ITV

Category: Regional

  • Zee Kannada spruces up weekends with new seasons of two non-fiction shows

    Zee Kannada spruces up weekends with new seasons of two non-fiction shows

    MUMBAI: Come 26 December, Zee Kannada is all set to bring back two of its popular weekend non-fiction shows namely Sa Re Ga Ma Pa season 11 and Weekend with Ramesh season 2. 

     

    Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Season 11 saw approximately 8500 people between the age group 18-80 taking part in the auditions, out of which 30 best singers were selected from Udupi, Shivamogga, Gadag, Mysore, Yadgir, Bellary, Bangalore and various other places of Karnataka.

     

    Mentoring and channelising this talent will be the judges namely singer Vijay Prakash, composer Arjun Janya and Rajesh Krishnan. To add glamour and fun, Anushree will continue as the host of this season too. 

     

    In Weekend with Ramesh Season -2, actor – director Ramesh Arvind will take the centre stage and will narrate real life stories of reel life stars. The show will unravel what happens behind the scenes as well as showcase celebs and their lives. Arvind will take the audience on an inside journey with the celebrities through all walks of their lives.

     

    While Sa Re Ga Ma Pa will be aired at 7.30 pm, Weekend with Ramesh will be aired at 9 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

  • Sahara One refreshes early primetime with ‘Behula’ at 7:30 pm

    Sahara One refreshes early primetime with ‘Behula’ at 7:30 pm

    MUMBAI: With Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Sahara One’s recent revamp, the channel is now sporting a new avatar and is all set to build on the popular mythological entertainment genre. Managed by Trilogic Digital Media, Sahara One is readying to launch the renowned Bengali show Behula.

     

    Starting 14 December, the show, which is based on the Hindu mythology of Shiva Purana and Manasamangal – a genre of Bengali medieval epics, will be aired at 7:30 pm with a repeat at 9 pm.

      

    Starring Bengali actress Payal Dey in the titular role, Behula  will showcase the riveting journey of courage, undying love and triumph. The show also stars Rimjhim Mitra, Chandrayee Ghosh, Kaushik Chakraborty and Rupanjana Mitra amongst others.

     

    Talking about the show, Trilogic Digital Media COO Shivaani Jaisingh said, “Behula is a heartfelt show, which will undoubtedly engage the audience fond of our rich mythological history and its making. Our new approach this year is to focus on mythology and crime genres. By launching Behula in this early primetime slot, it is our way of giving the viewers more variety. With insight driven programming and tactics, we are working towards giving our audiences exactly what they want. Sahara One is on a strong growth path and promises spectators to be glued to the grandeur and performance that has been glorified in Behula like no other.” 

     

    The inspiring tale marks the heartfelt journey of Behula, a fearless woman, who is determined to challenge her fate. Depicting the love story of Behula and Lakhindar, the series is also remarkable for its portrayal of a wife who epitomises the best of Indian womanhood, especially a woman’s devotion towards her husband.

     

    Combined with research, Sahara One has positioned itself as owners of the genre with four mythology shows airing from 7 pm onwards.

     

    Bharat Parv at 7 pm is followed by the new show Behula at 7:30 pm. With its current flagship shows Mata Ki Chowki and Jai, Jai, Jai Bajarang Bali at 8 pm and 8:30 pm respectively, the channel had pitched itself as a destination for mythology during primetime.

  • Big Magic Ganga announces ‘Mele Ka Big Star’ season 7

    Big Magic Ganga announces ‘Mele Ka Big Star’ season 7

    MUMBAI:  Reliance Broadcast Network’s regional channel Big Magic Ganga has launched season 7 of Mele ka Big Star, after a resounding response for the previous 6 seasons. Combining the biggest melas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Mele ka Big Star will bring forth hidden talent from across the Hindi heartland.

     

    The channel has roped in Dabur Red Paste as a presenting sponsor and Reliance Cement as the powered by sponsor.

     

    With 92.7 Big FM as the Radio partner, Mele ka Big Star is spread across nine cities and nine mela’s and will reach out to more than 15 million people from the region. Viewers can also tune in to Big Magic Ganga for details or submit their auditions through Mele ka Big Star app which is available at the Google Play Store.

     

    In addition to this, a high decibel marketing approach to the show will facilitate an extensive forum for marketers to directly connect with their consumers. The show will be promoted through TV, radio, digital and print.

     

    Speaking about the property, a spokesperson from Big Magic Ganga said, “ Mele ka Big Star has come a long way, ever since we launched the first season in 2012. The response from the audience has been overwhelming and it only encourages us to go out there to put up a bigger and better show with every passing season. With season 7, we are trying to raise the bar in terms of audience engagement. Like every year, our aim is to bring talent from the Hindi heartland to the world at large, and we are confident of yet another successful season.”

     

    The grand finale will be aired on Big Magic Ganga and the winner will be presented with the title of Mele ka BIG Star-season 7 and an opportunity to showcase his or her act on one of Big Magic Ganga’s special shows.

     

    The show has already travelled to some of the biggest melas of the Hindi heartland including Kumbh, Sonepur, Meerut Nauchandi, Aligarh Numaish etc. More than 7,500 performers have lived their dream on Mele Ka Big Star’s unique platform.

  • Star India completes integration of Maa Television’s broadcast business

    Star India completes integration of Maa Television’s broadcast business

    MUMBAI: Star India has successfully completed the integration of the Maa Television Network’s broadcast business.

     

    With this, Star India strengthens its offering in the Telugu speaking markets of South India.

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “We are pleased to announce the completion of the integration of the broadcast business of Maa Television Network, a journey that we had embarked upon in February, earlier this year. We are very impressed by the solid creative core and quality and depth of the management team at Maa Television Network and are delighted to welcome them to the Star family.”

     

    “The acquisition fills a critical gap in our portfolio and will allow our advertisers targeted access to the large Telugu speaking population. We plan to invest further in this important market to fundamentally change the content quality paradigm. I am confident that team Maa under the leadership of K. Madhavan will transform the content experience for Telugu viewers,” Shankar added.

     

    The acquisition of Maa TV also opens up a significant opportunity for major content innovation in the Telugu television market, which is extremely important given that the Telugu TV market is the second largest regional market in India in terms of revenue potential.

     

    Maa Television’s bouquet of four channels includes Maa, Maa Music, Maa Movies and Maa Gold.

     

    With the completion of the necessary formalities, the broadcast business of Maa TV will now be integrated with the business of Star India.

     

    With the expansion into the Telugu market, Star looks to continue its tradition of innovation in content, building on the strong track record established by the team at Maa Television Network.

  • One week in DD Freedish takes Big Magic Ganga to number two from five

    One week in DD Freedish takes Big Magic Ganga to number two from five

    MUMBAI: Television audience ratings measurement body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India after the roll-out of its rural data has changed the entire dynamics of television viewership. BARC India’s rural roll-out resonated Bob Dylan’s famous lines in every ear as an alarm. Don’t speak too soon, for the wheel’s still in spin. And there’s no tellin’ who That it’s namin’. For the loser now Will be later to win, For the times they are a-changin. The rural data certainly gave all the followers wings of fire which got them right over the leaders who probably never thought of trailing.

     

    But once that has happened, it was time for the erstwhile leaders to act and act fast before too much damage was done. Big Magic Ganga, the Bhojpuri channel from Anil Dhirubhai Ambani’s broadcast conglomerate Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) had been leading the urban tally with over 45 per cent of the viewership share since BARC’s inception. Week 41 ratings of BARC India which had the rural data included in it saw the channel sliding down to the fifth position with a humongous difference when compared to the leaders.

     

    The top brass then got together to work out a strategy and the permutations and combinations lead them to the best friend of rural India – DD Freedish. DD Freedish is Doordarshan’s direct-to-home innovation which enables one to watch content for free. There is only a one time charge that one needs to bear and after that it’s free for life.

     

    “In the urban market we were undisputed number one. But after BARC started to roll out its rural data we lost our position. 85 per cent of the total viewers in Bihar and Jharkhand are DD Freedish subscribers, hence we decided to have a presence on the platform” says RBNL COO Ashwin Padmanabhan  

     

    The decision did not take much time turn the tables, as with a rating of 38455 (000s Sum) the channel leapfrogged to second position, below Bhojpuri Cinema which garnered 41361 (000s Sum) in week 45. “We are happy to see the surge and it has been just a week. The others on the list were there on DD Freedish since a very long time” explains Padmanabhan.

     

    Big Magic Ganga has 5 to 6 hours of original content curated keeping the local sentiments in mind. The programming is also a strong weapon for the channel says Padmanabhan. Elucidating further he says, “From the beginning we have believed that content is what drives the channel to success. We invested on setting up a local team which works extensively to create relevant content. Recently we did a special programme on Chatt and it emerged as one of the top 5 shows in the genre. We will continue to explore and create original content which the viewers will cherish.”

     

    Phase III of digitisation has a deadline of 31 December. Padmanabhan feels that the mandatory shifting to DAS might see a huge number of consumers shifting to DD Freedish. “Buying a set-top box itself is an expensive proposition and after that the cost per house will also go up. Why will people pay more while they can watch content for free on DD Freedish. Having said so, digitization will help us grow the subscription revenue so it’s good for broadcasters” says Padmanabhan.

     

    There is no subscription revenue that comes out of DD Freedish, since it is a free platform. In markets like Bihar and Jharkhand a channel like Big Magic Ganga does not rely on subscription revenue at this stage informs Padmanabhan. The COO says, “Advertisement is directly proportional to viewership and quality of content. Our advertisers are happy to associate with us as they know the content we create is relevant to viewers and hence it provides them the platform to garner eyeballs.”

     

    FMCG leads the tally while is comes to category of advertisers closely followed by automobile companies. Two wheelers and affordable cars are seen frequently during breaks. Local advertisers which want to target that particular audience are also seen frequently between breaks.

     

     

    A media planner on condition of anonymity says, “The ad rates for a 10 second slot in a channel like Big Magic Ganga used to be close to Rs 1000. But after the rural roll-out now it would be somewhere between Rs 2000-3000. Post January we might see a further inclination to the ad rates depending on how the broadcasters plan out their strategy.”

     

    Creating content is not enough to reach out to a huge number. Every initiative needs to be backed by aggressive marketing says Padmanabhan. He further adds, “We believe in marketing each and every product independently. If a particular product needs an aggressive on-ground push, we opt for on-ground marketing initiatives. Depending on the product, we curate our marketing strategy. Radio, print, outdoor, cross network promotions are the mediums that we normally use.”

     

    The COO wants to see the channel an undisputed leader not only in terms of viewership but also content and revenue. “170 – 180 GRP is what I am eying at in terms of viewership while a 200 to 300 per cent surge in the ad rates is my target in terms of ad-revenue growth. I am confident that by January once the new rating phenomenon settles down we will meet the target” Padmanabhan concludes.

  • White Horse’s soft launch of Kannada GEC Kalki Kannada

    White Horse’s soft launch of Kannada GEC Kalki Kannada

    BENGALURU: White Horse Network Services Private Limited (WHN) recently had a soft launch of its Kannada general entertainment channel (GEC) Kalki Kannada on Vijaydashmi day, October 22, 2015. The channel went on air officially on Karnataka Rajo utsav day, November 1.  The channel promises its audience 60 hours of complete entertainment by way of all original programmes in HD quality to grip viewers across all age groups.

     

    The channel says that its USP is that it offers completely original shows with no remakes from any other shows of any language. It claims that it offers an interesting mix of shows across various genres while catering to its diversified audience, and it promises to soon launch a show completely dedicated to women. WHN CEO P Kailasam says, “We have a separate team dedicated towards understanding and working based on the tastes and demands of Kannada viewers across different age groups as we at Kalki Kannada strive to offer content with a unique approach while maintaining the true Kannada culture at large”.

     

    Distribution

    Distribution has not been a major challenge for WHN, given the fact that Kailasam is an industry veteran from that branch of the industry. He was once director at Zee Turner and then acted on a consultancy basis for the MSO Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT). The channel has placed 350 boxes around Karnataka, a number that is probably more than even what Zee Kannada has placed in the state says Kailasam.  It is already on Airtel’s DTH platform and Kailasam says that talks are at an advanced stage with the other DTH players in the country.

     

    Advertisement revenue

    As far as advertisement revenue is concerned, the channel is awaiting rating numbers for at least a month’s period, before it starts quoting rates to media buyers. At present it has local retail ads and ads through business obtained from a few small deals done directly. “We will wait for the next month before we start offering rates to anyone. Our experience in the business tells us that if we set the initial rates very low, there will be no turning back, and we will be stuck in that rut forever. We have had inquiries from a couple of media buying agencies who wanted to block some of our inventory for six months and more in bulk. We have requested them to wait until December,” revealed Kailasam.

    From that context, the commencement of the announcing of rural numbers monitored by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) will be a shot in the arm of sorts for WHN feels Kailasam.

     

    Marketing

    The channel’s launch has been a low-key affair, with  the nucleus of the marketing team already in place. It has placed half page ads in major Kannada language papers and has had itself written about locally.

     

    Content

    WHN says that it has a well-equipped state-of-the-art studio and latest editing technology and equipment, and is packed to offer complete production packages with HD quality content. Kailasam claims that after extensive research on viewership habits, Kalki Kannada has launched shows across various genres including a complete morning band on devotional shows, afternoon band on cookery shows, evening band on drama and reality shows as weekend specials.

     

    To name some of the non-fiction shows, ‘Abhishekam’, is an early morning devotional show that offers a visual tour of some of the exquisite temples of Karnataka  along with ‘day specific’ devotional songs and abhishekam based on particular God of the day. ‘Vishwaroopa’, is a devotional show on which philosopher and astrologer Savithru Sharma interacts with the viewers and covers every aspect of faith, coupled with solutions for personal problems, daily predictions and a guide to daily ritualistic practices.

     

    ‘Paddu’s Kitchen’, is an exclusively vegetarian cookery show on which Padmaja, a popular onscreen mom, presents simple home cooking with celeb chefs and signs off with her simple recipes. Simple breakfast, main course and dessert items are taught by yet another television celebrity, Srinivas Prabhu who joins hands with Paddu.

     

    ‘Pani Puri with Murali’, is a fun filled live chat show hosted by popular television anchor Murali, where he chats with celebrities and achievers over paanipuri. Viewers can also interact with guests and anchors over the phone in this live show. ‘Kalki Express’, a reality game show hosted by a popular comedian, M S Jahangir, travels across thirty districts of Karnataka reaching out to the viewers to try their Luck. Simple games played by the participating families can make them win money.

     

    In the fiction genre the channel has stated off with family dramas. ‘Puttamalli’ is the story of a young village girl who, in a turn of fate, marries a man much older than herself and is settled in a big city. The drama revolves around how the entire family of the boy helps to transform the girl to adjust to her new life. ‘Sevanthi Sevathi’, is a half-sisters’ drama with a repenting father and his two wives: the  rich and arrogant second wife and poor struggling first wife. The sisters’ paths cross on various occasions while they are completely unaware of their relationship with each other. The plot revolves around how the two sisters resolve all their family issues.

     

    ‘Anubandha’ is a story based on love, friendship, relationships and of unspoken feelings hidden by a mask. The story revolves around a mother and daughter who love each other a lot. In a turn of fate the mother loses her daughter but soon finds another girl almost like her daughter to whom she gives her daughter’s face so that the whole world thinks that her real daughter is alive.

     

    Besides family dramas, the channel will soon launch a socio-mythology serial ‘Amnoru’, that it says is an intense drama between good and evil. The show, while using elements of devotion, faith, black magic and mythology, is about a devout girl who has special powers and her immense faith in God  that saves her husband’s life.

     

    Until May 2015, WHN managed operations at the Kannada GEC Kasthuri. Industry sources say that WHN had turned the channel around and helped multiply revenues many times over, before handing back the reins to the promoters of the channel.

     
     

  • Siju Prabhakaran to head the Zee Tamil business

    Siju Prabhakaran to head the Zee Tamil business

    MUMBAI: Zee Kannada business head Siju Prabhakaran, will now take over as the business head – Zee Tamil. He replaces N S Easwaran who has decided to move out of ZEE.

     

    Prabhakaran has been with ZEE for over 15 years now and has experience in sales as well. He will report to ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka.

     

    Elaborating on his new role Prabhakaran said, “Tamil Nadu is a market with huge potential. This is one market where television viewing is a habit that is quite difficult to break. I’m looking forward to bringing the necessary changes to this habit that will benefit Zee Tamil and help us grow in leaps and bounds.”

  • Q2-16-Radaan YoY revenue up 3.3%; EBIDTA up 18.7%

    Q2-16-Radaan YoY revenue up 3.3%; EBIDTA up 18.7%

    BENGALURU: Radaan Media Works India Limited (Radaan) reported a 3.3 per cent YoY increase for its Total Income for Operations (TIO) in the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter) at Rs 822.63 lakh as compared to Rs 796.08 lakh. QoQ, TIO increased 4.2 per cent from Rs 789.58 lakh.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    The numbers in this report are mentioned in Rs Lakh.

     

    The company’s operating profit (EBIDTA) in the current quarter increased 18.7 per cent YoY to Rs 74.3 lakh (nine per cent margin) from Rs 62.59 lakh (7.9 per cent margin) and increased 7.9 per cent QoQ from Rs 68.85 lakh (8.7 per cent margin).

     

    Profit after Tax (TAX) in Q2-2016 increased 35.1 per cent YoY to Rs 27.61 lakh (3.4 per cent margin) from Rs 20.44 lakh (2.6 per cent margin) and increased 27.1 per cent QoQ from Rs 21.72 lakh (2.8 per cent margin).

     

    Total Expenditure in the current quarter increased 1.8 per cent to Rs 764.29 lakh (92.9 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 750.64 lakh (94.3 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and was 3.7 per cent more than the Rs 737.29 lakh (93.4 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    Radaan’s expenses of tele-serials, events, etc in Q2-2016 increased 4.7 per cent to Rs 645.21 lakh (78.4 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 616.20 lakh (77.4 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter and was 1.9 per cent more than the Rs 633.32 lakh (80.2 per cent of TIO).

     

    Employee Benefits Expense in the current quarter declined 2.7 per cent YoY to Rs 56.81 lakh (6.9 per cent of TIO) from Rs 58.38 lakh (7.3 per cent of TIO), but increased 9.3 per cent QoQ from Rs 51.96 lakh (6.6 per cent of TIO).

     

    Finance costs in theQ2-2016 increased 22.9 per cent to Rs 30.73 lakh (3.7 per cent of TIO) from Rs 25 lakh (3.1 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and increased 0.5 per cent from Rs 30.57 lakh (3.9 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015.

  • Sun TV forms committee to evaluate share buyback

    Sun TV forms committee to evaluate share buyback

    MUMBAI: The South Indian television major Sun TV Network is examining a buyback of its equity shares and has formed a committee to examine the proposal.

     

    In a BSE filing, Sun TV Network said that its Board of Directors met on 5 November, 2015 to evaluate the proposal for buyback of equity shares of the company.

     

    “After detailed deliberations, the Board has constituted a committee to examine the buyback proposal as well as other options and recommend suitably,” the company further added.

     

    Sun TV promoters hold 75 per cent stake in the company, while the rest 25 per cent is with the public as of the quarter ended 30 September, 2015. Of the shares held by the public, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) hold 16.61 per cent, whereas domestic financial institutions hold 2.64 per cent.

     

    The company had, in an earlier notice informed the bourses, that the board would meet on 5 November to consider if it thought fit to approve a proposal to buy-back the fully paid-up equity shares of the company.

  • Colors Marathi plans high-decibel campaign for IMFFA 2015 telecast

    Colors Marathi plans high-decibel campaign for IMFFA 2015 telecast

    MUMBAI: Colors Marathi is prepping up to air the International Marathi Film Festival Awards (IMFFA) 2015 in mid-December and will be backing it with a high-decibel promotional campaign across platforms.

     

    The awards were held from 25 October – 1 November on the Norwegian Epic Cruise in the Mediterranean high seas. The seven-day extravaganza celebrated Marathi films and television and kicked off from Barcelona (Spain) via Naples, Rome, Florence, and Cannes amidst the Mediterranean high seas.

     

    The high octane awards will be escalated through a strong marketing plan targeted at entire Maharashtra. Marketing of the awards will be done using mass media platforms like TV, outdoor, print, radio and digital. 

     

    For the telecast of the awards on television, Colors Marathi is also planning to execute a high blare TV plan across top news and music channels. Along with that, a radio plan across top radio stations to build reach and frequency as well as an OOH plan covering Mumbai, Pune and ROM markets have been chalked out.

     

    A combination of on-ground media platforms like hoardings and tactical media like bus shelters, station boards and bus panels will be leveraged to drive viewership. This will be further amplified by launch day ads in leading print to achieve impact and widespread reach.

     

    On the digital ground, paid and organic campaigns across Facebook, YouTube and mobile will add to the high decibel marketing campaign for IMFFA 2015. It will be followed by a symposium on the road map for Marathi entertainment with an elite panel of veteran’s Marathi film stalwarts.

     

    Head of Colors Marathi Anuj Poddar said, “Colors Marathi has been committed to bringing the best of entertainment and visual extravaganzas to its viewers thus elevating their viewing experience. It is with this endeavour that together with IMFFA, we curated a property of unmatched scale and grandeur, setting new benchmarks of entertainment. The celebrations have just begun and will continue into the most extravagant chapter of the Marathi film and television industry.”

     

    International Marathi Film Festival Awards CEO Chidambar Rege added, “IMFFA transcends beyond regular awards with performances, and has gone on to represent the unified voice of the Marathi film and television industry. We are sure that IMFFA 2015 that will be telecast on Colors Marathi will once again take Marathi entertainment to new highs.”

     

    The IMFFA 2015 were audited by Ernst & Young.