ITV

Category: Specialised and Niche

  • Channel for farmers to be launched early next year

    Channel for farmers to be launched early next year

    NEW DELHI: The Kisan channel is expected to be launched early next year, as soon as the procedures under the existing rules and norms are completed.

     
    Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said the channel would be in Hindi to begin with and will have inputs from regional Kendras. These programmes will be shared with the Kendras.

     
    The channel would be an education-cum-entertainment one, encompassing all facets of life of a farmer. Besides the core agricultural issues, the content of the channel will deal with various social and economic issues concerning rural India.

     
    Ministry sources said Prasar Bharati inputs would be taken from different agricultural universities and institutes to develop rich content for the channel and the same would be disseminated among the farmers.

     

    In keeping with the budget announcement about setting up a Kisan channel, by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Prasar Bharati has already invited applications for recruitments in the channel which will be round-the-clock.

     
    DD is hoping to engage people in the field of production as well as marketing in positions ranging from senior to mid to junior level.

     
    There are a total of 67 vacant posts of post production professionals, visual graphics designers, record keepers, senior videographers, junior videographers, senior production executives, production executives, senior creative editors, creative editors, senior presenters, presenters, copy editor–cum-writers, programme trainees, head- sales and marketing, and senior sales and marketing executives.

     
    Other steps being taken by Prasar Bharati for this channel include: production of in-house and outsourced content; liaison with relevant ministries to get inputs for channel content and for which advertisements will be issued; calculation of budget and expenditure for the channel; crowd sourcing for channel name, logo, jingles etc and issue of advertisement for channel packaging and branding along with look and feel and montage.

     
    Jaitley had announced in his budget speech on 10 July that a sum of Rs 100 crore would be allocated for this channel. However, the budget for I&B Ministry shows an allocation of Rs 90 crore for this in the year 2014-15.

     

    Meanwhile, the Krishi Darshan programmes of Doordarshan are being telecast under the ‘Mass Media Support to Agriculture Extension’ funded by the Agriculture Ministry focusing on dissemination of modern agricultural techniques by involving experts from various fields like insurance, banking, credit for farmers, State Government schemes on agriculture/ fisheries/veterinary science/water and soil conservation/social forestry etc.

     
    In addition, a programme ‘Mera Gaon Connection telecast at prime time on DD National also introduces modern agricultural techniques to the viewers.  

     

  • Go FoodMAD with Rocky & Mayur

    Go FoodMAD with Rocky & Mayur

    MUMBAI: After the tremendous success of FoodMAD Season 1 – Rocky, Mayur and NDTV Good Times are back with Season 2. This season brings to you, the best eateries from around the country to help satisfy your unique set of food CRAVINGS and to rock your taste buds wild!
     
    The thirteen episode series will take the viewers on a delicious joyride through the streets of Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Amritsar and Ludhiana. Whether your heightened mood is craving exotic food or you want to go completely local with spicy and junk food or your sweet tooth craving – FoodMAD 2 will take you to the ULTIMATE destinations to get you your food fix.
     
    Watch India’s much loved food enthusiasts put the spotlight on popular streets, restaurants, fine dining spaces, cafes and bakeries around the country. Starting from the kitchens of the heritage city of Hyderabad, adding a chatpata dash of Delhi tadka, mix of Pune roadside food, some mouth-watering sweet & sour delicacies of Ludhiana and ghee doused kulchas of Amritsar, this season Rocky and Mayur will go totally FoodMAD chasing their spicy, tangy, junk-y, deep fried, sweet and sour and many more cravings.
     
    Talking about the new show, Arati Singh, Channel Head, NDTV Good Times said, “FoodMAD has already caught the fancy of food lovers across the nation after the much loved Season 1. It is a show dedicated to all the crazy food lovers. I am sure the show will help youngsters get an insight to the best joints to hang-out at odd hours and cure their contagious cravings.”
     
    So go completely FoodMAD with Rocky and Mayur, as they help you satiate your deepest cravings on ‘FoodMAD 2’ every Saturday at 9 PM, 6th December onwards only on NDTV Good Times.
  • Zee Khana Khazana nurtures to-be moms and their babies

    Zee Khana Khazana nurtures to-be moms and their babies

    MUMBAI: Being a mother is the most precious gift of nature. It is therefore very important to ensure that mothers to-be are taken care, food is one of those very important aspects during pregnancy that needs monitoring. There are a lot of questions that new mothers have during this time. Of which, the three most important questions are (1) What should I eat during pregnancy? (2) How should I lose post-delivery weight without jeopardizing my baby’s wellbeing? and (3) What should I feed my growing baby?     

     

    Zee Khana Khazana, India’s 24 hour premium food channel presents a new and specially curated show ‘Mothers Care’ that will cater to the needs of a new mother or mom to-be along with tips & tricks that will boost your baby’s development and mother’s wellbeing. The show is hosted by renowned gynecologist, nutritionist and a mother of two herself, Dr. Aditi Gowitrikar. She will be sharing recipes, her experiences, and the dos and don’ts during and after pregnancy that will help a mother and her new born baby.

     

    Pregnancy brings along with itself various changes and there may be a list of things that you don’t like to eat. In this new show, Dr. Gowitrikar will make sure you eat right things that are not just good for you but also for your baby. Her recipes will not just focus on nutrition but will also make a boring dish delicious forcing you to reconsider your decision of omitting healthy food just because you don’t like it.

     

    Mothers Care will help you maintain a diet and also show you the ways to get your fussy toddler to eat on their own. Amit Nair, Business Head, Zee Khana Khazana says, “While we were conceptualizing this show, our research showed that food plays a crucial role in a woman’s life during pregnancy. The woman of today will thoroughly analyze and educate herself before eating whatever their mother and mother-in-law try to feed them.

     

    Our show ‘Mothers Care’ will cater to all the women with recipes for pre- natal and post-natal stages of pregnancy helping them and their families with food related queries during this period. The show will also share diet guide during and after childbirth and baby’s early childhood stage.”

     

    In sync with the show’s message, Dr. Aditi Gowitrikar will share a host of healthy recipes for nursing and young mothers. This show will help the expecting mothers to indulge in goodness without getting enormous. One of the many facts of new motherhood, almost no one seems to mention, is the challenge of feeding yourself. The show will feature tips a mother should keep in mind.

     

    ‘Mothers Care’ will acquaint viewers with food craving recipes – tangy & healthy, foods for nursing mothers, weaning foods – 6 months – 1 year, what not to give babies to eat, fussy toddler foods, underweight & obese babies, teething foods, preschooler kids’ recipes, different types of nutrients, old wives’ tales & myths busted and granny’s tips v/s granny’s superstitions.

  • The search is on for the best hooker

    The search is on for the best hooker

    MUMBAI: Discovery Turbo re-enters the competition reality show arena with high-energy series exploring the world’s oldest profession…fishing!

     
    Top Hooker brings an all-new dynamic to Turbo when 10 of the world’s top anglers are pitted against one another for a series of wildly out-of-the-box fishing challenges that will put their brains, brawn and skills to the ultimate test. They’re putting it all on the line for the chance to win $30,000, a new truck, and the honour of being crowned first Top Hooker. See them work their reels when the eight-part series Top Hooker, premieres 25 November, every Tuesday at 9 pm on Turbo.

     
    For the first time ever, Turbo splits 10 expert fishers into two teams in an insane, full-throttle, eight-week fishing competition, stopping at remote, popular and jarringly different watering holes with 24, off-the-hook challenges for a chance to be crowned Top Hooker.  Turbo throws down the gauntlet with exhilarating dares, enticing fishers to free dive for the perfect pearl and net Asian carp that fly through air. In a nautical game of catch and release, who catches the chance to proceed to the next round and who’s off the hook?

     
    Hosted by popular stand-up comedian Reno Collier, Top Hooker follows a diverse group of dynamic opponents who will take to America’s coastlines, lakes and waterways in an outrageous competition that will blow your everyday sport-fishing tournament out of the water!  From a harpoon wielding Southern belle to a South African bodybuilder, these men and women are from incredibly different backgrounds but they’re all diving in with hopes of out hooking the competition. Each week viewers will be wondering who will catch a spot in the next round – and who’ll be thrown back home.

    While each of the 10 fearless competitors have distinct skills including deep-sea fishing, bowfishing, fly fishing and surfcasting, they’ll need to widen their horizons to survive what Top Hooker throws their way. Challenges include anglers capturing fish using only their mouths, zipline fishing, catching fish nearly invisible to the naked eye, and literally walking on water while reeling in their catches.

     

  • NGC sees 19 per cent jump in ad revenue

    NGC sees 19 per cent jump in ad revenue

    MUMBAI: The number of channels might be increasing, but niche segmentation is on a rise too. In the past few years, one has witnessed that there has been a shift in the TV viewing habits of the Indian audiences with preferences for specific kinds of content giving a boost to niche channels.

     

    One of the channels that is steadily growing in the infotainment genre is National Geographic channel.

     

    “There has been a significant growth in the genre thanks to knowledge-driven shows which is what the audience wants to see,” says NGC and Fox International channel MD Keertan Adyanthaya while adding that during the analogue time, it was the GECs and movie channels that were growing while infotainment channels were edged out.

     
    One of the reasons which have driven the viewership numbers for the channel is localisation. He says, “We pushed for localisation through two ways. One, by customising the language feed beyond English like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil etc. This helped audiences to understand superlative terms that was otherwise difficult to comprehend. Secondly, we started commissioning shows in India like Mission Udan, Mission Army, Mission Everest and various documentaries like the recent one on the Kedernath tragedy.”

     

    The channel, which adds 400 hours of fresh content every year, in India, has been working with production houses like Big Synergy and a number of independent documentary filmmakers. However, 90 per cent of the content is still produced internationally.

     

    But what ails the domestic production houses to produce shows for the niche channels? “Our imagination is lacking to none, but we lack in-depth research and the way we operate. Our planning is sometimes short sighted,” he says.

    In line with the preference for special interest programming, the target audience, this from an earlier age group of 18 to 28 years has now become 12 to 40 years of age. “Our earlier shows like Taboo and Banged Up Abroad were for older audiences which is what made viewers either watch them alone or late at night, but not anymore,” says the executive.

     
    The channel’s Entertain Your Brain (EYB) programming has been designed keeping in line with the resurgence of Smart TV as a genre and is packed with engaging content. Its new line of shows like Brain Games, The Number Game, Do or Die and more recently Science of Stupid, combine interactive and relatable content which is not only entertaining but also informing.

     
    In addition to this, it has changed the tonality of its shows to suit the Indian taste. John Abraham has been brought on board as the brand ambassador of the channel. Celebrities like Lisa Haydon for Supercars, Arshad Warsi for Brain Games and Manish Paul for Science of Stupid have also been roped in.

     

    The channel’s core audience lies in 5 million plus households while the other viewership comes in from 1.2 million household cities. Adhyanthaya says that the channel currently commands a market share of 26 to 28 per cent in the genre and has seen a growth of 35 to 36 per cent in the last one year.

     

    Keeping pace with the increase in viewership, the channel has also increased its ad revenue by 18 to 19 per cent. While the channel sees various brand categories advertising on it, AFPs like My Endevour With Ford have also been created. The IP in such shows is either shared by the channel or completely owned by it.

     

    As for the lowlight, distribution of the network’s six channels has become a major challenge Adhyanthaya points out that digitisation getting postponed has surely crept a few hurdles on their ways. “Broadcasters have been champions for the cause right from the start by asking audiences to install Set Top boxes. But now why push the deadline?” he questions.

     

    On the ongoing Star-MSO RIO case he says, “Our pricing is not high. The RIO price for NGC is Rs 3 per month and FOX Life is Rs 2 .90 a month. It is  a lie clearly that we are highly priced as the bouquet offered by Star is  less than Rs 30 and is a fair offering, he says while comparing the price to a movie ticket of RS 300.

     

    “Our ratings have not suffered as we have pretty strong audience driven programmes. But we have seen short term downswings, which we can work upon. Soon, operators will realise that it is not easy to drop the channels as the audiences can’t wait for long without  smartainment progamming offered by us” he concludes.

     

  • Star CJ launches its M-Commerce Site

    Star CJ launches its M-Commerce Site

    MUMBAI: Star CJ Network India– India’s largest home shopping network launches its M-Commerce website, bringing its products and services to the consumer’s palm. This move has been taken to take advantage of the growing number of mobile internet users in India, which presently is estimated to be 120 million, much more than the users using internet on their computers (estimated at 100 million). The other major reason behind this step is the overwhelming success experienced by the Company for their mobile DM service, which was launched as a pre-requisite to this m-commerce website in June this year. The mobile DM service has been growing at an average month-on-month rate of 250%, fetching the company 55% of the total sales through internet as compared to 45% achieved from the e-commerce front. The Company informed that a special team from Korea was assigned to develop the M-commerce website of the Company, which is going live on 19 November 2014.
     
    The biggest differentiating factor for STAR CJ’s M-commerce website is the live access provided to the consumers buying products from distinct sellers on the platform to view STAR CJ alive on their mobile phones. This will also allow the consumers to view live demonstrations of the products, over and above their images and specifications. Placing an order would be easier than ever!
     
    Commenting on the launch of the new M-commerce site Star CJ Network CEO Kenny Shin says, “M-commerce has grown phenomenally in India due to rapid growth in the smartphone sector. STAR CJ looks at this platform as one of the greatest opportunities to penetrate further into the Indian market. The team has done an impressive job with the design, making it extremely easy for consumers to access and navigate through the website.”
     
    The website has been specifically designed for easy access and navigation on all types of mobile phones with internet. A direct link would be provided to the users, which will connect them to the STAR CJ call centre on a simple click. This will smoothen and simplify the purchase, freeing the consumers from the tedious online payment process. Special discounts would be offered to the early birds, celebrating Company’s presence on the m-commerce platform.

     

  • Epic ties-up with Tata Sky, Airtel Digital and Videocon d2h

    Epic ties-up with Tata Sky, Airtel Digital and Videocon d2h

    MUMBAI: Starting 19 November 2014, Epic channel, distributed by Indiacast, will be available on some of India’s leading DTH service providers; Tata Sky on SD channel 133, Airtel Digital on SD at 125 and HD at 126 and Videocon d2h on SD at 117. The channel is likely to be on Reliance Big TV as well. The channel will also be available across leading digital cable platforms i.e. Hathway, Den Networks, GTPL, IMCL and all leading independent cable platforms. At launch, the channel is likely to be in close to 35 million households.
     
    Epic will have action, drama, comedy, supernatural and narrative non-fiction content, set against Indian history and mythology. The stories will be innovative with high production quality and a distinct look and feel that will appeal to both men and women. Most of the content is shot at real locations with HD cameras. The programming line-up has a mix of fiction shows, narrative non-fiction shows, short form content as well as films at launch. The channel is all set to go on-air by 19 November 2014.

     

  • FOX Life is back with an all new season of ‘Life Mein Ek Baar’

    FOX Life is back with an all new season of ‘Life Mein Ek Baar’

    MUMBAI: After the first two successful seasons of ‘Life Mein Ek Baar’, FOX Life, India’s leading travel and lifestyle channel, is back with an all new power packed season of unique experiences. This season will showcase 4 friends explore their friendship- Evelyn Sharma, Rochelle Rao, Pia Trivedi and Mahek Chahal as they take on an exciting and emotional journey in Thailand. Life Men Ek Baar premieres on FOX Life on 26 November 2014 and will air every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 pm.

    The show will capture the exciting journey of four friends- the romantic Evelyn Sharma, the spirited Rochelle Rao, the impulsive Pia Trivedi and the mysterious Mehak Chahal, as they discover the adventurous side of life. The girls do it all and that too with much élan! Whether they are giving free hugs to passers-by or experiencing life inches away from deadly snakes – every day is a surprise for the girls. From an emotional tour of Wat Pho temple to an adrenaline pumping cliff and sky diving; from flying in a Gyrocopter to getting an Elephant Massage; from kite surfing and ocean walking to club hopping and trying their hands at Muay Thai- the combat sport of Thailand. Every episode holds a promise of something fresh and exhilarating.

    Talking about the new season, Swati Mohan, Vice President – Content & Programming, FOX International Channels said, “True to the philosophy of the channel, Life Mein Ek Baar is a show where viewers get a chance to see, feel and taste just how amazing life could be if you learn to live it to the fullest and truly – Go Places. Two successful seasons later, the show returns for a 3rd with the same adrenalin rush, real emotions & superior production quality that it has come to be known for. A brand new cast takes the plunge to exotic Thailand and are seen pushing each other out of their comfort zones, tackling their fears head on and taking a big bite out of life”

    Talking about her small screen debut, Evelyn Sharma said, “Life Mein Ek Baar is all about adventure and friendship. It helped me live my biggest dream that too with three amazing girls. I would have never thought I’d get to experience all the things in my bucket list at once!  What appealed me about this show was the positivity along with travelling, adventure and the adrenaline thrill.”

    Echoing the excitement, Pia Trivedi said, “Life Mein Ek Baar gave me the perfect opportunity to get away from my hectic schedules and live my life in an exciting way. The show helped me to embrace each moment in life and live it to the fullest.”

    Talking about her experience, Rochelle Rao said, “Being a part of the show was the ultimate Life Mein Ek Baar moment for me. It was great fun to be out there with your friends and doing a bunch of crazy activities. I always wanted to do bungee jumping and I finally did it and enjoyed it thoroughly.”

    Talking about being on the show, Mahek Chahal said, “I have always loved trying different things and experiences in life and Life Mein Ek Baar just sounded that. I really enjoyed Kite surfing despite a few challenges and Jet packing was also a lot of fun.”

    Watch the high profile girl’s gang live life to the fullest in Life Mein Ek Baar starting 26thNovember 2014 every Wednesday & Thursday at 10 pm only on FOX Life.

    Annexure:  Episodic synopsis

    Episode 1: All the girls meet and share their wish lists of what they want to do in Thailand. Pia has already planned a surprise for the girls- cliff diving. Evelyn and Mehak refuse to do the activity and get upset. So, Rochelle makes a plan for the night to cheers up the girls and she takes them to a famous sundowner party where they raise the toast for the start of their journey.

    Episode 2: Mehak and Rochelle enjoy the day scuba diving whereas Pia and Evelyn rent bikes and explore the Phi Phi Island.

    Episode 3: Pia plans a gyrocopter ride for her and Evelyn, who is scared of height, at the Phuket Airpark. Mehak surprises Rochelle with a paddle surfing experience. Rochelle is extremely grateful to Mahek for surprising her with this amazing experience.

    Episode 4: Girls meet up with John gray, an environmentalist and start on a boat journey to explore the caves. After the cave exploration, John surprises the girls with the camping plan at the no-man’s beach, where they all enjoy and bond over a bonfire.

    Episode 5: Mehak has planned the day for all girls with an exciting visit to the Khao Lak National Park. Rochelle shares her secret fear of white water rafting and all girls decide to try that out and help Rochelle get over her fear. Unfortunately Evelyn hurt her foot while rafting. Girls decide to have some fun and also do zip lining.

    Episode 6: Mehak and Rochelle chill at the Kata beach try their hand at surfing. They enjoy it thoroughly with various successful and unsuccessful attempts. Whereas, Pia and Evelyn explores a unique place called Muslim village, which is made on stilts. They spend their day Fishing, playing football with the locals and also shake a leg with the elderly females of the village.

    Episode 7: Rochelle conquers her fear of heights by doing bungee jumping all alone. On her accomplishment, Pia surprises her with a trip to Tiger kingdom, where they play with the tigers and spread the message of Save Tigers. Evelyn and Mehak enjoy a drive around the city and explore a unique upside down house, where everything from decor to furniture a placed upside down.
     
    Episode 8: Rochelle, Mehak and Evelyn decide to spread love by giving free hugs with the public as previously done by Barbara & Yana in season 2. Pia being the adventurous freak, takes on Para motoring all alone and enjoys her air ride.
     
    Episode 9: Mehak surprises Pia with a kite surfing training session. With many funny falls, they enjoy it to the fullest. As this was their last day in Phuket, Rochelle plans a yacht ride with wine for the girls. They experience the crazy nightlife of the city by taking a tour to the naughtiest street of Phuket – Patong road. Unfortunately Evelyn misses out the fun as she was unwell and was resting.
     
    Episode 10: Evelyn surprises Rochelle and Mehak with a private plane ride with wine and cheese. Evelyn and Pia then enjoy an early morning breakfast at a boathouse restaurant where they meet Chef Ryan and decide to take some cooking tips from him. While taking their cooking classes, they decide to serve some free food to people at beach area and enjoyed the feeling of feeding someone.

  • Green TV to go the AFP way, soon

    Green TV to go the AFP way, soon

    MUMBAI:  India’s first agriculture oriented private TV channel launched on 21 October has already managed to penetrate 11 per cent of the total TV homes in the country.

    However, the channel headed by Nomad Films managing director Junaid Memon, has not been able to get any advertiser on board but it soon plans to change that. “Within the next few days you will see some advertiser funded programmes on Green TV,” says Memon. However, unlike other channels, they won’t be entertainment or news shows but awareness-based programmes that will educate farmers.

    It is looking at one year tie ups with brands wherein shows will be created on ground first and then aired on the channel. Though he did not wish to reveal the names, he says that talks are on with FMCG brands. Memon says that the channel is not going by conventional advertising since is very limiting. “What we can offer is allowing brands to meet their buyer. We are beyond just a TV channel, we can offer two-way communication,” he says.

    “We are picking people from agriculture institutes and then teaching them how to talk to the farmers and how to create shows for TV,” he adds. Currently, the channel has about 160 people which he soon looks to increase to 250.

    The primetime bands are morning 9 am to 12 pm and evening 4 pm to 7 pm with about six hours of original content being produced now. It will be soon taken up to eight hours. Morning shows consist of business, commodity market and daily updates on crop, afternoon is targeted to women with health and education programmes and evening is dedicated to information based technical shows. Memon advises that ‘agriculture’ is just a word but the channel’s scope involves a variety of things including horticulture, pisciculture, etc. All programmes are being shot in HD but currently telecast only in SD.

    The research team consists of 13 people, which he will be increasing to 23 by January. The group CEO is Ravi Bhatnagar, programming head is Nitin Sukheja, sales head is Sudeep Bhattacharya, and distribution head is Devinder Verma.

    It is soon going to bring on board an ad sales company. The marketing for the channel will begin in January with creatives being done by Guava Creative Solutions.
    So far, its distribution team has seeded about 2000 of the targeted 8000 boxes to LCOs.

    It is also closing in on deals with two DTH operators.

     

  • This festive season, add a zing to romance with ‘Date Knight’

    This festive season, add a zing to romance with ‘Date Knight’

    MUMBAI: With festivities and the holiday season round the corner, NDTV Good Times has come up with a new show ‘Dark Knight’ that has a unique concept designed to provide a new take on married life.

    ‘Date Knight’ is a show where a husband takes it upon himself to rekindle the romance in their married life and treat his wife like a queen.

    The show, premiered on 18 October 2014 On NDTV Good Times, airs every Saturday at 7:00 pm and repeats the following Sunday at 5:30 pm and Tuesday at 1:30 pm.

    Directed by Gyan Sahay and Agastya Jain, the series is about showing your wife how much you love, value and appreciate her. The participating husband plans a fun-filled day for his wife while he dons the chef’s hat to cook a three- course meal from her favorite cuisine. After spending the day away from each other, the couple meets over a date.

    Talking about this new concept, Jain said, “The show started with the thought of a role reversal. The husband plans a day in the kitchen while the wife enjoys a day out- a perfect break from her monotonous schedule. The idea itself is romantic and we had a great time shooting with the participating couples. We hope the show sets an example and inspires husbands across the country.”

    The show sponsors include Crown Plaza, Faber and Black Decker.

    ‘Date Knight’ promises to prove that men don’t just listen but also pay attention to detail. It is a show that celebrates love in the most unique way.

    It’s time to break the monotony in your marriage and relive those moments of love and passion with your spouse only with ‘Date Knight’.