ITV

Tag: Action

  • Guest column: Roll camera, action – the show must go on

    Guest column: Roll camera, action – the show must go on

    MUMBAI: ZeeL music cluster deputy business head Pankaj Balhara shares his learnings from 2020:

    1. TV is king

    We always had the conviction within the network about the power of TV, and all those questions were put to rest with the trends and data seen during the lockdown – that OTT and TV can co-exist. Specifically, with our TG (the youth), their consumption also increased during the lockdown but overall, it has remained consistent since the past four to five years.

    2. Resilience and innovation of our industry  

    If Covid2019 has taught the entertainment industry anything, it’s that we can’t continue to go on as we have. After a gap of 100 days due to the national lockdown, it was ‘roll camera, action’ again for the entertainment industry, but even in this phase the industry has shown the resilience to innovate and adapt successfully. During the lockdown, the television industry introduced content which was shot from home. TV merged into the virtual space and everyone in the entertainment industry managed to run their operations innovatively. Adapting to the new norms, TV constructed stories and scenes to keep everybody reasonably distanced. With the ongoing pandemic in mind, makers created new shows that both reflect the socially distanced moment and use its tools. What's exciting overall is that Covid has pushed the industry to work in so many creative ways.

    3. TV and food are two true loves for Indians

    The Covid2019 pandemic has pushed television viewership to record levels as it has seen unprecedented growth. Television consumption at this scale hasn't been witnessed or even imagined before. TV continues to attract maximum new eyeballs as the coronavirus outbreak keeps other options of outdoor entertainment limited. With social distancing and work-from-home being the new normal, families have found themselves with a lot more together time, be it having meals to watching their favourite movies or shows together. Same goes for food – as the pandemic made us housebound, we began buying, cooking, and eating very differently. Today both television and food has taken a centre stage at homes for family bonding and entertainment.    

    4.  And above all, life and entertainment must go on!

    There is no historic parallel to the crisis and uncertainty brought about by Covid2019. But the pandemic has taught us that we don't need too much to be happy. There can be a pause, but life doesn’t get stagnant. The show must go on.

    (The author is deputy business head of ZeeL music cluster. Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to his views.)

  • Barcelona aiming for new unbeaten mark among records in the mix this LaLiga weekend

    Barcelona aiming for new unbeaten mark among records in the mix this LaLiga weekend

    MUMBAI: LaLiga’s teams return to action this weekend with Barcelona aiming to move a step closer to the 2017/18 title, and plenty more on the line up and down the table.

    Leaders Barça will look to set a new all-time LaLiga record of 39 consecutive games unbeaten when they host Valencia at the Camp Nou on Saturday afternoon. But visitors Los Che are on their own hot streak of five straight LaLiga victories, and will provide a stern test for Lionel Messi and company.

    Second placed Atletico Madrid defend their undefeated home record at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon, against a Levante team yet to taste defeat since Paco Lopez took over as coach in early March.

    Fourth placed Real Madrid go to Malaga Sunday evening having lost just once at La Rosaleda in two decades. However, Los Boquerones are now battling for their LaLiga survival and come into the game having won last time out in front of their home fans.

    Two of LaLiga’s most in-form teams meet Friday evening at Montilivi, as Girona’s run of seven wins and a draw in their last eight at home comes up against Real Betis’ six victories in their last eight away games.

    Another big clash in the battle for European qualification comes at the Sanchez-Pizjuan on Saturday, with Villarreal looking to avenge their 3-2 defeat earlier to the season by Sevilla in what was one of LaLiga’s games of the season so far.

    Real Sociedad’s recently installed coach Imanol Alguacil remains unbeaten after two games in charge of the San Sebastian club, while Las Palmas boss Paco Jemez really needs a first win in 10 outings if his team are to climb out of relegation trouble.

    Athletic Club have conceded just nine goals at San Mames all season, where Saturday evening’s visitors Deportivo La Coruña must score for a first time in six away trips if they are to get the three points they require in their battle against the drop.

    Leganes will be aiming to notch their eleventh win of the LaLiga season when Celta Vigo come to Butarque on Saturday afternoon. 24 hours later, elsewhere in suburban Madrid, Getafe will look for their tenth shut-out of the campaign against visitors Espanyol at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

    Sunday afternoon’s Basque derby at Ipurua will see hosts Eibar looking for a first win in six games, while visitors Alaves will be looking for a third consecutive clean sheet.

  • AXN, Home to Billions, Brings Back S1&2 of the powerhouse drama series on popular demand

    AXN, Home to Billions, Brings Back S1&2 of the powerhouse drama series on popular demand

    MUMBAI: AXN, with highest viewership share amongst Women at 30 per cent and Men at 26%, is staying true to its promise of bringing the best content for its viewers. First time ever, the channel will air the ultimate financial drama series Billions S1&S2 back-to-back on weeknights at 10 pm starting November 27.

    The show enjoys a stupendous rating of 8.4/10 on IMDB and is loved by men and women alike as it has all the elements to keep one glued to the TV – Love, Politics, Power, Money, Action and loads of Drama. Season 3 will premiere on the channel in February 2018, along with the US release.

    Billions has a powerhouse of talents with Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe award winners Damian Lewis (of Homeland fame) and Paul Giamatti along with equally talented and powerful female protagonists – Maggie Siff and Malin Akerman.

    In a video made specially for AXN India, Malin Akerman has thanked AXN India viewers for making the show a hit.

    Relive the adrenaline rush as the game gets dirty when Hedge fund kingpin Bobby Axelrod locks horns with U.S Attorney Chuck Rhoades only on AXN

    Source: BARC NCCS AB AI 1 mn+ 15-40 (wk 14 – wk 43, 2017)

  • Times TV: Scans Cannes for English flicks

    Times TV: Scans Cannes for English flicks

    With the recent introduction of Romedy Now to its existing portfolio of channels, the Times Television Network (TTN) will be exploring new content opportunities for its channels Movies Now and the newbie at this year’s MIPCOM.

    Set to take place in Cannes’ eponymous Palais des Festivals off the Boulevard de la Croisette between 7 and 10 October 2013, MipCom is expected to be the biggest since several years, and it appears as though the entertainment ecosystem seems to have shrugged off the economic woes that have been making news headlines in several countries worldwide.

    The scale has tilted from being a buyers’ market to a sellers’ market over the last few years stresses Ajay Trigunayat

    For TTN’s English entertainment channels CEO Ajay Trigunayat, this would be his tenth year at Cannes. Having represented Zee from 2002 to 2006 and TTN (Movies Now) from 2010-12, this year, Trigunayat will be scouting for content to be shown on Romedy Now, TTN’s newly launched romance and comedy channel.

    “I’ll be looking for movies and series and if there is something interesting, then I will have a look at that as well,” says Trigunayat, adding, “The scale has tilted from being a buyers’ market to a sellers’ market over the last few years.”

    While a cross-section of genres like romance, comedy, action, thriller and horror would be under his scrutiny, he isn’t too keen on drama movies. “We don’t buy drama because it does not have too much of traction with Indian audiences,” he emphasises. 

    For TTN, MIPCOM is more about meeting people and getting to know them on a personal level. According to Trigunayat, it’s a catalyst for meetings to happen while real deals happen later on.

    He is looking forward to meeting biggies like Fox, Warner Bros, and Regency and see what they have in store for them from this year’s releases. On the subject of budgets, he says a substantial amount of money (higher double digit crores) is kept aside for acquisitions, the discussions for which begin or end as deals at MIPCOM.

    He gives an example of how discussions were initiated with Monarchy, the production side of Regency, last year, and more than 100 titles were bought from them. He points out that his team is sticking to big titles and from major studios worldwide and Latin American films are not part of his slate as their quality and sensibilities don’t appeal to Indian viewers. 

  • sapnon ki udaan will launch with select value partners!

    sapnon ki udaan will launch with select value partners!

    MUMBAI: Everything about the launch of ‘&pictures’ has gotten the nation talking. Now with the unique value proposition being offered to the channel’s advertisers, ‘&pictures’ is adding another first in its kitty.

    While others search for sponsors and advertisers, ’&pictures’ has brought on board exclusive channel partners to collaborate with the channel on the journey of its launch. Few of the partners who have been brought on board for ‘&pictures’ are – P&G (Oral B and Pantene), Vini Cosmetics and Hindustan Unilever Limited (AXE). These value partners have a special partner status across all communication mediums of &pictures – be it on-air or off air communication. During the first 45 days of the launch of ‘&pictures’, all of the inventory on the channel will be shared between these value partners.

    ZEEL, Chief Sales Officer, Mr. Ashish Sehgal talks about this unique value proposition as being mutually beneficial to both parties. He says, “We are offering our value partners a clutter free environment wherein the viewers are a very specific set of the target audience that they wish to speak to. This is a premium offering from the bouquet of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) that allows for a premium advertiser association. We had successfully explored a differentiated revenue stream during the launch of Zee Bangla Cinema wherein we had just one sponsor at the time of launch. With ‘&pictures’, we decided to modify the approach by bringing on a few exclusive value partners for the channel instead of just one. These partners have given us their vote of confidence and they will continue to receive preferential treatment from the channel at all times. This will surely create a unique value for our partners. With this association, we are elevating our commitment to developing a deep, long term relationship with them every step of the way as we launch ‘&pictures’."

    ZEEL, Cinema Cluster Head, AD Sales, Mr. Ali Zainul Abedeen Zaidi says “In a country that is obsessed with cricket & Bollywood, the launch of ‘&pictures’ allows us to offer clients a complete cinema package which appeals to every possible segment of film enthusiasts. While Zee Cinema has mass appeal to viewers across all genres, Zee Classic reaches out to cinema lovers with an appreciation for vintage and evergreen films. Zee Premiere & Action are digital offerings to niche audiences, and ‘&pictures’ is a premium channel that speaks to audiences who are ambitious yet rooted. Zee now becomes a one-stop shop for advertisers who consume cinema as a genre.”

    Talking about their association with ‘&pictures’, Darshan Patel, Chairman & MD, Vini Cosmetics and Dipam Patel, Joint Managing Director, Vini Cosmetics say “Our association with ZEE has been a long standing one and we have never been disappointed. It gives us great pleasure to associate with a young vibrant brand like ‘&pictures which reaches out to the emerging class of Indians who are high achievers yet have not lost sight of their rich Indian heritage, so it is a great brand fit for us!”

    Binu Ninan, Brand Manager, Pantene & Ritu Mittal, Brand Manager, Oral-B, of Procter & Gamble say "We at P & G are proud to be associated with '&pictures' as it embodies the best qualities of both our brands, Oral-B and Pantene. Through the years, Pantene and Oral B have enhanced the lifestyle of people to make it better and healthier. Pantene and Oral B value this opportunity to get in touch with their consumers and recognize the importance of the right content and the right context to reach consumers. We have found that our consumers judge our brands by the company they keep and with '&pictures' reaching out to the evolving Indian mindset that is ambitious yet in touch with their roots, we believe we will have the attention of the right audience for our brands. We look forward to this partnership with '&pictures' and are excited about the launch of the channel."

  • RTL Group joins forces with CBS Studios International

    RTL Group joins forces with CBS Studios International

    MUMBAI: The RTL Group is joining forces with CBS Studios International to launch two channels, one focused on general entertainment and the other featuring reality, action and extreme sports, across South East Asia.

     

    RTL Group began targeting Asia in 2011, partnering with Reliance Broadcast Network to launch the BIG RTL Thrill network in India in 2012. CBS Studios International also has a partnership with Reliance in India for three channels: BIG CBS Prime, BIG CBS Spark and BIG CBS Love.

     

    The RTL-CBS venture, RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network, will be based in Singapore, reporting to a board featuring representatives from both companies. It will operate RTL CBS Entertainment, slated for a September 2013 launch, delivering shows like FremantleMedia’s The X Factor, America’s Got Talent and Celebrity Apprentice and CBS’s Elementary and Under the Dome. In spring 2014, RTL CBS Extreme will roll out offering action/adventure, reality series and extreme sports, such as NCIS: Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-0 and Fear Factor. The channels will have ongoing access to content from FremantleMedia and CBS Studios International.

     

    RTL Group co-CEO Guillaume de Posch said, “We are delighted to team up with CBS Studios International. By joining forces with such a renowned global partner, we are continuing our tried-and-tested build strategy, expanding our business to more countries in Asia with high growth potential. CBS is a highly creative and professional organisation with world-leading content which complements FremantleMedia’s catalogue very well. I am very confident that this venture will benefit strongly from the combined broadcasting and production expertise of both parties.”

     

    CBS Global Distribution Group president and CEO Armando Nu?ez added, “This is another opportunity to use CBS’s internationally successful content to be part of a new channel venture in one of the world’s fastest growing TV regions. It’s even better to do it with a best-in-class partner such as RTL Group, one of the most accomplished and respected broadcasters anywhere. We’re excited to create an additive way to monetise our content in Asia and provide audiences throughout the region the best television from two of the world’s most successful programming companies.”