ITV

Tag: Ally McBeal

  • Romedy Now completes 2 years; commands 58% share in English GECs

    Romedy Now completes 2 years; commands 58% share in English GECs

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel (GEC) Romedy Now has completed two years and as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data, the channel today commands 58 per cent share viewership in the genre. Additionally, 18 shows out of the top 25 shows in the English GEC genre are on Romedy Now.

     

    What’s more, as compared to last year, the channel’s ad rates have also gone up by 50 – 60 per cent. 

     

    Since its launch on 22 September, 2013, Romedy Now has been home to some of the most romantic movies and funniest shows. Shows like FRIENDS, Ally Mcbeal, Witches Of East End, 2 Broke Girls, Friends With Better Lives and Jane The Virgin have all partnered in the growth of the channel and have contributed to its success.

     

    Speaking on the channel completing two years, Times Network head English entertainment cluster senior vice president Vivek Srivastava said, “The channel has done very well in the last two years in terms of numbers. We are constantly number one in BARC India and TAM Media Research (TAM). Romedy doesn’t command the share of mind but the share of heart and that’s the strength of our brand. The channel command 58 per cent viewership in the genre and in the last 13 weeks, 18 shows out of the top 25 shows in English GEC space are on Romedy Now. That is the power of the content we have. Moreover, Romedy Now is not compared with the movie channels’ segment but with the English entertainment space. That said, even if it were compared with the movie channels’ segment, it holds the leadership position.”

     

    Recently Romedy Now added an extra hour of content with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which is being simulcast in India with the US. “The mood of the channel determines the content that we acquire and the mood of the channel is happy. So any romantic movie or feel good factor will feature on the channel and that is the kind of content that we acquire,” he added.

     

    Throwing light on the channel’s ad revenue compared to last year as well as the category of clients that have come on board, Srivastava said, “We have almost doubled our revenues as far as Romedy is concerned because it is the only segmented and differentiated brand in the category. It has a very strong appeal so advertisers’ pull on the brand has been fantastic. The ad rates have gone up by 50 – 60 per cent from last year. We don’t have to hard sell the brand and that’s an advantage we have. E-commerce, automobile, jewellery and FMCGs are the big category clients that we have on board.”

     

    As part of the second anniversary celebrations, the channel premiered the Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson starrer British comedy The Love Punch on 22 September at 9 pm.

     

    Romedy Now has also launched an anniversary contest called ‘Happy 2gether.’

     

    On the programming front, the channel launched one of America’s best sitcoms – Hot in Cleveland on 21 September, which is being aired from Monday to Friday at 8.30 pm. In October the channel is planning to launch Addicted to Love in the romantic slot at 9 pm, whereas November will see How I Met Your Mother launching. For Diwali, the channel will be airing a special called Diwali Delights as well as the Romedy of the month movie – Girl Most Likely.

  • Romedy Now makes Friday’s more fantastic!

    Romedy Now makes Friday’s more fantastic!

    MUMBAI: Romedy NOW has announced the launch of two new series called ‘Jake in Progress’ and ‘Traffic Light’. The channel that also airs the popular series like F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Ally McBeal, Better off Ted, 2 Broke Girls and Friends with Better Lives will now also add these two new series to its extensive line-up assuring its audience a dose of love and laughter. Starting Friday, 25 July 2014 at 8pm viewers can witness the on-goings in the life of a celebrity publicist with ‘Jake in Progress’; followed by ‘Traffic Light’ starting Friday, 1 August 2014 at 8:30pm, which showcases the life of three friends at different stages of their lives.

     

    The suave New York celebrity publicist Jake Phillips (played by John Stamos) wants to put the brakes on his fast-paced life in ‘Jake in Progress’. After years of flings, he wants the real thing and be a one-woman-man. There’s just one glitch – he can’t be can’t tied down. Jake is constantly on his toes saving his clients from career-ruining situations. Jake is the go-to guy for everything. But in the bargain he lands himself in impossibly ridiculous situations. He also has to play the go-between for his shrew of a boss Naomi and the staff/clients. Where is the time for love? So when Naomi tries to hook him up with her photographer sister Kylie, he has the door slammed on his face right on the first date! Kylie happens to be just one of the girls he had a one-night-stand with and never called again. Jake has to make Kylie come around but foiling his plans is her ex-boyfriend, the nutty Patrick, who will make life hell for Jake every instance he can.  Finding the perfect woman is work in progress for Jake in this rib-tickling series.

     

    The fun doesn’t stop just at watching the series. Fans can indulge in conversations with fellow fans.  They can check out what the need to tame down can do to the best of us… whether going from ‘I sleep early…in the morning’ to ‘Early to bed, early to rise’ or from ‘Spent $1,000 on a wild night out’ to ‘Enrolled for Yoga class for $300’ and many more such posts on Facebook that one can relate to. What vice would fans like to say goodbye to? They can do so on Twitter with #IfICouldChange hashtag. Also if one is looking for Mr. Right like Jake they can check out the  facebook page for more updates!

     

    From Jake’s mad antics to friendship and love, Traffic Light will remind fans that friendship and love are really sweet and bring so much happiness to one’s life but they can also complicate life! Three guys Adam, Mike and Ethan have been buddies since college and now in their 30s, they are all at different stages of life. Mike (David Denman) is a lawyer and a family man looking for a few moments of ‘me time’ once in a while. Adam (Nelson Franklin) has just moved in with his crackerjack of a girlfriend Callie and is soon finding out the big difference between a girlfriend coming over a lot and a girlfriend who has moved in. Ethan (Kris Marshall) is the footloose and fancy-free perpetual bachelor who is very charming but finds the proverbial all the fish in the single pond are fast being taken. Watch their different lives intertwine and their moments of friendship, love and infuriation all at once will make for the most humorous experience.

     

    The two new series promise a lot of love in abundance on Romedy NOW.

  • Romedy NOW announces 4 new series this month

    Romedy NOW announces 4 new series this month

    MUMBAI: Romedy NOW will raise the entertainment quotient starting 25th April, with 4 new series, making it the only English GEC to have the widest range of content. While viewers are relishing the coolest line up of series such as ‘Witches of the East End’, ‘Ally McBeal’, ‘Kitchen Confidential’ and the most recent ‘Friends with Better Lives’, a lot more entertainment is just around the corner to add to their daily dose of Love & Laughter. The exclusive English General Entertainment destination offers an additional line-up of 4 new series – ‘1600 Penn’, ‘Back in the Game’, ‘Better off Ted’ and ‘2 Broke Girls’. The channel takes another gigantic step in reinforcing itself as the top Indian English GEC with these four awesome new series.

    Commenting on the launch of the series, Shantanu Gangane, Times Television Network – English Entertainment Channels, Cluster Head – Marketing, said “Romedy NOW has established its leadership in the English GEC space in less than 6 months. While we are getting positive feedback from our viewers on the series that we have already launched, we are taking a step further to bond with our viewers with 4 new exclusive & refreshing series launches. These 4 new series offer different shades of love & laughter and promise variety and super entertainment throughout the summer season.”

    The Election fever is soaring high. While the candidates are passionately struggling to win, The Most Powerful Man In The US, The President has to contend with battles of his own in ‘1600 Penn’, as his dysfunctional family messes about not just with his image but also the affairs of the state. Catch President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman) and his family living in the White House comprising a trophy wife Emily (Jenna Elfman), a couch potato and goofy for an elder son Skip, an overachieving elder daughter Becca, a genius youngest kid Xander and an eccentric schoolgirl daughter Marigold. Enjoy the antics and exploits from 25th April, Friday, 8 PM.

    A young single mother Terry Gannon (Maggie Lawson) dumps her loser husband and temporarily moves in with her estranged father who is a former baseball player but now just a beer-chugging opinionated couch potato. She has left a world of baseball behind but is drawn into it again as she has to train her son’s underdog little league baseball team. Watch her trials and triumphs in ‘Back in the Game’, Friday, 8:30 PM starting 2nd May.

    ‘Better off Ted’ is a satirical sitcom about an ethical man Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington) working for an unethical science and technology R & D company. Work for this single father and company head involves things such as creating a suicidal turkey, and he loves his job! Follow his hilarious day-to-day situations and eccentricities of the scientific minds as he starts contemplating about the questionable practices of his company. The experiments begin on Saturday, 10th May, 8 PM.

    Finally! Enjoy the wo-mance of two girls in their mid-20s Max Black (Kat Dennings) and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs) who are as different as chalk and cheese. But they have one thing in common – They are both broke! One of the most popular and hilarious US series and winner of Emmy Awards and People’s Choice Awards, ‘2 Broke Girls’ chronicles the lives of the two penniless girls – Max is an impoverished girl used to the hardships & Caroline the rich brat who goes bust after her scamster father is caught. The joyride starts from Saturday, 10th May, 8:30 PM.

    Every evening is a perk with the 4 new series only on Romedy NOW!

  • Romedy Now will leave you bewitched, bothered & bewildered

    Romedy Now will leave you bewitched, bothered & bewildered

    MUMBAI: It’s been almost a decade since the Halliwell sisters kept us Charmed with their Book of Shadows and the Triquetra. Now, the Beauchamp quartet is brewing to leave us spellbound in The Witches of East End, airing Sunday nights at 8 on Romedy Now, 26 January onward.

     

    The series was acquired by the channel as part of its content acquisition across studios during the Los Angeles screening in May last year. Based on Melissa De Cruz’s New York Times bestseller of the same name, The Witches of East End revolves round a family of witches. Freya, a wild-child bartender played by Jenna Dewan Tatum and her sister Ingrid, a shy librarian played by Rachel Boston are unaware of their supernatural powers until one of them gets engaged to a wealthy newcomer and their mother is forced to reveal that they are indeed powerful and immortal witches.

     

    According to Times Television Network English Entertainment Channels CEO Ajay Trigunayat, acquiring the new series is in keeping with the conceptualisation of Romedy Now as a blend of movies and the best TV series from around the world. The channel’s content stems from its identity and key communication formulated post extensive consumer research, feedback, analysis and strategy.

     

    The channel is betting big on the new series. “The demographic audience is SEC AB 15 – 44 years of age both male and female across eight metros. However, as recommended by TAM, we are also measuring the channel at CS4+ and CS15+ across eight metros since viewership data and analysis are very volatile since 2013 and continue to be volatile as of the beginning of 2014. The 8 pm slot shows promising PUT and we have an interesting FPC combination so that people will get to watch the shows in other timeslots as well on both week days and during weekends,” explains Trigunayat.

     

    “Romedy Now reaches out to each and every urban – affluent audience across eight metros and we have given it a short concentrated communication burst across all Times Television Network channels (Romedy Now, Movies Now, Zoom, Times Now and ET Now) to build salience for the property and ensure high trial and we have received excellent consumer response as word of mouth, direct consumer interaction and social media.”

     

    Apart from witches and witchcraft, Romedy Now plans to cast a spell on its audience with the classic David E Kelly court room dramedy – Ally McBeal and the Bradley Cooper-starrer – Kitchen Confidential.

     

    Trigunayat calls Ally McBeal, “A compelling show about a strong independent young woman, her relationships, her career and her unusual experiences in the backdrop of a legal comedy-drama. The show has captivating characters which gives viewers more reasons to watch the show. It is likely to beat many new shows on popularity and is anyway new to a whole new generation!”

     

    Romedy Now is leveraging the biggest English speaking platform, The Times of India, and extensively promoting the new series on the Times Television Network, supported by heavy engagement driving conversations in the digital space. “Using the core element of each show, we will engage viewers in a series of innovative contests and quizzes on our twitter and Facebook pages. Additionally, selectively used outdoor campaigns across select cities are being explored,” says Trigunayat, pointing out that while the channel has gained 35 per cent facebook fans since the announcement, it is too early to come to a conclusion regarding the overall consumer response.

     

    Trigunayat is confident about getting advertisers for the new content. “The Witches of East End, Ally McBeal and Kitchen Confidential reinforce our brand promise of ‘Love.Laugh.Live’ and cut across age groups and gender. Any advertiser/brand looking for a platform for either Love or Laughter or a combination of both will find value in the series. We already have brands across categories on-board for example., J&J, Panasonic, Honda, Swatch, Airtel, BPCL, to name a few,” he says.

     

    “Romedy Now is content neutral and the content mix will be dynamic at any given point of time,” is his parting shot.

  • Romedy NOW doubles the dose of Love and Laughter with the launch of premium TV series

    Romedy NOW doubles the dose of Love and Laughter with the launch of premium TV series

    MUMBAI: Romedy NOW, India’s exclusive English Entertainment Channel is now expanding its programming content with the best of English TV series to be aired in India starting 26th Jan. The channel will premiere ‘Witches of East End’, the current hottest TV show in the US for the first time in India. Adding to the excitement and most awaited entertainment, Romedy NOW also gives its viewers a visual treat with ‘Kitchen Confidential’ starring the ever enticing Bradley Cooper and themuch lovedCalistaFlockhart in ‘Ally McBeal’.

    Commenting on the launch of the additional programming, Ajay Trigunayat – CEO English Entertainment Channels, Times Television Network said, “Romedy NOW is all set to take its programming to the next level with the launch of the much awaited TV series. These series will offer the viewers a bouquet of refreshing new content to catch up on their daily dose of Love and Laughter.”

    Americas hottest supernatural love series – ‘Witches of East End’ will premiere on Sunday, 26th January 2014 at 8.00 PM on Romedy NOW. Starring Julia Ormond in the lead role, the show centres around the adventures of a family of witches. The two daughters Freya, a wild-child bartender played by Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Ingrid, a shy librarian played by Rachel Boston are both unaware of their magical birth right, but a series of events forces their mother to admit that they are, in fact, powerful and immortal witches.

    From the makers of ‘Sex and the City’ comes another exciting comedy ‘Kitchen Confidential’ starring ‘Bradley Cooper’. This all new highlight is based on ‘Anthony Bourdain’s New York Times bestselling book, ‘Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.’ Those with an appetite for wit and humour are sure to have their fill with this lip smacking and delicious series. Get ready as Hollywood heartthrob Bradley Cooper takes you through the delectable story of a talented chef who’s determined to climb back to the top of the food game.

    The zingy and evergreen American legal comedy-drama ‘AllyMcBeal’ follows trials and tribulations in the life of the main protagonist – Ally played by Calista Flockhart. Ally is a single young lawyer looking for love and fulfillment in life but while working for a Boston Law firm with her ex-lover, her overactive imagination overtakes her thoughts and fantasies as she works each case. The show is powered by Panasonic Smart Phones.

     

    The series will be promoted by a high decibel marketing campaign led by extensive promotion across the Times Television Network and is supported by heavy engagement driving conversations on the digital space. Using the core element of each show, Romedy NOW will engage viewers in a series of innovative contests and quizzes on their twitter and facebook pages.

    Additionally, an extensive print campaign is planned across select Times publications along with a massive Outdoor campaign across select cities.
    Romedy NOW is available in dual feeds in State-Of-The-Art High Definition (HD) and 5.1 Digital Surround Sound as ROMEDY NOW+ and in Standard Definition as ROMEDY NOW, across all platforms – Cable, DTH, IPTV and emerging technologies.

    To subscribe to ROMEDY NOW, just call 18001231101 (it’s toll-free) or SMS ROMEDY to 58888 or write to hello@Romedynow.com
    Have a daily affair full of love & laughter with some much needed eye candy every night only on Romedy NOW

     

  • Television producer David Kelley to be honoured at Vision Awards

    Television producer David Kelley to be honoured at Vision Awards

    MUMBAI: Many of Hollywood’s talents in film, television and music will descend in Beverly Hills on 24 June for the 33rd Annual Vision Awards.

    Television producer David Kelley (Ally McBeal, The Practice) will be honoured. Also being honoured is director Rob Marshall who made Memoirs Of A Geisha and actor cum director George Clooney who was Oscar nominated for directing and writing Good Night and Good Luck.

    This is a gala fundraising event, which has become an annual Hollywood tradition. It honours entertainment luminaries and companies who have exhibited exceptional gift of “sight, foresight and insight” in the creative arts, related technologies and medical research.

    The campaign Hollywood Cures Blindness, Hope Is In Sight will be launched under the guidance of the 2006 Vision Awards chairman Arthur Hiller.