Category: Specialised and Niche

Travelxp to beam on Sri Lanka’s Dialog Television DTH

MUMBAI: Travelxp channel is all set to beam in Sri Lanka from 17 July to subscribers of Dialog Television direct-to-home (DTH) platform. The entry into the Sri Lankan market is a very important step for travelxp as it expands its reach in the Indian sub continent and is in line with its aspirations to broadcast in markets globally.

The alliance between Dialog Television and travelxp gives Sri Lankan consumers a close look at some of the travel content filmed in more than 100 destinations across the world.

Travelxp CEO Prashant Chothani said, “Sri Lanka with its 20 million population, a booming economy and vivid cultural ethos and a stable government is an important part of the Indian sub continent. travelxp will bring consumers in Sri Lanka in close contact with cultures and lifestyle across the globe via its programming. travelxp also plans to expand its programming content from Sri Lanka and will soon commence filming at some of the most beautiful locations in Sri Lanka, allowing its consumers worldwide as well as in Sri Lanka a ringside view at the vivid culture and the lifestyle of Srilanka and hopes to bring about the projection of Sri Lanka as an exotic destination for travelers across the world.”

Dialog Television business head Chirantha De Zoysa added, “travelxp will bring the world to our viewers, showcasing different cultures, lifestyles, places to visit in a unique and engaging style. We are privileged to welcome and present the channel to Sri Lanka, and we also look forward to opportunities to promote Sri Lanka to global travelers via travelxp making this a truly progressive and effective partnership.”

July 17, 2015
Epic Channel launches India’s first Twitter alarm to drive viewership

MUMBAI: TV channels are leaving no stone unturned to engage with the Twitter world. Now, Epic channel has executed a unique innovation for its new campaign – #EPICat10.

The channel is the first broadcaster to use the Twitter Alarm that lets followers set a reminder for the 10 pm shows. The Twitter alarm was conceptualised by Grey Group India and executed in collaboration with Twitter.

The Twitter application was created as part of Epic Channel’s ongoing campaign. The objective of the campaign is to drive viewing to the 10 pm slot.

The mechanism is simple. After following the Epic Channel on Twitter, a follower can set the reminder from a specially created tweet. Once the reminder is set, the Twitter application sends the follower a reminder tweet at 9.45 pm to watch the 10 pm shows. The activity was launched on 6 July, 2015.

Epic MD Mahesh Samat said, “When Grey suggested the idea as part of the ‘Epic at 10’ campaign, we were instantly sold and excited to get it activated. We are proud to announce ‘The Epic Channel Twitter Alarm’ for the first time in India. Twitter has been excellent in facilitating the innovation. The core idea of our campaign is to drive tune-ins to the 10 pm time slot on the channel. The Twitter Alarm fits in perfectly with the campaign.”

Grey Group India chairman and MD Sunil Lulla added, “At Grey Group, we are constantly looking at creating, ‘Famous & Effective’ campaigns for our clients. This makes it imperative to step beyond the boundaries and create – even if it is something as simple as a ‘Twitter Alarm’. We hope that soon enough, India will need no reminder to tune into The Epic Channel at 10 pm.”

July 16, 2015
HomeShop18 offers exclusive access to Shilpa Shetty’s saree designs

MUMBAI: In view of the popularity of Shilpa Shetty Kundra (SSK) Sarees, HomeShop18 has launched three new designs exclusively for its customers. The company had joined hands with the Bollywood diva turned entrepreneur to launch the SSK Sarees brand on HomeShop18 last year.

The three new designs by SSK Sarees will be available at an affordable price range starting from Rs 1,999.

HomeShop18 COO Vikrant Khanna said, “We are thrilled to offer the new collection of SSK Sarees as they have been amongst the most popular products for us since launch. We are driven by our commitment to provide our customers with premium designer wear at the best price and the new designs are a must-have for all women who want to look trendy, stylish and elegant, all at once. The three new glamorous designs reflect the fashion sensibilities of one of the most stylish Indian actresses, Shilpa Shetty Kundra.”

July 15, 2015
‘Worst Cooks in America’ to premiere on NDTV Good Times

MUMBAI: NDTV Good Times has announced the launch of season 3 and 4 of ‘Worst Cooks in America’, a reality culinary competition show.

The show takes 16 recruits with very poor cooking skills through a culinary boot camp, to earn a cash prize of $25,000. The recruits are trained in basic cooking techniques that include baking, grilling, knife skills, flavours and prep. The final challenge is to cook a restaurant quality three-course meal for three food criticsand the hosts of the show who are themselves well known chefs.

The show is hosted by Anne Burrel and Bobby Flay and each train and mentor an 8 member team. The 16 recruits are exposed to different cuisines and different styles of cooking from around the world.

Through the boot camp, each team attempts to recreate their chef’s creations; and follow their lead. And through this they learn knife skills, cooking styles, presentation and increase their overall culinary know how. The boot camp is no cake walk – neither for the Trainees nor the Mentors. With teams that consist of people who cannot boil an egg without making a mess and don’t really understand the mixing of flavours, disasters in the kitchen are never far behind. The Worst cooks of America are a breed that lives very dangerously and their mentors definitely live on the wild side too! Through the series, we see a bunch of people who cut their fingers, burn their hands, lose the recipes, and cry like babies over disastrous dishes. But, we also see a bunch of people with a never say die attitude, who rise to the task when surprises are thrown at them. Going to great lengths to not let down their mentors. And that is the X factor of the show.

Through the series tasks are set, skills are tested and contestants are eliminated until 1 survivor remains from each team to compete in the finals. The winner takes home $25,000 and a whole kitchen set.

This series is about two trained Chefs turning culinary novices from cooking disasters to kitchen masters!

July 9, 2015
Tech Awards ‘NDTV Gadget Guru Awards’ 2015 is back

MUMBAI: NDTV Gadget Guru Awards 2015 is back in a bigger and grander avatar to celebrate and honour the very best in the World of Technology! Like always the channel is raising a toast to the single most important ingredient that is at the genesis of every tech brand – ‘Innovation’.

This year, NDTV Gadget Guru Awards joins hands with India Gadget Expo 2015.It will be the biggest technology show in the country bringing together the best tech-innovators, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs and retailers to showcase their products, expertise and insights to tech-savvy consumers who will get a lifetime opportunity to witness gadgets take over the ‘city of pearls and Nizams’ Hyderabad between 18th and 21st of September 2015.

Sharing his views on NDTV Gadget Guru Awards 2015, Vikram Chandra, CEO, NDTV Group, says, “The Gadget Guru Awards” are India’s best known and most credible awards for success and innovation in technology. We are looking forward to evaluating and recognizing the best products in the country today.”

NDTV Gadget Guru Awards which comes from the team that is behind India’s longest running tech show – will bring together an expert group of specialists and trade pundits under the aegis of NDTV Gadget Guru Awards who will congregate to select the best amongst the best, to be honoured and felicitated on the Awards’ night.

Speaking about the jury and the credibility of the awards, Rajiv Makhni, Editor, Technology, NDTV Limited, says, “The NDTV Gadget Guru Awards are by far the most coveted technology awards in the country. With thousands of products being nominated, an incredible jury, a stringent testing process – the final winners are truly the best in their category. The Gadget Guru Awards are the Oscars of Technology – as important and as credible.”

The nomination process is open to gadget companies, who can nominate their products in the 14 specified categories.

1.      Portable Audio Product (includes all kinds Bluetooth speakers and headphones)

2.      Consumer Electronics

3.      Best TV of the Year (includes all kinds)

4.      Best Camera of the Year (includes all kinds)

5.      Portable Computing Product (includes tablets and laptops)

6.      Computer Peripheral

7.      Mobile of the Year (any above the value of Rs 10,000)

8.      Phone of the Year Under Rs 10,000

9.      Tech Innovation of the Year

10. App of the Year*

11. Gaming App/Game of the Year

12. Gadget Eye Candy*

13. NDTV Gadget of the Year (Jury’s Choice)*

14. Gadget of the Year (Viewers’ Choice)*

15. Best Smartwatch of tYear

16. Wearable Gadget of the Year (includes fitness bands, etc)

17. Best Tech Car of the Year

18. Tech Brand Ambassador of the Year

July 6, 2015
“Best Deal TV has been consistent and seen a 10% MOM growth:” Raj Kundra

MUMBAI: Entrepreneur Raj Kundra and Bollywood action star Akshay Kumar owned Best Deal TV, recently signed a deal with e-commerce giant Amazon. The deal marked conglomeration of e-tailing and home shopping industries which by far was considered as subtle competitor to each other.

Launched exclusively for the southern part of the country, Best Deal TV since its launch has continued its series of innovations.

The deal with Amazon opens up avenues of expansion for the newly launched home-shopping channel, feels Kundra. He tells Indiantelevision.com, “We wanted to reach out to a completely different and new clientele. Since our product offering was also unique, we pitched the offer to the head of Amazon and after the first meeting they were convinced it would be a great partnership.”

The experimental deal has been signed for a trial period of one year. Other than gaining reach, Best Deal TV, through the association, will look to yield benefit from Amazon’s robust logistics network along with co-branding through new marketing strategies.

“On 26 June, we dominated the front page of Amazon with a video and big Best Deal TV banner. Separately, Amazon will be marketing our products on its site and we will be driving traffic to our brand store on Amazon,” Kundra informs.

Best Deal TV, as per recent reports, had fetched Rs 3 crore in the first month of its operation.

Speaking on the sales and target Kundra asserts, “We have not set any sale targets for this venture as this is more about creating a customer experience which will eventually add up to sales. So far we have been consistent and seen a 10 per cent month-on-month growth.”

A veteran from the home shopping industry on condition of anonymity says, “It’s a smart way to enhance your reach. Multi system operator (MSO) Den and e-commerce player Snapdeal did it in the past and now Best Deal TV and Amazon. We will see more and more of such deals happening. But what is the turnover from the deal will be something to observe. For example on television when a headphone is showcased for sale you don’t have 10 other headphones from six different brands popping up which happens on Amazon or Flipkart or Snapdeal. So, this will be an added challenge to deal with. In my opinion reach and marketing opportunities are the positive part of the deal but other available products of same genre will test Best Deal TV’s product.”

Another expert from the home shopping space asserts, “Best Deal TV acquired a lot of goods from different brands which it is not being able to sell though its channel and hence it has tied up with Amazon. The deal will help them clear the stock as Amazon has massive presence but the margin of profit would be different. So to me it looks like a damage control deal.”

July 2, 2015
Best Deal TV ties up with Amazon.in

MUMBAI: The newly launched home shopping channel Best Deal TV has partnered with e-commerce giant Amazon.in. Through this, customers will get an opportunity to buy a variety of celebrity backed fashion and lifestyle products on Amazon.in platform too.

Amazon Fashion, India head Vikas Purohit said, “Our exclusive tie-up with India’s first celebrity home shopping channel, Best Deal TV reinforces our vision of transforming the way India sells and buys. We believe that tele-shopping and online shopping will work in synergy for Indian consumers, giving them more and varied selection of products and purchase options. We look forward to delighting our customers across the country with our offering of wide and unique selection at low prices and fast delivery experience.”

Best Deal TV CEO Raj Kundra added, “We are delighted to launch our products exclusively on India’s largest online store, Amazon.in and help consumers buy not just celebrity endorsed products but also affordable quality products from Best Deal TV selection on Amazon India. Reaching out to the consumers in every nook and corner of the country with exclusive brands especially endorsed by celebrities is now possible with Amazon India.”

The fashion and jewellery collection includes Shilpa Shetty’s designer Slim Shape Jeans, her very own line of sarees, Satyug Mangalsutra bracelet, Neeta Lulla’s sarees and Anushka Dandekar’s line of jeggings. The platform will soon launch Akshay Kumar’s exclusive AK clothing range and many more just a click away. The beauty and lifestyle selection includes products from other Bollywood and famous celebrities like Akshay Kumar’s Twist Head-phones, Neha Dhupia’s hair extensions, Farah Khan’s air loc containers, Bipasha Basu’s suggested air fryers, celebrity endorsed and owned mobile phone brands, TV’s and many more such exciting and innovative products.

June 24, 2015
HomeShop18 gets fans closer to Indian cricket team

MUMBAI: If you are a cricket fan then Celkon Selfie Phone-Millennia ME Q54+ to be launched on HomeShop18 at 9 pm, on 24 June is a must buy for you.

This high-end technology smartphone will give 3 lucky customers who buy the phone during the live show a chance to watch the Indian cricket team play live in Sri Lanka in August this year. To add to the thrill, the winners will get a rare opportunity to click a selfie with the Indian cricket team with their new phone that sports one of the best-in-class front cameras. Not only that, the lucky winners will also get a Celkon phone free with every purchase, making it a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offer.

On the launch of this new phone, HomeShop18 chief operating officer Vikrant Khanna said, “Cricket and mobile phones is what drives India. With the launch of Celkon Selfie Phone-Millennia ME Q54+ on HomeShop18 we are providing our customers everything they love, a superior technology phone, an exceptional price and a chance to watch cricket. This show is a must-watch as a proposition like this is only available for HomeShop18 customers.”

The Celkon Millennia ME Q54 is the company’s latest product in the highly-rated Millennia series. It has already earned the tag of “the selfie phone” with its 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Making it a true value buy are its superlative features such as the 5-inch FWVGA screen, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor which runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It also has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash. It comes with dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.

Celkon executive director Murali said, “We are excited to launch Celkon Millennia ME Q54 with HomeShop18 and offer customers attractive prices. This phone is by far the best Selfie phone available in the market, at this price point apart from its other high-end features. Hence, I’m certain that HomeShop18 customers will buy this phone to discover the delight of superior technology and of capturing the best photographs during the match as well as with the Indian team.”

June 24, 2015
Care World TV’s new series ‘F – Factor’ to eradicate factor of fear in food

MUMBAI: Care World TV will host a new series, ‘F – Factor’ to help people deal with the nuisance of food adulteration. The fifty-two episode series will have well-known microbiologists on the show, who will demonstrate simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tricks and tips of testing food products at home. The series will be aired from July 1^st and is aimed at informing viewers about different types of adulteration in various food items. The emphasis of the show will be to educate viewers about adulteration and its harmful health effects and will also inform them about different types of packaging done for different food items.

“Food adulteration has become so common that almost everyone is suffering from its consequences. Being a health and wellness channel it is our prime concern to alert and educate our viewers about the existing malpractices and identify ways to counter it,” says Ajit Gupta, Managing Director, Care World TV. “We have set out on a mission to fight this malpractice that is rampant in the market and which is affecting people’s health. Each show will demonstrate different everyday food items like fruits, sugar, ghee, ice-cream, sweets, milk among others and the experts will guide viewers with simple DIY experiments on how to trace possible adultery. By doing this at home one can at least become self-reliant and determine if what is being consumed is indeed safe,” he adds.

The series comes at a time when there apprehension in the minds of consumers over the toxic composition of chemicals in packaged food products. The series will also address certain aspects of labelled food products and educate buyers on identifying the elements that may be harmful for consumption.

“The tests on our shows will be simple and effective in identifying adulteration in food. For example sugar, an ingredient that is used in every household can be easily tested for adulteration with water. All one needs to do is add a little water to sugar and check if it leaves a chalky residue. If yes, it could mean that the sugar has been mixed with Calcium Carbonate which is extremely risky to the health, if consumed. Ideally sugar when diluted with water should be clear once dissolved. Most tests on the show will be as simple as this and we are sure that these simple experiments will help viewers tremendously,” says Gupta.

“Our objective is to help people safeguard their interests and take precautionary measures against health hazards. In today’s competitive market, some unethical companies may resort to misleading the consumer by misrepresenting facts in their communications or in extreme cases cut corners to capture market share. It is upto to consumer to carry out due diligences and protect their own and family’s health. We hope our viewers will benefit from F – Factor,” concludes Gupta.

June 22, 2015
Fox Life India turns one

MUMBAI: Fox Life India, a channel that offers everything in the lifestyle genre from music, fashion, party, style to reality, has just turned one! And it’s been a year of celebrating food, fashion, music and travel. Owned by Fox International Channels (FIC), Fox Life India was launched on 15 June, 2014.

Back to the roots

The channel has seen multiple name changes. From Fox History and Entertainment, it was renamed Fox History and Traveller in May 2011. In October 2011, it became Fox Traveller and last year, the channel was christened Fox Life.

Going through numerous revamps by logos changes, the channel changed its logo five times from November 2008 to present. Subsequently as the channel dropped history related shows from its programming milieu and only had content related to travel and sight-seeing, it took on the name of Fox Traveller. Finally making a stagnant move, the channel changed its name to Fox Life, thus turning it into a lifestyle channel.

Action over the last 12 months

While it started as a channel that showcased travel and food, Fox Life later expanded the genre by adding lifestyle elements to the programming mix.

Fox International Channels India business head Swati Mohan believes that the journey has always been fun and the one with Fox Life has been truly spectacular. “Fox Life is a huge lifestyle channel in the FIC portfolio worldwide and here in India, we’re trying to keep on that global legacy while maintaining our local flavour. It’s a perfect mix of Indian and global content that showcases various aspects of lifestyle. Our fans and audience have loved the change,” Mohan tells Indiantelevision.com.

Adventure, Experiments, New Journeys

The channel delivers a slate of watch-together content like Soundtrek (second season), a music show, which featured artists from across the country and their take on classic old songs. Another hit show on the channel was Twist of Taste, which went into its fourth season and was hosted by Vikas Khanna.

Style and the City, the perfect fashion show, which goes behind a celebrity’s fashion closet also premiered its third season in May.

In addition to these India made shows, the channel has shows from around the world such as Getaway, which takes you to the best locales on the globe, Into the Unknown with David Beckham, a show which features the star and his bike ride through South America, Eat Street and Street Food Around the World, showcases the most yummy-licious food from the world over.

“We were the leaders in the travel and lifestyle genre with Fox Traveller and we have maintained that stance with Fox Life. The addition has been the new shows and contest genres that we’ve added,” states Mohan.

She further adds, “It really has been a year of change and through the 12 months we’ve been working hard to give our fans the best lifestyle mix. We’ve added so many sub-genres and grown the travel and lifestyle genre at large, which as the leader in the segment was our prerogative to do.”

The Buzzing machine

The channel attracts good eyeballs on social media. On the channel’s official Facebook page, it garners more than three million likes and has been decorated with it’s been #onederfuljourney since the past three days. On YouTube, it has more than 2,000 subscribers. On Twitter it has 25,000 followers. On the channel’s first anniversary, the hashtag #FoxLifeTurnsOne was also promoted.

In order to keep viewers engaged throughout the year, Fox Life has used the on-air medium to create engagement and visibility. Moreover, it has also offered audiences a lot of live tweeting options, watch and win and real time engagement with the channel.

For the show Twist of Taste, it got a famous food blogger in Mumbai to take 25 people on a dessert food walk around the city. Participants got to see a side of Mumbai they hadn’t and FB – Twitter fans followed the winners on their walk.

Another way in which the channel connects with its fans is by letting them interact with show hosts like Vikas Khanna, Rochelle Rao, Kiran Jethwa, David Rocoo and others.

For Soundtrek this year, Fox Life created a campaign for which it won silver for the ‘Outstanding Programme Image Campaign’ category at Promax.

“The journey so far has been great and we’re looking at going places in the future too. To grow the channel and give our fans all of that they need in the lifestyle space is the way to go and that’s what we’re going to do,” concludes Mohan.

For the record, the channel, which caters to the lifestyle segment was originally launched in Italy and now reaches to 73 countries in 19 different languages. Fox Life India reaches to more than 52 million households across the country.

June 17, 2015