ITV

Tag: Extreme Dhamaka

  • AXN looking at an ‘India Challenge’ next year

    AXN looking at an ‘India Challenge’ next year

    MUMBAI: One of the brand building initiatives that AXN has done over the last couple of years in India is organise ground events. It started in 2002 with Who Dares Wins. Last year this concept was expanded upon withExtreme Dhamaka.

    This year the channel is in the middle of the India Pakistan Challenge. The broadcaster is now looking at holding another ground event next year in March-April.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Sony assistant VP marketing Rohit Bhandari who looks after AXN in India said, “There are a couple of ideas in the pipeline. We may look at having an AXN Challenge in India. Having participants compete in different activities like swimming, rope climbing would make for an attractive ground activity.”

    Basically an AXN Challenge sees participants doing a variety of activities like rope climbing, kayaking. There are also mental tests which tests how well the teams of three can think on their feet. All members of a team have to cross the finish line together. Otherwise they are disqualified. The next AXN Challenge takes place In Phillipines on 27 November.

    A couple of years ago AXN had held a mini Challenge for India in conjunction with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The winners were then sent to Hong Kong to participate in the AXN Challenge. The event next year will no doubt look at expanding on this.

    Besides the logistical issues if there is a drawback in these proposed plans for India it is the fact that Indians are not adventurous and do not enjoy playing sports. In 2002 most of the participants came from the Indian Army and Navy. This is not the case in other Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia where you have executives and business professionals participating along with professional racers.

    As far as this year’s India Pakistan Challenge is concerned the preliminary rounds have been completed. The finale takes place in Taiwan in the middle of next month. Bhandari added that the delay was on account of storm warnings that had been issued in the country.

    Meanwhile on the programming front AXN will do something quite rare for it. It will premiere a high profile movie that has not been seen on Indian television. This is Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling For Columbine and airs on 28 November at 8 pm.

    It won an Oscar earlier this year and deals with America’s gun culture. What is interesting is that Moore’s film reveals that while Canada has the same number of guns as America Canadians do not shoot each other.

    The guns are used for hunting purposes. Also the documentary pooh poohs the theory that violence in America is on account of its violent past. Germany had the holocaust in the second World War. However Germans today do not go around killing each other.

    The channel will also kick off the sixth edition of the reality show The Amazing Race every Sunday at 5 pm from 21 November. This is just four days after CBS premieres the show in the US. As in the past participants run around the world in the hopes of winning a grand prize of $1 million

    The previous edition of The Amazing Race saw California couple Chip and Kim McAllister a sporty duo from the Los Angeles suburbs pull out all the stops to cross the finish line first.

    To net their million-dollar reward, Chip and Kim covered more than 72,000 miles of terrain across six continents and 11 countries. They ran, hiked and even made use of a luge to snag the first place slot.

  • AXN to strengthen localisation focus this year

    AXN to strengthen localisation focus this year

    MUMBAI: The English general entertainment space is getting crowded this year and AXN’s strategy is quite simple. Build upon the strategy that has worked so far which is delivering top notch quality shows consistently and build up the relevance with the viewer.

    To achieve this aim the broadcaster is looking at more formats for on ground specials that will be broadcast later ala Extreme Dhamaka. Speaking to indiantelevision.com SET’s assistant VP Marketing Rohit Bhandari who looks after the channels operations in India said that one format could be Ripley’s. He also hinted that the Hot ‘n’ Wild contest which was done last year could be built into an annual brand. So each a year a new couple would be crowned. Last years winners Salil Acharya and Deepica Sarma could go on to hosting a show of their own later this year in the August – September period. These and other programme decisions like introducing innovative formats will be taken in Singapore later this month.

    This year will see shows like 24, Alias, Fear Factor and CSI return for new seasons. Bhandari however felt that 24 could have done better. “The problem is that DVDs containing all episodes of 24 are available. So a person might decide to watch the entire show over two weekends rather than trying to catch each episode every week. Of course if he misses an episode he loses the thread. Our strategy, as is the case with our competitors, is to constantly launch shows that reach a certain standard. If something does not work you get on with the next thing.”

    Bhandari maintained an optimistic outlook about Boomtown despite the fact that it did not do well in the US. “It is excellent television and stands superbly on its own.” As far as the look of the channel is concerned graphics were changed last year by the Los Angeles office in order to sharpen the brand identity.

     

    Dubbed feed to be a three month experiment: AXN also introduced a dubbed feed last month in Hindi from 8-9 pm. Right now Ripley’s airs and also six films have been chosen. Bhandari said that so far the response had been encouraging and cable ops in different parts of the Metros had started offering the feed to subscribers be it Chembur in Mumbai or Delhi. “We spend one hour a day on dubbing 8-9 pm. We are testing the market to see if this format works for us. The testing will run till April and then depending on the response we will take a decision on whether or not we should progress.”

    As far as the shows that the channel would look to dub Bhandari ruled out the possibility of Alias and 24 getting dubbed despite the enormous action quotient. “One thing we realised early on is that if a show has a 60-70 per cent element of the background voice then when you introduce it in any language it looks far more ambient.”

    “The problem with Alias is that there are many voices involved and so the technical expertise required goes up. In addition if there is a bad lip synch the audience will feel disconnected towards the product. Another major challenge here is getting the nuance of the dialogue right,” he added.

    “One show that would be looked at is Guinness World Records. It has the ‘wow’ factor and everybody is familiar with the brand like the books. This is the best way to introduce people to the AXN brand in its purest form. Other shows that are prime candidates for dubbing include Now See this, Maximum Exposure,” said Bhandari. Talking about World Rally Championship (WRC) which had just been introduced he said that this did not reflect any change in brand positioning.

    “We have always had a slot in the hardcore adventure space. We used to have eco challenge. However viewers are more likely to identify with cars as the concept of motor sports rallying is picking up in India. The MRF Team’s success has heightened the level of awareness among Indians about the sport. The cars look those that viewers drive to work and thus the brand connect is built. Also very few Indians display the kind of physical activity that is seen in eco challenge. We tend to be physically inert and so the connect with average cars being put through endurance tests is much more.”

     

    AXN experienced marginal growth for 2003: Bhandari admitted that distractions like the World Cup and other cricket activity last year meant that AXN grew marginally and not exponentially. The channel share was consistent in the 9-11 pm slot which is fine as everybody is targeting that slot. It grew from 11- midnight by around 10-15 per cent. The weekend share also grew by the same extent because of the movies. The Hot ‘n’ Wild slot which generated buzz has also seen growth.

    He went on to add that the fact that news channels were increasingly acting entertainment-ish was having a positive rub off effect on AXN and the other general entertainment channels. “The awareness about the kind of content is growing. Recently quite a few of the news channels covered the Golden Globe Awards and so more people come to know that shows like 24 won awards. People start talking about the same and curiosity is aroused.”

    Asked whether the shift to the lifestyle segment had worked Bhandari said that the results would show up over a long period of time meaning a year and a half. “You are trying to shift an attitude. While he will soak in some of the lifestyle stuff like Hot n wild he will not do so at one go. For him to relate AXN to a certain lifestyle will take time.”

     

    Scope for mobile phone content limited in India: As far as offering content to mobile phone providers was concerned Bhandari said that while the GPRS facility is available very few Indians subscribe to it. “The growth potential is enormous in South East Asia. Basically Indians are satisfied with receiving score updates and news flashes. Their attitude is that they do not need to watch content that they get on television on a small handset. So we will have to evaluate business opportunities in this segment before taking a decision on tying up with mobile phone operators.”

  • AXN to showcase biggest ground event Wednesday

    AXN to showcase biggest ground event Wednesday

    MUMBAI: The action-oriented AXN is constantly looking
    to top off whatever it has done in the past. This year
    it managed to achieve that with shows like 24.

    Now it will air what is so far its biggest on-ground initiative in India from Wednesday.

    Extreme Dhamaka will air every Wednesday at 9 pm with
    repeats on Thursday at 1 pm and Sunday at 9 am and 8
    pm.

    As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com this show is an extended version of the reality themed Who Dares Wins.

    Extreme Dhamaka had toured six cities and the 13- episode programme will showcase highlights from each venue.

    Addressing a media briefing earlier this evening the broadcaster’s marketing vice-president Gregory Ho said, “This has been a big investment for us. With the same amount of money we could have bought two to three quality series from the US and aired it. We, however, felt that the effort taken was worth it and the show is way of
    saying a big thank you to our viewers.”

    Ho said, “We finished principal photography six weeks ago and so it has been a hectic time for us. What was unique is that everything from conceptualisation to post production
    was done here. Our immense confidence in the Indian
    industry has been justified.”

    The show will be hosted by the hosts of Who dares Wins
    Mike Whitney and Tania Zaetta along with the winners
    of AXN’s Hot ‘n’ Wild Deepica Sarma and Salil
    Acharya.

    Sarma said, ” Our job looks glamorous but on the surface of it was 15 hours of daily hard work. The result was that I came out feeling real. This is not a fantasy and we are not selling dreams. These are real people. The road response especially in Chandigarh was fantastic.”

    One of the highlights was a main dare performed in Mumbai at midnight. Apparently, it had rained that day and so putting together a stunt involving fire was made all the more difficult. This involved a man riding a motorcycle through a burning bus. The show also examines the various security measures that are put into place like the protective padding.

  • AXN’s ‘Extreme Dhamaka’ comes to a climax in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: A car hanging on a crane 25 feet in the air! People attempting to walk on slippery soap from one end of a place to the other! A bike being driven through a ring of fire!
    These were a few of the dares that took place this evening as action-oriented AXN’s local production Extreme Dhamaka hit Mumbai.
    The event will also take place tomorrow at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai’s Bandra (East) suburb.


    Over the course of the past two weeks AXN’s team of Australian model Tania Zaetta, ex-cricketer turned television host Mike Whitney along with the hot ‘n’ wild couple Salil Acharya and Deepica Sharma have been touring six cities in the country challenging people to do exactly what they thought they never would or should do.
    Extreme Dhamaka will air as a series of 13 half-hour episodes on AXN in December. Sony’s assistant marketing V-P Rohit Bhandari said that the biggest challenge had been coping with the searing heat.
    Comparing the series to last year’s, he said, “We had just one host, Whitney, doing Who Dares Wins. Also we were on the road continuously. This time Whitney and Sharma alternated with Zaetta and Acahrya and so the stress was relatively less.” He explained that they had two event management firms taking care of proceedings, this time. While Shobiz looked after the venue set-up, Candy took care of the road shows. 
    Whitney said, “Some of the stuff that we have done on Extreme Dhamaka is bigger and better than what I have done on television over the past nine years. In fact, using the stadium arena for an event like this has never been done before. There was skepticism expressed by people abroad over whether this was feasible in India and we have laid their concerns to rest.”
    Whiteny added, “We have a serious job to do and there is no monkeying around. What is unique is that the stunts are much easier said than done.”
    Acharya remembered the time he jumped into a tank in New Delhi, in order to convince a participant to do it. “It was important for Deepica and myself to get a clear idea of what we expected participants to do,” he said. As far as the mini dares and carnival stunts were concerned, he recalled people attempting to eat dried grass and eggs that were literally a century old.
    Zaetta meanwhile disapproved the notion that Indian women were too conservative. She remembered a 45-year-old women in a sari driving a bike backwards.
    Acharya added, “We will be having stunts involving fire today and tomorrow. A bike will be driven through a ring of fire. It is a matter of both precision and timing. We have two ambulances stationed at the venue. There is also security padding to guard against any mishaps.”
    Talking about the response received, Whitney said, “In India, fans cannot get enough of reality television. Indian fans are very polite and respectful which is a contrast to Australia where they can be very abrasive.”


    “Tania and I try to get up close to the fans as much as possible which is very rare for celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh or Bollywood stars. I am not happy until I have signed the last autograph. At the end of the day, if they do not switch on the television then Tania and I do not have a job. Therefore, the personal touch is important.”
    He added that the routine never got monotonous. The
    Extreme Dhamaka challenge was different for each city.
    “Each city had a unique flavour. In Chennai, for instance, there was a communication problem due to the Tamil language. So instructions tended to go from one person to the next. The festive atmosphere around us at the different cities where effigies were burnt added to the sense of excitement,” he said.
    Acharya also said that one of the aims was to build a Salil-Deepica brand equity. Four to five months down the line when the television viewers get familiar with them, another local show could be looked at.

  • AXN contest winners to host ‘Extreme Dhamaka’

    AXN contest winners to host ‘Extreme Dhamaka’

    MUMBAI: Seems like reality has finally come of age in India. While media might have pooh-poohed AXN’s Hot ‘n Wild contest as yet another beauty pageant, the action adventure channel may just be having the last laugh.

    Embarking on their second biggest local production, a hybrid version of Who Dares Wins and Fear Factor, AXN is all set to begin shooting forExtreme Dhamaka from 21 September.

    The channel has stated that the two lucky winners of Hot ‘n Wild contest will get a chance to host Extreme Dhamaka. The contest is scheduled to be held on 20 September in Mumbai.

    The channel has roped in ex-Australian cricketer and screen icon Mike Whitney and the Aussie model-cum-actress Tania Zaetta for its Extreme Dhamaka venture too. The two contest winners will host alongside these celebrities. It will pave the way for the biggest on-ground action and adventure initiative that India has ever seen, says a company release.

    Taking a cue from the success of last year’s AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special, which saw a large number of entries, the channel decided to launch the long awaited reality show, the release states.

    Zaetta who was the host of Who Dares Wins for eight years, will be among the judges at the at the grand finals of Hot ‘n Wild contest.

    Speaking about the venture, AXN’s assistant vice president (marketing and sales), India, Rohit Bhandari says, “We have been realizing the growing popularity of adventure shows in India, more so since the launch on Fear Factor here. With the response that we received for Who dares Wins last year, we realized that India is finally prepared for a dare show.”

    Bhandari, elaborates, “The entire effort is going be colossal in terms of logistical implementation. Both international and local expertise will be used to ensure maximum security during shoots. We will also make sure that the quality of production is on par with international broadcast standards,”

    When asked about the budget, Bhandari refused to reveal figures but says that they have upped last year’s special budget by almost 50 per cent. Scheduled to be shot from 21 September to 8 October, the special event for Extreme Dhamaka will take off on a six city tour in Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai. The televised version will go on air six weeks after the event, probably in December, the release says.

    Bhandari adds that although the effort will be a one-off event aired as a special season, next year around, the channel will be coming up with yet another format especially for the Indian masses.

    While the channel is skeptical about the nomination format of the show oversees, the Indian version will have people dared on the street just like last years AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special.

    But unlike the relatively softer version, where Whitney approached unsuspecting Indians on the streets or at shopping malls daring them to attempt certain stunts, Extreme Dhamaka will be shot in stadiums throughout the country, with dares designed to be more demanding, severe and rigorous. The show will be presented by Hero Honda in association with Center Shock, Airtel and Nokia.

    The highlight of Extreme Dhamaka will be the Main Dares which will be shot in India this year. The press release says, Main Dares will create some heart-stopping moments.

    Speaking about the format Bhandari says, “Last year when we shot The AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special, we were sure Indians would enjoy participating in the street dares which were fun to do and not that severe. But the format of Extreme Dhamaka is based on three levels: first is the “can-able mini dare”, which is a milder version and is not as challenging and gutsy as “mini-main dare”, the second step. But the toughest one the “main dare”. The dares are designed to put an individual’s physical and psychological limits to the test.”