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Tag: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

  • Netflix hires Indian origin TV exec Bela Bajaria as content VP

    Netflix hires Indian origin TV exec Bela Bajaria as content VP

    MUMBAI: Even as Netflix has been strengthening its Asia team by hiring locals with Asian and international experience, it has also been bolstering the talent at its HQ.  Last week, the leading global video streaming site, announced that it had roped in former Universal Television (NBCUniversal’s TV unit) president Bela Bajaria as vice-president of content. She is slated to join Netflix from 1 November, replacing Sean Carey, who is leaving the company.

    The London-born-but-raised-in-east-Africa-and-settled-in-Los-Angeles Bajaria is of Indian origin, At Universal Television, Bajaria supervised creative programming for the studio and producing such hit series as Master of None and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for Netflix; Brooklyn Nine-Nine for FOX; The Mindy Project for FOX and Hulu; Superstore for NBC and Bates Motel for A&E, among several others. She developed Gypsy, starring Naomi Watts, for Netflix which will premiere in 2017 as well as Pure Genius for CBS and The Good Place for NBC, which are on the network’s 2016 fall schedules.

    Bajaria has in the past been ranked amongst the top  TV executives in the US when she headed Universal Television.  She left the production outfit  when she had a run-in with executives at NBC Studios for not buying enough content from her company, even though Fox and CBS were.

    At Netflix, Bajaria has been mandated with leading the team focused on TV and film licensing from major U. studios, as well co-production relationships with major US networks. She will also oversee a new team developing original unscripted programs for Netflix.

    Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and chief content officer Ted Sarandos have said time and time again that the company wants to keep showcase the best in class engaging content for its subscribers and a budget of $5 billion has been kept aside for this year to acquire and create content.

    “Bela is a great creative television executive with broad experience and deep industry relationships,” said Sarandos. “Having worked closely with her on Master of None and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, we know we have found the perfect executive to lead this new effort.”

    “I am looking forward to joining Netflix, an innovative company that supports creative vision and fosters risk-taking. Having worked closely with Ted, Cindy and the team, I know they are great creative partners and care deeply about the experience of talent, their partners and their members,” said Bela Bajaria. “They are a dynamic group and I’m looking forward to continue building new partnerships at Netflix with amazing talent and studio and network colleagues.”

  • Netflix hires Indian origin TV exec Bela Bajaria as content VP

    Netflix hires Indian origin TV exec Bela Bajaria as content VP

    MUMBAI: Even as Netflix has been strengthening its Asia team by hiring locals with Asian and international experience, it has also been bolstering the talent at its HQ.  Last week, the leading global video streaming site, announced that it had roped in former Universal Television (NBCUniversal’s TV unit) president Bela Bajaria as vice-president of content. She is slated to join Netflix from 1 November, replacing Sean Carey, who is leaving the company.

    The London-born-but-raised-in-east-Africa-and-settled-in-Los-Angeles Bajaria is of Indian origin, At Universal Television, Bajaria supervised creative programming for the studio and producing such hit series as Master of None and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for Netflix; Brooklyn Nine-Nine for FOX; The Mindy Project for FOX and Hulu; Superstore for NBC and Bates Motel for A&E, among several others. She developed Gypsy, starring Naomi Watts, for Netflix which will premiere in 2017 as well as Pure Genius for CBS and The Good Place for NBC, which are on the network’s 2016 fall schedules.

    Bajaria has in the past been ranked amongst the top  TV executives in the US when she headed Universal Television.  She left the production outfit  when she had a run-in with executives at NBC Studios for not buying enough content from her company, even though Fox and CBS were.

    At Netflix, Bajaria has been mandated with leading the team focused on TV and film licensing from major U. studios, as well co-production relationships with major US networks. She will also oversee a new team developing original unscripted programs for Netflix.

    Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and chief content officer Ted Sarandos have said time and time again that the company wants to keep showcase the best in class engaging content for its subscribers and a budget of $5 billion has been kept aside for this year to acquire and create content.

    “Bela is a great creative television executive with broad experience and deep industry relationships,” said Sarandos. “Having worked closely with her on Master of None and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, we know we have found the perfect executive to lead this new effort.”

    “I am looking forward to joining Netflix, an innovative company that supports creative vision and fosters risk-taking. Having worked closely with Ted, Cindy and the team, I know they are great creative partners and care deeply about the experience of talent, their partners and their members,” said Bela Bajaria. “They are a dynamic group and I’m looking forward to continue building new partnerships at Netflix with amazing talent and studio and network colleagues.”

  • Comedy Central updates Diwali schedule; adds films

    Comedy Central updates Diwali schedule; adds films

    MUMBAI: Comedy Central is all geared to take the viewers on a laughter riot with its new line-up. In a first of its kind initiative, the channel, apart from its remarkable shows, will air stunning movies. Apart from all-time-favorites-F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Mom, Community, The Mindy Project, Awkward, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon- shows like The Detour, Crowded, Man with a Plan, The Great Indoors, etc will be also be added to the line-up.

    New seasons will be added for the shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Dr. Ken, and The Graham Norton Show.

    CC Blockbustered, the channel’s movie slot, has an electrifying movie line-up with Grown Ups 2, The Ugly Truth, Sleepless in Seattle, Anger Management, Bewitched, etc. The films would air on Sunday afternoons 12 pm onwards, with a primetime repeat at 9 pm.

    “We have received terrific responses from our viewers in the past, proving time and again, that Comedy Central is, in fact, their Happy Place! We’ve decided to enter October with some fantastic watch with the world shows and some all-time favorites. We’ve also decided to amplify our engagement with our viewers through their most loved movies. By introducing these blockbusters in our line-up, we aim to continue to spread more happiness and cheer,” said Viacom18 youth and English entertainment head of programming Hashim D’Souza.

    The channel will air the fourth season of cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine on 1 October at 8 pm followed by second season of Dr Ken, a multi camera sitcom based on his experience as a doctor prior to becoming a stand-up comedian at 8:30 pm. The 20th season of The Graham Norton Show, a British comedy celebrity chat show will be aired on 8 October at 10 pm. Matt LeBlanc’s comedy series Man with a Plan will be premiered on 29 October at 9 pm. Following that will be Joel McHales’ The Great Indoors which is based around the online team of so-called journalists at 9:30 pm.

    The on-road comedy series The Detour will be premiered on 5 October at 10 pm, while the American sitcom Crowded will be broadcasted on 14 October at 10.30 pm. The Mindy Project season 1 to 4 will be makes its way back to the channel and will be premiered from 19 October 9 pm. Season 1-5 of Awkward will be aired at 9:30 pm whereas The Jim Gaffigan Show will air at 10 pm.

    The channel’s festival special programming for Diwali will be celebrated with shows like The Carmichael Show on 29 and 30 October 4 pm onwards. Its Halloween special is wacked with the entire third season of Deadbeat on 31 October 10 am onwards.

  • Comedy Central updates Diwali schedule; adds films

    Comedy Central updates Diwali schedule; adds films

    MUMBAI: Comedy Central is all geared to take the viewers on a laughter riot with its new line-up. In a first of its kind initiative, the channel, apart from its remarkable shows, will air stunning movies. Apart from all-time-favorites-F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Mom, Community, The Mindy Project, Awkward, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon- shows like The Detour, Crowded, Man with a Plan, The Great Indoors, etc will be also be added to the line-up.

    New seasons will be added for the shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Dr. Ken, and The Graham Norton Show.

    CC Blockbustered, the channel’s movie slot, has an electrifying movie line-up with Grown Ups 2, The Ugly Truth, Sleepless in Seattle, Anger Management, Bewitched, etc. The films would air on Sunday afternoons 12 pm onwards, with a primetime repeat at 9 pm.

    “We have received terrific responses from our viewers in the past, proving time and again, that Comedy Central is, in fact, their Happy Place! We’ve decided to enter October with some fantastic watch with the world shows and some all-time favorites. We’ve also decided to amplify our engagement with our viewers through their most loved movies. By introducing these blockbusters in our line-up, we aim to continue to spread more happiness and cheer,” said Viacom18 youth and English entertainment head of programming Hashim D’Souza.

    The channel will air the fourth season of cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine on 1 October at 8 pm followed by second season of Dr Ken, a multi camera sitcom based on his experience as a doctor prior to becoming a stand-up comedian at 8:30 pm. The 20th season of The Graham Norton Show, a British comedy celebrity chat show will be aired on 8 October at 10 pm. Matt LeBlanc’s comedy series Man with a Plan will be premiered on 29 October at 9 pm. Following that will be Joel McHales’ The Great Indoors which is based around the online team of so-called journalists at 9:30 pm.

    The on-road comedy series The Detour will be premiered on 5 October at 10 pm, while the American sitcom Crowded will be broadcasted on 14 October at 10.30 pm. The Mindy Project season 1 to 4 will be makes its way back to the channel and will be premiered from 19 October 9 pm. Season 1-5 of Awkward will be aired at 9:30 pm whereas The Jim Gaffigan Show will air at 10 pm.

    The channel’s festival special programming for Diwali will be celebrated with shows like The Carmichael Show on 29 and 30 October 4 pm onwards. Its Halloween special is wacked with the entire third season of Deadbeat on 31 October 10 am onwards.

  • Andy Samberg to host 67th Primetime Emmy Awards

    Andy Samberg to host 67th Primetime Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: Emmy Award-winning writer, actor and comedian Andy Samberg will host the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on 20 September. The awards will be aired on Fox.

     

    Samberg stars as Det. Jake Peralta on the award-winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

    “It’s wonderfully fitting that we have Andy Samberg, an Emmy Award winner himself, as our host for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards. Andy has excelled in all aspects of the television universe, both from behind and in front of the camera. His humor, insights and charisma will be an exciting addition to our annual celebration of television’s best and brightest,” said Television Academy chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum.

    “The moment the Emmy Awards’ host was brought up, we said it had to be Andy. He is fearless, hilarious, an award-winning comedian, singer, writer and actor with incredible live TV experience. We know he’ll deliver the laughs and give viewers an incredible night they will enjoy,” said Fox Television Group chairmen and CEOs Gary Newman and Dana Walden.

    “Buckle your seat belts, Emmy viewers! Like, in general you should buckle your seat belts in your car. In fact, even if you’re not an Emmy viewer, you should buckle your seat belt. It can be dangerous on the road. Also, if you’re not an Emmy viewer, you should strongly consider becoming one this year, because I’m hosting, and it’s gonna be a wild ride. So buckle your seat belts,” said Samberg.

    Nominations for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on 16 July.

    An Emmy Award-winning writer, Andy Samberg has emerged as a captivating and hilarious leading man on screens both big and small. For his role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy as a producer. Prior to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he completed his seventh and final season as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.

  • New age of TV viewing: Do you trust your friends or followers?

    New age of TV viewing: Do you trust your friends or followers?

    MUMBAI: With 115.6 million television viewing homes in the US, watching a favorite program is nothing like it used to be. In the world of social media and mobile devices, people don’t huddle around one television set at night and discuss their favorite TV moments over the water cooler at the office the next day in the same way anymore.

     

    Individuals are tuning-in with a “second screen,” like an iPad or laptop computer, and are interacting in new ways with TV. With social media, a television program can get positive or negative feedback from a viewer almost instantaneously. Given this growing trend, one would think social media is dominating the battle for TV viewership.

     

    But, surprisingly, social media does not rule the tube and old-fashioned word-of-mouth, or “water cooler conversation,” still holds more influence over viewers, according to new research from Simon Business School at the University of Rochester titled, “Talking Social TV 2.”

     

    While social media, especially Twitter, can benefit a television show in real-time, offline word-of-mouth is more influential to get a new viewer to watch a new program, thus increasing a show’s ratings.

     

    Simon Business School associate professor of marketing Mitchell Lovett and The Jerusalem School of Business Administration associate professor of marketing Renana Peres conducted the original study in 2012 and built on their original findings with this latest installment. This research comes out of a collaboration between Lovett and Peres as the academic research team, the Keller Fay Group, a marketing research company specializing in word-of-mouth research, and the Council for Research Excellence, a body of senior-level research professionals in the media and advertising industry. The research examines the likelihood a viewer would tune in to a program after receiving a message about the show via word-of-mouth, promotions, social media, or SMS/text message.

     

    “Our research, which included a major data integration effort, shows that television viewing is influenced by all types of communication, whether it’s social media, offline word-of-mouth, or a text message,” said Lovett.

     

    Results show that for repeaters (individuals who watch the same program regularly) and infrequents (individuals who do not view the same show regularly) offline word-of-mouth is the strongest form of communication that influences their television viewing. For infrequents, social media communications are actually more influential than promotions for shows, whereas for repeaters the opposite is true.

     

    This new study comprised 1,665 respondents between the ages of 15 to 54, who used a mobile app to report any time they saw, heard, or communicated something about primetime television shows over the course of 21 or more days. This data set contains 78,310 diary entries for approximately 1,596 shows from September 2013 through October 2013.

     

    Researchers took into account the potential effect of all forms of communications on different types of programs, whether network or cable, new or returning. According to their model, they predicted that reach-focused word-of-mouth would raise ratings for returning shows like The Voice, as well as new shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

  • Two time Golden Globe winning series BROOKLYN NINE-NINE now on Indian Television

    Two time Golden Globe winning series BROOKLYN NINE-NINE now on Indian Television

    MUMBAI: Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a workplace comedy that deals with a diverse group of detectives. Set in the 99th Precinct of the New York City Police Department in Brooklyn, the single-camera ensemble comedy follows a talented-but-carefree detective Jake Peralta and his colleagues, who have to prove themselves to the new Captain Ray Holt who has come on-board and wants his team to work hard and follow the rules.

    Together, these cops interrogate suspects, arrest perps and solve murders. But, ultimately, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a workplace comedy that’s not really about the job. It’s about the men and women behind the badge – singing karaoke, eating gourmet ham and hitting on each other – all while protecting the fine people of Brooklyn.

     
    Andre Braugher and Golden Globe winner Andy Samberg are the most unusual yet compelling actor duo on the block. Catch them in action and get ready for all the drama starting. May 19, 2014 onwards, every Monday – Wednesday at 10:00pm exclusively on Comedy Central India.

  • This summer, laugh out loud

    This summer, laugh out loud

    MUMBAI: Ever since it first started in India almost two years ago, Comedy Central India has grown to be identified with fun, comedy and laughter. From popular sitcoms to exclusive show launches, the channel brings to its viewers some of the funniest shows from across the world.

     
    This May, viewers can brace themselves for an all new level of comedy with the launch of nine new shows on the channel. Shows like the Golden Globe Award winner Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the latest season of the globally acclaimed Suits and the extremely popular game series Wipe Out will be a part of the new line up.

     
    Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a workplace comedy that deals with a diverse group of detectives who are at the very edge of New York City. After the success of airing three back-to-back series of the legal drama, Comedy Central now brings the final six episodes of the third season of Suits. The channel will also Wipe Out, the game show series where the world’s largest obstacle course will be witnessed in which will see contestants making their way through a giant obstacle course to win a cash price.

     
    In addition to the latest seasons of the critically acclaimed The Mindy Project, Suits, Wipe Out and Citizen Kane, Comedy Central India will also premiere the 2014 reboot of the classic The Kumars at No. 42. The Kumars at No. 42 has seen two Indian adaptations viz., The Batliwalas’ at No. 43 and Comedy Nights with Kapil. Another reboot that will soon be seen on Comedy Central would be the 2013 revival of Whose Line Is It Anyway? with the same cast returning joined by Aisha Tyler hosting. Another sitcom that will soon be seen on Comedy Central would be Sean Saves the World, starring Sean Hayes, from the EMMY Award nominated writer of Better Off Ted. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will also return to Comedy Central India with brand new episodes.

     
    Commenting on the all new prime time line-up, Viacom18 Media English entertainment  SVP & GM, Ferzad Palia, said that the channel’s objective has always been to bring fresh and funny content to viewers. “Since launch we’ve set out to expand our programming line-up year-on-year by bringing the most popular and globally renowned shows, be it contemporary or classics. This May, we bring viewers an award winning, all new Prime time line-up that is sure to engage both loyal & new audiences”, said Palia in a statement.

     
    Hitting off the summer cool is Wipe Out weeknights at 9 pm, starting 5 May. It will be followed by the season premiere of Suits from Mondays to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. followed by Sean Saves the World at 11 pm  and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11:30. The Kumars revival will start on 8 May airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. The following day will witness the season premiere of Citizen Kane airing Fridays at 10 p.m. The Golden Globe Award winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine will make its Indian premiere on 19 May, airing Mondays to Wednesdays at 10 pm, followed immediately by the season premiere of The Mindy Project airing Mondays to Wednesdays 10:30 p.m. The 2013 revival of the improvisation comedy series, Whose Line Is It Anyway? will make its Indian premiere on 31 May airing Saturdays at 9 pm

  • FOX renews four shows, cancels one

    FOX renews four shows, cancels one

    MUMBAI: Early this year, at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, officials at FOX Broadcasting announced that the network had decided to pass the traditional pilot season henceforth. At the tour, FOX had announced that it would order series all year long, which is clearly evident from the series order of 24: Live Another Day, M. Night Shyamalan’s Wayward Pines and the Batman-prequel Gotham, all ordered to series before the traditional pilot season schedule.

     

    Usually during the pilot seasons, the fate of the older programmes is announced. Last April, the ground-breaking teen phenomenon Glee was renewed for two seasons. However, later creator Ryan Murphy said that the sixth season would be its last. In October, Sleepy Hollow became the first new series to be renewed for a second season during its 13 episode first season run. In January this year, FOX renewed its veteran forensic procedural Bones for a tenth season.

     

    Last week, FOX announced renewals for four of its series – the Critics Choice Television Award winning New Girl and The Mindy Project, along with the Golden Globe Award winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the Kevin Bacon-starrer The Following. Along with renewals come cancellations too, in order to balance the weekly schedule. As announced on Monday, 10 March, the first series to be passed on is the quirky comedy Raising Hope. The acclaimed comedy will bow out with an hour-long farewell with the season four finale now airing as the series finale next month.

     

    In India, The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs on Comedy Central, while Glee, Bones and New Girl air on STAR World. Sleepy Hollow will be finishing its first season run on STAR World Premiere and The Following completed its first season run on Zee Cafe.