Tag: English

  • Prime Volleyball League adds Kannada feed as regional push gathers pace

    Prime Volleyball League adds Kannada feed as regional push gathers pace

    HYDERABAD: The RR Kabel Prime Volleyball League powered by Scapia is betting big on regional languages. From Saturday, matches will be available in Kannada—the sixth tongue added to a lineup that already includes English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. The move targets Karnataka’s volleyball-mad fanbase, particularly supporters of the Bengaluru Torpedoes.

    The tournament, now in its fourth year, is underway at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. First-day viewership on YouTube was robust, with reach spread across all regional feeds. The Kannada addition comes as the league chases deeper penetration in southern markets.

    “The support we receive from Karnataka is immense,” says Bengaluru Torpedoes co-owner and director Yashwanth Biyyala. “Providing the livestream in our local language is a sincere effort to engage more deeply with our loyal fans.”

    Prime Volleyball League  chief executive Joy Bhattacharjya frames the expansion as nation-building. “Our large viewership on the opening day demonstrates the massive, multilingual appetite for volleyball across India,” he says. “This is about more than just numbers—it’s about creating a model for deep, inclusive fan engagement.”

    The 2025 season is being broadcast live on Sony Sports Network and streamed globally via YouTube. The channel offers match highlights, recaps, behind-the-scenes footage and other content designed to hook armchair fans. Four teams clash on Saturday: Kochi Blue Spikers face Bengaluru Torpedoes, whilst Chennai Blitz take on Kolkata Thunderbolts.

    The tournament runs until 26 October. By then, the league will know whether its multilingual gambit has scored the breakthrough it so craves.

  • Test cricket’s digital triumph defies the doomsayers

    Test cricket’s digital triumph defies the doomsayers

    MUMBAI: Test cricket may be fighting for its future, but the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has delivered a resounding riposte to the sceptics. More than 170 million viewers logged onto JioHotstar during the five-match series between India and England—the highest-ever reach for a Test series on digital platforms.

    The numbers tell a compelling story. A staggering 65 billion minutes of watch time were clocked up as the series unfolded from 20 June  to 4 August. The climactic fifth day at The Oval alone drew a peak of 13 million concurrent viewers, setting a new record for online Test match streaming.

    All five matches went the distance, with nail-biting finishes and dramatic plot twists keeping audiences glued to their screens. Even when rain curtailed play on the Sunday at The Oval, with England needing just 35 runs and India four wickets, thousands returned on Monday morning for what many knew might be only an hour’s play.

    “The extraordinary response reinforced Test cricket’s ability to forge compelling narratives in almost every session,” said JioStar head of content for sports Siddharth Sharma. The platform served coverage in five languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

    Yet this triumph highlights cricket’s central paradox. Whilst series between the sport’s “Big Three”—England, India and Australia—continue to thrive, concerns persist about Test cricket’s inclusivity for lower-ranked nations. The format’s commercial success remains concentrated among a privileged few.

    These worries have prompted the ICC to form an eight-member working group, led by chief executive Sanjog Gupta, to assess a proposed two-tier World Test Championship. England’s cricket board opposes the plan, fearing relegation could cost them lucrative clashes with Australia or India.

    The series marked India’s opening gambit in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, ending in a 2-2 draw after the final session. Fans also devoured Follow the Blues, a behind-the-scenes series, and When India Challenged the Crown, which revisited India’s Test legacy in England.

    JioStar now turns its attention to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, beginning 30 September.

  • Sony Sports to go regional with Hockey India League telecast deal

    Sony Sports to go regional with Hockey India League telecast deal

    MUMBAI: The Hockey India League (HIL) has got an additional live telecast partner for the next three years  – the Sony Sports Network (SSN). The league has signed a contract with the broadcast network.  Mid-last week, DD had announced that it was coming on board for the whole tournament’s telecast. 

    What’s special about the SSN deal is that it will be airing the matches with Telugu and Tamil commentary as well as Hindi and English in a bid to broad base the appeal of the sport. The tournament can be viewed on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil and Telugu) channels in both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD). The league, featuring domestic and international players, is to take place in Ranchi and Rourkela for both  men and women and will be flagged off on 28 December. 

    Said Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer & head sports business Rajesh Kaul : “Hockey has gained significant popularity in India with the Indian team’s success in consecutive Olympics contributing to the resurgence. At SSN, we have always been committed to serving Indian fans with a diverse sports portfolio. The inclusion of one of the world’s premier franchise-based hockey leagues will undoubtedly bring fans closer to the game. We see our partnership with it as a key step toward establishing ourselves as the home of hockey, just as we have done with other major sports in our portfolio.”

    Highlighted  HIL governing committee chairperson Dilip Tirkey: “Sony Sports’ expansive coverage across multiple channels and languages will ensure that fans from all corners of the country can enjoy the league. This season is poised to be bigger, better, bolder, and we are confident that Sony’s unmatched telecast capabilities will help take the excitement of Indian hockey to new heights.”

    Added HIL governing committee member Bhola Nath Singh: “Our focus has always been on promoting hockey to a wider audience, and this partnership with SSN allows us to do just that. With their multilingual telecast plan, we are making the sport accessible to a larger audience, bringing them closer to the game. We believe this season will set a new benchmark in terms of viewership and fan engagement.”

    (Picture courtesy Hockey India League)

  • Godrej redefines ABCD on Children’s Day

    Godrej redefines ABCD on Children’s Day

    Mumbai: Godrej Group has launched a new campaign for Children’s Day that redefines all 26 letters of English. The new-age ABC song was released on the group’s social media pages.

    Sung in the same tune as the traditional ABC, it makes the learning process easy and catchy. The song aims to help little ones grow and live better, thereby promoting a society and nation that thrive. The song aspires to help raise the children to be genuine, well-aware, and streetwise individuals who learned facts and values early in their lives.

    With a vision of replacing the traditional ABC with the new-age ABC, Godrej Group has tied up with Teach For India for an on-ground partnership. They will be posting the video on their social media handles as well as sharing it with their fellows, who will make videos/reels of them reciting this new ABCD song. Going forward, we will be approaching more schools and the Educational Board of India to include ABC in the pre-school curriculum.

    Speaking on the launch of the new ABC song, Godrej Group executive director and chief brand officer Tanya Dubash said, “It is imperative that children learn and inculcate the right attitudes and habits at a tender age. Since Children’s Day is extra special for us at Godrej, we thought of gifting our kids with a song that will help them become better individuals tomorrow, even as they learn the basics of the alphabet. The new ABC song will therefore be an appropriate introduction to learning for the children of today.”

    Speaking about the partnership, Teach For India CEO and founder trustee Shaheen Mistri added, “At Teach For India, we keep children at the centre of everything that we do. We want every child to reach their truest potential by giving them access to an excellent, reimagined education. With the new-age ABCDs, we can start to sow the seeds of what children can truly imagine for themselves, for others, and for India.”

    Creativeland Asia co-founder and creative vice chairman Anu Joseph said, “With so many things changing around us over the last couple of years, we thought kids should have a new set of things to remember and learn. Therefore, this new-age ABC song.

  • Pearson ropes in VMLY&R to launch ‘PTE Kar, Befikar’ campaign

    Pearson ropes in VMLY&R to launch ‘PTE Kar, Befikar’ campaign

    Mumbai: Pearson has rolled out a new campaign for the Pearson Test of English—”PTE Kar, Befikar.” The campaign is conceptualised and executed by VMLY&R India.

    The goal of this campaign is to connect the brand with consumers by highlighting the Pearson Test of English as a new age test that empowers students to be confident and not stress about the test. With benefits like unbiased two-hour computerised tests and faster results, PTE lessens the stress on the candidates and helps them be at their best. It removes unnecessary hurdles and makes life simple for them so that they can be their confident self not only on this test but also when they face the outside world during college admissions, job interviews, or even as individuals going about their regular activities.

    To launch the campaign, VMLY&R took the “Befikar” attitude a step further by associating it with an act that personifies being “worry-free.” The act of whistling to oneself is an act that usually signifies freedom from stress and worry. The agency turned the whistle into a creative device that perfectly captures the “Befikar” vibe and resonates with the test takers’ determination and commitment.

    Also, for better reach and engagement, the whistle was introduced in collaboration with relevant influencers in two phases. In the first phase, the influencers teased the audience by whistling carefreely, thanks to PTE, and in the second phase, they revealed the reason why PTE has made everyone go “Befikar.”

    VMLY&R India creative director Nikita Parmar said, “PTE is different. An unbiased test, which is more like a friend or a mentor, who pushes you to do your best while you stay stress-free, or ‘Befikar.’ The aim is to make PTE synonymous with being stress-free, so we thought of what it is that resonates with ‘Befikar,’ and the whistle tune was born. We tend to whistle when we are at our relaxed best. PTE’s signature tune will remind and assure people to appear worry-free for the test and pursue their dreams.”

    Further, to establish the core messaging for PTE, the launch campaign has been divided into four stages. Starting with making the test takers take notice, making them think by establishing superiority over other tests, giving them reasons to stay focused, each stage plays a vital role in the journey.

    The campaign throws light on the dream that studying or moving abroad is exciting and full of possibilities and was executed with the Befikar vibes across digital and social platforms with music created by multi-Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej.

    English Learning vice president of marketing Rachel Exton said about the campaign, “At Pearson, we always put the ‘learner’ at heart; be it our products, our customer experience, or our communication. We want to talk to our customers in their language, in a way that embraces their cultures, acknowledges their challenges, and truly reflects their journeys. This has been the genesis of our new marketing campaign, “PTE Kar Befikar.” We understand the stresses and considerations that come with the decision to move abroad and how overwhelming the whole experience can be. The English proficiency test, which is a high-stakes test and a compulsory one, should be the least of their worries. This is where the Pearson Test of English (PTE) comes in.”

  • Viacom18 to launch two sports channels on 15 April

    Viacom18 to launch two sports channels on 15 April

    Viacom18 will be launching its two English sports channels Sports18 1 SD and Sports18 1 HD on 15 April, said the company’s distribution arm IndiaCast in a public notice recently.

    The SD and HD channels will be available at a reasonable price. 

    The company has reduced the price of its sports channel from Rs 12 to Rs 8. The charges will be applicable excluding taxes, levies and cess.

    According to the media reports, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had granted fresh licenses to Viacom18 and Star India in June 2021. Four licenses were granted to both networks separately. Viacom18 is launching its new sports channel with these licenses.

    The launch of these two sports channels is backed up by Reliance as its own stake in Viacom18. 

    In addition, a one-month promotional offer for distribution platform operators (DPOs) is available where both the sports channels will not be charged any costs. The scheme will commence on 15 April and will expire on 14 May.

    Moreover, Viacom18 also has acquired media rights to properties like La Liga, FIFA World Cup, Serie A, NBA, Ligue1, and Abu Dhabi T10 series. 

    The new sports channels of the network will be competing with both Star sports and Sony Sports.

  • Toonz Media Group launches kids TV channel in Indonesia

    Toonz Media Group launches kids TV channel in Indonesia

    Mumbai: Toonz Media Group is launching a new kids TV channel in Indonesia. The 24X7 pay-TV channel Toonz kids will be available on Indonesia’s satellite TV network Transvision. The channel will go on air on 14 November.

    The bilingual channel will include shows in both Bahasa and English, and is targeted at four to 12-year-olds. This will be Toonz’s maiden television channel in Asia, said the statement.

    “Indonesia has a fast-growing kids entertainment industry and we felt it would be the best place to launch the expansion of our platform entertainment business,” said Toonz Media Group chief executive officer P Jayakumar. “We will be banking on Toonz’s 22 year old legacy in the industry and our strong multi-genre library with 1000+ hours of content. Toonz Kids will bring this world class content to kids and families in Indonesia, dubbed in native Bahasa.”

    Toonz had announced expansion of its platform entertainment business in October this year with the constitution of its new SBU Toonz Media Networks. The company has roped in former Zee Entertainment chief operating officer Mukund Cairae to head the SBU. After Indonesia, Toonz plans to launch television channels in other emerging kids’ television markets such as Malaysia, Singapore and MENA (Middle East and North Africa). The company already operates kids channels in select key global territories.

    “Indonesia has the largest television market and the second largest pay TV market in South-East Asia. The country has around 67 million homes and a TV penetration of 64 per cent, which translates to around 42 million TV homes. This includes a pay TV penetration of 12 per cent. If you look at the average revenue per user for pay TV in Indonesia, it is a healthy $10 per home per month. Clearly, there is huge potential for growth of pay TV business here,” said Toonz Media Networks president Mukund Cairae.

    He added that Toonz Kids will focus on edutainment and entertainment shows while also looking to explore content partnerships through animation co-productions with local companies in Indonesia. “We will be actively pursuing content partnerships to co-create premium content, including e-Sports, to engage the tweens and teens besides the kids audience category,” Cairae said. 

    Cloud broadcasting and live TV streaming company Amagi is the playout and transmission partner for Toonz Kids. Toonz already has a formidable presence in the digital media space with a robust YouTube ecosystem comprising of 18 YouTube channels and 18 million plus subscribers. Earlier this year the company had launched its own OTT platform MyToonz. Besides this, Toonz also has content syndication partnerships with world’s top kids’ VoD platforms including Roku, Kidoodle, Amazon Prime, Pluto TV, and many more.

    “This is the first international kids’ channel fully dubbed in Bahasa Indonesia. In line with our tagline, ‘broadcasting at the edge of technology’ we always strive to provide entertaining, quality, and educational content for all of our viewers,” said Transvision sales and marketing director Brando Tengdom. “We sincerely hope this partnership will accommodate our customer needs, as well as become an attractive point for our customer to access Transvision services.”

  • Marriott on Wheels brings ‘Good Food = Good Mood’ to your homes

    Marriott on Wheels brings ‘Good Food = Good Mood’ to your homes

    Mumbai: Mood and food have always had an intrinsic relationship. Food is a universal catalyst dictating our attitudes and emotions – from Monday Blues to Throwback Thursdays, our cravings keep our moods alive. Inspired by this thought, Marriott International has created a digital campaign ‘Good Food = Good Mood’. A series of highly relatable and fun films that capture various situations and moods from everyday life that can be diffused with good food from Marriott on Wheels. 

    Conceptualised by Shaun Kolah (Warp Studios) and produced by Toast Events, the campaign includes a series of five films, shot in four languages – Hindi, English, Bengali and Kannada.

    The films are centred around funny and eccentric situations that play out among family members in the course of a day or a lifetime. With an eager husband waiting for a date night, competing for his wife’s attention which is wholly centred on a nail biting cricket match, to a travel enthusiast grandmother planning her dream trip to Paris when she hears of the lockdown, plans stay on schedule, realizing there are more ways than one, to enjoy Paris! Report cards & Dad encounters are always unpredictable. Anticipating fireworks on the big, fat ‘F’ that dominates his report card, a boy does his best to soften the blow. Cut to a demure, shy girl going through the rituals of an arranged marriage, prepped she waits her turn to drop a bombshell announcement on her unsuspecting family, it’s a heart stopping moment , but there are new plans on the table now   – moods are uplifted, bonds are celebrated and happiness is diverted back to where it belongs, all made possible with good food from Marriott on Wheels.

    Marriott International senior area director of marketing – south Asia Khushnooma Kapadia said, “With people being encouraged to stay home, Marriott on Wheels remains a strong medium to ensure our guests do not miss out on their favourite food. Encapsulating the love for our cuisines have received and the innate power of food to uplift our moods, we have created a light-hearted digital campaign built on relatable and meaningful situations, enabling us to interact with our customers through a creative dialogue, allowing us to grow brand awareness and strengthen brand perception.”

    Introduced in 2020, Marriott on Wheels is a premium food delivery service from Marriott International that ensures the safe delivery of a diverse variety of Marriott’s signature dishes. Available in 26 cities and spanning a network of 76 hotels, Marriott on Wheels promises an authentic dining experience with a host of favourite, award-winning dishes on offer, prepared and delivered adhering to strict hygiene and safety norms, not forgetting the high value-for-money proposition.

    Digitally amplified across Instagram, Facebook & Youtube, through reels and IGTV videos, you can catch these videos on the links below:

    Film 1: World cuisine at your doorstep

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_G4vlbkSU

    Film 2: Date nights with Marriott on Wheels

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKm086oEEb8

  • Audit report confirms TRP manipulation by former BARC executives: Mumbai Police

    Audit report confirms TRP manipulation by former BARC executives: Mumbai Police

    NEW DELHI: Two months after the alleged TRP scam was busted by the Mumbai police, the department, in yet another sensational conference on Friday, claimed that a third party-conducted, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)-commissioned audit report of the ratings agency has confirmed that TRPs were manipulated under the previous management. 

    The report which was received by BARC in July was handed over to the Mumbai police last week, as stated by joint commissioner of police (crime) Milind Bharambe. The report, from May 2017  to November 2019, shows that TRPs of English and Telugu news channels had been tampered with.

    The forensic audit was commissioned after new management took over at BARC in January this year and received whistle blower complaints, he added. 

    “BARC had received the report in July this year. The report said from a period of mid- 2017 to -November 2019 TRPs of English and Telugu news channels td. It showed that TRPs of channels like Times Now had been reduced so that Republic would appear to be no. 1 by analysing selectively,” Bharambe highlighted.

    The report, he added, says that ratings appeared to have been pre-decided and accordingly data was manipulated using three methodologies: the  outlier method, meta rule and  channel audience control. It further revealed incriminating chats and emails between senior BARC officials the police said.  Times Now which was on number 1 and was shown to be at No 2, and Republic as No1.

    Bharambe says that tbe BARC audit vindicates what the police has been claiming all along about Republic being involved in fixing the ratings.

    Republic TV has once again rebutted the claims and called the press conference “bogus” and their claims “laughable.”

    In related news, BARC former CEO Partha Dasgupta was arrested by Mumbai Police and was sent to custody till 28 December. Before Dasgupta, former BARC COO Romil Ramgarhia and Republic Media Network CEO Vikas Khanchandan were also arrested in the case. While Ramgarhia was released on Thursday, Khanchandani was granted bail on 16 December. 

  • Lionsgate Play Premiers 47 Meters Down:Uncaged in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu

    Lionsgate Play Premiers 47 Meters Down:Uncaged in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu

    47 Meters Down: Uncaged is a 2019 American-British survival horror film directed by Johannes Roberts and written by Roberts and Ernest Riera and a sequel to the 2017 hit 47 Meters Down. The plot follows a group of teenage girls who scuba dive to a ruined underwater city, quickly learn they have entered the territory of the deadliest shark species in the claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves. The film will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telegu on partner platforms of Lionsgate Play – Vodafone Play, Airtel Xstream, Idea Movies&TV on Friday,3rd July 2020. 

    Shot against the beautiful landscape of South America, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, starring Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju and Sistine Stallone is about the diving adventure of four teenage girls exploring a submerged Mayan City. Once inside, their rush of excitement turns into a jolt of terror as they discover the sunken ruins are a hunting ground for deadly great White Sharks. With their air supply steadily dwindling, the friends must navigate the underwater labyrinth of claustrophobic caves and eerie tunnels in search of a way out of their watery hell. The film received rave reviews for it’s cinematography and critically shot underwater scenes. Viewers will start longing for a holiday while watching this film. 

    The lead characters in the movie have adventure on their mind but little do they know that a trip that’s got them excited could very well be a terrifying trap. Watch this film to know how well-prepared they are for the dangers under the sea!