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Tag: Abhishek Rege

  • Endemol shine india celebrates the launch of the 25th season of the bigg boss franchise in india!

    Endemol shine india celebrates the launch of the 25th season of the bigg boss franchise in india!

    MUMBAI: Bigg Boss, the ultimate reality show has done it again! After conquering audiences, across Hindi, Kannada, Bangla, Telugu, Marathi and Tamil markets the show launched its premiere season in Malayalam this weekend. The launch marks the 25th season in totality for the franchise in India. Globally Endemol Shine India is the only territory in history of the franchise to have produced the Big Brother format (Bigg Boss) in multiple languages for different broadcasters. In India, Bigg Boss is now produced in 7 languages, with an output of 600 episodes across the calendar year.

    Having become a favorite since its launch in 2006, Big Boss is undoubtedly the biggest & most popular reality show in India with an enviable viewership.  Over the years, it’s found a place in the heart of the viewer breaking across languages, traditions & cultures. Produced at a mammoth scale, the show is testament to a synergy between provocative creatives, state of the art production and logistics.

    While first produced in Hindi, the show became easily adapted itself to other languages and cultures – & still garners huge TRP’s (often rated the #1 Non-Scripted) for its broadcasters and their digital platforms. With the legacy of having Iconic stars as hosts, the show boasts of an association with the likes of Salman Khan, Kamala Hassan, Nani, Mohanlal, Mahesh Manjrekar and Sudeep with an equally compelling mix of housemates.

    Talking about the completion of 25 seasons of the franchise in India market, Abhishek Rege, CEO, Endemol Shine India said, “Bigg Boss, now in its 7th language and 25th season, is undoubtedly the most popular non-scripted show across the country entertaining viewers from all strata of society. We have come a long way since the launch in 2006. The Series has always been well received and has become part of the Nation’s TV viewing culture.  The ongoing appreciation for the franchise, no matter the language is testament to the effort of the Creative and Production teams at Endemol Shine India and their understanding of geographies and of local audiences. The love for the show constantly encourages us to strive to entertain, innovate and engage the viewers season after season.”

    Endemol Shine India has produced over 170 shows which have translated in to nearly 6000 hours of programming across 8 languages. Boasting of one of the most experienced creative & production teams across all genres, in the business –  the company takes pride in ensuring that the franchise remains refreshed and that the level of intrigue regarding the show only grows each season. 

  • Endemol Shine sees scripted shows as new area of growth

    Endemol Shine sees scripted shows as new area of growth

    MUMBAI: Endemol Shine India (Endemol Shine), best known for producing shows such as Bigg Boss, Master Chef, Khatron Ke Khiladi and Dance India, has a lot going for it this year. The company will produce the second season of The Test Case for Balaji Telefilms’ OTT platform ALTBalaji after tasting success in the first season. Moreover, the production house is planning a slew of originals after securing book rights from Indian authors and publishers.

    In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Endemol Shine CEO Abhishek Rege said that while the focus remains on unscripted shows, it is the scripted shows that will help the company grow leaps and bounds. During the conversation, Rege revealed that Endemol Shine could dabble into owning an IP for a show if there is scope for pre-selling the material to broadcasters.

    Recently, the company joined hands with the premium video-on-demand service Viu to produce a localised, ten-episode adaptation of global phenomenon The Bridge. Going forward, the production house has set its sights on producing more original shows.

    Edited excerpts:

    Tell us about your plans for 2018.

    We are discussing the next subsequent series for The Test Case with ALTBalaji. We are also looking at a lot of developments in terms of originals, based on book rights with Indian authors; I think we will be able to make an announcement by May. We have tied up with Indian authors and publishers for the same. It’s still in the development stage; it could be in the international production level as well. We have reached non-scripted shows and will continue to grow with the same format. Having said that, what will help us grow is scripted shows. We treat digital or traditional TV platforms as scripted. Those are the growth areas that we see. As a company, we want to produce more original shows. We are expecting an increase, both in terms of revenue and bottom-line.

    What is your take on production houses retaining show IPs?

    If a project comes by and if we are allowed, we could take that risk but, ideally, not right now. The story should be good enough to take it to the international markets. We could do a pre-sale because we have the backend to do that. We could flip the model a bit, but broadly the same model applies that the Indian broadcaster would be paying much lesser than the cost.

    What do you think about GEC viewership being impacted during IPL season?

    We have probably moved past that thanks to the second screen. Largely, sports and news are already consumed on the phones. At the end of the day, traditional TV still survives because it’s the mass promotion mix. Whatever you do with the IPL, you have to advertise on the screens. Every individual will have their own screen. They have sports, Olympics to watch on one screen, they will have traditional TV to watch for something else. So, Amazon and Netflix are not affected and TV is also not affected.

    What is your take on mythological shows?

    As they say ‘old is gold’, all the old songs still work. Ten to fifteen years back, 18-20 year olds also watched that. Your grandparents taught you about mythology for your understanding; some are forced to consume these shows, while some willingly watched it. For instance, take a show named Jai Malhar, grandparents forced the youth to watch this show. The youth didn’t go to watch it, it was the pre-teens and the younger lot, in the evening, after coming back from playing or school, their grandparents have the TV on with Jai Malhar.

    What is your thought on content segmentation strategy?

    I don’t think that really exists. It used to be 10 years back. The assumption was that the channel wanted to keep their viewers to them, it was never a fight about the product, it was a fight about the channel. So, the idea behind it was, no one moves to another channel as the control shifts, the housewives will take over or the grandparents will take over…that was the theory earlier as it was channel to channel. Later there were many shows on different channels. So, right now it is more of a psychological thing rather than a strategy.

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  • Abhishek Rege elevated as Endemol CEO

    Abhishek Rege elevated as Endemol CEO

    MUMBAI: Another big news has come right after Endemol Shine India managing director and CEO put down his papers. The COO of the production house, Abhishek Rege, is being elevated as the new CEO. 

    A source close to the development confirmed the news to Indiantelevision.com that Dhar will be starting his own venture and Rege will helm the company.

    Rege has been associated with Endemol for more than seven years now. He worked with Endemol in 2007 for three years as head of commercial and legal before joining Viacom 18 as director business operation, international business. 

    Then he rejoined Endemol in 2012 as chief operating officer of the television section and later was promoted to chief operating officer of the production house in September 2016. 

  • Endemol Shine India’s Abhishek Rege to head films as well

    Endemol Shine India’s Abhishek Rege to head films as well

    MUMBAI: Endemol Shine India has elevated Abhishek Rege as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Television & Films. Rege currently leads the television business of the company as COO for Television. One of the leading and most valuable content production companies in India across television, film and digital content, Endemol Shine India is currently the premier content provider in the Sub-Continent, producing over 800 hours of programming annually for the biggest broadcasters across mainstream & regional. The company has also recently forayed into the movie making business and has co-produced films like Brothers, Traffic and Te3n. In his new role, Abhishek will be responsible to nurture and further grow the company’s film business in India, in addition to overlooking Endemol Shine India’s robust Television Business. Abhishek will continue to report into Deepak Dhar, MD and CEO, Endemol Shine India.

    Abhishek has been pivotal in driving growth for the television business at Endemol Shine India by developing franchises of high performing contents/shows, implementing regional diversification and ensuring strategic presence in production across most of the key markets in India. An accomplished professional with an in-depth knowledge in all aspects of the media industry, Abhishek has a proven success record and is proficient in leveraging comprehensive markets and industry knowledge to ensure high momentum business growth, build a high performance team and forecast future business needs. Abhishek is an empowering leader skilled in attracting and retaining industry talent, building positive employee relationships and tailoring management style to accommodate diverse personalities, skill sets and experience levels.

    “Having worked with Abhishek closely for many years, I have great confidence in his understanding and capabilities of the business. Leading such a diverse portfolio in today’s dynamic environment is a mammoth task. Under Abhishek’s able leadership our television business continues to grow and I am confident that he will also evolve our burgeoning film business”, said Deepak Dhar, MD & CEO, Endemol Shine India, about the new appointment.

    “I am delighted to have the opportunity to spearhead the film business for Endemol Shine India. By venturing into films, we have embarked on an ambitious growth path, not just from a business perspective, but also as creative professionals. I look forward to working closely with Deepak to grow the business further.” said Abhishek Rege.

    Prior to Endemol Shine, Abhishek was a Director of Business Operations for Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd, New Jersey, USA and was responsible for its revenues and subscriptions by spearheading strategic, multilingual and local marketing campaigns. Abhishek started his career at Star India where he played a key role in scheduling and acquisition of content for the International beams and for the premium channels for the Tata Sky DTH service in addition to handling key commercial and compliance roles for the STAR channels.

  • Endemol Shine India’s Abhishek Rege to head films as well

    Endemol Shine India’s Abhishek Rege to head films as well

    MUMBAI: Endemol Shine India has elevated Abhishek Rege as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Television & Films. Rege currently leads the television business of the company as COO for Television. One of the leading and most valuable content production companies in India across television, film and digital content, Endemol Shine India is currently the premier content provider in the Sub-Continent, producing over 800 hours of programming annually for the biggest broadcasters across mainstream & regional. The company has also recently forayed into the movie making business and has co-produced films like Brothers, Traffic and Te3n. In his new role, Abhishek will be responsible to nurture and further grow the company’s film business in India, in addition to overlooking Endemol Shine India’s robust Television Business. Abhishek will continue to report into Deepak Dhar, MD and CEO, Endemol Shine India.

    Abhishek has been pivotal in driving growth for the television business at Endemol Shine India by developing franchises of high performing contents/shows, implementing regional diversification and ensuring strategic presence in production across most of the key markets in India. An accomplished professional with an in-depth knowledge in all aspects of the media industry, Abhishek has a proven success record and is proficient in leveraging comprehensive markets and industry knowledge to ensure high momentum business growth, build a high performance team and forecast future business needs. Abhishek is an empowering leader skilled in attracting and retaining industry talent, building positive employee relationships and tailoring management style to accommodate diverse personalities, skill sets and experience levels.

    “Having worked with Abhishek closely for many years, I have great confidence in his understanding and capabilities of the business. Leading such a diverse portfolio in today’s dynamic environment is a mammoth task. Under Abhishek’s able leadership our television business continues to grow and I am confident that he will also evolve our burgeoning film business”, said Deepak Dhar, MD & CEO, Endemol Shine India, about the new appointment.

    “I am delighted to have the opportunity to spearhead the film business for Endemol Shine India. By venturing into films, we have embarked on an ambitious growth path, not just from a business perspective, but also as creative professionals. I look forward to working closely with Deepak to grow the business further.” said Abhishek Rege.

    Prior to Endemol Shine, Abhishek was a Director of Business Operations for Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd, New Jersey, USA and was responsible for its revenues and subscriptions by spearheading strategic, multilingual and local marketing campaigns. Abhishek started his career at Star India where he played a key role in scheduling and acquisition of content for the International beams and for the premium channels for the Tata Sky DTH service in addition to handling key commercial and compliance roles for the STAR channels.

  • Endemol’s ‘Lagori’ wins the viewer’s choice award for ‘best serial of the year’

    Endemol’s ‘Lagori’ wins the viewer’s choice award for ‘best serial of the year’

    MUMBAI:  Endemol India produced Lagori …Maitri Returns which airs on Star Pravah every Monday to Friday at 9pm, has been named the Best Serial of the year at the Viewer’s choice MMW (marathimovieworld.com) Gaurav awards.  Popular actress Anuja Sathe-Gokhale who reprises the role of Urmila was awarded the Best Actress award in the viewer’s choice television category.

    Lagori Maitri Return, the fun filled emotional roller coaster ride of friends Mukta, Poorva, Rujuta, Urmila and Dhanashree has received immense love and support from fans. The story line with the twists and truths of their life and friendship in the Marathi daily soap which started in February 2014, has already struck the right cord with its audiences andrecently also completed 250 episodes on Star Pravaah
    Commenting on the recent awards and the completion of the 250th episode of Lagori Maitri Returns, Abhishek Rege, COO – Television, Endemol India, said “Lagori Maitri Returns has touched a chord with the audiences especially a younger demographic who identify with the story and the characters. The serial through these 250 episodes has weaved a touching tale of friendship and bonds which has left a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. This love has been vindicated with the show receiving the Viewer’s Choice MMW award.”
     
    Anand Chavan Marathi Business Head, Endemol India, added “The recognition and the response the show is receiving is very gratifying. The storyline resonates with the audiences own life experiences, and further lends to the popularity of the show.  We hope that with continuing support from Star Pravah team and the cast and crew, the show continues reaching new highs.”
     
    Stay tuned to the most popular girl gang on television On Star Pravah from Monday to Saturday – Prime Time 9 PM.

     

  • ‘Bigg Boss’ Kannada continues to peak in season 2

    ‘Bigg Boss’ Kannada continues to peak in season 2

    MUMBAI: Endemol’s most successful reality format Bigg Boss has done it again! Season 2 of Bigg Boss Kannada hosted by Sudeep, aired on Suvarna TV, Star Network’s Kannada General Entertainment Channel, has hit the top of the charts and has been increasingly gaining popularity with audiences across age groups. The unpredictable format of the show has won over the viewers’ attention and loyalty garnering a 6.41 TVR in the last week of August with an average of 753 million viewers; an approximate 25 per cent increase over the 604 million viewers for Season 1 of the show.

     

    As unpredictable and entertaining as ever this seasons’ numerous surprises have ensured that Bigg Boss Kannada is one of the most talked about shows on regional television. The anticipation and the excitement for the launch of the second season was palpable right from the start; it launched at 961 TVM vs. 661 TVM in the first season. The show also contributes approximately 40 per cent of the channel’s GVM and is one of the key factors attributing to the channels current number 2 position.

     

    Endemol India COO – Television Abhishek Rege said, “The combination of Superstar Sudeep, the Bigg Boss Kannada House, an intriguing mix of housemates and Suvarna TV is an explosive one. The disruptive and differentiated format and content of the show has hit a high note with the audiences and the peaking TVR’s and the show’s gaining popularity are evidence of the same. We are encouraged by the fantastic response received by Bigg Boss Kannada Season 2 and hope that the legacy of record breaking TRP’s for Bigg Boss continues.”

     

    Bigg Boss Kannada Season-2 based on the successful format of “Big Brother” airs every day at 8 PM only on Suvarna TV.

  • Endemol India gets Ashok Vidyasagar as senior VP for south

    Endemol India gets Ashok Vidyasagar as senior VP for south

    MUMBAI: Endemol India is getting an expert hand to lead operations of the entire south India business in new senior vice president Ashok Vidyasagar. His mandate will be to focus on scripted business opportunities as well as exploit the non scripted catalog of Endemol in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

     

    Vidyasagar will be based out of Chennai and report to Endemol India COO (Television) Abhishek Rege. He has had nearly five years of experience in the media and entertainment industry and TV programming.

     

    Prior to this he was with Big Synergy Media as business director for south operations, Bates 141 as senior VP and general manager, Enfatico as country lead, group business director at DDB and account director at HTA Bangalore and JWT.

     

    Speaking on his appointment Rege said, “Regional markets, especially the southern markets, are fast-growing verticals for Endemol India.  We have always been focused on building regional franchises of our global shows especially in the south. In the past too we have seen great success with Deal or No Deal in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam and now most recently Bigg Boss Kannada has been a huge hit.  With Ashok leading the southern market, we hope to further expand and build more such ventures. We welcome him to the Endemol India team and look forward to benefiting from his talent and experience.”

     

    Ashok has a commerce background with a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration with additional studies completed under the Executive Education from IIM, Bangalore on Integrated Marketing Communications.

     

    “I am excited about my new role at Endemol India.  Endemol India, is one of India’s largest TV content companies with presence in television, film and digital content, and has in a short time, taken great strides in the south market most recently with the success of Bigg Boss in Kannada. I look forward to building its business down south and establishing new ventures while growing and driving forward existing business. Branded content and branded engagement in TV is huge business and other new media like digital, YouTube, cinema and mobile make interesting avenues for expanding the scope of content strategy and business. I would like to leverage my brand experience and work on content strategies for brands and channels in the south of India which is an exciting set of four markets. With the increasing percentage of ad spends of national brands in south, the possibilities are huge for branded engagement and content. Value and volume of new content in south India have shown impressive growth year on year. Hence, brands and channels are ready to make high investments for content resulting better ROI for them and therein lies the business opportunity for content,” said  Vidyasagar.

  • Bigg Boss Kannada 2 rules the air-waves on Suvarna TV in its first week

    Bigg Boss Kannada 2 rules the air-waves on Suvarna TV in its first week

    MUMBAI: The verdict is out… Bigg Boss Kannada Season 2 tops the charts with an overall 5.7 TVR. The grand launch episode aired with a 6.7 TVR and the intriguing mix of housemates are all set to make this the most exciting season of Bigg Boss on Suvarna TV.

     
    The reality show is attracting strong eye balls in a short span of time and has scored a peak TVR of 7.9 on the first elimination on Saturday during the nail biting FIFA World Cup matches. And now, taking further the encouraging success of the Bigg Boss regional formats, the show will soon expand its Southern presence with Tamil and Telugu variants by the end of this year.

     
    Endemol India COO Abhishek Rege said, “Bigg Boss Kannada has done it again; its irresistibly interesting and unpredictable content has enraptured the viewers. With lots more surprises on the way; host Sudeep and this year’s interesting mix of housemates will ensure that this season is going to be an addictive one.”

    Produced by Endemol India Private Limited, Bigg Boss presents the unique combination of reality and real, unscripted drama. It is the ultimate reality show where 14 celebrities from Cinema, Television, & other fields compete for the BIGG BOSS winner title. They would live under the same roof for over 14 weeks with cameras following their every little move 24×7 and Bigg Boss, the ultimate authority in the house who ensures that their stay is anything but comfortable. As the 14 contestants vie to survive in the Bigg Boss house, one will see all emotions – irritation, backbiting and backstabbing reach its prime. This is one reality show that brings out the best and the worst side of contestants, loud gets louder, bold gets bolder and mean gets meaner.

    Bigg Boss Season-2 is telecasted every day at 8 pm only on Suvarna TV

  • Suvarna sets high hopes with Bigg Boss Kannada 2

    Suvarna sets high hopes with Bigg Boss Kannada 2

    BENGALURU: A few weeks ago, Indiantelevision.com had reported that Star Network’s Kannada general entertainment channel (GEC) Suvarna has bagged the rights of the second season of Bigg Boss Kannada (BBK) from ETV Kannada.

     

    And the channel is all set to start airing the 100 episode daily show starting 29 June hosted by Kannada actor Sudeep again.

     

    To keep the mystery alive, Suvarna claims that the names of the 14 contestants have been kept under wraps with the winner taking home a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh. Suvarna business head Anup Chandrasekharan says, “We have always brought in different and exciting content for our audience and we are delighted to bring to your screens yet another thrilling series. Bigg Boss Kannada promises to be an electrifying season in its second innings.”

     

    A key differentiator between the Kannada and Hindi editions is the set at Lonavala which is simpler and has fewer cameras (35 maximum).  

     

    Produced by Endemol India, BBK 2 is an hour long episode to be aired between 8 to 9 pm will see a three hour long premiere, inform sources at the channel.

     

    Endemol India COO Abhishek Rege adds, “Bigg Boss has captured the attention of Indian audiences all over! With a legacy of record breaking TRPs it has truly gained momentum on both national and regional television with the continuing success Bigg Boss Hindi and fantastic response received by Bigg Boss Kannada season 1.”

     

    The channel has roped in OLX.in as the title sponsor, CERA as the powered by sponsor, Dollar Bigg Boss as associate sponsor and many more are lined up. The channel says that it is selling ad spots at a 200 per cent premium. Chandrasekharan says that he is looking at a 70-30 (spot-buying) split, with 70 per cent advertisers and sponsors already booked.

     

    A 360 degree marketing plan has been designed for BBK 2, for which it has earmarked around Rs 8 crore. This includes 150 hoardings across Karnataka and on 50 bus shelters in Bengaluru, 100 branded buses and ad spots on three radio stations. It has also planned for print ads in all publications on the launch day as well as magazine. Other outdoor and BTL activities include multiplex activity at PVR and Inox, mall branding in Bengaluru, door to door activity and mobile van activity.

     

    The channel is promoting the programme heavily on the digital platform through its website and social networking sites. It also intends to have a sub domain for BBK. The channel will dedicate 70 per cent of its promo time on this show during the launch phase, as well as run spots on its sister channel, Suvarna Plus.

     

    Industry sources peg the production cost of the show at about Rs 16 crore to Rs 17 crore across the 100 episodes, with the total cost pegged at around Rs 30 crore to Rs 35 crore. “There is no such thing as inflation. This season will cost about the same as last season to produce the show,” reveals the source. About 800 technicians would be working in shifts behind the scenes.

     

    While Chandrasekharan claims non disclosure agreement (NDA) reasons for not disclosing the amount that the channel is paying for retaining host Sudeep, industry sources put the amount at between Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2.5 crore.

     

     “Sudeep was the obvious choice for season 2 as well. If we had brought in someone else, it would be like re-inventing the wheel. So what if the show has switched channels?” says a source at Endemol India.

     

    Though the show did bring in ratings numbers for ETV Kannada during in season one, it did not rake in the money that was expected reveals an industry source. “This was probably the reason that the Star Network could take the show away from Viacom18,” explains the source.