ITV

Tag: AXN

  • Turner International India appoints Rohit Bhandari as English entertainment head

    Turner International India appoints Rohit Bhandari as English entertainment head

    MUMBAI: Turner International India has roped in Rohit Bhandari as senior director and network head for its English entertainment portfolio that includes HBO and WB in South Asia.

     

    Bhandari will report to Turner senior vice president and managing director for South Asia Siddharth Jain. 

     

    Jain said, “We’re really pleased to have Rohit on board in this key position as we continue to grow our leadership in the English entertainment genre. With his well-established expertise and industry experience, I am confident he will help us build upon our success in the India and South Asia region.”

     

    In this role, Bhandari will be responsible for the growth strategy, planning and execution of all network functions including content acquisition, communications, marketing and brand building. 

     

    Bhandari’s appointment is effective immediately and he will be based at Turner’s office in Mumbai. He has over two decades of experience in television and advertising including overseeing business operations for AXN and Animax in India, as well as advertising sales in both India and Singapore. He previously led the media and entertainment vertical at Sahara India Capsac Limited. 

  • Chrome Data: English Entertainment channels gain in week 9

    Chrome Data: English Entertainment channels gain in week 9

    MUMBAI: In week nine of opportunity to see (OTS) collated by Chrome Data Analytics & Media, English Entertainment channels in the eight metros gained the maximum.

     

    With 6.2 per cent growth, the genre saw AXN leading the chart with 56.2 per cent OTS.

     

    On the other hand, English Movie channels across eight metros gained 1.7 per cent. Romedy Now topped the chart with 65.8 per cent OTS.

     

    Next in the line were Sports channels across India with 0.6 per cent jump and Kids channels across India with 0.4 per cent jump. Cartoon Network was the chart leader in the kids category with 81 per cent OTS.

     

    As for the losers, Business News channels across eight metros saw the maximum drop of 2.9 per cent followed by Religious channels in Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) with 1.1 per cent drop.

     

    CNBC Awaaz with 77.0 per cent OTS and Aastha with 94.9 per cent OTS topped in their respective genres.

     

    Last but not the least, Hindi News channels and Music channels in HSM markets too witnessed a fall of one per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

     

    ABP News topped the chart with 93.5 per cent OTS, while 9XM in the music category noted 90.4 per cent OTS.

  • AXN welcomes the New Year with best of reality shows and political drama

    AXN welcomes the New Year with best of reality shows and political drama

    MUMBAI: Home to the longest running shows in India, AXN is bringing you the best of International Television this New Year 2015. The channel has a fresh line up of four new shows, fulfilling the promise to keep thrilling and exciting its viewers with – Madam Secretary, Wake Up Call, Top Chef Season 10 and Top Gear Season 21. Starting the year with fast paced cars is Top Gear Season 21 followed by the most spoken about political drama Madam Secretary co-produced by acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman. Emmy Award winning show, Top Chef Seattle with host Padma Lakshmi will be back along with the latest season premiere of Dwayne Johnson’s reality show Wake Up Call.

     

    BAFTA and Emmy award winning series Top Gear, the world best motoring show takes the viewers to amazing locations to test the world’s most powerful and exotic cars. The famous trio of cuttingly funny Jeremy Clarkson, quirky Richard Hammond and contemplative James May makes it hugely entertaining and visually fantastic. Started on Jan 3rd, watch it for the love of automobile and for the love of intelligent entertainment, every Saturday & Sunday at 8:30 pm on AXN India.

     

    Adding to The Not So Ordinary Weekend is the much awaited People’s Choice Award Nominee for New TV Series, Madam Secretary. With this show AXN aims to bring the best of the latest American Television to the Indian viewers. Co-Produced by Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman, the show is a political drama rooted in White House diplomacy. Tea Leoni portrays the role of an unusual politician Elizabeth Faulkner Mc Cord, a former CIA analyst turned college professor promoted suddenly to the position of United States Secretary of State under strange circumstances. In the US, Madam Secretary ranks as Sunday’s #1 scripted broadcast and #4 new series averaging 13.53 million viewers. Witness the drama unfold from Jan 10th every Saturday at 11 pm on AXN India.

     

    The classic and famous Emmy winner cult cookery show Top Chef Seattle Season 10 with the lovely Padma Lakshmi is back to set our taste buds to new gastronomic delicacies with 21 professional chefs. The master of all cookery shows has the judges- Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Gail Simmons and Hugh Acheson, all set to evaluate the contestants on some ordinary as well as not so ordinary culinary expertise like knife skills and creating a breakfast on a stick! The thrilling quick fire challenges are back in vogue on Top Chef, starting Jan 26th, Monday to Thursday at 8pm.

     

    A reality show like no other! Dwayne Johnson is back with Season 2 of The Hero – Wake Up Call.The former wrestler and Hollywood actor would be seen lending a helping hand to people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives whether they are dead beat dads, sports team with no team spirit or business owners struggling to survive. Wake up Call produced and hosted by Dwayne Johnson will bring in Rock style motivation on the TV screen, with the motto- when life gives you lemons, crush them! Catch him in all his glory with his team of contestants from Jan 31st every Saturday & Sunday at 9pm.

     

    Commenting on the onset of 2015, Saurabh Yagnik, Executive Vice-president and Business Head, Sony PIX & AXN India said “AXN’s new show line up is all about bringing the best of American TV to Indian television. Dwayne Johnson’s new show Wake Up Call could not have been launched at a better time, the show resonates with the way India feels right now- building a new future. We are delighted to premiere Madam Secretary, which is a welcoming addition to our already wide programming spectrum, a political drama produced by Morgan freeman and Lori McCreary. The channel has been home to Top Gear and Top Chef for years. Top Gear is the best show on automobile, meant for both who love cars and who don’t. We work dedicatedly to bring wide variety of shows and genres and these new shows are a step in the same direction, a New Year gift to our viewers. With world’s best reality shows and drama AXN is definitely a must watch destination for all age groups.”

     

    Drive in to the fast lane with Top Gear which premiered on 3rd January, Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 pm. Watch the captivating political drama unfolding on Madam Secretary starting 10th January, Saturday at 11 pm. Get the kitchen set for new recipes from Top Chef Seattle starting 26th January, Monday to Thursday at 8 pm. Last but not the least, a reality show with a difference Wake Up Call sees all-rounder Dwayne Johnson make a difference in the lives of the commoners premiering on 31st January, Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm only on AXN.

    Later during the year 2015, Not so ordinary weekend would be new launching three shows- Golden Globe nominated legal procedural series Ray Donovan starring Wolverine famed Liev Schreiber. Home to singing reality show- The Voice, Season 8 will see the return of the global singing sensation Christina Aguilera making the audiences ask for more! The daily dose of action on the channel ups the ante for the adrenaline lovers with French- Canadian action adventure crime series Transporter Season 2 and the internationally acclaimed series 24. The year 2015 assures to be an exhilarating year for AXN fans.

  • The shows to look out for in 2015 on AXN

    The shows to look out for in 2015 on AXN

    MUMBAI: Madam Secretary: Nominated for People’s Choice Award for New TV Series, AXN brings the best of latest American TV to Indian viewer with Madam Secretary. Co-produced by Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman, the show is a political drama rooted in White House diplomacy. Elizabeth Faulkner Mc Cord played by Tea Leoni, former CIA analyst turned college professor is promoted to be United States Secretary of State under unusual circumstances. McCord gets an offer from the president that she can’t refuse, now she has to balance her complex family life and office politics as she tries to drive international diplomacy.

     

    Telecast details:-Sat 11 pm/ Thu 11.30 pm and Sun 4 pm (Repeat)

    Starting 10th Jan,2015

     

    Wake Up Call: “Wake Up Call” will feature Dwayne Johnson lending a helping hand to everyday people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives, whether they be dead-beat dads, sports teams that don’t gel, or business owners struggling to survive. Johnson will bring his own brand of motivation to each group of people, from 4 a.m. wake-up calls, to emotional reunions and goal setting. Produced and hosted by Dwayne Johnson will bring in Rock style motivation on the TV screen, with the motto- when life gives you lemons, crush them!

     

    Telecast Details-Sat-Sun 9 pm

    Starting 31st Jan ,2015

     

    Top Gear, Season 21: BAFTA and Emmy award winning series Top Gear, the world best motoring show takes the viewers to amazing locations to test the world’s most powerful and exotic cars. The famous trio of cuttingly funny Jeremy Clarkson, quirky Richard Hammond and contemplative James May makes it hugely entertaining and visually fantastic. Watch it for the love of automobile and for the love of intelligent entertainment.

     

    Telecast Details-Sat-Sun 8.30 pm

    Starting 3rd Jan ,2015

     

    Top Chef, Seattle- Season 10: Padma Lakshmi is back as the host on the famous culinary show Top Chef Season 10 with 21 professional chefs. The judges Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Gail Simmons and Hugh Acheson are set to evaluate them on some ordinary as well as not so ordinary culinary expertise like knife skills and creating a breakfast on a stick! The thrilling quickfire challenges are back in vogue on Top Chef! The Emmy winner, cult cookery show is back with its army of the best professional chefs to teach a few culinary skills to India.

     

    Telecast Details-Mon-Thur 8:00 pm

    Starting 26th Jan ,2015

  • Done my bit at AXN, says Sunil Punjabi

    Done my bit at AXN, says Sunil Punjabi

    MUMBAI: In 2012, AXN Network had created a new position to focus on one of its fast-growing markets, leading it was Sunil Punjabi.

    However, Punjabi has decided to move on from the network as AXN Networks India business head and Multi Screen Media EVP. Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Punjabi whose last day in the network is 15 December says, “I thought it was time to move on as I think I have done my bit here. Today AXN is at a good place.”

    In a move to kill piracy, he can be credited for showcasing some programmes like ‘Sherlock’, ‘Top Gear’ and ‘Orphan Black’ in the same week of their UK/ US releases.

    Punjabi , who was based in Mumbai, was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the channel, with the development of business opportunities and channel equity. In May this year, MSM named Pix EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik as head of the English channels which meant Punjabi was reporting to Yagnik.

    Prior to AXN, Punjabi was CEO at multiplex company Cinemax and also headed the film production and distribution strategy at Fox Star Studios India for two years.

    On his next move, he says, “I have always been on a run. But will take a break till New Year.”

     

  • AXN welcomes crime fighters this November

    AXN welcomes crime fighters this November

    MUMBAI: This November, AXN has introduced two popular shows, Blue Bloods and Elementary. The channel is bringing one of America’s top 10 drama series Blue Bloods to India from 24 November at 9 pm from Monday to Thursday and the latest season of Elementary with Sherlock who is promising to thrill viewers with his incredible deduction crime solving techniques every Friday from 7 November at 10 pm which is closer to US airings.

     

    Elementary offers a fresh take on the famous British detective Sherlock Holmes, who is now living in New York after drug rehabilitation played by Jonny Lee Miller, the star from the film Trainspotting. Lucy Liu of Charlie’s Angels fame plays the character of Dr. Watson. After the death of her patient in London, Dr. Watson’s license is revoked and she is forced to accompany Sherlock to New York as a sober companion by detective’s rich father. Elementary season three, promises to bring some fresh twists and turns as Sherlock Holmes gets a new apprentice and Joan Watson has a new boyfriend.

     

    The saying a family that eats together, stays together could not be more accurate for ‘Blue Bloods’ Reagan family. The three legendary generations of Irish American family, has been serving under American judiciary system on different positions as police officers and acclaimed attorney. Though each one of them have a different style of achieving justice, unanimous integrity is what brings them together and also pulls them apart at the same time. The tight-knit family drama has won BMI TV Award 2013 and Prism Award 2014 and will air every Monday to Thursday at 9pm from 24 November.  

     

     

    Commenting on the same, Sony Pix and AXN India executive vice president Saurabh Yagnik said “This season, Elementary will get more gripping than ever before and we hope to get a bigger and better response from our viewers. As for Blue Bloods, it is an entertaining family drama and we hope to expand our viewer base with the innovative content that the show has to offer. Though the show is in its fifth season in US, we are giving our audiences an opportunity to watch Tom Selleck return to TV as the patriarch of a clan where crime fighting is the family business from the very first season”.

     

    Watch Blue Bloods starting 24 November, Monday to Thursday at 9 pm and the latest season of Elementary premiering on 7 November, every Friday at 10 pm

  • The great Indian Diwali on English GECs and movie channels

    The great Indian Diwali on English GECs and movie channels

    As families and friends come together to celebrate Diwali and spend personal time with loved ones at home, English movie and general entertainment channels (GEC) have put together some of the best line ups to reign in the festive period. While the genre stands fragmented, channels nonetheless are trying to woo audiences with either movie or show premieres or telecasting title’s that have repeat value.

     

    Zee Studio which underwent a refresh recently will telecast its special Diwali movie, How To Train Your Dragon at 12 pm and 9 pm. Its festival property ‘Studio Dynamite’ will include blockbusters such as Mission Impossible, Transformers, Avengers etc. Apart from this, movies like Lincoln, Shrek Forever After and Shutter Island will complete its programming lineup.

     

    Starting 23 October 9 am onwards, Movies Now viewers are in for a programming lineup which covers different genres. To tickle the funny bone are the hilarious trio of a sabertooth tiger, a sloth and a wooly mammoth from Ice Age. This will be followed by The Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda, The Matrix, Olympus Has Fallen and X Men Origins: Wolverine. The finale will see good forces combine in an all out war with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.

     

    HBO and its two premium channels; HBO Hits and HBO Defined too are vying for a share of the viewership pie this festive season. HBO will telecast Pacific Rim on 23 October at 1:57 pm, Step Up on 24 October at 6:54 pm, Red2 on 27 October at 9 pm, followed by World War Z on 28 October at 9pm. While HBO Hits will serve Riddick, Ghost Team One and Season one of The Knick on its platter, HBO Defined will have season one of Grace, Silicon Valley and True Detective.

     

    Another major player Star Movies has also put in place a festive lineup. Robert Downey Jr fans can watch Tony Stark’s world being torn apart by the formidable terrorist called The Mandarin on 23 October at 9 pm. This will be followed by Men In Black at 11 pm.  The other movies include Unstoppable, Speed, Fast Five, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Men in Black 3, King Kong and Resident Evil: Retribution.

    Sony Pix from the MSM stable along with its English GEC AXN started their Diwali celebrations with the simulcast of the legendary crime fighting cyborg Robocop on 19 October at 1 pm and 9 pm. AXN has also brought in two new shows especially for the festive season. While NCIS runs from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm, Supernatural airs every Saturday at 10 pm.

    So what brings English movies and GECs come up with special programming for Diwali? Says Maxus managing partner north and east region Navin Khemka, “Currently as some of these channels are able to draw an average yield, they try building a lot of hype and aura around these shows through various campaigns to maximise the yield in an extremely fragmented space. The festive season thus is about increasing the average yield where survival is vital.”

    English GEC Romedy Now through the theme of celebrating the joy of family and togetherness has launched its property ‘Diwali Sparklers,’ starting 4 October, 8pm onwards. The lineup for the slot includes Family Stone, The Notebook, Guess Who, Madagascar, Monster-in-Law and 27 Dresses among others.

    Comedy Central too has announced the launch of four new shows that will be premiered from 27 October from Monday to Friday. These are Billy on The Street 9 (at 8 pm) Psych (seasons one to four at 9 pm), Penn and Teller: Fool Us (at 10 pm) and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon at 11 pm. These four will be premiered from 27 October 2014 from Monday to Friday.  

    Star World Premiere HD has New Girl season four, Community season five, Revenge season four, Modern Family season six, Bones season 10, Home Land season four among others. Star World will broadcast House season five, The Simpsons season 17, Masterchef Australia season six, Big Bang Theory season five etc. Meanwhile FX has lined up The X Files season nine, Californication season seven, Sons of Anarchy season six and Alias season one among others.

    According to Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan, since festive period sees a surge in advertising and these movie channels and GEC’s too are vying for a share of the pie, they come up with the special programming lineup. “The special programming for the festive season helps channels spike their advertising revenue on an average by 10-12 per cent,” he concludes.

  • Chrome Data: English entertainment channels gain big in week 42

    Chrome Data: English entertainment channels gain big in week 42

    MUMBAI: The week 42 of opportunity to see (OTS) report collated by Chrome Data Analytics and Media has seen a complete shift from its previous week. The top gainer this week is the English entertainment genre in the eight metros, followed by English news and Business news.

    While the English entertainment genre recorded a jump of 2.3 per cent in its OTS, English news and Business news saw a slight jump of 1.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent in the eight metros respectively.

    In the English entertainment space, AXN ruled the roost with 68 per cent OTS, closely followed by Comedy Central which recorded 63.7 per cent OTS. Amongst the business news channels, CNBC Awaaz gained the maximum with 78.7 per cent OTS, followed by Zee Business which saw 73.4 per cent OTS.

    In the Hindi GEC space in HSM, Star Plus recorded the highest OTS of 98 per cent, followed by Sab with 97.7 per cent.

    Music channels in the HSM with 1 per cent OTS and Hindi news channels with 0.6 per cent OTS saw a negative turn this week.  9XM with 88.6 per cent OTS and ABP News with 94.8 per cent OTS topped in their respective genres.  
     

     

  • WITNESS A THRILLING OCTOBER WITH THE MOST SPECTACULAR SHOWS ONLY ON AXN

    WITNESS A THRILLING OCTOBER WITH THE MOST SPECTACULAR SHOWS ONLY ON AXN

    MUMBAI:  This festive season, AXN brings to you popular shows on television. The  number one drama series for four years in a row in the US, NCIS airing Mon- Thurs at 10 pm, from 6th October and the 10thseason of the thrilling drama, Supernatural airing every Saturday at 10 pm from 11th October.

     

    The winner of the 2014 International TV Audience Award (Drama TV series) NCIS is the most watched drama series in the world. An American police procedural drama television series, NCIS revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The Major Case Response Team (MCRT) includes Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Senior Special Agent, Anthony “Tony” D. DiNozzo Senior the field agent on the team, Abigail “Abby” Sciuto working as a Forensics specialist, Timothy “Tim” McGee, the special agent and the team’s technology specialist and agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexendar).

     

    Living upto the promise of bringing in exceptional content, AXN continues to bring the latest international shows close to their US premiers in their ‘Not So Ordinary Weekend’ slot. 9 successful seasons and three Emmy Nominees later, the thrilling journey of the Winchester brothers continues as Supernatural enters its tenth season which will air on 11th October at 10PM, close to its US premiere. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, Supernatural is still one of the powerful fan-driven shows on air. With the premiere of Season 10, Dean (JENSEN ACKLES) is living it up as a demon and running amok with Crowley, while Sam hits rock bottom in the search for his brother.

     

    Commenting on the same, Sony Pix and AXN India executive vice president and business head Saurabh Yagnik said “NCIS is the longest running and most watched crime drama series and we are giving our viewers to watch all seasons from the start. Every episode of the series has a new case and a new thrill and by introducing NCIS at 10pm on weekdays, we aim at getting a stronger hold of our leadership in that timeslot. From the very first season, Supernatural has been captivating fans with great battles. The obvious battle, considering the name of the series, is good vs. evil or, in this case, natural vs. supernatural. With the latest season of Supernatural and going by the ever growing fan base of the Winchester brothers, we are hoping to take this show to the all-new level. 9 successful seasons and many accolades later, we promise more adventure as we air Supernatural Season 10 close to US.”

     

    The thrill does not stop just here. Coming up soon on AXN will be Season 3 of the award winning show Elementary, starring Johnny Lee Miller (as Sherlock Holmes) and Lucy Liu (As Dr. Watson) based in New York. From the creators of The Sopranos will be an American police procedural series, Blue Bloods, a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement.

     

    Catch all the drama and watch the mysteries unfold with team NCIS starting 6th Oct, Mon- Thurs at 10 pm and the switch on to most awaited premiere of Supernatural – Season 10 on 11th Oct, Sat at 10 pm only on AXN India!

  • Chrome Data: English News gains most in week 40

    Chrome Data: English News gains most in week 40

    MUMBAI: English news in the eight metros gained the most opportunity to see (OTS) collated by Chrome Data Analytics and Media for the week 40.

    The genre grew by 1.5 per cent wherein Times Now continued its reign with 85.0 per cent OTS. Hindi movies and Music in the Hindi speaking market (HSM) shared the second position with 0.3 per cent. In the Hindi movies genre, Max was at number one position with 97.1 per cent OTS, whereas in the Music genre, 9XM remained on top with 88.1 per cent OTS.

    English Entertainment in the eight metros witnessed a significant drop of 10.3 per cent. AXN with 67.8 per cent OTS gained in the most in the category. English movies in the eight metros came in second and saw a drop of 4.1 per cent. Pix lead the chart with 74.6 per cent OTS.

    Infotainment channels across India saw a fall of 2.7 per cent. Discovery topped in the category with 86.5 per cent OTS.