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Tag: Comedy Central

  • Viacom to open production studio in Miami

    Viacom to open production studio in Miami

    MUMBAI: Viacom Inc will open a two-stage, 88,000 square foot, state-of-the-art production facility in Miami, Florida. 

     

    The new studio, which was built by the Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) as a public-private partnership with EUE/Screen Gems Studios, will serve as a production hub for Viacom’s global entertainment brands including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.

     

    “We are creating more content than ever before across all of our brands at Viacom. The Viacom International Studio in Miami will offer a turnkey facility where we can create even more original, high quality content to meet the increasing demand for long-and-short-form content on all of our global platforms,” said Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) president and CEO Robert Bakish. 

     

    “We have had terrific success with the recent live action productions we have coming from Miami, and we are very excited to be committed to doing more. We are constantly looking for new creative ideas and content formats that allow us to tell stories in a completely different way, and this facility will certainly forward that effort,” added Viacom Kids and Family Group president Cyma Zarghami.

     

    “Viacom has demonstrated again and again that hits come from all over the world. With an established track record of multi-lingual hits including Every Witch Way and Talia in the Kitchen being produced in Miami for multiple audiences simultaneously, in global collaboration with the US and local Latin American teams, we’re excited to have the opportunity to further expand our production capabilities in the market,” said VIMN Americas president and Nickelodeon International EVP Pierluigi Gazzolo.

     

    Located in central Miami, the studio location offers access to a highly skilled, multi-lingual talent pool essential to creating global productions in multiple languages. The facilities will include two modern sound stages equipped to create a variety of content simultaneously, from daily scripted series, music specials and game shows to short form content for mobile, digital and on-air.

     

    “We welcome Viacom as a long-term partner at our new Miami studios. Our company has worked closely with Viacom to develop a facility worthy of a dynamic content producer. Today, we celebrate our relationship with Viacom, and we applaud our partners at the Omni CRA, whose vision and efforts have made this building possible,” said EUE/Screen Gems Studios COO Chris Cooney.

     

    EUE/Screen Gems has entered into a long-term lease with Miami’s Omni CRA to operate the new facility.

  • Hannibal Buress, Jerrod Carmichael and Nitin Mirani added to Dubai Comedy Festival line-up

    Hannibal Buress, Jerrod Carmichael and Nitin Mirani added to Dubai Comedy Festival line-up

    MUMBAI: The Dubai Comedy Festival announced an exciting addition to its line-up on 28 September. Renowned American stand-up and Comedy Central favourite Hannibal Buress as well as one of variety magazine’s top ten comics to watch, Jerrod Carmichael will join international funnyman Dave Chappelle and new host of ‘The Daily Show’ Trevor Noah in what is set to be the region’s largest comedy festival. Also added to the programme is the homegrown international comedian, UAE and India’s representative in ‘The Funniest Person in the World 2015’ competition, Nitin Mirani.

     

    Taking place from October 15 – 24, tickets are now on sale at www.dubaicomedyfest.ae and are available in four categories diamond, platinum, gold and silver. As excitement mounts for what promises to be an exhilarating and entertaining ten days of gigs, shows and performances, fans are urged to book now and bag their spot to see these superstar comics and the stellar line-up of supporting local, regional and global comedy talent in action.

     

    A purpose-built 4,500 seat venue at Skydive Dubai will be the stage for two main gig weekends, which will include an opening night of Arabic Comedy, second night performance from Hannibal Buress and Jerrod Carmichael on 16th October as well as a closing weekend that will see Dave Chappelle take the stage on 22nd and the 23rdOctober and Trevor Noah perform on Saturday 24th October. Nitin Mirani will headline ‘Desi Invasion’ on Saturday October 17th, performing alongside Atul Khatri, Abish Mathew, Kenneth Sebastian and NeetiPalta. Local funny man Ali Al Sayed, Saudi Arabian YouTube sensation Bader Saleh and Las Vegas headlining Comedy Magician Mac King will also feature during the festival. Other highlights include the Comedy Strip @ JBR Walk, which will host a number of unique and hilarious Comedy Nights, and free daily street performances.

     

  • Chrome Week 37: English Entertainment genre leads with 9.3% growth

    Chrome Week 37: English Entertainment genre leads with 9.3% growth

    MUMBAI: English Entertainment genre led the pack in the six metros with growth of 9.3 per cent with Comedy Central at the top of the chart with 49.4 per cent opportunity to see (OTS) in week 37 of OTS data collated by Chrome Data, Analytics and Media.
     
    Second on the list is the English Movies genre in six metros, which witnessed three per cent growth. Movies Now bagged the pole position in the section with 60.3 per cent OTS.

     

    Infotainment genre secured third berth across India with 0.8 per cent OTS with History TV18 leading in the genre with 81.6 per cent OTS.

     

    In Hindi Speaking Market (HSM), Hindi Movies genre grabbed fourth position with 0.6 per cent, with Zee Cinema topping the list with 92.7 per cent OTS.

     
    Amongst the losers this week were Business news, sports and music channels.

     

    Business News section in six metros witnessed a drop by 0.4 per cent with CNBC Awaaz securing the first position with 79.5 per cent OTS.

     

    Sports genre across India dropped by 0.3 per cent and saw DD Sports securing the top slot with 74 per cent OTS.

     

    Music genre in HSM dropped by 0.2 per cent. 9XM with 88.1 per cent emerged as the most affected channel in the genre.

  • Viacom to roll out mobile TV apps suite across 180 countries in Q4-2015

    Viacom to roll out mobile TV apps suite across 180 countries in Q4-2015

    MUMBAI: Viacom has launched a suite of mobile TV apps under the brand name Viacom Play Plex, which will allow its distribution partners to offer smartphone and tablet users around the world access to the best content from all its international TV brands, anytime and anywhere.

     

    Starting in the fourth quarter of 2015, the Viacom Play Plex apps will be available to launch in every one of the 180 international territories in which Viacom owns and operates TV channels, including India.

     

    There will be a separate mobile Play app for each of Viacom’s international TV channel brands namely Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Channel, Spike and BET – offering video-on-demand (VOD) access to a range of current and library content, as well as a live, local linear stream of the relevant channel, and other content including games for Nick Play.

     

    Viacom is exploring a number of different distribution options for Viacom Play Plex, with the suite of apps being offered on both a collective and standalone basis to existing pay TV partners in every territory to integrate into their TV Everywhere services where available. A number of pay TV providers have already signed deals with Viacom to offer subscribers authenticated access to the Nick app, including NOS in Portugal, while Viacom is collaborating with a number of other providers on upcoming launches including Foxtel in Australia and OSN in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Nick app, which has been rolled out in five international markets since 2013, is being updated and rebranded as Nick Play internationally to become part of Viacom Play Plex.

     

    Viacom will also look for new distribution partners for the Viacom Play Plex apps, including mobile network operators.

     

    Viacom International Media Networks president and CEO Bob Bakish said, “Viacom Play Plex offers us maximum flexibility in distributing our content as the way viewers consume their favorite TV shows continues to evolve. These apps are designed to complement our linear pay TV channels and to allow our existing distribution partners to deepen and improve the entertainment experience they offer their subscribers. But, Viacom Play Plex also opens up new distribution opportunities for us, particularly in the fast-growing mobile TV sector, and, ultimately, positions us to succeed in a world of more personalised entertainment services and greater consumer choice.”

     

    Each branded Play app will be localised for each country in which it is made available, both in terms of language and available content, giving users more ways to access Viacom’s shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Catfish: The TV Show and Lip Sync Battle, as well as local productions.

     

    Mobile TV viewers everywhere will enjoy an intuitive, video-focused user interface and enhanced video player, which reduces loading and buffering times, as well as an algorithmic menu that adapts to their tastes. Apps will include social and sharing components, and will be available in both iOS and Android to download from the Apple App store and Google Play store respectively.

     

    Bakish added, “Viacom Play Plex allows viewers across the globe to watch the TV shows they love from their favorite Viacom brands anytime and anywhere. We believe no other international entertainment company is offering this type of innovation at this scale, serving every major demographic in every major TV market.”

  • Chrome week 30: Business News channels top the chart

    Chrome week 30: Business News channels top the chart

    MUMBAI: The Business News channels genre emerged as the gainer in Chrome’s opportunity to see (OTS) analysis for the eight metros. The sector registered an increase of 2.6 per cent and saw CNBC Awaaz as the leader with 79.6 per cent OTS in week 30.

     

    Next up, English movies channels with 1.6 per cent gain in the same market took the second spot in the list of top gainers. Movies Now led the tally with 63.8 per cent OTS.

     

    Hindi News sector in Hindi Speaking Market (HSM) too noted a growth of 1.2 per cent. ABP News emerged as the chart topper with 94.5 per cent OTS.

     

    Last but not the least, Music channels in identical market observed a 0.5 per cent rise with 9XM at the number one slot with 88.5 per cent OTS.

     

    Meanwhile, witnessing a drop of 4.6 per cent, English Entertainment in the eight metros topped the loser category with Comedy Central scoring 49.7 per cent OTS. With a drop of 1.3 per cent, Infotainment channels genre across all India booked the second spot. NGC emerged as the most affected channel with 80.4 per cent OTS.

     

    The Kids channels category in all India market too observed a decline of one per cent. Cartoon Network topped the list with 78.5 per cent OTS. Lastly, the Sports genre noted 0.7 per cent drop in the same market. DD Sports grabbed the top position with 72.8 per cent OTS.

  • Chrome week 29: English News tops the chart

    Chrome week 29: English News tops the chart

    MUMBAI: English News emerged as the gainer in Chrome’s opportunity to see (OTS) analysis for eight metros. The sector registered a two per cent increase and saw Times Now as the leader with 71.2 per cent OTS in week 29.

     

    Next up, Religious channels with 1.1 per cent gain in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM) took the second spot in the list of top gainers. Aastha channel was the chart leader with 96.8 per cent OTS.

     

    Sports across all India category too noted 1.1 per cent growth. DD Sports emerged as the chart topper with 73.9 per cent OTS.

     

    Last but not the least, English Entertainment in the eight metros observed a 0.8 per cent rise with Comedy Central at number one slot with 51.0 per cent OTS.

     

    Meanwhile, with 0.7 per cent drop, Business News in the eight metros topped the loser category with CNBC Awaaz scoring 78.7 per cent OTS. With 0.6 per cent drop, Kids channels across all India booked the second spot. Cartoon Network emerged as the most affected channel with 78.2 per cent OTS.

     

    Music category across HSM markets too observed 0.3 per cent decline. MTV topped the list with 87.0 per cent OTS. Lastly, Hindi News genre noted 0.2 per cent drop in the HSM markets. ABP News grabbed the top position with 94.0 per cent OTS.

     

  • Chrome week 28: English entertainment top gainer, English news loses ground

    Chrome week 28: English entertainment top gainer, English news loses ground

    MUMBAI: In the news over last few weeks, the English entertainment sector observed ascend in Chrome’s opportunity to see (OTS) analysis for eight metros. The sector registered 2.5 per cent increase and emerged as top gainer of week 28.

     

    On the other hand, English business news with 2.2 per cent gain in eight metros booked the second berth in the list of top gainers. Hindi news and religious genre with 0.5 per cent and 0.4 per cent gain grabbed third and fourth berth respectively.

     

    Meanwhile, the top loser category irked many as last week’s top gainer English news genre became top loser for week 28 in Chrome’s list. The genre lost 4.2 per cent OTS in eight metros, whereas the sports sector witnessed 3.9 per cent decline in All India Market. Music genre registered a decline of 0.9 per cent in HSM and was placed in third slot whereas kids genre saw another 0.5 per cent decline in all India market and was spotted in fourth berth.

     

    Zee TV with 95.4 per cent availability in HSM jointly led the tally of GECs with DD National, which also garnered the same percentile. Colors with 94.6 per cent OTS held the second position. Comedy Central from the top gainers English entertainment category led the tally with 52 per cent OTS.

     

    Times Now with 72 per cent led the lot of English News channel category followed by NDTV 24×7 with 69.9 per cent OTS.

  • Comedy Central to air ‘Suits’ season 5, partners Truffit and Hill

    Comedy Central to air ‘Suits’ season 5, partners Truffit and Hill

    MUMBAI: Comedy Central is all set to air the fifth season of Suits from 27 June onwards.

     

    Suits is known for its amazing star cast and intense drama. Catch Donna and Harvey separate their ways apart from each other in this season along with power-couple Mike and Rachel who are facing some new challenge with their new engagement. Explore and unlock the mystery behind their lives on the new season of the show, Suits.

     

    Viacom18 executive vice president and business head, English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “We are delighted to announce that Comedy Central brings Season 5 of the show Suits for our viewers. The channel has ranked the list of English Entertainment channels in India and we are pleased to take forward the proposition to entertain our beloved audience without whom the channel wouldn’t have reached such heights.”

    Suits will also be partnering with Truffit and Hill where customers can get the Harvey and Mike look at the barbershop through their grooming services. The shop also provides an opportunity to look as stylish as Harvey. On the digital platform, Truffit and Hills will showcase the Top 5 looks of Harvey and Mike along with their book, which would be placed in the waiting area and Royal Suite.

  • Live Viacom18 brings second season of Comedy Central Chuckle Festival

    Live Viacom18 brings second season of Comedy Central Chuckle Festival

    MUMBAI: This monsoon season, Live Viacom18 will ensure that Indian audiences cackle, chortle and hoot with laughter as it brings to India the bright & funny and one of the finest names in international comedy, Russell Brand. Organized as part of the second season of the biggest international comedy festival ‘Comedy Central Chuckle Festival’ Brand who is also a renowned presenter, author and actor will entertain audiences with his famous one-liners and side-splitting stories. While this will be Brand’s first performance in India scheduled to be held across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore on June 26th, 27th and 28th respectively this will be his third visit to India.

     

    Best known for his satire, whimsy and observational humour along with his comical acts in movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, and the voice of Dr. Nefario in Despicable Me 1 & 2. A livewire comedian, he has brought the house down in most of his performances with his unique brand of humour. Far from being a traditional stand-up comic, Brand’s audiences engage not only with the lines he delivers on stage but also with the quirky persona he has created. All in all, these three nights are expected to be filled with fun, excitement and rip roaring laughter.

     

    Confirming the news Integrated Network Solution SVP Jaideep Singh said, “Live Viacom18 is in the business of bringing alive unique experiences in all genres of entertainment. We today have IP’s in all genres with the focus on experience and cutting edge programming. We believe in the power of comedy and our first edition of the ‘Comedy Central Chuckle Festival’ met with stupendous success. Having partnerships with artists around the globe has continually ensured that Live Viacom 18 continues to present vibrant world-class performances to a huge range of audiences in India. We can now deliver a landmark event to local audiences’ top- lining some of the most brilliant comedic artists working today. This time around who better than Russell Brand – a true heavyweight from the world of comedy to lead the show”

     

    Live Viacom18′ Chuckle Festival made a big bang entry into the Indian comedy scene in 2013 and has been a destination venue for world-class comedy since then presenting some of the best international comedy talent that the world has to offer. The festival reflects its growing profile in presenting the world’s best comedians to Indian audiences and recent performances include renowned names – from Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias to Eddie Ifft, Paul Varghese and now Russell Brand.

  • Chrome Week 22: Hindi News genre the only loser

    Chrome Week 22: Hindi News genre the only loser

    MUMBAI: Week 22 of opportunity to see (OTS) data collated by Chrome Data, Analytics and Media observed only the Hindi News genre in the Hindi Speaking markets (HSM) as the most affected with a drop of 0.1 per cent. ABP News topped the category with 95.2 per cent OTS.

     

    On the gainers front, English Entertainment genre in the eight metros topped the category with 6.5 per cent growth. Comedy Central stayed happy at number one with 51.2 per cent OTS. With 3.5 per cent growth noted English Movies category in the eight metros with Movies Now leading the genre with 61.5 per cent OTS.

     

    Infotainment in all India stood at number three with 1.1 per cent. Discovery recorded 83.7 per cent OTS. Last but not the least, Religious genre in the HSM markets garnered 0.9 per cent growth with Aastha channel registering 96.3 per cent OTS.