ITV

Category: Specialised and Niche

  • Raj Kundra & Akshay Kumar partner to launch shopping channel

    Raj Kundra & Akshay Kumar partner to launch shopping channel

    MUMBAI: Entrepreneur Raj Kundra has joined hands with actor Akshay Kumar to launch Best Deal TV – a 24 hours shopping channel. With a motto of Sirf Bestest, the channel promises to present exclusive products at best possible rates. The free to air celebrity channel will be available on all major cable and DTH (Direct to home) platforms from 18 March, 2015 onwards.

     

    The products available on Best Deal TV are categorized in lifestyle, home, fashion, health and beauty. 

     

    Speaking at the launch, Best Deal TV founder and CEO Kundra said, “We are pleased to launch a new and unique home shopping channel on which our products will be exclusive, aspirational and above all affordable. All products will go through our vigorous Quality Lab tests before obtaining approval. Today most brands rely on celebrities to sell their products. Best Deal TV offers the perfect combination – of quality products and celebrities endorsing them on the same platform. To me it is perfect example of a Product – Celebrity Match. We match quality approved products with celebrities, and by controlling the end to end supply chain we ensure savings of our customers that guarantee they, literally get the best deal.”

     

    Co-owner Akshay Kumar shared his experience with teleshopping. He said he saw a teleshopping channel offering astrological suggestions and when he took part in it he found that the rates quoted in the channel were bargainable, which means many customers might have been cheated. He also was of the opinion that products that are sold in the channels now available have no quality assurance. He elaborated, “When Best Deal first came to me with the idea of a home shopping channel the first thing I wanted to be sure about is that if my name is going to be attached to something, it has to be for something unique, never done before by a celebrity, and a quality which is worthy of my 100 per cent. I am happy to say that for the first time, consumers will be able to fulfill their celebrity style aspirations as far as their look and feel is concerned at very affordable prices.”

     

    Best Deal TV is expected to cater to those who admire Bollywood glitteratzi and always aspire to dress up similarly. The challenge will be pricing, as the products come with a celebrity how much impact will it leave on the price tag remains to be seen. Every product has to be endorsed by a celebrity and only then will it feature on the channel. The concept is, the manufacturer has to approach a celebrity and convince him or her in terms of quality. And if a celebrity wants to launch his or her own product Best Deal TV can be a platform. 

     

    The chairperson and brand ambassador of the channel Shilpa Shetty Kundra said, “As a self-confessed shopaholic I love the concept behind Best Deal TV. TV commerce is a growing trend, an easy and convenient way to shop from the comfort to your home. Now customers can be reassured of quality products which are being endorsed by their favourite celebrities. Best Deal TV aims to offer something, which is special to its consumers; products that solve a problem, make a difference, offer great value for money and deliver exceptional results. It makes me very proud to be a part of this transparent and top quality platform, truly making us bestest.”

     

    Former AVP of Home Shop 18 Meghna Krishna has been named COO of the company. Speaking at the launch, Krishna said the motto of the channel is to provide better than the best i.e bestest product to the consumers, “Celebrities always gain eyeballs and enhance the popularity of the product, Best Deal TV will convert eyeballs into transactions. The teleshopping industry is growing bigger and bigger, it is now a $4 billion industry and by 2020 it will become a $10 billion industry, hence the sector has a future and Best Deal TV will emerge as the ruler.”

     

    Key personalities behind the Channel are:

     

    · Raj Kundra, Founder and CEO

     

    · Akshay Kumar, Co – Owner 

     

    · Uday Kothary, Co – Owner 

     

    · Shipa Shetty Kundra, Chairperson and Brand Ambassador

     

    · Meghna Krishna, COO

     

    · Hemant Vastani, CFO

  • FoodFood bags four awards at 7th Golden Star Awards

    FoodFood bags four awards at 7th Golden Star Awards

    MUMBAI: It’s time for celebrations at FoodFood. The 24×7 food lifestyle channel bagged four awards at the 7th Golden Star Awards 2015.

     

    The channel was awarded as the ‘Most admired food brand of the year’, ‘Best celebrity host – Chef Amrita Rai Chand’, ‘Best on-ground food brand promotion event’, ‘Maa ki Daal’ and ‘Best event manager – Suman Chandra’.

     

    Speaking about the wins, Turmeric Vision CEO SK Barua said that ever since FoodFood changed its stance towards laying greater emphasis on the element of food lifestyle, the channel has been able to broaden its horizons and create a greater reach with its audience.

     

    “We are elated that FoodFood has been recognised by the Golden Star Awards for our work in the Hospitality sector and our efforts in bringing people closer to food. Gaining recognition from Golden Star helps us validate our work of going in the right direction,” Barua added.

     

    Going forward, the channel aims to create more such content that provides viewers with thought-provoking and insightful looks into how eating habits and traditions are inextricably linked to personal identity, lifestyle and history.

  • TLC to launch new series – ‘The Taste’

    TLC to launch new series – ‘The Taste’

    MUMBAI: Lifestyle channel from Discovery Network’s stable, TLC is all set to air a culinary battle between food writer and television presenter Nigella Lawson, chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain and chef Ludo Lefebvre in the new series The Taste. Starting 2 March, the show will be aired every Monday and Tuesday at 9 pm.

     

    The show will feature 12 competitors from varied backgrounds, cooking dishes in an attempt to impress the three chefs. Three teams of four aspiring chefs are mentored by the trio, where they take on each other to survive the extreme fight to be the first winner of The Taste.

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific executive vice president and general manager – South Asia & South East Asia Rahul Johri said, “As the pioneer of lifestyle entertainment in India, TLC has been an incubator of new and unique formats on cuisine, travel, makeover, relationships etc. With The Taste, TLC brings three of the world’s most renowned chefs together to mentor and judge cooks from all over the UK and select one who will be crowned the champion.”

     

    All the dishes will be judged in a blind taste test. Each episode will witness the collision of fiery challenges, blind-taste eliminations and simmering egos which are cooked up as the contestants’ battle it out to please the palates of the mentors.

     

  • #fame partners with Food Food channel

    #fame partners with Food Food channel

    MUMBAI: #fame, a digital entertainment network, has partnered with Food Food channel for its show Hi Tea with chef Ajay Chopra. This is part of a cross marketing initiative to create a platform for promoting talent. The idea is to have a different #fame talent as guests on the show where they have a chance to demonstrate their talents.

     

    As a part of this collaboration, #fame find Sandesh Motwani, who is a musician and an avid singer will make a concept called Chai Aur Romance on the show along with chef Ajay Chopra. Similarly, Ehesaas, a three hit member band from Kolkata will create a concept called Chai Aur Fun for its Holi special episode; Amrita Rana who is a cricket lover will create Chai Aur Cricket sports and Meneka Arora, a movie buff will create a concept called Chai Aur Filmypana on the show.

     

    #fame CEO Saket Saurabh said, “I am very pleased and excited with this partnership. Food Food channel and Hi Tea show is an excellent platform to showcase the vast pool of talent that we have at #fame and celebrity chef Ajay Chopra is an ideal host as well. The concept that we have developed is unique and I am sure it will be a huge hit with the target audience. It’s a win-win situation for both the partners.”

     

    Food Food head content Ruchir Joshi added, “Cooking is no longer considered a chore; it is becoming an integral part of our lifestyle. At Food Food we believe in leveraging this facet, to give our viewers a little beyond just recipes. With internet becoming a robust medium for people to learn and improve their culinary skills our association with #fame, one of the fastest growing digital platforms, gives us a chance to connect and engage with a wider set of audience across the globe. #fame talent will definitely intrigue the viewers of our show.”

  • Break free from the clutter and take a city break!

    Break free from the clutter and take a city break!

    MUMBAI: City Breaks premiers with one of the most beautiful and the second largest city of Spain – Barcelona. There is more to Barcelona than just football. The show gets a viewer up close and personal with the designs of the architect wonder Antony Gaudi, and also takes you on a ride through the cheerfully exciting Montjuic and La Rambla the streets where Barcelona comes alive.

     

    Talking about the show Nisha Chothani the CSO says that “Since its inception we at travelxp have tried to give shows which appeal to every kind of traveller. With this show we are addressing the needs of the “short of time” kind of traveler who wants to see & do everything in a span of a day or two. “City Breaks” will provide an insight on how to make the best use of your time by visiting just those not to be missed places, to the happening food joints, heritage sites, and festivals all in a short span of time.”

     

    City Breaks will air every Sunday starting 25th January 2015 at 20:00 hours with a rerun on Saturday 22:30 hours.

     

    travelxp HD is India’s first High Definition (HD) travel channel with the largest India-centric HD library of travel content across the world. Talking about the plan for travelxp in 2015 Prashant Chothani says that “We had taken the lead in producing premium high definition content much before others. Distribution platforms world over have shown keen interest for 4K content from travelxp. We are happy to announce that all our new content is now being produced in 4K starting from this year & we are confident to be ready in time for the 4K transmission by the platforms.” 

     

  • Four tiger sisters rewrite the rules of tiger behavior on Discovery

    Four tiger sisters rewrite the rules of tiger behavior on Discovery

    MUMBAI: Tigers are generally known to be solitary hunters. However, in the forests of Maharashtra, a gang of tiger sisters have rewritten the rules of tiger behaviour.  The four tiger sisters – Mona, Geeta, Lara and Sonam – were well on their way to adulthood and form their own territories.  But the young tigresses were inexperienced hunters and faced tough survival challenges. Instinctively they joined forces to hunt as a pack and take on dangerous prey. Hunting as a pack, they have overturned the rules forever.

     

    Discovery Channel will present this fascinating story in its Republic Day Special on January 26 TIGER SISTERS OF TELIA at 9pm.

     

    TIGER SISTERS OF TELIA follows the four tiger sisters who had entrenched themselves well around the Telia Lake – the core of their mother’s territory. Once the girls grew older and stronger, instinct kicked in and they competed to take control of their mother’s territory. Their sister-bond was broken. To survive independently, each sister had to hunt every week, and alone. However, each one struggled. Desperate and starved, the four sisters made a startling choice – to form an alliance. This one-hour programme tracks the journey of these four tiger sisters as they unite to form an unprecedented bond.

     

    Rahul Johri, Executive Vice President and General Manager – South Asia & Southeast Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, ”Discovery Channel prides itself in presenting path-breaking programmes with deep rooted human interests, from India and around the world. Tiger Sisters of Telia captures the extraordinary behaviour of four tiger sisters and their unique adaptation to survive.”

     

    After forming a gang, in a matter of days, the tiger sisters became fearless and unstoppable.  They took down a couple of sambars, stalked a guar (Indian Bison) and killed a sloth bear.  The programme captures many such extremely rare occurrences and tracks the journey of tiger sisters as they unite to form an unparalleled bond – stronger than ever.  Hunting as a pack, they are overturning the rules of tiger life.

     

  • The making of Kingfisher Calendar 2015 on NDTV Good Times

    The making of Kingfisher Calendar 2015 on NDTV Good Times

    MUMBAI: Beautiful beaches, alluring landscapes and sensuous beauties, can it get hotter than this? The Making of the Kingfisher Calendar 2015 on NDTV Good Times blends impeccable style with unmatched beauty, shot in the backdrop of beaches, ancient ruins, caves and hot springs of exotic Turkey.
     
    The ‘Kingfisher Calendar 2015’ will feature five stunning models – Sarah Jane Dias, Dayana Erappa, Elena Fernandes, Keisha Lall and Aastha Pokharel, the winner of Kingfisher Supermodels 2; a reality talent show aired on NDTV Good Times. The models are styled by the talented Nupur Mehta Puri and Mohit Rai; with make-up artist Kapil Bhalla; hair stylist Apeni George, and captured on lens by none other than ace photographer Atul Kasbekar who has been associated with the Kingfisher Calendar since its inception.
     
    This is the 13th year of the Kingfisher calendar and like good wine, it has only gotten better! Anchor Monica Gill takes you through all the behind the scene action with the five sensational supermodels. Besides the eye catching locales and the highly watchable beauties, the show will also take you through all the latest trends in make- up, bikinis and hairstyles. Not to mention the technique and tricks the veteran photographer Atul Kasbekar, has planned for his 13th calendar shoot.
     
    Talking about his experience on the making of the kingfisher calendar, AtulKasbekar commented, “The Kingfisher Calendar has carved a niche for itself. In every edition, we endeavor to keep it exotic and exuberant. The backdrop of Turkey served as the perfect location for an outdoor shoot. It is always challenging to shoot in such set ups, but then the final shots make it worth the effort. People have showered enormous love to the Calendar always & we are confident that this year’s calendar will add to their enthusiasm”.
     
    Tune in to the Making of the Kingfisher Calendar 2015,every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00pm exclusively on NDTV Good Times!

     

  • DataWind expands its distribution reach; to leverage HomeShop18’s multimedia retail platform

    DataWind expands its distribution reach; to leverage HomeShop18’s multimedia retail platform

    NEW DELHI: DataWind, provider of wireless web access products, has announced expansion of its Indian retail footprint through a new partnership with HomeShop18, one of India’s comprehensive virtual retailer operating in an integrated multimedia environment. 
     
    HomeShop18 and DataWind as part of the agreement will jointly launch special sales programmes across broadcast, mobile and internet media to create greater access of UbiSlates, India’s largest selling low cost android tablets and internet access devices.
     
    DataWind, in the last couple of months, has aggressively expanded its distribution network through a series of modern, traditional and online retail distribution agreements.  DataWind’s UbiSlate range of tablets and PocketSurfer series of smartphones are now available across the country at specialist as well as general mobile stores and large format electronics retail superstores.  These new channels now support the company’s existing retail infrastructure that include online and direct to consumer channels.
     
    Speaking on the occasion, DataWind president &CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said, “We greatly value our partnership with HomeShop 18, given their experience and extensive reach across multimedia platforms of broadcast, internet and mobile shopping. The partnership augurs well for both the companies just as it increases access to our low cost android tablets, the addition of our range to HomeShop 18 platform enriches their overall offering.”
     
    DataWind in the last six months has tied up with UniverCell in the south, Spice Retail in the North and West and has established its own distribution network in the east.  The company values this new partnership to help close distribution gaps by leveraging HomeShop18’s wide TV shopping network.
     
    Speaking about the partnership, HomeShop18 founder and CEO Sundeep Malhotra said, “We at  HomeShop 18, aim to persistently bring to our customers superior technology at an affordable price. Our partnership with Datawind will ensure our customers from across the length and breadth of the country, have access to the company’s rich product portfolio. We are delighted to offer HomeShop 18’s extensive reach through TV, Web and Mobile to Datawind and look forward to a successful alliance.”
     
    Since its initial launch in India in mid-2012, DataWind has consistently ranked as one of the top players in the tablet PC segment in India

  • Care World TV goes global; launches in the US

    Care World TV goes global; launches in the US

    NEW DELHI: The seven-year-old health and fitness television channel Care World TV has been launched in the United States to become the world’s largest global healthcare television channel.

     

    Senior media professional Lal Dadlaney has been roped in to set up and launch the channel in the US.

     

    The channel will deliver high quality credible content in holistic, ethical and professional manner integrating health and fitness for the mind, body and soul with the help of highly experienced practitioners specialising in various disciplines and well known spiritual leaders who share alternative remedies and ancient secrets.

     

    Care World TV has been launched as a conventional and complementary medical, wellness and lifestyle channel to serve south Asians in the US and Canada. The channel will carry US produced content involving prominent US doctors who seek to give back to the community their knowledge and skills.

     

    Dadlaney, formerly Business and Operations head at TV Asia USA network, was primarily responsible for revamping and strengthening the infrastructure and operations of the channel. Based in New Jersey with over 20 years in Film and TV distribution, he will launch Care World TV USA the first 24×7 channel.

     

    Care World TV MD Ajit Gupta is providing content, ideation and studio infrastructure; and along with Dadlaney and others is a founding member of the new venture.

     

    “While there are many channels in the general entertainment space in the US and Canada in all languages for south Asians, there is not a single channel dedicated to providing quality health information in an engaging, exciting, and entertaining manner. Care World TV USA will occupy that space,” Gupta said.

     

    “Our team believes passionately in the concept ‘prevention is better than cure’ and this drives the programming philosophy,” he added.

     

    “A healthy peaceful mind is directly correlated to a healthy body and our programmes reflect prevention, natural treatment of ailments and at-home remedies. Care World TV USA has a lot of potential in markets like US and Canada. I am certain we will rewrite the history of American television programming in this segment,” Dadlaney said.

     

    The channel is in test mode and is available for free 24 x 7 on many of the digital devices.

  • FoodFood channel launched in the US

    FoodFood channel launched in the US

    NEW DELHI: The FoodFood television channel run by master chef Sanjeev Kapoor has been launched in the United States.

     
    The channel launch was hosted at Secaucus in New Jersey by the Varli group in an evening that included cooking demonstrations by Kapoor and Dhandu Ram, chef at Dhoom.

     
    Celebrity chefs, restaurateurs, and Sanjeev Kapoor fans from the tristate area gathered at Dhoom restaurant to celebrate the launch.

     
    The lifestyle channel was launched in India in January 2011, and is a joint venture between Astro All Asia Networks PLC (Astro), a Malaysian cross-media group, and Turmeric Vision (TVPL), the television company owned Kapoor.

     
    In the US, FoodFood is available on Dish channel 713 and DishWorld IPTV. The channel features Indian and global cuisines, fusion innovations and delicacies from across continents. Kapoor and his team will share popular shows like Sanjeev Kapoor’s Kitchen, Turban Tadka, Mummy Ka Magic and Health Mange More.

     
    Among attendees at the launch were Consul General of India in New York Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Fox anchor Kelly Wright and Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli.