ITV

Tag: Disney

  • Writer Michael Arndt exits Star Wars: Episode VII

    Writer Michael Arndt exits Star Wars: Episode VII

    MUMBAI: Michael Arndt is no longer a part of Star Wars: Episode VII. Lawrence Kasdan and JJ Abrams have taken over the scriptwriting duties. Abrams is also directing the movie.

     

    Arndt had been writing Star Wars since more than a year, the Episode VII. In October 2012, Disney announced it was buying Lucasfilm as well as it was planning a new movie in the series. A release date of 2015 was planned.  Arndt was officially hired to write in late 2012.

     

    The latest movie also has many newcomers in the films filling the post of DOP, production designer, costume designer, sound designer etc.

     

    Arndt won an Oscar for his script for Little Miss Sunshine and he also wrote The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Toy Story 3.

  • Disney movies on demand reaches over 8 million viewers in EMEA

    Disney movies on demand reaches over 8 million viewers in EMEA

    MUMBAI: Disney Media Distribution EMEA revealed the figures for its branded on-demand service Disney movies on demand and the continued growth of ABC TV on demand and Disney channels on demand, this Mipcom.

    Since its launch at Mipcom in October 2012, Disney movies on demand, the family-friendly branded SVOD service, is now available on 12 live platforms in six EMEA territories. Disney movies on demand most recently launched on OSN in the Middle East and North Africa and Wuaki in the UK , reaching over eight million consumers across EMEA.

    The service gives customers access to a wide range of Disney’s classic animation and live-action hits including the classic animation ‘Jungle Book’, Disney Pixar’s ‘Monsters’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

    Since its launch in 2010, ABC TV on demand has been launched on 26 platforms in 16 EMEA territories. In 2013 to date ABC TV on demand has had over 60 million views in EMEA. In 2012, ABC TV on demand launched in four new countries and on 11 new platforms, registering 33 per cent increase in reach and 80 per cent increase in total views.

    Disney channels on demand that offers popular Disney channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior series at the click of a button, is now available to 47 million Disney channel subscribers across EMEA on 55 live platforms, with further launches scheduled before the end of the year. The channel on demand has also enjoyed particular success in France, where it is now available to 4.7 million viewers with a 62 per cent uplift in viewers between July 2012 and July 2013.

    The Walt Disney Company EMEA SVP & GM media distribution Catherine Powell said, “Disney and ABC Studios content is hugely popular with viewers across EMEA and the significant growth of our branded on-demand services reflects that. We are committed to bringing our great characters and excellent storytelling to all members of the family when they want it; where they want it and how they want it. Our branded services will continue to be a focus for the future.”

  • Hungama TV rebooted

    Hungama TV rebooted

    MUMBAI: Disney UTV’s kids’ channel – Hungama TV – has had a makeover of sorts. The new avatar imparts a more local flavour while retaining the ‘unapologetically fun loving, mischievous and boisterous’ character of the channel.

    The redesigned page was launched on 1 October and it took the in-house team at Disney Interactive a little less than two months for the conceptualisation, direction and execution.

    Of the reboot, Disney UTV Media Networks director – creative services Prashant Madan says: “We have taken the traditional values of Hungama TV, and what it stood for, and just given it a new voice. And we wanted to reach out and put out a message as to what the new voice would be.”

    It's more like a challenge rather than a question explains Madan speaking about the new tagline – Hungama Machaya Kya?

    The brand refresh has been three-pronged; replete with a new tagline – Hungama Machaya Kya?, a new on-air look and package, and a fresh interactive feel.

    “So when we are talking about fun, we just don’t want to show it but make our users feel it, so our live action would really place our brand in a unique place as other kids’ brands don’t do that and it’s a very stand-out thing that we intend on doing. For our positioning, we used real kids to portray what we are trying to say. Like in adults, we have thought leaders, in kids, we have action leaders. So we wanted to inspire other kids and that is where the live action animation comes into play. And that kind of feeling can only be portrayed in true light with the right use of animation and graphics,” elaborates Madan.

    Supplementing the new look for the channel is a music video featuring kids in a colourful, playful mood, bringing alive emotions they experience in everyday life.

    “We have gone a step further with the graphic packaging as well, by adding a lot of things that kids find attractive and love to do. Like flying kites, latoos or playing marbles. So we have drawn inspiration from these small things that kids love to do at that age and converted them into something far more fun and engaging.”

    Incidentally, this is just the first phase of the revamp and the second phase will happen over the course of the year and will be more marketing and content-led.

    Madan says the new tagline is based on a recent survey by the channel where it emerged that there are always a few kids in every group who dictate the action and activities of the flock. Hungama decided to highlight these kids through its tagline while inspiring other children to follow their example and live life to the fullest. “So it’s more like a challenge rather than a question… so go out there and live life is what we are trying to say,” explains Madan.

    Additionally, the channel plans to go more local through its shows like Veer – The Robot, Luv Kush, King Vikram, and Suryaputra Karan.

    The brand refresh has been three-pronged; replete with a new tagline – Hungama Machaya Kya?, a new on-air look and package, and a fresh interactive feel

    So what’s the response so far? “It’s a bit too early to put numbers on the results of the revamp but with time, we will surely be studying them, as it’s something that our users need to acclimatise to,” says Madan.

    Of Disney UTV’s four youth-centric channels – Disney, Hungama, Disney XD and Disney Junior – Hungama is the only channel that is truly home-grown in nature. “We are a channel that is very Indian at heart, and extremely driven by Indian values and visuals, we drew our inspiration for this from the funfair that happens, because we wanted to imbibe the colours, the energy and the vibrancy that is in abundance in these melas, and so we have used those colours and also made ample use of symbols like the kite, latoo, see-saw or the marble contest to make the packaging very vibrant and Indian in nature,” rounds off Madan.

  • Chronicles of Narnias fourth installment in the franchise up next

    Chronicles of Narnias fourth installment in the franchise up next

    MUMBAI: In an announcement, the C S Lewis Company said that it will be joining hands with the Mark Gordon Company to produce the fourth installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series. The Silver Chair will be a film version of the fourth book from the adaptation of the fantasy series.

     

    Mark Gordon and Douglas Gresham (stepson of C S Lewis) will be producing along with Vincent Sieber. The three will work on the script together.

     

    The first three series have been a worldwide success grossing over $1.6 billion worldwide. The first movie got the best with $745 million. It was produced by Disney. The next two were distributed by Fox.

     

    An entirely new cast is set to appear in the movie set 50 years after the last one – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

  • Disney UTV to make screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’

    Disney UTV to make screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’

    MUMBAI: Disney UTV is all set to direct the screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’. The studio has roped in Raj Kumar Gupta of Aamir, No One Killed Jessica and Ghanchakkar fame to direct a movie based on Bhagat’s novel ‘Revolution 2020’.

    This will be studios second adaptation of Bhagat’s novel, the first being Kai Po Che!, an adaptation of Bhagat’s ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’.

    It was during the pre-production of Kai Po Che! that Bhagat shared the draft of his latest book with the creative team at Disney UTV. The Studio saw the cinematic potential in the novel, which is high on drama and entertainment and at the same time hugely relevant to the youth of today.

    Disney UTV had snapped up the rights to the book, a few months before it was launched. The novel will be made into an epic drama with strong roles for the three main leads, who will play the characters of Gopal, Raghav and Aarti, whose destinies are intertwined.

    “We are really excited about working again with two incredibly talented individuals, with whom we’ve made some great movies. In the past, Raj Kumar Gupta directed powerful films like Aamir and No One Killed Jessica for us. And there’s Chetan Bhagat who we’ve had a great time working with on the immensely successful Kai Po Che! So we’re looking forward to bringing both of them together on ‘Revolution 2020’. Raj Kumar Gupta bringing his cinematic vision to Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’ is something to look forward to,” Disney UTV senior creative director – Studios Rucha Pathak.

    “I am delighted to work with UTV again after Kai Po Che!, that not only did extremely well at the box office but also was considered one of the best films of the year. Raj Kumar Gupta is brilliant director, especially for a story like ‘Revolution 2020’, steeped in contemporary Indian realism with a strong emotional content. ‘Revolution 2020’ is an intense love story, in the backdrop of corruption in the education sector, which exists and affects millions of youth across the country. Set in Kota and Varanasi, the book has sold a million and half copies, and has held pan-Indian appeal, including in the smaller cities. I expect the film to do the same. I can’t wait for Gopal, Aarti and Raghav to be cast and come to life,” added author Chetan Bhagat.

    “I read Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’ and was quite moved by it. It is a very simple and heartfelt story about being young, being confused, being in love, getting corrupt. I am looking forward to writing and directing this book for the screen,” said Raj Kumar Gupta
    The screenplay of the film is currently underway and it is expected to go on the floors mid 2014.

  • One more feather in Star’s English GEC cap

    One more feather in Star’s English GEC cap

    MUMBAI: Not content with having a clutch of channels firmly ensconced in the English entertainment space, Star India is gearing up to add one more English GEC to its existing bouquet.

    Titled STAR World Premiere HD, the channel will debut on the Star network on 24 September. It will cater to a super premium audience aka global Indians by airing the biggest US shows from the biggest studios like FOX Studios, Warner, Disney and Sony in a cluster of 26 episodes.

    Speaking about its TG, STAR India business head Kevin Vaz said: “We thought there is a certain super premium kind of audience, which is very up-to-date with global trends. And I would like to call it more as global Indian.”
    We want to eliminate the concept of a release gap between US and India says confident Kevin Vaz

    “They know the space in terms of luxury goods, technology, entertainment needs etc. When it comes to television, many channels have a longer gap from the US release. So how do we satisfy this audience? We thought this would be a good opportunity to give them entertainment on a daily basis.”

    Spelling out who constitutes its TG, Vaz said: “It is the most premium audience in India, comprising the one per cent of top SEC, A+ and between the age group of 20 to 35.”

    With Star reaching out to 67 per cent of the total English audience, STAR World Premiere HD will air four hours of original content every day,Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday will see a lot of catch-ups with the channel planning to air drama and comedy-based shows, respectively.

    The newbie’s proposition reads: ‘Watch with the World’ for it will air shows on television that are playing in the US at the same time and will play in India within the same week. “We want to eliminate the concept of a release gap between US and India,” Vaz pointed out.

    So, shows including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Blacklist, Betrayal, Dads, The Goldbergs, The Michael J. Fox Show, Mom and Sleepy Hollow will be telecast on television for the first time both in the US and in India. While audiences here will get to see the latest seasons of shows such as The Simpsons (S25), New Girl (S3), Revolution (S2) , Two & A Half Men (S11), White Collar (S5), Sons of Anarchy (S6), Revenge (S3), Person of Interest (S3), New Girl (S3), The Neighbors (S2), Last Man Standing (S3), Modern Family (S5), Homeland (S3), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (S9), Castle (S6) and Criminal Minds (S9).

    The network will aggressively promote the new channel through digital and on-air. For starters, the Facebook page boasts 1,221 likes and is being kept up-to-speed with pictures, videos, polls and all the hot goss, even sharing links with official pages of the various shows aired on the channel. So also the official twitter handle of the channel @SWPremiere was abuzz with nearly 188 tweets from over 521 followers at the time of penning this article. It also has the hash tag #WatchWithTheWorld.

    Its main website http://premiere.starworld.in/ is also decked up with pictures of the biggest shows.

    But will the network tie-up with other network channels as well? “At the end of the day, through our star network channels, we will reach out to most of our audiences. I don’t think we need to go outside the kind of network that Star network has,” said a confident Vaz

    On the other hand, planners feel that the channel is not going to be a typical advertising model. Agreeing on this, Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan states: “In today’s time, people download all the latest shows on the internet and then watch it, because they are not able to watch seasons parallel happening in the US. So it is a good move by the network, which is trying to attribute this small bunch of audiences who are doing that.”

    Radhakrishnan feels that the advertising GRPs will be very small for the newbie. She says: “The network is trying to address those audiences and people who download from net and will be open to subscription model. They will go more for the subscription model revenue driven rather than advertising one. The way they are advertising is watch it along with the America. So whatever shows is getting premiered in America, you don’t have to wait for it to come to India and you don’t have to download it from the net and they will air it. So that is their USP.”

    This is the fourth English GEC from the STAR Network stable after STAR World, FOX Crime and FX.

  • Disney delays voyage of ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean 5’; eyeing 2016 to set sail

    Disney delays voyage of ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean 5’; eyeing 2016 to set sail

    MUMBAI: Disney has moved forward its summer 2015 release date with Pirates Of The Caribbean 5, and the studio is now looking to slot it for summer 2016. This will create some jockeying from other studios next summer, Pirates had been slated for a 10 July release and other studios steered clear of that date.

    The studio and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have an advanced outline from scribe Jeff Nathanson, who is writing. They have directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg, who are new to the big scale of a film like Pirates. The studio would have to get into production by February, which would mean prepping off the outline.

    The decision was made that it wasn’t worth rushing until they are sure the script is in place. The first four films grossed $3.7 billion, and the last installment, On Stranger Tides, crossed the $1 billion mark. There is a sequel to The Avengers and the first of the next three installments of the Star Wars franchise, directed by JJ Abrams lined up for Disney. There is also the Marvel pic Ant-Man, and Inside Out from Pixar.

    Johnny Depp is firmly committed to return to his Jack Sparrow role, but has his hands full with Into The Woods and Alice In Wonderland 2.

  • Now Download & Watch Movies Offline with BIGFLIX

    Now Download & Watch Movies Offline with BIGFLIX

    MUMBAI: Reliance Entertainment Digital’s movie-on-demand service BIGFLIX has taken a leap and rolled out the download facility for its large base of over 1 mn registered users and over 100k subscribers. This new service will now allow viewers to not just stream but also download their favourite movies and enjoy them offline as per their convenience of time and space, sans advertising and at no additional cost!

     

    In India, content consumption online, such as movie streaming, has always seen limitations such as inconsistent bandwidth & lower internet speeds that has kept masses away. As India’s largest movie streaming service, BIGFLIX has often received grievance from its users about persistent internet diffidence spoiling their movie watching experience.

     

    “It’s not exactly the launch of the download service, it’s the solution of a long standing, internet- connectivity related issue faced by most of our users across regions.  At BIGFLIX, our aim had always been to reach out to those movie lovers who shy away from a streaming service for the sheer lack of stable internet connectivity. So now our users need not worry about streaming their favourite films, they can download at their convenience and watch them offline anytime, anywhere without having to worry about the accessibility to internet. Internet connectivity is no longer a restraint to the movie watching experience to our subscribers -whether they are at home or on the go!”  said Mr. Shreyash Sigtia, Business Head, BIGFLIX.
    BIGFLIX has been consistently expanding its content offering by partnering with leading entertainment houses like Reliance Entertainment, UTV, Disney, Shemaroo Entertainment, IndiaCast, Unisys, AP International and many more to bring an assortment of films for the Indian consumers who prefer entertainment at their convenience of time and space. This entire catalogue of several thousands of movies on BIGFLIX can now be streamed or downloaded on desktops and laptops with plans starting Rs.99 onwards.

     

    Subscribers will be required to install ‘download manager’ to manage their download lists linked to their BIGFLIX account.

     

    (Steps to download a movie on BIGFLIX: http://bigflix.com/download-edu)

     

    Some key aspects of the download service are:

    In the case of interruption in download, users have the option to resume the download from where it was discontinued earlier.The download manager sits on the user’s machine and enables users to watch the movies which they have downloaded even when they are not connected to the internet i.e. films once downloaded can be watched offline
    Users can begin watching the movie as soon as 20% download is reached.
    All content on BIGFLIX is DRM protected and therefore the movies thus downloaded cannot be copied onto another devices.
    The download feature can be availed on the entire catalogue comprising over 2000 titles across genre and languages.

     

    No additional costs to avail download service; users can download and watch films offline so long as their subscription to BIGFLIX is active.

  • James Spader joins Marvels Avengers sequel as Ultron

    James Spader joins Marvels Avengers sequel as Ultron

    MUMBAI: The Avengers sequel has its villain. James Spader will play Ultron in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Marvel announced online.

     

    A fixture of the Marvel universe for decades, the evil robotic Ultron has repeatedly fought the Avengers collectively and individually in attempts to take over the world. At Comic-Con this year, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced the title of the upcoming Avengers tentpole and who the villain would be.

     

    Disney will release the Joss Whedon-directed sequel on 1 May 2015. Last seen on the big screen in Lincoln, Spader returns to the small screen 23 September as the star of NBC’s new drama The Blacklist. Spader is repped by ICM Partners and attorney Melanie Cook at Ziffren Brittenham.

  • Bindaas to showcase real, unique love stories through Yeh Hai Aashiqui

    Bindaas to showcase real, unique love stories through Yeh Hai Aashiqui

    MUMBAI: Was it only Emotional Atyaachaar which kept you hooked to Bindaas? Then get ready for a fresh dose of Bindaas with Yeh Hai Aashiqui – unique and inspiring love stories. The channel which concentrates on various facets of relationships, with the new entrant will focus on how love triumphs against all odds. The show which hits screens from 25 August is a fictionalised reality.

     

    We want to be at the forefront of youth aspirations and young people’s life, which happens with continuous research says Bikram Duggal

     

    “We want to be at the forefront of youth aspirations and young people’s life, which happens with continuous research. While Emotional Atyaachaar deals with infidelity, Yeh Hai Aashiqui is a unique show with inspiring love stories,” informs Disney UTV Media Networks director-marketing media networks Bikram Duggal.

     

    This BBC Worldwide Productions and Lost Boy Productions’ series will showcase unique love stories that are not talked about much. “For example the series will have a story on how a young boy falls in love with a woman who is stuck in a bad marriage or how a woman falls in love with a terminally ill man. The thought was to showcase the realties and connect with youngsters,” he adds.

     

    Bindaas, through its programming content reflects the needs, aspirations and lives of youngsters. “Our research shows that relationships are the most important aspect of a youngster’s life. And of this unique love stories is what keeps them hooked. To get the best stories, for the past three months, our creative team got on to searching for such unique stories and finally shortlisted the best of the lot,” informs Duggal.