ITV

Tag: Anurag Bedi

  • Amazon prime music inks a deal with zee music company

    Amazon prime music inks a deal with zee music company

    MUMBAI: Amazon today announced a content deal with Zee Music Company that will add over 450 film soundtracks in Hindi & regional languages alongside 250 Independent artist content thus adding to the wide catalogue of millions of Indian and International songs on Amazon Prime Music. Soon to be launched as a Prime benefit at no additional cost, the Amazon Prime Music will be home to several well-known, latest movie soundtracks like Padman, Half Girlfriend,  Baar Baar Dekho, Udta Punjab, Sairat, Raees, Dangal and will also host upcoming releases like Student of the Year 2, Aiyaary, Drive, Gold, Dhadak, Pari, Parmanu, Manikarnika & more for Prime members to listen to, ad free.

    Amazon Music, Director, Sahas Malhotra, India commented, “We are thrilled to partner with Zee Music to strengthen Amazon Prime Music’s catalog for our customers. At launch, Amazon Prime Music customers can enjoy listening to all the hits and forthcoming releases from Zee Music’s catalog ad-free, at no additional cost for our Prime members. Amazon Prime Music in addition to offering unlimited, on demand access to millions of Indian and international songs across varied genres and languages will also offer customers hundreds of especially hand-curated playlists and stations to enjoy their favorite music”.

    “Music streaming has become a large & popular way of listening to music in India and we are excited about bringing a wide selection of songs from our label on Amazon Prime Music that will reach out to an already existing, and fast-growing base of Prime members in India. We believe the digital experience would take our music to the next level of the popularity in India”, Zee Music Company – Business Head – Anurag Bedi said.

    Zee Music Company is one of India’s most exciting music labels and has established a strong foothold in the Indian Music Industry. Their Hindi catalog boasts of hits from Half Girlfriend, Baar Baar Dekho, Udta Punjab, Raees, Rustom, Dangal, Secret Superstar and many more.  Zee Music Company has also been steadily increasing its footprint in building its regional repertoire. It currently has tracks across various regional languages including Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali and many more.

    Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free One-day and Two-day delivery over 11 million products online to over 100 cities, 30 minutes early access for members on top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience and instant access to latest movies and TV shows. Customers who are not already Prime members can learn more about the program at www.amazon.in/prime

  • Zee Café brings all eight seasons of Desperate Housewives

    Zee Café brings all eight seasons of Desperate Housewives

    MUMBAI: Zee Café will be airing all eight seasons of the American television comedy-drama series, Desperate Housewives, and is spinning a new flavour to the show giving it the theme of Sin is In. Targeting young urban females this time around, Zee Café is promising to ensure engagement levels a notch higher.

     

    Zee Café is running a digital campaign for the promotion of the show through a website created especially for the show: www.sinisin.in . The site is created to intrigue young urban women about the show as well as give them an opportunity to engage with activities on the website which are related to the show. The site has been designed in such a way that without answering a few basic fun questions in the beginning, one cannot access the site. The site also includes pictures, trivia, and more.

     

    Speaking on the occasion Zee Niche Cluster and ZMC EVP and business head Anurag Bedi stated, “We are quite excited about the different viewer engagement activities and have been getting a great response from the viewers so far. Airing all eight seasons of the most watched show worldwide is definitely a milestone”

     

    In addition to the digital consumer engagement , Zee has also roped in radio channels for direct outreach in the metros for that will not only push for episode tune ins, but engage the viewer via hashtags, contests and RJ mentions. In an effort to connect with the audience pan India the channel will be airing promos of the show during the Diwali blockbuster movie-Happy New Year across premium multiplexes in the metros.

     

    ZEEL English entertainment head content and marketing Sharlton Menezes commented that the campaign is a very targeted one with clear mindset of reaching out to young urban women. “Therefore  we have opted for radio, social media and movies in addition to network promotions on television. Every little detail, be it the theme or the language used, everything has been created and designed as to what would appeal to young urban women.” he added.

     

    Sensodyne is the powered by sponsor with Snapdeal and Emirates is the associate sponsor for the show. Desperate Housewives starts 29 October, Monday to Friday at 9 pm on Zee Café.

  • Zee Studio to show entire gamut of movie genre

    Zee Studio to show entire gamut of movie genre

    MUMBAI: Zee Studio with its recent rebranding has decided to take forward its previous philosophy of ‘Hollywood on Television’ to the next level with its new tagline ‘See it all’.  The channel in its bid to stand out in a cluttered environment decided to rebrand in order to provide an opportunity to Indian viewers, access to the biggest Hollywood films.

     

    Zeel vice president and business head Anurag Bedi informs, “Our positioning is unique; we are not talking about just premieres, or a certain genre of movies, but staying true to See It All. The new brand look and ideology focuses on younger audiences and we wish to create a niche audience base with the refreshed look and high quality content.”

     

    When asked what research was undertaken by the channel before deciding a makeover, Bedi says, “As a result of our research we observed certain changes in consuming pattern like popularity of Hollywood movies growing more than ever in the country. In our effort to offer best content to the viewers, we decided to renew our identity completely. The new look is even more technologically sound and the movie viewing experience is heightened.” The channel has partnerships with leading studios like Disney and Paramount.

     

    The channels target audience is young urban movie enthusiasts, primarily males, residing in the metros. The channel has seen good growth in the key metros and in the 1 million plus towns as well. It has managed to bring in new consumers from the tier II towns as well says Bedi.

     

    The channel has renewed its library with a line-up of movies from genres like action, animation and comedy. The channel had previously come up with the property ‘Death By Laughter’. The other is ‘The One Movie You Must Watch’ and has launched a property called ‘Premier Action’ showcasing a big action movie of the month. With a new look, the channel has a strong line up this October including channel premieres such as How To Train Your Dragon, Lincoln, Shrek Forever After and Shutter Island. The new look comes just ahead of the festive season. It has launched a festival property ‘Studio Dynamite’ which will include blockbusters such as Mission Impossible, Transformers, Avengers etc. In the past, Marvels The Avengers, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Transformers: Dark of the Moon have worked well for the channel.

     

    The afternoon 1 pm slot has performed well for the channel especially on the weekends where it has viewership which is comparable to the evening primetime slot according to Bedi. Larger than life movies, legendary characters and onscreen iconography will be used to leverage the popularity of some of the iconic characters and famous actors.

     

    To promote the refresh, the channel has worked out a 360 degree communication plan. This includes print ads, TV commercials, outdoor campaigns and innovative social media contests and engagement. To create visibility for the brand the channel is in the middle of a large outdoor campaign across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore which announces their new ideology.

     

    It has kept outdoor as a part of their marketing plans for their big ticket movies. A 10 feet tall Transformer model (Optimus Prime) has been placed at key locations, where one could click pictures with the model. Additionally there will be photo-booths wherein people can click pictures that can be superimposed on backgrounds from movies of their line up. As part of the campaign, Zee Studio will be reaching out to over 30 trade media agencies across these cities.

     

    On the digital front Zee Studio is promoting its refresh via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The channel is running a contest for its viewers wherein they have to answer questions while watching movies and win gadgets such as iPhones and iPads. This contest has been running for first fifteen days of the refresh. On a parting note, Bedi says that their social media presence has increased as they currently have 1.4 million fans on Facebook and over 60,000 followers on Twitter.

     

  • Zee Studio unveils its brand new ideology-‘See it all’

    Zee Studio unveils its brand new ideology-‘See it all’

    MUMBAI: One of India’s English movie channels, Zee Studio has unveiled its brand new ideology ‘See it all’ for its viewers. The channel revealed it’s all new look with a newer library of movie collection that offers a range of genres including action, comedy and animation.  

     

    Speaking about the new brand strategy Zee Studio and Zee Café executive vice president and business head Anurag Bedi said that their study reflected that with vast globalization, the reach and perception of Hollywood movies has changed over a decade in the country. The study further revealed that English cinema is not limited to a certain niche elite class anymore and the younger generation has a lot of exposure to western entertainment and that has led to massive change in consumption patterns.

     

    He further goes on to add, “With Zee Studio’s refreshed look we aim to give the viewer what he is looking for. Additionally, the research revealed that today’s tech savvy young generation who is major chunk of our viewer base expects greater quality content and a high definition experience from television channels. Hence the effort to renew Zee Studio’s look and content is a landmark moment for our business and brand.”

     

    Throwing light on an extensive marketing plan specially designed for the refresh, Zee Studio and Zee Café marketing head Sharlton Menezes commented, “As part of our 360 degree communication plan, we detailed out a multi-media, multi-touch point campaign to ensure that the refresh delivers the brand promise of ‘See it all’. Larger than life movies, big stars and famous characters are the most tangible strengths of Hollywood, which will be leveraged to endorse the channel’s refreshed imagery.”

     

    Tapping the potential to engage with the youth via a multi-layered engagement platform, this campaign will be present at over 30 trade media agencies across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Zee Studio is inviting fans to click pictures with the 10 feet tall Transformer stationed at Cyber City, MPG, Arena, Dentsu, Signature Tower, Cyber Plaza in Delhi and Phoenix mall in Mumbai.

     

    Furthermore, ‘See it All’ will be supported with a social media leg across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For 15 days, starting 3 October 2014 the channel has started a ‘See it All” contest for its viewers to tune-in to the 9 pm movie and answer simple questions to win gadgets like iPhones and iPads.

     

    Zee Studio’s new identity was introduced in conjunction with the channel premiere of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol that was telecasted on Friday, 3 October at 1pm and 9 pm respectively. Legendary actors such as Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Christian Bale and others will be also scorching the screens throughout the month and beyond.

  • Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan launches on a high octane note

    Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan launches on a high octane note

    MUMBAI: Have you spotted your favourite Bollywood icons in a candid conversation with their friend – let their guards down on national TV? Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan does exactly that. Come August, the much-awaited television launch of noted lyricist Niranjan Iyengar raises curtains on Zee Café.

     

    With the creation of their maiden talk-show, Zee Café gears up to reiterate its 3i’s – innovation, amplified interactivity and a renewed identity to their existing bouquet. ZEEL’s vision to offer best quality entertainment and fresh concepts takes the lead with Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan. Constant interactivity and consumer association being the center-point, ZEEL’s prime focus of interacting with the discerning viewer fetches Zee Café an all-round engagement opportunity through this brand new chat show through communications.

    Gearing up ancillary closer to launch, Zee Café one of the strongest players in the English GEC category rolls out an extensive communications strategy to speak to young urban India. With Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan, the effort is to reach out to the affluent young urban viewer who seeks innovation in content. Touted to be one of the high decibel properties from their stables, Zee Café has launched on air-Teasers, Promos, an exclusive Music Video, Outdoor, Radio campaigns in addition to an extensive digital plan. Connecting with their young audience whose den is the digital world, Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan will interact extensively with its viewers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Popular Websites and a LWT Microsite. While they strike a chord online, Zee Café will interact with the discerning TV viewer directly through DTH promotions alongside promotions in theatres.

    With this brand new property, Zee Café pioneers a unique sales initiative to engage with fans pan India. Celebrities will part with one item each post show, proceeds of which will go towards charity after it’s sold online on OLX, India’s largest online market place. Furthermore, getting on the Look Who’s Talking brandwagon circuit, Medimix Ayurvedic Facewash signs up as Presenting Sponsor along with CERA on board as the Powered By sponsor. Micromax and Omega form an integral part of the sponsorship as well with the former as the ‘Mobile Partner’ and the latter as the ‘Lifestyle Partner.’ The bouquet of associate sponsor include Hersheys, Axis Bank and OLX.

    Commenting on the launch Anurag Bedi, EVP & Business Head, Zee Cafe said, “Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan is indeed another ace delivered by Zee Cafe. I’m very proud of its outcome. At ZEEL, our effort has always been to strengthen connectivity with our loyalist. This fresh concept will indeed race towards offering the best content mix to viewers pan India. Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan adds to our current programming bouquet, that much-needed edge which takes Zee Cafe not just into viewers homes but helps create a personal connect through people who they admire the most. Wishing my crew and team all the very best as we gear up for launch!”   

    Reliving madness from the show onsets, some of the off-the-cuff one-liners heard were remarks like Karan Johar stating, “I’ve tried everything to find my special someone but I cannot put myself out there like a prostitute!” to Alia Bhatt’s phobia for plants, Sonam Kapoor’s personality hide-out being acting as it allows her to be a completely different person and other such interesting stories!

    Want to know more? Make sure to catch the all new series, Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan starting Sunday, August 3, 2014 at 9pm only on Zee Café.

  • Zee Music Company joins hands with Viacom18 Motion Pictures

    Zee Music Company joins hands with Viacom18 Motion Pictures

    MUMBAI: Zeel’s new music label ‘Zee Music Company’ (ZMC), which was launched a couple of months back, has now joined hands with Viacom18 Motion Pictures. With this, the company has acquired the music rights for the entire slate of Viacom18 Motion Pictures for 2014.

     

    “We are thrilled to have Viacom18 Motion Pictures on board with ZMC. They have a very exciting line up of releases slated for the year and we are proud to be associated with them,” said ZMC business head and EVP Anurag Bedi.

     

    Giving details about the deal he said, “The 14-film deal includes the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Gabbar’, Priyanka Chopra’s next ‘Mary Kom’ and  ‘Manjunath’  Other noted titles include ‘Dharam Sankat main’ with Paresh Rawal in the lead and other exciting projects.”

     

    ZMC earlier had acquired the music rights for Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer ‘Holiday’, which is now set to cross the Rs 100 crore mark.

     

    “We’re excited about this partnership and believe that that with power of Zee channels behind us, our film promotions will go to the next level in terms of innovation decibels and impact,” concluded Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare.

  • Zee Café is all set to captivate viewers with – ‘The Good Wife’

    Zee Café is all set to captivate viewers with – ‘The Good Wife’

    MUMBAI: Zee Café brings ‘The Good Wife’ one of the most awarded shows on primetime television to every Indian home! Come 26th May, 2014 and Zee Café will telecast the original series from season 1 to 5, weekdays at 9 pm for all its judicious fans. There is no place you’d rather be than at the edge of your couch anticipating Alicia Florrick’s (the protagonist) next move!

    The scandalous series is critically acclaimed bagging over 30 nominations and prestigious wins that include 4 EMMYs and a Golden Globe. Zee Café is a front runner when it comes to providing the best of International content to the Indian audience and the channel has designed an exhaustive campaign to promote The Good Wife. With billboards placed strategically around key areas in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, Zee Café aims to make the run up towards the premiere, a roaring success. Branding at Café Coffee Day outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai along with extensive promotions across print, radio and social media will ensure optimum recall.

    Fans can visit the official page on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZeeCafe or can log onto Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZeeCafe to experience the series, follow the cast or share their views.The online buzz for the show has already started with an increase in engagement on both twitter and Facebook. Daily engaging activities like creating a courtroom scenario on twitter and asking the followers to be the jurors has received immense participation and there is a lot of anticipation for the show.

    Mr Anurag Bedi, EVP & Business Head- Zee Café, when asked about the series stated; “In our efforts to provide the best of international content to our Indian viewers we pick shows that appeal to the mindsets of our target audience. The Good Wife is a series that’s a favorite at the awards and has done brilliantly in the US, and we are sure that our viewers here will love the show.”

    The Good Wife is all set to take the stage on Friday, 26th May, 2014 at 9 pm only on Zee Café!

  • Zing sings a new tune

    Zing sings a new tune

    MUMBAI: Zing, the music channel from Zee Entertainment, has undergone a complete change in look and strategy for the fourth time starting 1 April, since its inception in 1997.

     
    With the new rebranding, the channel aims to strengthen its position in the 15-24 year olds by adding fresh music and new fiction content to the current programming. The new positioning is targeted at strengthening Zing’s position in the minds of the youth.

     

    The channel was revamped earlier as Zee Muzic and Music Asia. However, explaining the rationale behind the new positioning, ZEE Niche Channels EVP & business head Anurag Bedi said, “Today’s youth believe in living out loud. They believe in carving their own niche and learning from their own experiences instead of relying on others. They would rather make their own mistake and learn from that than not follow their heart. This is exactly what we would like to reiterate through our positioning. We want them to live with a zing, to live ‘ekdum’ awesome!”

     

    In terms on content, Zing now plans to venture into the space of fiction shows. According to the statement released earlier, these shows are set to epitomise the spirit and lifestyle of the youth across the country. The first show will be launched in the month of May and will be in line with the channel’s new positioning. An hourly block of content will be created, which will be increased as the year progresses. Apart from that, a refreshed library of Bollywood music will be interspersed with the existing programming.

     
    The channel has also tied up with the film 2 States and has roped in the lead pair Alia Bhatt & Arjun Kapoor for a promotional video.  The channel, with its all new avatar and promising new fiction shows will keep the youth hooked and wanting more.

  • Zee launches its new music label ‘Zee Music Company’

    Zee launches its new music label ‘Zee Music Company’

    MUMBAI: In a country where music is a part of everyday life, music labels have seen a tremendous growth over the years.

     

     And to give a tough competition to the existing ones, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) has announced its foray into the music label space with its latest venture, Zee Music Company (ZMC).

     

    The ZMC has plans to acquire the music rights of over 20 major motion pictures in the financial year 2014-15.

     

    Introducing the label, Zee managing director and CEO Punit Goenka exults: “Zee has always been a leader in the media and entertainment space, be it films or television, and branching out into the music label space gives us an opportunity to widen our business. The music industry is a large playing field and there is scope for us to explore the opportunity in this market. Technology has also emerged as a key transformer of the music industry and digital revenues are driving growth in the market. Since we are a content company, it is essential to own intellectual property as content is the king.”

     

    The music industry in India currently stands at a staggering figure of Rs 960 crore and projected figures for 2014 is Rs 1,010 crores. The industry is expected to only grow over the years and reach Rs 1,780 crore in 2018.

     

    ZMC business head and EVP Anurag Bedi, believes that ZMC will be a valuable addition to the business. He stated: “It’s a great space to be in, as music is something that is consumed universally. The Hindi film industry is currently in its best phase musically and there is a plethora of talent. We had been toying with this idea and finally we have entered this space.”

     

    Talking about the acquisitions, Bedi says, “We are thrilled at having acquired the rights to the music of the Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer ‘Holiday’ which is jointly produced by Reliance Big Entertainment, Sunshine Pictures and Hari Om Entertainment Company.”

     

    Bedi further adds, “We have also partnered with Fox Star Studios and signed the latter for the music of five of its Hindi releases for the year, including the Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh starrer ‘Humshakals’, Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Bang Bang’ and one of the most anticipated releases of the year ‘Bombay Velvet’ starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma.”

     

    Future partnerships of ZMC include the big players; Dharma Productions, Excel Entertainment and other top studios.

  • ETC engages audience to spread anti-piracy measures through short films

    ETC engages audience to spread anti-piracy measures through short films

    MUMBAI: ETC the most credible Bollywood trade channel in association with India’s leading creative crowd sourcing company Talenthouse India, have jointly undertaken the initiative to say ‘Thank You’ along with the Bollywood industry to loyal cinema goers for choosing theatres over other pirated medium to bring about awareness and thereby an end to piracy.

     

    The initiative, ‘Bollywood Thanks You’ has developed from a simple thought to appreciate people who consume films the way they are supposed to be – in theaters. The objective of the initiative was to represent the entertainment industry for a cause in a country like India where the film and TV industry lose money and livelihood due to piracy. ETC extended this idea to the audience to directly involve them in the initiative by inviting budding filmmakers who are all a part of the entertainment industry to bring forth a strong message.

     

    Talenthouse India, hosted this exciting opportunity on their platform www.talenthouse.co.in. The participants were required to create an ad film of maximum 30 seconds duration based on the theme ‘anti-piracy’. The crowd sourcing route to this campaign not only resulted in 50 creative thoughts on the theme from across India, but also generated engagement and a challenge to young filmmakers to convey the message in 30 seconds.

     

    The entries were monitored by the ETC team. 10 winners have been selected by the channel for a career defining opportunities. The films created by these young budding filmmakers will now be showcased at leading multiplexes and aired on ETC for the next one year.

     

    Zee Entertainment’s Anurag Bedi, said, “We, at ETC, represent the entertainment industry where the audience is the stakeholder and if they stop supporting the industry then the industry can’t make more products for them. Through ‘Bollywood Thanks You’ initiative, we hope to educate and encourage audience to watch films in theaters. Talenthouse India who had the access to the right kind of talent to generate the films gave us an opportunity to be relevant to the younger audience and enabled us to connect to and inspire young film professionals to bring out a strong message through the crowd sourcing activity.”

     

    From a marketing point of view, ETC has taken anti-piracy to a whole new level. Focusing on a positive and educative route, the aim for them is to develop user generated content that resonate with their brand identity and the initiative undertaken to shape future industry leaders.

     

    The winning films created by film students and enthusiast would be showcased soon.

     

    To view the films Log on to http://www.talenthouse.com/zee-2013