ITV

Tag: Christmas

  • Christmas Exclusives on Amrita TV

    Christmas Exclusives on Amrita TV

    MUMBAI: To celebrate Christmas with its viewers worldwide, Amrita TV has scheduled an exclusive fare of programmes which include a Christmas Concert, telecast of Christmas proceedings from a well-known church, a series of Hollywood-produced films on Biblical characters ,programmes related to the Christian fraternity and a new look-screen with Santa Claus and kids being featured as graphics in the channel throughout the Christmas festivities.

    Some of the notable programmes, are the telecast of “Gloria Deo International Concert” ,billed as the biggest Christmas Concert in South India with musicians from across the world like Beny Prasad,an internationally acclaimed musician who has developed a unique 51-string guitar and has performed at Olympics and FIFA, and toured over 100 countries; Cindy Wilcox,Professor Music ,Liberty University and musician from UK, and Emaurie Woods blue black singer from USA–alongwith Boney, musician ,Live Jam ,Trivandrum and the Super Star troupe of Stephen at the key board,Sangeeth and Job.

    The program is telecast on Sunday 24 December on Amrita TV .On Sunday itself there is an exclusive programme with well-known playback and classical singer Yesudas who talks to Amrita TV in the company of his family and friends in the program “Samagamam”.

    On Christmas Day,Amrita TV is serializing “Bible Stories ” in Malayalam on Jesus,Jacob and David which will be telecast on prime time for a fortnight (Mon-Fri .7.30 pm).A Hollywood production,it features an international cast .On 25th a Special Xmas episode of its latest reality show ,”Super Star Junior” will be telecast at 8 pm .

    This special episode will be for 90 minutes and, will for the first time, introduce the shortlisted junior contestants from the thousands who were auditioned for the show in the 10-15 age group.These children under the direction of music directors, Deepak Dev,George Peter,Alphonse will host a Christmas show.

    On the same day, “Music Cafe”will feature Christmas Carols with top musicians from South India; while “Sruthilayam”,a classical music programme will feature a Christian priest singing classical songs.

  • Q3: Christmas, New Year delays invoicing at DQ Entertainment

    Q3: Christmas, New Year delays invoicing at DQ Entertainment

    BENGALURU: Christmas and New Year holidays resulted in invoicing delays and hence lower revenue for the Tapas Chakravarti-led DQ Entertainment (International) Ltd, (DQE). The company says that though deliveries for some products had been completed before December 31, 2013, approvals from its customers were delayed on account of the holidays, hence invoices have been raised in the fourth quarter. 

     

    The company reported consolidated revenue of Rs 50.85 crore for Q3-2014, 11.5 per cent more than the Rs 45.59 crore in Q3-2013 and 10.1 per cent lower than Rs 56.58 crore in Q2-2014.YTD, revenue in 9M-2014 was down 2.1 per cent to Rs 137.85 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 140.86 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, DQE reported revenue of Rs 229.05 crore. 

     

    DQE reported loss of Rs 1.24 crore in Q3-2014, against a profit of Rs 8.92 crore in Q3-2013 and a profit of Rs 22.72 crore in Q2-2014. YTD, for the nine month period ended December 31, 2013, DQE reported PAT of Rs 28.11 crore which was a little more than the double the Rs 14.01 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, DQE’s PAT was Rs 37.31 crore. 

     

    Let us look at the other Q3-2014 numbers reported for Q3-2014

     

    Total expense (excluding finance cost) at Rs 38.59 crore in Q3-2014 was 27.7 per cent more than the Rs 27.39 crore in Q3-2013 and 40.9 per cent more than the Rs 26.04 crore in Q2-2014. YTD, Total expense fell 22.5 per cent to Rs 84.89 crore from Rs 109.57 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013 Total expense was Rs 168.83 crore.

     

    The company’s finance cost in Q3-2014 went up by 36.3 per cent to Rs 7.18 crore from Rs 5.27 crore in Q3-2013 and went up by 13.9 per cent from Rs 6.30 crore in Q2-2014. Finance Cost on a YTD basis was up 24.4 per cent to Rs 18.5 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 14.87 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, DQE paid Rs 20.94 crore towards Finance Cost. 

     

    The company’s Employee expense in Q3-2014 at Rs 18.64 crore was (12.9) per cent lower than the Rs 21.41 crore in Q3-2013 and 14.0 per cent lower than the Rs 19.74 crore in Q2-2014. In 9M-2014, Employee expense was 12.8 per cent down to Rs 58.61 crore from Rs 67.21 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, Employee expense was Rs 87.58 crore. 

     

    Its other expense was up 26.9 per cent in Q3-2014 to Rs 8.26 crore from Rs 6.51 crore in Q3-2013 and was lower by 30.2 per cent from the Rs 11.83 crore in Q2-2014. Other expense was up 50.5 per cent to Rs 26.43 crore in 9M-2014 from Rs 17.57 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, other expense was Rs 25.02 crore. 

     

    The company’s animation segment reported a 11.5 per cent drop in operating revenue in Q3-2014 to Rs 30.11 crore from Rs 34.03 crore in Q3-2013 and was 27.9 per cent lower than the Rs 41.77 crore in Q-2014. YTD, the company’s Animation segment reported operating revenue of Rs 98.18 crore which was 5.8 per cent more than the Rs 92.84 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, this segment reported revenue of Rs 170.09 crore.

     

    Animation segment reported an operating profit of Rs 13.79 crore in Q3-2014, 17.6 per cent lower than the Rs 16.72 crore in Q3-2013 and 46.1 per cent lower than the Rs 25.59 cores in Q2-2014. In 9M-2014, the segment reported operating profit of Rs 50.84 crore which was 31.5 per cent more than the Rs 38.67 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, this segment reported operating profit of Rs 97.52 crore. 

     

    DQE’s other segment – distribution reported revenue of just Rs 0.69 crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 10.92 crore in Q3-2013 and the Rs 13.62 crore in Q2-2014. YTD, the segment’s operating revenue fell 14.3 per cent to Rs 15.3 crore from Rs 17.84 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, this segment reported revenue of Rs 28.72 crore.  

     

    The segment reported a loss of Rs 3.99 crore for the current quarter as compared to a profit of Rs 7.51 crore in Q3-2013 and Rs 7.6 crore in Q2-2014. Over the nine month period ended December 31, 2013, the segment reported a 63.6 per cent drop in operating profit to Rs 1.75 crore from Rs 4.8 crore in 9M-2013. For FY 2013, Distribution segment reported operating loss of Rs 2.64 crore.

     

    DQE’s reported an unallocated expense of Rs 11.54 crore in Q3-2014, which was 58.3 per cent more than the Rs 7.29 crore in Q3-2013 and almost four times the Rs 2.8 crore in Q2-2014. 

     

    The company states that its current order book stands at Rs 410 crore.

     

    Says Chakravarti, “There is a clear upsurge in the economy of North America, however the economic slowdown in Europe still continues. DQE is making all efforts in North America to take benefit of increased demand for TV and movie content in animation, hybrid presentations as well as pure live action. This is evident from our advanced negotiations with production houses in the USA.”

     

    “DQE with its track record of international high quality productions such as ‘Little Prince’, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, Jungle Book, Peter Pa, The Penguins of Madagascar, etc., should benefit from this renewed demand. The industry is also witnessing an increase for Visual Effects (VFX) content for animated feature films, live action thrillers & action films and Sci-Fi films from Hollywood, Europe and Japan. This will help DQE take advantage of its capabilities and trusted name for CGI/VFX production in USA and Europe. Our intellectual properties are also gathering momentum worldwide,” added Chakravarti.

     

    Click here for full financial

  • Star World ushers in NY with a Modern Family marathon

    Star World ushers in NY with a Modern Family marathon

     MUMBAI: One of the oldest English entertainment channel, Star World, gave its viewers the ultimate Christmas present as it let them vote for their favorite show online.

     

    The channel’s ‘Freedom to Choose’ poll on Facebook gave fans the special privilege to choose exactly which show they would like to catch on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day (31 December and 1 January) . Viewers had a choice to pick between popular shows like Melissa and Joey, Glee and Modern Family. The poll remained open to all fans till 25th December 2013.

     

    Of all the shows, Modern Family was the clear winner. Viewers will now get to watch the sitcom on the on the two days as the channel airs a marathon session of the hit show between 12pm-7pm. The American sitcom has won a host of awards and recently ‘cleaned up’ at the Emmy’s taking home best supporting actor and actress in a comedy, best comedy direction and best comedy for the third year in a row.

  • This Christmas, treat yourself with a Sherlock video tape!

    This Christmas, treat yourself with a Sherlock video tape!

    MUMBAI: Sherlock certainly knows how to make a re-entry. The acclaimed series is set to return next month for its third season on AXN India and, to further stoke anticipation; the BBC has released an enigmatic new mini-episode online. It tracks the return of Benedict Cumberbatch’s brilliant, socially-challenged detective from a grave that, one could deduce, he never filled.

     

    “Many Happy Returns” follows up “The Reichenbach Fall,” the Season two finale of January 2012 in which Sherlock faked his suicide in London. The 7 minutes 12 seconds episode is written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Moffat had earlier said that the new villain of the show will send a chill down the spines of the viewers. Now, years later, we open on a mysterious blonde drug smuggler uncovered among a group of monks – a stunning discovery that could only be attributed to Holmes, or so insists Detective Anderson (Jonathan Aris) – never a big fan of Sherlock’s – who tries to convince Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) that the detective isn’t dead after all.

     

    Anderson points to two other cases – including one murder involving ice cream “solved” by an inspector in New Delhi – that bear Holmes’ trademark reasoning and reluctance to accept any credit. Still, Lestrade remains unconvinced, even as Anderson traces a line of miraculously solved crimes that seem to indicate a return to London.

     

    After finishing his pint, Lestrade goes to see John Watson (Martin Freeman) and hands Holmes’ trusty sidekick an uncut version of a video message the detective once made for Watson’s birthday. In it, we finally see Sherlock, unsure how to tell Watson why he can’t attend his birthday party. (The real reason: because there will be people.) “So what do you want me to do at the end?” Holmes asks. “Shall I smile and wink? I do that sometimes; I’ve no idea why. People seem to like it. It humanizes me. Its fine, whatever.”

     

    After insulting his friend in the sweetest way possible, we see Sherlock’s message, in which he offers Watson many happy returns and promises, “Don’t worry, I’m going to be with you again very soon.” But just how the presumably deceased detective intends to rise from his apparent demise is hardly elementary. Then Watson is distracted by a ringing phone. So how does the clip end? With Holmes offering a wink and a smile, of course.

     

    Thanks to Sherlock, Cumberbatch has seen his Hollywood stock rise significantly in the past few years. He recently voiced the titular dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, starred as the nefarious John Harrison in Star Trek Into Darkness, and made a turn as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. Over the summer, Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro said he was hoping to cast the actor in his upcoming adaptation of Frankenstein.

     

    Season Three of Sherlock will air on Friday nights on AXN starting 3 January.

  • Santa turns Purple this Christmas

    Santa turns Purple this Christmas

    This Christmas, Naturals has made purple the new red and endowed the traditional Santa with a unique dimension. Happy with this makeover, Santa thinks of a unique gifting idea and encourages everyone to give back to Naturea cause driven by Naturals  Indias No.1 Salon Chain.

    Watch the video: Boost pays tribute to Sachin’s 23 years of stamina!

    Walk into any Naturals Salon to pamper yourself and do your bit for Mother Earth by planting the sapling gifted to you by their very own benevolent and thoughtful Santa!

    Santa planted the first one.only 99,999 more to go!


    Watch the video: This X’Mas, #SantaGoesNatural
    The social media agency handling this campaign is Gozoop The campaign will run till close of the Christmas season.

     
  • Celebrate Christmas with a new Dhoom song

    Celebrate Christmas with a new Dhoom song

    MUMBAI: In another innovative first, Yash Raj Films’ will be releasing a tub-thumping new version of their iconic Dhoom Machaale anthem song by actor, singer, dancer, theatre producer – Saba Azad. The song is backed by a cool new music video that features a video montage from all the three Dhoom series. So in a first, viewers will get to see Aamir, Katrina, Hrithik, Aishwarya, John, Bipasha, Abhishek and Uday together in one video.

     

    Saba says, “I’m super excited to take a crack at such a huge hit that amazing singers like Sunidhi and Vishal Dadlani have sung before, it’s a privilege to feature in the video alongside Bollywood’s biggest names.”

     

    Caratlane.com VP, offline marketing, Calvin John, says, “We are constantly seeking innovative opportunities of integrating CaratLane.com seamlessly within content, that has wide reach across TV & Digital mediums, is engaging and has immense potential of being viral. The Dhoom anthem provides us with that innovative window of showcasing the brand seamlessly within the song. This association with YRF gives us an opportunity to showcase what CaratLane.com has to offer for urban Indian women – Chic Jewellery along with its pioneering new way to shop – ‘Try at Home’, apart from leveraging its most successful movie franchise.”

     

    Yash Raj Films VP Ashish Patil adds, “At YRF, we’ve always believed in going beyond the brief with our brand partners to create high impact quality content that connects with audiences and adds value back to the brand. We’re quite excited about this crunchy new version of the iconic Dhoom anthem by one of our most talented artistes, Saba Azad. And it’s a pleasure to partner with Caratlane.com as both the brand & their products are a magic fit for this kick-ass new video. It’s sure to machao some serious Dhoom!”

    The funky new version of the song has been composed by Raghav Sachar, who plays over 32 different musical instruments. The mash-up is a great mix of R&B, whistle tones, rap and a fresh new interpretation of the chartbuster. The video has been directed by Adil Shaikh, known for his choreography of some of the biggest hits right from Bachna Ae Haseeno to Go Goa Gone.

     

    Yash Raj Films had earlier also promoted the film’s anthem soon after the release of the first film in the franchise with famous Thai singer, Tata Young back in 2004. The song Dhoom Dhoom was the singer’s most successful single ever in India. It was a major hit, reaching number one for several weeks to months in many Asian countries music charts. It was number one in various countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries starting from August 2004 to as far as late as 2005.

     

    The Dhoom Anthem premieres exclusively on YRF’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, 24 December ensuring that everyone has Dhoom at Christmas!

  • Amrita TV showcases Dazzle Nite for Christmas

    Amrita TV showcases Dazzle Nite for Christmas

    BENGALURU: As the red-robed Santa Claus sledges down from the North Pole with a jingle of bells to fill stockings to the brim with gaily wrapped  gifts and the Xmas trees festooned with garlands,  ribbons and glass sparkles  brighter than the stars, Amrita TV tinsels  the day with a bounty of programmes that celebrate the spirit of sharing and giving.

    Back home after attending the special Xmas mass, viewers can tune in to 3 G Movie at 2 PM
    3 G Third Generation’ is set against the backdrop of youth and modern technology. The movie moves forward through the three police officers – Manu, Suresh, and John – who try to bring about justice and peace with the aid of modern technologies like 3G.

    John, Mehul, and Arun are cast in the key roles. Vidya Unni is the heroine. Saikumar, Devan, Ramu, Irshad, Kalinga Sasi, Sukumari, Archana, Krishnaprabha include the supporting cast. 

    Mohan Sithara composes music for the lines by Rafeeq Ahmed, Murukan Kattakkada, and Engandiyoor Chandrasekharan. K P Anilkumar produces the movie under the banner of Tarakarupini Creations. 

    Amrita TV is hosting a wonderful music and dance Christmas event Dazzle Nite which will be telecast on Dec 25 from 7 pm onwards.

    Dazzle Nite features spectacular playback singers like Sayonara,Franco, Job, Mridula- each one having a distinct performance  style.

    The highlight of Dazzle Nite will be dazzling dance performances by noted actors like Shamna Kasim and Mahalekshmi.

    To energize the Xmas spirit will be a rocking 8-member band,who will perform using Keyboard, Drums,Bass,Guitars,Flute and other percussion instruments.

    Dazzle Nite representing a scintillating display of talents and performances will be staged for an invited audience on Dec 21 at the magnificent Durbar Hall Ground,Kochi.

  • Mileys Christmas fun on Twitter

    Mileys Christmas fun on Twitter

    While most of the entertainment industry is taking a break from their commercial activities during the festive season, teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus, whose latest Wrecking Ball video has surpassed well over 400 million views on Vevo, has in her signature way, presented herself in a rather festively explicit way!

     

    In New York for the weekend for The Jingle Ball Tour, the singer took some time off to enjoy the snow and flashed a very naughty Christmas photo in the process!

     

    Miley posted herself on Twitter lifting-up her top with two heart-shaped ‘Merry Christmas’ signs covering her boobs.

     

    “Merry Christmas! Thank you NY for being one of the few states to @freethenipple,” she tweeted.

     

    After her image sparked some negative comments Miley added a new tweet trying to explain her actions. “It’s not about getting your t**s out. It’s about equality,” she proclaimed.

     

    The new Christmas Twitter flash is just the latest incident, following on from her performance on Friday evening at Z100’s Jingle Ball 2013 in New York where she twerked with a Christmas tree onstage.

     

    The 21-year-old was watched by thousands whilst she shook her impertinent bottom in front of a lady dressed as the festive tree and covered in silver tinsel and baubles.
    Cyrus has made Claus a very happy Santa!!

  • adam&eveDDB creates new John Lewis Christmas campaign

    adam&eveDDB creates new John Lewis Christmas campaign

    MUMBAI: This Christmas, adam&eveDDB will pay tribute to the most memorable childhood Christmas celebration. The agency has created a new John Lewis Christmas campaign that takes the form of an animated woodland tale.
     

    In the campaign ‘The Bear & The Hare’ tells a classic story of friendship at Christmas – building on the longstanding John Lewis theme of finding the perfect gift for those you care about. It features the strap line ‘Give someone a Christmas they’ll never forget.’

    The beautifully handcrafted ad was written by adam&eveDDB creative directors Aidan McClure and Laurent Simon and directed by Blinkink’s Elliot Dear and Yves Geleyn. It has been created using hand-drawn animation combined with 3D sets – the first time this technique has been used in an advert in the UK.

    Continuing the brand’s support of home-grown music talent, the ad is set to a cover of Keane’s 2004 hit ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ sung by Lily Allen.

    Following a series of teasers on ITV that use the #sleeping bear, the ad was aired on 9 November in a special two minute spot during the X Factor. The campaign is John Lewis’s most integrated yet with the TV ad supported by a host of multichannel activity including a book, Christmas card maker, social media, in-store and windows, a digital outdoor projection and soundtrack single.

    adam&eveDDB founding partner and chief executive James Murphy said: “It’s a privilege to create the advertising for the nation’s best loved department store at Christmas and this year is no exception. Not only have we been able to push the campaign into new territory creatively, we’ve also been able to deliver a truly multi faceted campaign that offers an in-depth take on thoughtful gifting that we hope will appeal to the child in all of us.”

  • Sahara Star Celebrates the festive spirit of Christmas

    Sahara Star Celebrates the festive spirit of Christmas

    MUMBAI: Sahara Star, known for celebrating Christmas every year with great zest and joy, brought in the festive spirit by including their guests in their annual fruit mixing activity on 30th October ‘13 for their Christmas cake. The event involves guests creating the batter and letting it ferment with alcohol over a period of time.

    The activity hosted by Sahara Star every year, saw excited guests adorning the chef’s hat and gloves working on the batter by adding berries, dry fruits and diced fruits to the mixture. The most essential step of the process brought on many smiles as the guests worked in tandem with the chefs to pourcopious amounts of wine, rum and whisky to soak the fruits.

    This mixture will later be used to bake the Christmas Cake. Other Christmas celebrations at Sahara Star include a special Desert Buffet decoration on 14th December and a special Xmas goodies shop being set up from 17th December onwards at Earth Plate. A Ginger Bread house will be set along with the lighting of the Christmas tree in the lobby on 6th December with the attendance of VIP and internal guests. Traditional Christmas drinks Sangria and Glühwein will be served to all the guests as a welcome drink to mark the occasion. Christmas Carols will be sung and snacks with cocktails will be available for the guests at Zero Level.

    Among other festivities, cookies and stalking filled with chocolates and jujubes will be placed in all rooms on 24th Dec and Christmas pudding with a shot of non-alcoholic Glühwein will be given to all guests on 25th evening. Carol singing and Good Fat White Santa will be there from the 21st-25th December at Earthplate.