimasena about Suyodhana’s vulnerable spot in his thigh. The film showcased well-execution of visual effects which was led by Durgaprasad Ketha and Jeemon Pullelly and mesmerizing music by Harikrishna that is sure to satiate the entertainment needs of the audiences.

    The channel recently brought Sandalwood’s biggest personalities together under one roof to launch the audio of Kurukshetra; that witnessed passionate enthusiasts celebrating the musical prowess of ace Director Muni Ratna.

  • ZEE Hindustan – Now also in Tamil and Telugu

    ZEE Hindustan – Now also in Tamil and Telugu

    MUMBAI: ZEE Media, a pioneer in the broadcasting industry had the vision to change the way news is consumed in India with the ZEE Hindustan channel re-launch and its one-of-a-kind content format- ‘Anchorless News Channel’. At the heart of this campaign was the determination to break the barrier of biasness and an ability to innovate with an unusual, yet useful idea.

    With a disruptive idea and championing the success of channel’s re-launch, ZEE Hindustan takes another big step by making itself a National News Channel also available in Tamil & Telugu. The main message of this provocative campaign 'Ab Anchor Nahi, Khabrein Khud Bolengi, Kyun Ki Aap Samajhdaar Hai – ZEE Hindustan now available in Tamil & Telugu’ was followed with the message like – “since the news is speaking for itself what would the leading anchors of South Indian news channel do?” Even when it comes to news channels, we are biased with our favourite anchors. They colour our opinion, most of the stories come through the lens of star anchors that appear on news channels, and their fan base is humongous. Therefore, helping consumers understand the essence of the national news in the language they would relate to, ZEE Hindustan now moves towards the most news consumable market covering three major states of India- Tamil Nadu, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh.

    Reverberating with analytical content and eminent journalists on its roster spread across India, the channel takes pride in its detailed research aided by the latest technology and the widespread network.

    Any news in one’s regional language makes more impact and helps them relate to the deepest of emotions. Analysing that thought, ZEE Hindustan now becomes the voice of the southern market for the channel is available in both Tamil and Telugu.

    “Being in Tamil & Telugu, it will help a consumer to understand the very essence of any national news”, said Mr. Purushottam Vaishnava, Editor-in-Chief & CEO, ZEE Media. ZEE Hindustan is a national news channel which aims to disrupt the thinking behind news. It is bringing in a change to the way news has been historically presented, laced with opinion of the anchors. No change can be brought in without addressing audiences from every corner of the country. Therefore, we have launched the channel in Tamil and Telugu for very important communities of the country. 

  • Zee Telugu to celebrate Karthika Masam with ‘Sar Sarle Ennenno Ankuntam – Anni Jaruguthaya Enti?’

    Zee Telugu to celebrate Karthika Masam with ‘Sar Sarle Ennenno Ankuntam – Anni Jaruguthaya Enti?’

    MUMBAI: Celebrating Karthika Masam, Zee Telugu curated a special showcase ‘Sar Sarle Ennenno Ankuntam – Anni Jaruguthaya Enti?’ as a treat to their ardent fans. The auspicious festivity brought together artists across the Telugu small screen industry under one roof to celebrate amidst spectacular songs, dance and merriment. Tune-in to celebrate Karthika Masam with Zee Kutumbam November 24th at 6:00 PM only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD.

    A magnificent affair with the presence of several celebrities such as Nagababu, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Pradeep Machiraju, Dhethadi Harika, Chammak Chandra, Kirak RP, Dhanraj, Venu and many other. The special day is hosted by Pradeep, Zee Telugu viewers all-time favorite anchor. Audiences cheer to the tunes of the romantic performance by Pradeep and Dhethadi Harika on ‘Kundanap Bomma’ from Ye Maya Chesave movie, and Anasuya Bharadwaj’s performance on ‘Rangamma’ from Rangasthalam. Chammak Chandra, Kirak RP, Dhanraj and Venu’s amusing acts make the viewers roll on the floor with laughter.

    The jamboree includes an exceptional Pandu – Aqsa Khan performance on MJ fusion with classical beats. Chitti master crew charm the viewers with a fighting fusion performance from Magadheera along with the famous dialogue ‘Okkokkadiga Kaadu…’ followed by satirical songs.