ITV

Category: Regional

  • Zee Tamil to launch new show ‘Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu’ from 2 November

    Zee Tamil to launch new show ‘Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu’ from 2 November

    MUMBAI: Zee Tamil is all set to offer its viewers a new serial called Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu from 2 November. The show will be aired from Monday – Friday at 8 pm.

     

    Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu is an endearing love story with a difference, which takes viewers to the bright, cheerful and colourful world of the visually impaired people – very self-sufficient and independent, who go about their everyday life, just as any of us would do. The serial, with its natural treatment of storyline makes the key characters in serial look real and in turn, promises to arouse the empathy of the viewer and get them totally engrossed.

     

    Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu is a heart-warming love story between two visually challenged individuals Santhosh and Selvi. Santhosh is the son of a multi-millionaire, who in a fatal accident not only loses his parents but also his eyesight. He then joins an institute for the visually impaired, where he bumps into Selvi, a simple, charming middle class visually impaired girl. Their affection for each grows and at one point in time they are so blinded by their love for each other that they are unaware of how fate is conspiring against them. Forces are at work to separate the two of them and break their love for each other.

  • Sun TV rises again; seeks board approval for buyback

    Sun TV rises again; seeks board approval for buyback

    MUMBAI: The Sun TV Network stock hit a high of Rs 459 on 20 March, 2015, on the back of good results. But the share starting sliding thereafter and hit a low of Rs 256.05 on 22 July 2015. 

     

    This followed its promoter Kalanithi Maran’s woes with SpiceJet, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ denial of security clearance to Sun Network’s 33 channels, the income tax authorities cracking the whip on the 50 year old Maran and his wife Kaveri.

     

    Naysayers and the media said that the two had met their match and they would be forced to sell their holdings in the listed entity and exit the media business. 

     

    Then the government barred the group’s sister company Red FM from taking part in the FM radio phase III auctions.

     

    But lo and behold the husband-wife duo did not take things lying down. Red FM went to the courts, which ruled in the company’s favour and it was permitted to take part in the e-Auctions. 

     

    And the Marans have come back with a vengeance. The first rural + urban BARC ratings saw Sun TV emerging as the highest viewed channel in India. And the company declared healthy results for the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Additionally, the company is sitting on Rs  750 crore in cash.

     

    Now the Sun TV Network has informed the stock exchange that the company is holding a board meeting on 5 November to consider buying back its equity shares from the public. Buying back shares would involve paying cash and annulling them. 

     

    The Marans hold about 75 per cent of the stock and hence may have to tender their some of their holdings to comply with Sebi restrictions. 

     

    It was not clear at the time of writing if the company would go all the way and delist from the stock exchange or whether the buy back is being considered as a sign of the Maran’s confidence about the company’s future and hence boost investor sentiment. 

     

    Meanwhile, the Sun TV shares spurted five per cent on 30 October to close the day at Rs 395.70. It hit an intraday high of Rs 411. 

     

    Watch this space for more news. 

  • DD Sahyadri ups programming ante; aims to push profit margin by 2017

    DD Sahyadri ups programming ante; aims to push profit margin by 2017

    MUMBAI: With an aim to shake up the Marathi general entertainment space and completely overhaul its prime time programming, DD Sahyadri is ready to go out all guns blazing with as many as 10 new show launches in November. Of these, nine programmes are in the fiction space, with one in the non-fiction.

     

    Facing stiff competition in the Marathi regional space from private channels like Colors Marathi, Star Pravah, Zee Marathi and Saam TV, the public broadcaster has upped its budget for programming and aims to press the accelerator on revenues and push up its profit margin by 2017.

     

    DD additional director general Mukesh Sharma says, “The first 13 weeks of ratings saw us falling behind the other regional Marathi channels, and it’s high time we up our game and compete with them. They are already way ahead of us when it comes to ratings and viewership, and a revamped prime time slot was the need of the hour if we want to bridge that gap. Since Prasar Bharati has allowed us to spend this much for quality content, we are expecting a lot from the success of these shows.”

     

    The ten shows include Pashanpati, Maati Kokanchi Naati Janmachi, Vachanbaddha, Sangharsh Milanacha, Bantya Televison, Goshta Umaltya Manachi, Anakalniya, Chitrakathi and Sushilecha Dev in the fiction space and Doosri Bajoo in the non-fiction space.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on what these new launches mean for the Marathi television ecosystem from an advertiser’s perspective, a veteran industry analyst opines, “I hope they get a sizeable chunk of the viewership and shake up the ecosystem, as the Marathi regional television space is in need of just that.”

     

    “Marathi regional television space being one of the most expensive to buy for advertising, DD Sahyadri’s presence helps to moderate that cost to a decent level. So far BARC data does not count the non-C&S (Cable & Satellite) viewers that DD Sahyadri largely caters to. If they somehow grab eyeballs and grow their C&S viewership base, which in turn helps their ratings, then I see advertisers inclining towards DD Sahyadri,” he shares.

     

    BARC India’s inclusive ratings with rural data could come as a welcome change for a regional channel such as DD Sahyadri as it splits the viewer base into the metro and hinterland viewer, with the rural one being so far unaccounted for. This poses as an opportunity for the channel to yank its ratings northwards, by grabbing eyeballs with new and revamped content on its prime time band.

     

    Sharma adds, “I believe that the millions of Marathi viewers always look forward to seeing quality content, engaging stories and connect instantly with the deeply rooted cultural ethos of Maharashtra. This is for the first time that we have launched new shows in this (Satellite 8 t0 10 pm) prime time band and we look forward that all the new shows will not only entertain the audience but as a responsible broadcaster, our programming content must also attempt to create awareness about pertinent social issues.”

     

    However, the new show launches are not the result of a knee jerk reaction by the channel in response to the BARC India ratings. “We were lacking new solid shows that will retain attention of viewers in the prime time slot, as our stronghold has always been the terrestrial audience. The foundation for introducing new prime time shows was laid about a year ago, which sees its completion today,” Sharma informs.

     

    Sharma also points out that DD Sahyadri never pitched for advertising revenue for the prime time slot as they are still largely dependent on ad revenues from FMCG sponsors like Unilever, Godrej, etc which are still keen to spend on advertising on the pubcaster’s non-C&S viewership.

     

    In fact, the  DD network offers a volume incentive scheme for its advertisers that allows any brand which spends over Rs 10 crore to be entitled to a certain percentage of free advertising. Unilever, the network’s biggest sponsor’s with Rs 100 crore advertising spends, enjoy 28 per cent bonus air time, according to industry sources.

     

    However, Sharma says that the base advertising revenue from its terrestrial platform is now shrinking to three to four per cent of the total. “So this time I thought we should concentrate on satellite programs. That was the reason for going all out and spending on high quality content and launching 10 shows at once,” he informs.

     

    Speaking of spends, Sharma shares that the cost of production for the new launches is above Rs 2 lakh per episode on an average. “I am not looking for a program that will give me money for a short time. I am looking for something with a long shelf life. Better produced shows also give scope for dubbing them into other regional languages, which will in turn give us more viewership,” he informs.

     

    When asked about the advertisers’ response to the All India BARC ratings, Sharma says it is too early to comment. “We have our fingers crossed over DD’s jump in BARC ratings in week 41 and 42, because cricket was airing at that time. DD National, being an FTA (free to air) provider of the sports entertainment, naturally got more eyeballs. If DD National continues to retain its position in the next two weeks, we certainly expect a positive reaction from the advertisers,” says Sharma.

     

    With the pubcaster having a certain threshold on budgets, DD Sahyadri has limited resources to its disposal for marketing and promoting its new launches. Having said that, the channel is taking largely to social media for promotions as well as print media (national and regional). Apart from this, DD Sahyadri plans to put up hoardings and use its own channels to spread the word.

  • Zee Tamizh rebranded as Zee Tamil

    Zee Tamizh rebranded as Zee Tamil

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has rebranded its Tamil language channel Zee Tamizh as Zee Tamil.

     

    The channel recently sported an all new logo reflecting the color of Manjal (turmeric) and Kunkumam (kum kum), the two most auspicious colors and symbols in Tamil Nadu.

     

    With the re-branding, the channel plans to have a uniform communication across all platforms with better understanding and easy pronunciation of its name thereby enabling the brand building exercise. 

     

    Zee Tamil has in its kitty new content offerings like Genes 2, Mella Thiranthathu Kathavu as well as the premiere of Kamal Haasan’s movie Uthama Villain.

  • Q2-2016: Sun TV YoY revenue up 11.6%, PAT up 41.4%

    Q2-2016: Sun TV YoY revenue up 11.6%, PAT up 41.4%

    BENGALURU: Sun TV Network Limited (Sun TV) reported 11.6 per cent growth in standalone revenue (Total income from operations or TIO) in Q2-2016 (quarter ended 30 September, 2015, current quarter) at Rs 568.09 crore as compared to Rs 509.02 crore in Q2-2015, but 17.8 per cent less than the Rs 691.09 crore in Q2-2016.

     

    The company reported 41.4 per cent higher profit after tax (PAT) in the current quarter at Rs 213.38 crore (38.4 per cent margin) as compared to the Rs 154.47 crore (30.3 per cent margin) and10.7 per cent more than the Rs 197.28 crore (28.5 per cent margin) in Q1-2016.

     

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

    All figures in this report are standalone.

     

    The company in its earnings release says that subscription revenues grew 10 per cent in the current quarter to Rs 197.42 crore as compared to the Rs 179.48 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Advertisement revenue in Q2-2016 increased 15.8 per cent to Rs301.37 crore as compared to Rs 260.26 crore in Q2-2016, but declined seven per cent from Rs 323.89 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    The board of directors of the company have decided not to declare any dividend for Q2-2016.

     

    Let’s look at the other numbers reported by Sun TV

     

    Sun TV’s total expenses (TE) in the current quarter at Rs 253.44 crore (44.6 per cent of TIO) was 15 per cent lower YoY than Rs 298.22 crore (58.6 per cent of TIO) and 38.5 per cent lower QoQ as compared to Rs 412.10 crore (59.6 per cent of TIO). The company’s TE in Q1 included IPL franchisee of Rs 85.05 crore (12.3 per cent of TIO), which is a non-recurring item during the other three quarters of the year.

     

    Sun TV’s ‘Other Expenditure’ (OE) is a major expense head that has declined QoQ by a huge margin. OE in Q2-2016 at Rs 31.31 crore (5.5 per cent of TIO) was 38.2 per cent more than the Rs 22.65 crore (4.4 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and almost a third of the Rs 91.65 crore (13.3 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    Sun TV’s Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q2-2016 increased 13.5 per cent to Rs 56.92 crore (10 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 50.13 crore (9.8 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and 4.4 per cent more than the Rs 54.51 crore (7.9 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter.

  • BARC week 41: Dangal TV pips Big Magic Ganga to become No 1 Bhojpuri channel

    BARC week 41: Dangal TV pips Big Magic Ganga to become No 1 Bhojpuri channel

    MUMBAI: The much awaited All India television ratings data have been released by BARC India and the pecking order in the Bhojpuri channels space has changed. The leader in the space until now – Big Magic Ganga has been dethroned by Dangal TV.

     

    As per week 41 data by BARC India, Dangal TV with 12650 (000Sums) led the pack by a large margin in the Bihar & Jharkhand NCCS All: Individuals: All India (U+R) data. On second spot was Big Magic Ganga with 8138 (000Sums), followed by ETV Bihar Jharkhand with 5961 (000Sums) in the third slot.

     

    The fourth and fifth positions were occupied by DD Bihar and Anjan TV respectively. While DD Bihar scored 3130 (000Sums), Anjan TV totted 2667 (000Sums) in week 41.

     

    Last week sans the rural data, the pecking order in the Bhojpuri channels space was as follows: Big Magic Ganga led with 3862 (000Sums) followed by Dangal TV in the second slot with 1539 (000Sums), whereas Anjan TV was on the third spot with 1346 (000Sums).

  • Takkar time on ABP Ananda – the biggest coverage of Bengal’s biggest festival!

    Takkar time on ABP Ananda – the biggest coverage of Bengal’s biggest festival!

    MUMBAI: BIG is the key word for Bengal’s most awaited festival this year.

     

    “Eto boro! Shotti?” (So Big! Really?) cemented itself as the longest running teaser campaign in the market with a cement brand’s innovative Pujo claim hitting the market almost 3 months ahead of the festivities.

     

    The biggest Pujo Committees (Naktala Udayan Sangha, Agradoot Uday Sangha, Santosh Mitra Square) were quick to ambush the campaign and out-shout it through the biggest outdoor blitz seen in Kolkata.

     

    In this melee, Bengal’s biggest news channel has caught on to the Pujo pulse of one-upmanship and spirited rivalry and launched the big-on-attitude ‘Pujor Tokkor’ campaign.

     

    While the full plan covers the biggest foot print of 71 on-ground touch points (56 Pujo tie-ups, 15 societies), the marketing campaign is already on air, on Friends FM, across our web and digital pages and in The Telegraph.

     

    For the first time in our 10 year history we have launched 3 films at one go for Pujo. The films have been shot in Kolkata by the director of this year’s acclaimed Bangla hit Open Tee Bioscope and award winning musician, Anindya Chattopadhyay. The stories bring to life the true mood, color, competitiveness and strive for excellence that embodies the Bengali’s relationship with our beloved Durga Puja.

  • Colors Kannada to ramp up programming with ‘Bigg Boss’ & 3 new fiction shows

    Colors Kannada to ramp up programming with ‘Bigg Boss’ & 3 new fiction shows

    MUMBAI: Taking its entertainment quotient several notches higher, Viacom18’s regional channel Colors Kannada is all set to launch as many as four new shows. 

     

    Come 25 October and the Kannada version of Bigg Boss will go on air. Additionally, the channel is also ready to regale its audience with three new fiction shows in November.

     

    The third season of Bigg Boss will hit screens from 25 October and will be aired from Monday to Friday in the 9 – 10 pm prime time slot. On weekends, the show will be aired from 9 – 10:30 pm.

     

    On the fiction front, Colors Kannada will be launching a show titled Kinari, based on a mother – daughter relationship on 2 November at 6 pm.

     

    The second fiction show titled Gandhari will launch on 23 November in the 10:30 pm band. The story is about a man who aspired to become a pilot but unfortunately loses his eyesight. He then lives his dreams through his wife.

     

    The third, as yet untitled show, will also be launched on 23 November.

     

    While the first season of Bigg Boss aired on Colors Kannada, the second season was aired on Star India’s Kannada general entertainment channel (GEC) Suvarna TV. Now in its third season, the Kannada Bigg Boss is back on Colors Kannada and will be hosted by Karnataka actor Kichcha Sudeep.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom 18 EVP and project head of regional channels Ravish Kumar said, “Two years ago we broughtBigg Boss in Kannada for the first time and it did brilliantly. We are excited to bring it back. The Bigg Boss format is such that the moment you put 14-15 people in a house, people get a totally different scene because it’s a pure reality show and nobody can predict that what is going to happen next.”

     

    While in its previous two seasons, the Kannada Bigg Boss was shot on the same sets as the Hindi version of the show in Lonavala. However, since the ninth season of the Hindi Bigg Boss on Colors is also currently underway, this is the first time that a separate house has been built in Bangalore for the Kannada version.

     

    To promote the show across platforms, Colors Kannada has adopted a 360 degree marketing approach. Talking about the same, Kumar said, “We are spending a lot on marketing. Promotions are across the print, radio and outdoor mediums. Apart from this, we are also doing cross channel promotions. More than a thousand promos are being airing on our own channels, which is the single largest platform in that market.”

     

    Kumar also informed that the channel has also advertised the show on trains and railway platforms. Additionally, the show will have a big presence at the Dusshera Mela, which has a footfall of 10,000 -15,000 per day. “We are also doing cross-promotions on shows whereBigg Boss is being talked about,” he added.

     

    Colors Kannada has roped in OLX as the presenting sponsor of Bigg Boss season 3. On the other hand, Gemini Cooking Oil and Eastern Masala have come on board as the co-powered by sponsors, whereas Vini Cosmetics is one of the associate sponsors of the show.

     

    “From the advertiser and sponsor perspective, Bigg Boss is the biggest property in the Kannada region so far. There are numerous opportunities for brand integration over a period of 100 days. No other show in this country allows this kind of exposure to brands. We have a very good mix of national and regional advertisers. Before we go live, we will have three or four more sponsors on board,” Viacom 18 regional regional channles sales head Bikash Kundu tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    The format of the reality show is such that a lot of effort goes into the actual logistics. Talking about the show’s per-episode expenditure, Kumar said, “So far, this is the most expensive non-fiction format that the Kannada market has ever seen. No one has even come closer because on a per day basis, it is way higher than any other show. The cost is anywhere close to three – five times the cost of the non-fiction shows.”

     

    When it comes to ratings, Colors Kannada has been leading the genre as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data. “Our content strategy is simple – to give the best to people in both fiction and non-fiction series. We also do movie premiers and buy them optimistically depending on the price. In short, we try to be a complete channel for our viewers,” he said.

     

    In the non-fiction space, in addition to Bigg Boss, the channel also has other international formats in Kannada like Super Minute(adaptation of Minute To Minute) and Dancing Stars (adaptation of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa). “This year we also did Dancing Junior Star andIndian Reality Show, which had 14 young boys and girls travelling through seven different states of India,” Kumar said.

     

    While initially, the channel’s strategy was to take Colors’ top shows like Balika Vadhu and Madhubhala and adapt them for the Kannada market, now it has in its kitty, a slew of original fiction shows like Puttagowri Maduve, Lakshmi Baramma, Maja Talkies and Akka.

     

    “In our three years’ journey, we have launched more than 25 – 30 shows. Hence, we have a very strong success rate,” Kumar said.

     

    Sharing his views on BARC rolling out the rural data, Kundu added, “I think with BARC rolling out rural data, regional channels are likely to benefit. Having said that, we are number one in Karnataka and the kind of rates and growth that we have in revenues, has been phenomenal. So yes, we are positive and confident that with this initiative, the rates will go up.”

  • Mazhavil Manorama to premiere ‘Baahubali’ Malayalam version

    Mazhavil Manorama to premiere ‘Baahubali’ Malayalam version

    MUMBAI: Malayalam general entertainment channel (GEC) Mazhavil Manorama is all set to premiere one of the biggest blockbuster of recent times – Baahubali.

     

    The channel holds the satellite rights of the movie’s Malayalam version and will premiere it on 4 October at 6 pm.

     

    Baahubali was originally made in Telugu and was also released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and various other languages. The channel has chalked out aggressive promotion campaign to promote the world television premiere.

     

    Mazhavil Manorama holds the satellite rights of all the three big hits of SS Rajamouli namely the Malayalam versions of Mahadheera and Eega (Eaacha), which have already been aired on the channel.

     

    Baahubali: The Beginning was released worldwide on 10 July, 2015 and garnered huge acclaim. The movie emerged as one of the highest grossing Indian film of all time within India as well as the third global highest grossing Indian film of all time.

     

    Planned as a two part movie, Baahubali – The Beginning is the first part, while the second part is yet to release. The movie is produced by K. Raghavendra Rao, Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under the banner Arka Media Works. 

     

    Baahubali’s Malayalam version stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj.

  • Big Magic Ganga readies Navratri special programming

    Big Magic Ganga readies Navratri special programming

    MUMBAI: The regional entertainment channel of Bihar, Jharkhand and Purvanchal, Big Magic Ganga is planning to launch five new shows for its Navratri special series over nine days under Jholaa Jhuleli Maiyaa.

     

    Starting from second week of October, Jholaa Jhuleli Maiyaa will include a special programming line-up dedicated to Goddess Durga comprising shows such as Ganga Jagran, Ram Charan Sukhdai, Bhakti Sagar, Jai Durga Maaiya and Family Talkies – Shakti special. 

     

    The show Ganga Jagran is a stage based devotional musical event with a combination of devotion and entertainment. The show will be led by singer and actor Pawan Singh, clubbed with various known artists from the region. Ganga Jagran will air on 17 October, with a repeat telecast on 18 October for duration of three hours.

                                                 

    Ram Charan Sukhdai is a devotional music series associated with spirituality along with bhakti songs. Singer Malini Awasthi will anchor the show and recite famous phrases from various holy books and will explain them in simpler terms to the audience. This half hour show will be aired from Monday – Friday at 9 am. 

     

    The 90 minute devotional show Bhakti Sagar will air at 7.30 am and pay tribute to nine goddesses in the form of bhajans. Ensuring a special dose of family entertainment, the channel will be introducing Family Talkies – Shakti special (Nau din Nau Flimyein). The special segment will showcase movies for nine days based on women empowerment.

     

    BIG Magic Ganga TV programming senior vice president Partha Dey said, “Navratra is one of the most celebrated festivals in the north and being the leader in the region, we wanted to provide our audience with a seamless experience of devotion and entertainment. The whole idea of Jholaa Jhuleli Maiyaa series is to bring this nine day celebration right at the doorstep of our viewers in a format that is engaging, entertaining and creative.”