ITV

Tag: Eshita Surana

  • Bengali television channels celebrate Poila Baisakh

    Bengali television channels celebrate Poila Baisakh

    KOLKATA: Poila Baisakh (the first day of Bengali Baisakh month) is exclusively a Bengali occasion and it’s no wonder then that various Bengali channels have come up with plans to make it a wonderful beginning with Bengali theme as the main attraction.

     

    Over the years, most of the channels have either looked to launch new reality shows or soap operas or in other cases boast of colourful programmes with star studded crowd and live casting it.

     

    Bengali GEC Aakash Aaath aims to bring in a bouquet of programmes as part of Bengali New Year special.  Firstly, the channel will showcase three back to back films featuring renowned artists from 14-16 April. On 15 April, a special two hour live show Akasher Barso Baran will be aired with celebrity artists like Agnibho Banerjee, Madhura Bhattacharya, Madhurima Dutta Chowdhury and Bishak Jyoti Majumder.

     

    Another cuisine special Radhuni Special will be aired with special Baisakhi dishes like Thakur barir mangsho o basanti pulao, paneer moti ball etc. The show will be hosted by celebrity artist Kanchana Moitra. 

     

    Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana said, “This is an important occasion for us. People in Kolkata do wait for this festive occasion. Aakash Aath is a Bengali channel, which is close to Bengali hearts. It is the only channel with complete ‘bangali aana’. I am celebrating this in a big way on Aakash. In fact we have completely changed the packaging of the channel for three days. Being a Bengali channel, if we miss Poila Baishak, we have done nothing at all and on Aakash, I make it a point to celebrate each festival with the viewers in their mood.”

     

    Colors Bangla, the recently revamped Bengali entertainment channel, has come up with a musical show called Great Music Gurukul, starting 13 April from 9-10 pm. 

     

    An official from Colors Bangla said, “We do not have anything special for Bengali New Year this time. Only for Great Music Gurukul, we have a special episode where judges would come dressed in Indian attire.”

     

    While other Bengali channels have musicals lined up, another trend is to have a milieu with the popular TV serial actors and actresses.

     

    Baisakhi Sandha is another common trend where channels live broadcast performances in popular thoroughfares. Special interviews and panel discussions are also common as far as programming on regional news channels is concerned.

     

    Some Bengali news channels also visit homes of viewers as well as cultural associations throughout the day, bringing colourful performances and extravaganza together. 

  • Is BARC all set for broadcasters and media agencies in Kolkata?

    Is BARC all set for broadcasters and media agencies in Kolkata?

    KOLKATA: While Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) seems all set to formally launch its much-awaited television audience measurement system in phase wise manner starting April, broadcasters and media agencies have begun to pull out from TAM India. If industry sources are to be believed, broadcasters like Star, Zee, Discovery, Star Sports, India TV and NDTV have already sent their termination notices to TAM.

     

    Regional media broadcasters specifically in West Bengal, however, have their own viewpoints. In Kolkata, broadcasters and media agencies expect to get a fair report with the introduction of BARC’s new TV ratings measurement system.

     

    At a time when agencies and broadcasters in Mumbai have already sent letters to TAM informing them that they are either not extending their subscription after 31 March, 2015 (in case their current subscription is expiring on that date) or terminating their subscription with the stipulated one-month notice period (in case their subscription runs till 31 December, 2015), Kolkata-based agencies and broadcasters have not yet got any detailed report on the pricing and policies of BARC.

     

    “BARC authorities came to Kolkata for one road show and with the lack of interest shown from people here and the absence of proper feedback, it hasn’t taken much initiative in Kolkata,” a city-based advertising agency executive said on condition of anonymity.

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises controlled 24×7 Bengali news channel 24 Ghanta will pull out from TAM along with the network’s others channels, said an executive from 24 Ghanta, adding that almost all channels in India are likely to do that. “With the arrival of BARC, it would make an even equation for all the stakeholders,” the channel executive added.

     

    When queried about the expectations from BARC, the executive said, “No tampering is possible as BARC will provide a wider audience reach. We also expect scientific and more detailed findings from untapped rural areas.”

     

    On the other hand, Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana said, “We have yet not decided, whether we will continue with TAM or no. We have not yet got the pricing policy from BARC.”

     

    However, Surana went on to add that the company has high hopes from BARC.

     

    On the initiatives being taken to establish strong communication, BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta said, “We have been constantly communicating through our newsletters, press interactions. website, twitter, roadshows and meetings. Pricing model details are on the website and all CEOs who watermarked the channels have been written to individually.”

     

    BARC, in the past three weeks, has been seeing an increasing rush from smaller broadcasters, both national and regional, who are now getting watermarked.  

     

    Speaking about expectation from BARC, a Kolkata-based GEC executive said that BARC’s report will at least not bring Kolkata TV’s teleshopping show in the top 20 programme list.

     

    Moreover, the number of peoplemeters that TAM had installed was 10,000 whereas BARC will be starting with 20,000 and then plans to gradually scale up the number by 10,000. “This will ensure more representation and data from these peoplemeters that will enable a more accurate understanding of stickiness, preference and even demography of every segment of viewers. BARC will even provide zip-code wise data on ratings, which will help advertisers in choosing the right TV channels to reach out to their TG,” brand and communications expert Mahul Brahma added.

     

    A media buying executive said that all stakeholders, including the media agencies, have invested in the new BARC system, and it is natural that all should move to this audience measurement system. “BARC is a joint industry body, and we are part of the industry. We believe that BARC will have a more accurate and better measurement. Our preference would be to go with the measurement which is more robust, transparent and accurate,” he said.

  • Aakash Aath airs longest crime fiction in regional media space

    Aakash Aath airs longest crime fiction in regional media space

    KOLKATA: Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) Aakash Aath has already aired 3,000 hours of crime fiction called Police Filez. The channel further said that it is the longest for any regional media to run a show like this one.

     

    The channel has plans to continue the show. What’s more the show is also a part of the channel’s CSR activity as it makes people socially aware and helps them to comprehend and safeguard themselves from such brutal crime.

     

    Police Filez is a real life crime based fiction. Aakash Aath has been covering almost all the crimes that take place and enacts it in the most real format. Stories are shown up till judgment/judgments pending. Police Filez is telecast from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 – 9.30 pm.

     

    “Our Police Filez series is doing very well. It is delivering around 25 per cent of the numbers alone in terms of audience viewership. We are the only one in the regional space to have a show like this. We have made approximately 3,000 hours of crime fiction. We plan to continue the show,” said Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

     

    Surana further explains that while there are instances of national TV channels running crime related shows for years, in the Bengal TV space, this is a new development.

     

    The show sometimes depicts gruesome acts. When queried on the purpose behind showing such acts on TV, Surana says, “Judgments are important to be shown as they would make the upcoming crime performers scared of it and this in turn might help in reduction of crime. Newspapers just write about the case on one day and then people don’t get to know what happened to the victim and what its judgment was,” she said.

     

    The show also has a special segment called ‘Dharma Number,’ through which viewers are educated on the punishments that fall under various sections and how they can move towards filing a case and fighting for judgment.

     

    Explaining further on how the channel’s telecast is helping the society, Surana says, “It was just after our telecast that the main culprit was caught in the Kamduni rape case, which has shaken the state.”

     

    Referring to the Pandua Acid Case she adds, “In this case, after the telecast, the victim got monetary help from a viewer for her medical treatment. A show like this helps the masses at times to identify probable crimes before they take place and they can also take precautionary measures, and protect themselves.”

     

  • Bengali GEC Aakash Aath to launch new show format ‘Ek Maasher Galpo’

    Bengali GEC Aakash Aath to launch new show format ‘Ek Maasher Galpo’

    KOLKATA: Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) Aakash Aath is launching a new format called Ek Maasher Galpo, which will showcase stories that will end within a month. 

     

    The half hour show format goes on air today (2 February) and will be aired from Monday to Saturday at 7 pm.

     

    “We have been doing dailies and weeklies and now we thought of doing monthlies. People are bored of the mega serials. The stories we will showcase are from novels by famous writers. Stories all some eminent writers would be aired from 7pm till 7.30 pm, six days a week,” said Aakash Aath director.

     

    When queried on the new format, Surana said that with this, the channel aims to educate people. “I want to entertain them with short monthly stories,” she said.

     

    For instance, in the month of February, famous Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin’s Jhumur would be aired. “We have 24 episodes, which will be directed by Sushanta Basu. The cast includes Kaneenika Banerjee, Pijush Ganguly, Bhaswar Chatterjee, Rajashree Bhowmick, Anamika Saha and Tulika Basu amongst others,” she said.

     

    Similarly, in March, the channel will air Abul Basar’s Musafir, which will have 26 episodes. This series will be directed by Debidas Bhattacharya. The cast includes Neel Mukherjee, Debdoot Ghosh and Monami Ghosh amongst others.

     

    For the months of April and May, the channel has planned Pratibha Basu’s Sahasa Kuyasha Chhire (26 episodes) and Syad Mustafa Siraj’s Point Zero (26 episodes) respectively.

     

    “All shootings have been planned for the next four months and if the show format clicks with viewers, then we will shoot further and look for other good short stories and writers close to any Bengali’s heart. It all depends on the response. If the viewers like the content and concept, we would love to make many more,” Surana added.

     

    The channel is looking at Bengali writers only as they are close to Bengali hearts and have the Bengali feel, she reiterated.

     

    Speaking about the marketing initiatives that are being planned by the channel around the new format, Surana said, “We would be promoting this through our own channel, paper ads, SMS and Whatsapp. We are doing extensive promotion on the channel and the teasers are already on air,” she concluded.

  • Aakash Aath to celebrate ‘Poush Utsav’ starting 11 January

    Aakash Aath to celebrate ‘Poush Utsav’ starting 11 January

    KOLKATA: As West Bengal gears up for ‘Poush Mela’ , an annual fair and festival that takes place in Santiniketan, to mark the arrival of harvest season, Aakash Aath, a Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC), plans to celebrate ‘Poush Utsav’.

    The week long festivities will commence from 11 January with 2-hours live show ‘Good Morning Aakash’, which is aired from 7 am to 9 am.

     

    “We always look at introducing new elements to make the shows more interesting and enthralling for viewers,” said Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

    On 11 January, the channel will air ‘Mul Gaan Bhanga Gaan’ (Twisted Original Songs) by Ridhi Banerjee and on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday i.e. 12 January, it is looking at airing a special show.

     

    The channel has planned to get famous artists for special programming slot. “It’s a show which has a live artist or artists singing songs with a lot of interaction with an anchor,” she added.

     

    Other artists like Probhati Mukhopadhyay, Saikat Mitra and folk singer Swapan Basu have also been approached to sing through the week, it is learnt.

     

    The channel had earlier organised ‘Band Festival’ for four days from 25 December which saw bands like ‘Udaan’, ‘Cactus’, ‘Sahajiya’ and ‘Taseer’ performing for the viewers.

     

  • News will always be our focus, says Aakash Aath’s Eshita Surana

    News will always be our focus, says Aakash Aath’s Eshita Surana

    KOLKATA: Aakash Aath, a Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) has said that though the focus of the channel has shifted, it still intends to keep news as part of its programme offering.

     

     

    It should be noted that Aakash Aath which was once a 24 hour news channel, has reduced the news slot to one hour at present. It airs news everyday from 4.30pm to 5pm and then again at night from 10.30pm to11pm.

     

    “Aakash Aath has undergone a change of format from news to GEC. We want our viewers to get news from us so that they do not have to shift elsewhere. Our news is positioned at a place where if you see one hour of this news you don’t need to see any other news channel,” said Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

     

    The channel will continue to air one hour of news bulletin. “At present we are not sourcing any content from anywhere but creating our own and we intend to continue this. No plans of any change in near future,” she added.

     

    Aakash Aath started off as Akash Bangla, a 24 hour Bengali entertainment channel with soaps like Kurukhetro, Shanai, Prabahini, Dotta, and Choritroheen. The channel later changed its format to become a 24 hour current affair and news channel in early 2012.

     

    But after Channel 8, a Kolkata-headquartered production company bought majority stake in the channel more than a year ago, the format has changed again. “The channel will always have a news bulletin,” concluded Surana.

  • Aakash Aath to woo cine-lovers with movie festivals

    Aakash Aath to woo cine-lovers with movie festivals

    KOLKATA: Aakash Aath is all set to entertain its viewers with four movie festivals for an entire month starting 5 December.

     

    The channel will air films everyday from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm from its library and the festival will last till 3 January 2015.

     

    The festival will start with the telecast of Uttam Kumar films from 5 to 14 December. The movie list includes ‘Sanyasi Raja’, ‘Moroner Pore’, ‘Jay Jayanti’, ‘Rajlakshmi o Srikanto’, ‘Sudhu Ekti Bochor’ among others.

     

    “Uttam Kumar is an all-time favourite and we have some of his best movies in our library. It is one of the rarest collections which one will get to see nowhere else,” says Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

     

    Comedy films like Dhanni Meye’, ‘Miss Priyambada’, ‘Proxy’ and ‘Sriman Prithviraj’ will air from 15 to 21 December.

     

    From 22 to 28 December, the channel will air movies of the veteran actor Prasenjit which will include movies like ‘Duti Pata’, ‘Amar Sangi’, ‘Aboojh Mon’, and ‘Sangharsha’ among others.

     

    Last but not the least, the year ending dhamaka will start from 28 December and continue till 3 January which will see films like ‘Joy Bijoy’, ‘Chameli Memsaheb’, ‘Sankhachur’, and Bhagya Devta among others.

     

    The channel is working hard at marketing the film festival? She answers, “We are promoting it through the channel, mailers across agencies and clients and a viewer bank, whatsapp, push messages, news paper ads and listing.”

     

    When asked about expected viewership, she said the package will pull viewers of all ages as numerous genres have been captured.

     

  • Aakash Aath to air series of special episodes during Durga Puja

    Aakash Aath to air series of special episodes during Durga Puja

    KOLKATA:  With the celebratory onset of Durga Pujo, Aakash Aath, a Bengali infotainment channel, promises to entice the viewers with a series of special episodes.

     

    Starting from Mahalaya till Dashami, the viewers will enjoy a plethora of programmes catering to all age groups.

     

    “We have tried to keep a perfect mix of programme during Pujas where every age-group gets different flavours. From Sashti to Dashami we have thoughtfully planned our episodes keeping the entertainment quotient as high as possible,” said Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

     

    “We have also included some special musical programme on Dashami, to herald in Shubho Bijoya on a musical note,” she added.

     

    The FM On TV will be aired for two hours from 9 am to 11 am. The show will be conducted by the two anchors, Priyambada and Mithu. While Priyambada would be at the studio, Mithu will be anchoring from the pandals.

     

    Filmi Pujo will show blockbuster movies from Chaturthi to Dadoshi every afternoon for eight days from 1 to 4pm.

     

    The festivity kicks off with a special programme – Agomoni, to mark Mahalaya. It will be aired between 7 am to 9 am will feature Sreekumar Chattopadhyay and Haimanti Shukla.

     

    Good Morning Aakash will host artistes like Manomoy Bhattacharya, Shampa Kundu and Raghav Chatterjee on Maha Sasthi, Kinjal Chatterjee, Madhura Bhattacharya and Sovon Ganguly on Maha Saptami, Sreekanta Acharya, Jayati Chakraborty and Goutam Ghoshal on Maha Ashtami.

     

    Ustaad Rashid Khan with his daughter Suha Khan performs together for the very first time only on Aakash Aath on Maha Nabami and Maha Dashami and Rupankar, Subhomita and Somlata on Akadoshi.

     

    Radhuni also has very interesting list of personalities who will show their culinary expertise on the sets during the Pujas.

     

    It is further learnt that the channel will telecast a musical evening with renowned singers on Dashami as Bijoya Special from 7 pm to 8 pm.

  • Aakash Aath appoints zonal heads for east and west India

    Aakash Aath appoints zonal heads for east and west India

    KOLKATA: Channel Eight, which re-launched its Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) Akash Bangla as Aakash Aath last year, has now made two key appointments. While Vamshi Pendyala has been roped in as zonal head – west, Debasish Chattopadhyay is the new zonal head – east.

     

    Pendyala is a media and advertising professional with a rich experience of maximising advertising revenues across genres. Prior to joining Aakash Aath, he worked in Hummra M (CNEB Network) as head, advertising sales – west and south and Narne Networks as national head – advertising.

     

    On the other hand, Chattopadhyay has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, concept selling and advertising sales. Prior to joining the channel, he worked at ETV Network as senior manager and national sales head of ETV Bangla and was involved in strategising, sales and operations.

     

    “Aakash Aath is focusing on maximising the market share in the GEC space. Keeping this in mind we have appointed Vamshi Pendyala and Debasish Chattopadhyay. With their vast experiences, they would help us in achieving our growth target. They would be responsible for stratetigising, developing new areas of business and increasing the advertising revenues for the channel,” said Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana.

     

    Positioned as a GEC, Aakash Aath presents a wide variety of programme including news bulletins (Aakash Barta), catering to audiences across age group.

     

    The programmes on air are Janani (fiction), Good Morning Akash (live musical programme with guest artistes), FM On TV (music programme), Radhuni (cookery contest based show), Shahityer Shera Somoy (screen adaptations of literary classics), Police Filez (crime show based on real life incidents), Hing Ting Chhot (children’s programme), Gaan Doriya (music show) and Ghhente Gha (comedy show).

    The channel also airs blockbuster movies and telefilms. “The channel aims to launch an array of interesting shows in the coming days,” Surana concluded.