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Tag: Boogie Woogie

  • Sony turns 20 in India: Retrospect & Prospect

    Sony turns 20 in India: Retrospect & Prospect

    MUMBAI: Glory, agony, poison, panacea… As Multi Screen Media (MSM) (erstwhile Sony Entertainment Television India) completes two decades in the Indian broadcast space, it has witnessed it all. The broadcasting company, which started with one channel, is now sixteen channels strong with even more additions in the pipeline.

     

    In a rapidly changing scenario, where the entire ecosystem is moving towards the digital platform, there are challenges and opportunities alike. And MSM CEO NP Singh is ready to take them all head on.

     

    A Sony veteran, Singh has been privy to the business affairs of the company for as many as sixteen years since first joining the organisation in 1999 as chief financial officer (CFO).

     

    Even as word trickled in about MSM’s collaboration with US-based mega sportscaster ESPN Inc, came the news that the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) title sponsor PepsiCo was withdrawing as it brought ‘disrepute’ to the game. In the midst of some good news and bad, Singh’s core focus at this stage is on the network’s holistic growth.

     

    “My focus is on aggressive growth of the network and consolidation of our existing channels. Along with this, foraying in new areas of businesses, expanding our portfolio and exploring opportunities on the rapidly growing digital platform is what we are looking at. At the same time, course correction of our flagship channel Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is a priority,” Singh says.

     

    To that effect, MSM has made a series of changes in its management team and these are likely to reflect in the programming and content soon enough.

     

    RETROSPECT: PIONEER OF NEW IDEAS

     

    In its two decades of operations in India, Sony has been a pioneer of new ideas that set benchmarks in the Indian broadcast space.

     

    “MSM as a network has pioneered a lot of new ideas, for the industry to follow. The first ever big scale live event was done by us; namely, LataMangeshkar’s live concert. Infact, we’ve had the privilege of hosting both Lataji and Ashaji in live shows.” Singh reminisces.

     

    “In earlier days, MSM also created ripples by airing blockbuster Hindi movies on TV. It started with the airing of the evergreen movie Sholay and was followed by Border. The ratings those days were somewhere close to 30,” he informs.

     

    While today MSM’s flagship channel SET might have lost its yesteryears’ glory, the fact remains that it aired the first ever daily soap in Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, “The show reached a thousand episodes those days during 1998 – 2000 and used to do well against Kaun Banega Crorepati (on Star Plus),” says Singh. hose days were somewhere close to 30,” he informs. says Singh.

     

    From CID, which recently completed a run of 19 years on Sony, to the maiden season of the interactive reality show Indian Idol, the finale of which witnessed a total of five crore votes, there have been landmarks galore for MSM. From India’s first homegrown reality show – Boogie Woogie to the now very popular reality show format – Bigg Boss, which was initially brought to India by Sony, the network has been trailblazer of sorts.  

     

    In March 2005, Sri Adhikari Brothers’ Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) SAB TV was acquired by MSM and one of the country’s most popular scripted comedy show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has been running on the channel for almost eight years now.

     

    In a bid to bring the glitz and glamor of the film industry on television, Sony was also a first mover in televising the Filmfare Awards.

     

    “We were the first ever network to bring sports on a Hindi movie channel – Max in 1999. It continues to be the leader even as today there are many others who do the same. The first ever wrap around show (Extraa Innings) for cricket was done by us during the Colombo Champions Trophy. Extraa Innings is now over 12 years old, and is the highest rated wrap around show for any sport on any channel,” informs Singh.

     

    The rationale behind telecasting cricket on a movie channel was to rope in the women audiences for the game. “In 2003, on the back of Extraa Innings, the female viewership grew by 31 per cent,” he adds.

     

    The retrospective is indeed dotted with many a milestones.

     

    PROSPECTS: GEC ROAD MAP, DIGITAL, SPORTS

     

    “Sony Pal to have original content, ‘KBC’ back in 2016”

     

    The Hindi GEC space has always been one of MSM’s biggest focus area. However, in recent times, the network’s performance in the category has been disappointing to say the least. Now with a new team in place, it might just be a matter of time before MSM’s flagship channel SET takes off again.

     

    “Our flagship channel continues to be my number one priority in addition to growing the network. With that in mind, we have put a new management team in place. Danish Khan has joined as SET business head and has a new team under him catering to content, communication, promotions, research strategy and marketing. I am very confident that in the upcoming months, the new programmes to be launched on SET will increase the viewership on the channel, significantly although with a strong male audience base, Sony is already uniquely positioned at this stage.” says Singh

     

    The centre of the network’s strategy right now is to create new content to lure viewers back to the channel. “We are focusing on gaining both qualitative and quantitative consumer insights so that we can feed those back into the system and create content that not only resonates with the consumer but also reflects his/her cultural ethos”, he says.

     

    Additionally, Sony will also bring back the next season of KBC, with its superlative host Amitabh Bachchan next year.

     

    MSM’s third Hindi GEC, Sony Pal, which was launched as a female-centric channel did not take off as was expected. However, where original shows failed, old shows did the turnaround for the channel. The channel, which currently has archival content from Sony’s library as well as airs South Indian movies, may get back original shows in the future.

     

    “In a few months’ time if we see viewership increasing further, which we are seeing right now, then we will start bringing original content again on Pal. I have a blue print of what I want to do over the next six months,” he says.

     

    DIGITAL

     

    MSM has also been aggressively moving on the digital front with its over-the-top (OTT) platform Sony Liv.

     

    “We are exploring opportunities on the digital platform as it is growing rapidly and we want to be a major part of the action. We’ve taken baby steps towards it by launching Sony Liv. In the last one year, we have upped the ante. Recently we launched our first original series Love Bytes, which already got 1.5 million video views. This resulted in a 300 per cent growth in our video consumption on the digital platform,” says Singh emphasising on digital.

     

    Sony Liv’s growth strategy will be two-pronged. While the platform will develop new original shows for the digital platform, it will also aggregate a lot of third party content. “One of the key aspect of the collaboration with ESPN is to co-create a multi sport app where we will use the expertise of ESPN-Cricinfo,” informs Singh.

    Even as the digital medium is witnessing immense growth in India, players are yet to figure out a concrete revenue model. While a few of them are providing content for free, others have opted for a pay model. “There’s a classical debate going on across the globe about which models is better. As I see it, currently, we have all our content on AVOD (advertising supported video on demand). But we will start putting up some of our marquee content in SVOD (subscription supported video on demand). Again, we were the first ones to put content on the SVOD platform. FIFA 2014 was one of our subscription based products available on Liv Sports,” Singh says.
     
    “We believe that any marquee content should be primarily subscription led, and then eventually free. However, at this stage, a lot of models are being experimented with.

     

     With MSM poised for the next phase of growth and expansion with multiple strategies across its businesses, the network’s road ahead will be watched with keen interest.

     

    SPORTS

     

    MSM has an extensive sports bouquet at this stage and the primary of them is IPL, which now is making headlines as PepsiCo expressed its desire to opt out of the sponsorship deal.

     

    “Any sponsor opting out from IPL won’t affect MSM,” Singh tells Indiantelevision.com. “We have seen a change of sponsors before too but the tournament continued and kept growing,” he adds.

     

    “MSM has made aggressive acquisitions of football properties this year and plans to create a lot of wrap around and editorial programming for it. And now, our collaboration with ESPN has given us an opportunity of presenting international level editorial content. 

     

    With MSM poised for the next phase of growth and expansion with multiple strategies across its businesses, the network’s road ahead will be watched with keen interest.

  • The making of ‘Junior’ stars

    The making of ‘Junior’ stars

    It was a countdown that began in the year 2004. Armed with a huge promotional blitz, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) launched its ‘big one’: an ambitious project that threatened to challenge the viewing habits of the telly loyals.

    Be it a lack of hit since Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, or the obvious threat posed by the ‘youth or women oriented’ focus of several other general entertainment channels (GECs), SET has a huge stake with the desi version of FremantleMedia’s Pop Idol.

    The mega budget Indian Idol is SET’s bid to fortify its youth viewer base. Multi Screen Media (MSM) calls this talent hunt a power brand created by Sony in the past 15 years, which stands above a few other powerful brands created by the channel including CID, Aahat, Boogie Woogie among others.

    Indian Idol so far has produced six successful seasons. Worried of the show reaching a fatigue level, the channel introduced a sub-franchise targeting kids with Indian Idol Junior in 2013. On the back of a successful first season, Sony has come back with the second edition this year.

    Indian Idol Junior2 currently showcasing the audition round, will see the ‘juniors’ paying tribute to the maestros of Indian music at the season’s grand launch. What’s more, the talent quotient has gone a notch higher with the inclusion of actor Sonakshi Sinha as one of the judges.

    A look at the journey

    While all looks glamorous when one watches the show on TV, producing half an hour to one hour of reality show is no child’s play.

    At any given time, more than 100-200 people work to make a reality show. The production team and the crew are as important as the talent and really make the show happen. When a fiction show is penned, one has to simply write all the relevant beats to that week’s tale, but with reality programmes, things are a bit different.

    Let’s take a look at all the madness that goes backstage while making a show like Indian Idol Junior2.

    For FremantleMedia India managing director Anupama Mandloi the blueprint of these formats is simple, uncomplicated, clean and universally adaptable. A reality show like Indian Idol while is relevant to any culture across the globe, it also has the ability to absorb the local DNA, thus becoming a true representation of the region they are produced in.

    “The audience enjoys the predictability of the journey, the range of talent, as well as the fresh and exclusive energy each season brings. Characters and storytelling define any good show. These shows are all about creating strong, memorable, aspirational and yet relatable characters whose journey and endgame is contained within a finite number of weeks,” she explains.

    Considering the basic blueprint remains the same, making any new edition look fresh is the biggest challenge. “We look at various elements: right from the talent to choosing areas for getting fresh, new voices to the panel of judges depicting their camaraderie and journey through the show. We also look at scheduling, how to differentiate various phases of the show as well as the larger story that we want to convey through the programme. These shows are all representative of current times and there is a definite change in narrative that comes through the contestants on the show,” Mandloi explains.

    She believes that when they first started the journey of reality shows, it gave audiences a sense of opportunity, scale and transformation. Over the years, it has reflected the pathos of underprivileged lives, their acceptance of destiny and the rooted middle class values.

    But, the narrative now is of achievers, children wanting the best and working towards it as well as a growing sense of community through technology. “It is about expecting the best and taking destiny into their hands. These shows are fascinating in what they throw up as you gather stories from across India,” she adds.

    Content Creation

    For starters, broader and thematic links for hosts is written before hand after a lot of internal discussions. A large part of the script is written on the ground based on situations as they unfold. As per Mandloi, this year the show witnessed the turnout of an unprecedented number of twins.

    She further goes on to say that the writers do not write scripts for judges because that never works. “The judges are articulate and capable of phrasing their thoughts. Scripting for the judges or the kids would make the show fake and we have a fairly purist approach to this aspect of the show. The viewers can tell if a show is over produced,” she asserts.

    There is only one writer who works closely with the creative director, associate creative director and the anchor director. It is all about the brief and how the writer links it with existing social norms and then how he wants the show to resonate. “The idea is to give the show consistency and a sense of purpose. Be it celebration, search, revelation, wish fulfillment,” she explains.

    There was no extensive research for this season, says Mandloi.  But, with a successful first edition, the makers were keen to establish the junior brand with the second season.

    “This season is a celebration of talent rather than a discovery and that is probably what is showing up through all interactions. There was a reflection on elements that worked and those that could have been better and we moved forward with those learnings in place. The top 13 is a true reflection of India from north, south, east and west. The top 13 is a wide range of voices as well as personalities and the talent is fresh and memorable,” she reasons.

    Reality shows are exhausting & relentless

    According to Mandloi, Indian Idol Junior took almost nine intense months of work and the crew usually faces a vacuum once the show gets over. “These shows are exhausting as they are relentless and require dedicated commitment from the team. At FremantleMedia, we are very careful to work with the best in the industry. They take pride in their work and that is always reflected in the quality of the show.”

    For IIJ, the makers had a one year window to find the talent and according to Mandloi that is clearly coming across in the show.

    It was a three months journey for the talent hunt to finally complete the auditions. While a number of children are called through an established network of music schools, institutions and gharaanas, there is also an open audition for which people register and audition.

    Since the show deals with kids, the makers ensure that children come with guardians. Food and water is provided and while the wait can be long, it does not allow entries after 5 pm. Moreover, the crew has contestant managers and their teams as well as a large ground team that helps address any issues that may crop up.

    “We are very careful with children. As far as possible we do try and ensure that the children are treated gently and with care. The entire team is briefed and prepped before the unit hits the road,” she says.

    How do the makers ensure a good turnout for auditions? Says Mandloi, “We can’t really control this beyond a point. In some cities the turnout is fabulous and in some it is sometimes underwhelming but for us the focus is not on the volume as much as it is on the talent. We make sure that a fair opportunity is provided to all those who are present.”

    According to Mandloi, she has been very fortunate with her channel interactions. “There is great faith in the team as well as belief in the format. There is a lot of creative freedom for this reason and the show is eventually a collaboration of creative ideas and execution.”

    Live, Camera & Action

    The show began the actual shoot approximately three months before going on-air.

    The audition phase is an accumulation of shoot footage of over two months which is then sifted through and assembled into episodes. “It is a tough process though now we have very good teams that have understood the process and are very skilled at connecting the dots,” she opines.

    The theatre phase is shot over three days. The concert episodes are shot every Sunday with a live result episode.

    One single episode takes anywhere from three weeks to five hours depending on the nature of the episode. The audition episodes take the longest as there is hours and hours of footage that needs to be culled, assembled and structured into a narrative. The live result takes approximately five hours and the concert episodes take close to three days.

    For all these, the production house has a large set-up with multiple machines and large post teams. A very tight core team drives the show. It hires the technical, creative as well as production teams on project basis. For a show of this size it is usually around 200 people on ground.

    To manage the crowd and ensure enough eyeballs in the studio, a large part of the crowd is sourced through audience co-coordinators. Moreover, there is a floor manager and his team that takes care of audience management as well as all the ground show flow.

    Every season needs to focus on bringing together fresh, exquisite talent that people align themselves with. This alignment dictates how they feel about the judge panel and the judges’ personal graphs within the show.

    For IIJ season2, judges like Vishal Dadlani, Shalmali Kholgade and Salim Merchant were selected for their credibility, their ease with children, ability to connect with viewers, personality and a very strong sense of who they are as opposed to who they are trying to project.

    Host Hussain Kuwajerwala and co-host Asha Negi were selected for their ability to be spontaneous, charming as well as the ability to connect with kids and viewers.

    This season the makers have conceived a set that is unlike any so far in its true 360 degree design. It’s intimate, glamorous and yet very fresh. A wireless cam does a 360 degree revolution around the centre stage. The families, contestants, audience and judges are all seated around the circular stage so that the contestant feels connected to all.

    The contestant performs in a central arena surrounded by graphics and the live band fills the set with its magic. IIJ 2 is being shot with 15 cameras.

    Reality shows costs a bomb

    One cannot deny the fact that reality shows are expensive. The production house is allocated with a budget and it has to work under those tight budgets.

    A media planner believes that though they are high budget shows, it is not in the cost of content. “The focus is to make sets bigger and shiny with more lights.  But, that is not what attracts the audience anyways.”

    According to a planner, it is the celebrity quotient that increases the cost of production.  “If you are working on a budget, you usually have to figure out what level of celebrity you can afford and that decides the costing. While the scale of the show is controllable, it is the demand for a particular celebrity which takes the cost high,” adds the planner.

    The production cost per episode of IIJ season 2 is somewhere between Rs 30-35 lakh.

    Sony, which currently is at the sixth position at the television ratings chart, has high hopes from this season of Indian Idol Junior. While the stage is set for the star performers, whether it will open up the stars for the channel is yet to be seen.   

  • MSM’s “new initiative”: A Hindi GEC?

    MSM’s “new initiative”: A Hindi GEC?

    MUMBAI: It was around 10 days ago that Multi Screen Media (MSM) announced the reshuffling and restructuring of its senior management. At that time the press release had said: “Anooj Kapoor will assume additional responsibilities as senior EVP and Business Head, SAB TV, and also a new initiative in the Hindi entertainment space.”

     

    When we contacted Kapoor, he was quite enigmatic when quizzed about the new initiative. Ditto with MSM president Rohit Gupta who confirmed that the Network is in the process of putting together “something new” but the details about it would be shared when the time comes.

     

    But we, at Indiantelevision.com, were not willing to be stonewalled and continued to dig around. So far what we have gathered is that the new Sony Entertainment Television offering will be another general entertainment channel – the third in the bouquet after SET and SAB. And it will have mainly fiction shows on its FPC. A senior media planner disclosed that he had been told by Sony executives that the launch is slated to take place within the next six weeks – that is before the financial year ends. 

     

    Sony Entertainment Television is likely to continue to air its existing successful shows such as C.I.D., Crime Patrol (in the crime/thriller genre), Boogie Woogie, Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (talent and reality show genre), Comedy Circus (comedy genre) and Kaun Banega Crorepati (quiz genre). SAB, which is among the more profitable services in the Sony Entertainment Television Network, will of course continue with its focus on lighter fare and comedies. 

     

    Industry sources reveal that an example of the type of programming the new channel will air are the shows it has signed on with Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachachan and their under-revival production house Saraswati Creations.

     

    Interestingly, headhunters are reportedly scouting for new hires to fill up the positions that are cropping up courtesy Sony’s new foray, and the mandate has been put out to strengthen the MSM communications team. 

     

    The Network has already got the required government licences for the upcoming channel, confirms a highly placed source, who goes on to say that the launch might be hurried if the TV ratings blackout becomes a reality by March when the High Court is supposed to announce its decision on TAM’s and Kantar’s future.

     

    Star India already has three Hindi GECs – Star Plus, Life Ok, Channel V – while a fourth, Star Utsav airs reruns from it old TV show catalogue. Zee Entertainment has the successful Zee TV and launched Zee Anmol last year, work on a third GEC is believed to be on currently. 

     

    Clearly, India’s TV networks believe in dishing out more to the country’s entertainment hungry TV viewers.

  • Sony LIV celebrates its 1st Anniversary with an open love letter to its viewers

    Sony LIV celebrates its 1st Anniversary with an open love letter to its viewers

    MUMBAI: Sony LIV, Multi Screen Media (MSM)’s premium video-on-demand service has launched a unique campaign to thank its viewers for the successful completion of its first year. The brand has written an open letter to viewers personifying Sony LIV as the doting partner of the viewer and describing the relationship between the two. The thought was derived from all the gestures couples indulge in when they complete their first year of togetherness like sending each other flowers, chocolates, putting up testimonials on social media, etc. The letter highlights all the high points of the year gone by for Sony LIV and its viewers.

     

    The beautifully-designed letter that put Sony LIV’s gratitude in words was sent to viewers through Facebook and emails. Overwhelmed viewers wrote back expressing their joy at such a warm way to involve them in the celebrations. Messages ranged from thank you notes to congratulatory messages on social media. Some of them read like this: “The letter made be blush, such a sweet gesture from Sony LIV” and “I have been watching shows on Sony LIV right from the start and I can totally relate to the sentiment of the letter.”     

     

    While the first few months passed akin to the honeymoon phase of a relationship, soon Sony LIV began innovating and experimenting to keep its partner interested and engaged. The idea was to give LIV’s viewers breaks that were worthwhile and fun. After all, modern life is all about those little escapes from the mundane. It successfully stayed at the forefront in terms of product development and technological advancements by introducing the iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry applications so that viewers could truly enjoy the brand proposition: “Mazey Ke Break Lo, Kahin Bhi Dekh Lo”. 

     

    Sony LIV also ran various interactive campaigns to create a buzz around its 1st Anniversary. A special logo was created for this occasion, the Sony LIV website held a contest which allowed fans to wish the brand Happy 1st Anniversary in the style of their favourite Sony character. Fans went all out to express their wishes. Some did it in the signature ACP Pradyuman (of the CID fame) way: “Daya Darvaza Todo, Andar Anniversary ka Cake Band Hai, Happy Anniversary!” or in the style of Dr. Hansraj Hathi from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah: “Arey Komal! Badi Zorose Bhook Lagi Hai, Chalo Jaldi, Sony LIV ka Anniversary Cake Khane! Badhai Ho!”

     

    Also on Facebook and Twitter Sony LIV ran a contest called ‘Gift a Maze ka break’ where people could gift their friends Sony LIV merchandise and movie tickets by tagging them and stating why their friends deserved to win a maze ka break.

     

    The brand came up with promotional videos to drive traffic on the website. Encouraging viewers to participate in the Sony LIVanniversary party from 24th to 31stJanuary where movie tickets, autographed merchandise and gift vouchers were up for grabs.        

     

    Over the past one year, Sony LIV has consistently brought marquee shows from the Sony Network to its viewers on a device that they could access anywhere, anytime. Indian Idol Junior, KBC, Boogie Woogie, Top Gear and other popular shows were brought to the viewers on their preferred device, so that they never had to worry about missing a single episode. The content repertoire expanded over the year to include English shows from AXN and Sports – LIVE streaming of the New Zealand vs India cricket series; thereby catering to different audience groups, both male and female.

     

    Extensive data analysis helped keeping engagement levels high. Innovations such as driving Indian Idol Junior auditions via the online medium and the app, offering the option to vote across all platforms including social media was offered. Also, introducing the play-along gaming application for KBC viewers enabled audiences to become active and facilitated a two-way communication via LIV.

  • Sony revives second non-fiction show ‘Entertainment Ke liye…’

    Sony revives second non-fiction show ‘Entertainment Ke liye…’

    MUMBAI: A few weeks back when Sony Entertainment Television NP Singh was elevated to the post of CEO from COO, he had promised that he will make some changes in the channel’s programming and work on bringing it back into fighting fit shape. Apparently, he appears to be acting on that promise in double quick time. 

     

    A statement from the channel says that its talent reality show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega is going to be back soon. “This is to inform you that SET’s show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch bhi Karega is coming back. The auditions will start from 26 January,” it says.

     

    While the date has been announced, no other details are known. A source from the channel says that Anu Malik, who has been the judge on earlier editions, has a big chance to come back this time too. However, the second judge hasn’t been finalised yet. “It could be Farah Khan, or somebody else may come in as well,” says the source, admitting that the hosts may also change.

    Sony Entertainment is also looking at tweaking the format a bit to make it more appealing to audiences.

     

    When we contacted Wizcraft TV head Namit Sharma that has produced the earlier editions of the show, he said it’s too early to talk about the details as nothing has been finalised – as of yet. “But we are starting silent auditions from the end of the month and we will go across the country to find exceptional talent,” he adds.

     

    The talent show premiered on the channel in May 2009, just a month before India’s Got Talent kicked off on rival channel Colors. However, while IGT became one of the most talked about and popular properties of Colors, Entertainment… was given a quiet burial. However, the tongue-in-cheek and many times blunt comments of judges Anu Malik and Farah Khan caught the fancy of TV viewers. 

     

    The last season (season 4) was aired on the channel in 2011 and The Raibishi group from West Bengal was the winner. 

     

    NP – it appears – is relying on tried and tested non-fiction properties to buoy Sony Entertainment. Recently, he dragged out R&N Productions’ long-running Boogie Woggie from the back of the closet and relaunched it on the Hindi GEC. The trio of Ravi Behl, Naved and Jaavved Jafferi tweaked the format, added a lot more emotion and drama to the dance show, and since then it seems to have got its mojo back and appears to be doing very well for Sony.

     

    Will Entertainment Ke Liye… do similarly well? 

     

  • Sony LIV launches microsite for Boogie Woogie

    Sony LIV launches microsite for Boogie Woogie

    MUMBAI:  As the iconic dance reality show, Boogie Woogie, returned on television sets after a four-year long wait, Sony LIV has launched a microsite which allows viewers to catch up on all the current and archived episodes.  The microsite is http://www.boogiewoogie.in <http://boogiewoogie.sonyliv.com.

    Sony Entertainment Network executive vice-president –new media, business development and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani said, “Boogie Woogie has been the longest-running and one-of-the most successful dance shows on Indian television. Sony LIV gives viewers the opportunity to tune in to the new season without losing the thread of the show’s running episodes. Diehard viewers can catch up with missed episodes using Sony LIV’s online platform. As an added bonus, true blue fans of one of the most entertaining and beloved shows on television can even relive the fun moments of earlier seasons from its 15 year stint through our archives online.”

    In addition, new features have been introduced to enhance viewer engagement with the show. These include: Boogie of the day: Sony LIV users can vote for their favourite, dance videos depending on which contestant they like best and I am a street dancer:  Users can upload videos of their kids dancing ‘Boogie Woogie style’ and thus share it with fellow dance lovers on the site.

  • Tune-in to the pulsating world of Boogie Woogie with Sony LIV

    Tune-in to the pulsating world of Boogie Woogie with Sony LIV

    MUMBAI: India’s original and most iconic dance reality show, Boogie Woogie, (http://www.boogiewoogie.in)returns on your television sets after a 4-year long wait. With Sony LIV, you no longer have to worry about missing out on the show’s current or archived episode anymore. Sony LIV, Multi Screen Media (MSM)’s premium video-on-demand service, allows you to catch up on all the episodes and videos from your favourite show as per your convenience.

    Boogie Woogie episodes will be carried on a dedicated microsite (http://www.boogiewoogie.in) hosted on the Sony LIV platform. The site will also allow viewers to check out all archived episodes of the show. SonyLIV.com promises to be the single-point entry into the electrifying world of Boogie Woogie for all those netizens who are often too busy to adhere to the timings on TV.

    Speaking on the availability of Boogie Woogie episodes on Sony LIV, Nitesh Kripalani, Executive Vice-President – New Media, Business Development and Digital/Syndication at Sony Entertainment Network, said, “Boogie Woogie has been the longest-running and one-of-the most successful dance shows on Indian television. Sony LIV gives viewers the opportunity to tune in to the new season without losing the thread of the show’s running episodes. Diehard viewers can catch up with missed episodes using Sony LIV’s online platform. As an added bonus, true blue fans of one of the most entertaining and beloved shows on television can even relive the fun moments of earlier seasons from its 15 year stint through our archives online.”

    In addition, new features have been introduced to enhance viewer engagement with the show:

    · Boogie of the day: Sony LIV users can vote for their favourite dance videos depending on which contestant they like best.

    · I am a street dancer: Users can upload videos of their kids dancing ‘Boogie Woogie style’ and thus share it with fellow dance lovers on the site.

    Sony LIV continues to uniquely engage viewers in an interactive manner while they enjoy the best of entertainment from the Sony stable.

  • Boogie Woogie is back with a bang

    Boogie Woogie is back with a bang

    MUMBAI: One of the oldest and longest running dance reality shows – Boogie Woogie – is returning to television screens after a hiatus of nearly four years.

    The show promises to be bigger and better in its new avatar – Boogie Woogie Kids Champion – even as it retains popular elements like the judges’ trio of Javed Jaffery, Naved Jaffery and Ravi Behl. Scheduled to premiere on Sony Entertainment Television on 7 December, the show will take the slot vacated by Kaun Banega Crorepati, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30pm.

    Produced by R&N TV Productions owned by Ravi and Naved, the show will see 16 talented kids between 7 and 13 years of age compete for the title of ‘Boogie Woogie Kids Champion’. This time round, nearly double the amount of money has been spent on producing the show; informs Naved. The show travelled to 10 cities and auditioned around 1 lakh children, of which 1000 kids were short-listed in the beginning. “100 were finalised, out of which 16 have been selected for the show,” says Naved.

    A lot has been done in terms of packaging to add freshness and newness to the show. For instance, the show will now have two hosts in actor Sargun Mehta and 12-year-old Rakshit Wahi who will keep the audience entertained. Speaking on the sidelines of the show’s launch on Monday, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) VP & Head – Non-fiction Programming, Aloka Guha, said: “While earlier, we didn’t have hosts, this time, we have got Sargun and Rakshit on board to add more fervour.”

    Since the show is not trying to compete with any other dance reality show on television, the theme is very family-oriented. “We are competing with ourselves. We were ruling for 17 years and have become a culture in a way,” says Naved, adding that the huge leap in technology in the last three to four years is helping them come up with a better product. “However, only technology can’t really help a show; one has to come up with strong engaging content as well,” he points out.

    While earlier, we didn’t have hosts, this time, we have got Sargun and Rakshit on board to add more fervour, says Aloka Guha

     

    The show is a mix of old and new elements and unlike other dance reality shows, the makers haven’t introduced any audience voting system. “We didn’t feel the need for a voting system. We want the audience to watch the show for its content and nothing else,” says Naved.

    Programming-wise, Sony Entertainment Television is working in tandem with R&N TV Productions and Aloka is of the view that since the channel has hosted some of the best reality shows like Indian Idol and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, it has a team of the top order, which can really help produce an excellent show. Interestingly, SET wanted to start a dance show for quite some time and what better than to revive a brand like Boogie Woogie, which enjoys a long and successful association with the channel.

    About the phantom high-speed camera used for shooting the show, Aloka says: “The camera can record up to 5,000 frames per second and that has given an edge to the show. The show has scaled up in a lot of other ways as well. While we have a very large set-up, we are also following the pyramid shape structure for the first time. Boogie Woogie has never been a reality show where you follow a contestant. It has had special episodes like super moms, weekly etc. However, now, through the 15 weeks, we are going to follow the journey of the contestants and that is a big development.”

     

    The team is trying to get on board the show celebs with a knack for dancing. So, the first episode will have Prabhu Dheva and Shahid Kapoor while latter episodes will see Madhuri Dixit and Arshad Warsi among others.

    Coming to promotions, SET has so far released four videos that are parodies of popular songs including ILU ILU, Lungi Dance, Na Na Na Re and Chaar Baj Gaye.

    16 finalists with the judges

    Aloka says the idea was to make the promotions fun just like the theme of the show. “We were brainstorming for the promotional videos when somebody generally hummed Ye Boogie Woogie kya hai, ye Boogie Woogie..And bang on, we got the idea of what we have to do,” she says.

    Informs SET head of marketing and senior VP Gaurav Seth: “The promotional videos are being promoted on all the Multi Screen Media channels including SAB, SET, PIX, MIX, SIX and MAX.” He hopes the show will help take SET’s ratings up. “Since the weekend slot has worked really well for us, we are hoping for a lot of traction for this as well. Plus, since the concept has worked really well for us in the past, we are planning a lot of on-ground activities to promote the show. We may even come up with a mobile app to reach out to the tech-savvy generation,” he adds.

    Currently, Horlicks has come on board as the ‘powered by’ sponsor whereas other deals are in the process of being finalised. “We would clearly know the final sponsors by the week end,” says Seth.

    SET plans to go in to a digital overdrive as well for the show. However, they want to keep their strategies a ‘secret’ at the moment. “We have to go with the time and we will go all out to make the show a phenomenon. However, we will decide the promotional strategies as we progress,” Javed signs off.

  • Is crime genre the fuel running Sony?

    Is crime genre the fuel running Sony?

    MUMBAI: Once upon a time, it ruled the roost but a look at recent TAM ratings tells another story. Why is it that a pioneer like Sony is currently languishing among the bottom three GECs? According to media experts, the answer lies in the kind of content the channel is airing.

     

    A majority of them feel fiction is critical to a GEC, which is exactly what Sony lacks. “Without focusing on any fiction-based shows, a GEC cannot survive. In other words, daily soap operas are the bread and butter for a GEC,” says a producer who didn’t wish to be named.

     

    Yes, Sony had hit shows like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and Boogie Woogie (reality) but that’s in the past. Over the last couple of years, the channel has failed to gain traction as far as fiction is concerned.

     

    Many may counter this saying Sony has two shows which can beat fiction-based ones by a huge margin: Crime Patrol and CID. The duo is among the channel’s longest running shows. To give statistics, CID garnered 7,048 TVTs in week 40 of TAM TV ratings while Crime Petrol registered 3,882 TVTs.

     

    Says BPN (Brand Programming Network) CEO Suresh Balakrishna: “CID and Crime Petrol have been airing for years and it won’t be wrong to say that the shows own this genre. A viewer expects to see crime shows on Sony, they have owned that genre and nobody has got into the genre the way the channel has.”

     

    Some experts agree that the way Star Plus is known for its fictional shows and Colors for its reality shows, viewers tend to expect crime from Sony. Others feel to focus on one particular genre, say crime, can definitely give the channel the required padding but GECs’ bread and butter is fiction shows.

     

    “I think the biggest problem that Sony is facing is to do with its image. It has never had fiction which has done well whereas non-fiction has worked brilliantly for the channel. Ideally, they should go back to the old model of non-fiction,” suggests a city-based media planner, adding: “It is not suffering as far as distribution is concerned or marketing is. The problem lies in the content. If it changes the content mix, the channel will definitely be able to garner better GVTs. But of course, that would mean investing a lot of time, ideas and energy. But if they invest, then it may work out.”

     

    Focusing on the content, planners state the example of Channel V which changed its strategy from being music to a fiction. Correspondingly, Sab TV till six years back had a mix bag of shows whereas now it is known for its comedy shows.

     

    However, a soap opera director begs to differ: “Sony has done lot of experiments. And I am getting a positive feeling for Desh ki Beti…Nandini and I think it will be able to click with the audience.” Yet, he is quick to point out that the channel hasn’t done anything like Jassi in a long time and even Bade Achche Lagte Hai isn’t working anymore.

     

    Says Sunshine Productions’ Sudhir Sharma: “Sony is known for semi-urban sensibilities shows such as Jassi and Bade Achche Lage Hai and in this space, the channel must explore. It will be good for them.”

     

    The channel is betting big on the recently launched Kaun Banega Crorepati 7 but TAM ratings haven’t been too encouraging. Whether Sony should get its act together on fiction shows or continue to concentrate on non-fiction (crime) is something the channel will have to work out.

     

    In the meantime, the recent revamp and maybe Boogie Woogie, which is returning to the channel after a decade-long gap, may just help Sony get its groove back…

  • ‘Boogie Woogie’ to make a comeback on Sony

    ‘Boogie Woogie’ to make a comeback on Sony

    MUMBAI: In an attempt to sort out its declining fortunes, Sony has decided to ride the comeback wave. The channel brought in CID, Aahaat and even a revamped Karamchand (earlier on Doordarshan) to draw in the viewers.

    Continuing with this formula, SET has decided to revisit past glories with Boogie Woogie. The popularity of Javed Jaffrey, Naved and Ravi on this talent based dance contest has ensured a decade long run on SET.

    ‘The country-wide search for dancing talents will be flagged off with auditions beginning in Mumbai between 16 and 20 February.

    Boogie Woogie is all set to make a comeback on weekends and although no date has been revealed yet it will be aired as a one hour show on Saturdays at 8:00 pm.

    The new format comprises of theme based competitions like horror, villains, super hero kids, TV celebs, cabarets and Shaadi -Vivaah special.

    The reality based dance hunt will feature two championships with 7 episodes each. The proposed themes are ‘mummies and kids championships’.