ITV

Tag: family

  • YouTube crosses a billion hours of viewing on TV daily globally in 2024

    YouTube crosses a billion hours of viewing on TV daily globally in 2024

    MUMBAI: Hopefully, this will settle the argument once and for all.  It’s not Amazon Prime, it’s not Netflix, it’s actually YouTube which is dominating the living room. The latest end of the year report released by the Alphabet-owned streaming platform shows that globally viewers streamed over a billion hours of content on their TVs daily. A billion, yes, please , don’t fall of your chair, it was a billion hours, that makes it about 365 billion hours of viewing in 2024 on TV screens for YouTube. This was revealed by senior director product management YouTube on TV Kurt Wilms in a blog post on the YouTube site.

    Content that viewers traditionally watch on TV, like sports and kids programs, gained momentum on YouTube this year, says a blog rounding up YouTube’s viewership trends. Watch time of sports content, YouTube says grew 30 per cent year over year, as users visited it  to get their line up of clips, highlights, and post-game interviews, all in one place. That is going to sky rocket in the coming year if creators take to Watch With which it has begun piloting. Watch With is a service which allows influencers to provide live commentary, analysis, and real time reactions to games and events, for their audience. It transforms  creators into sports casters.

    YouTube says podcast watching is growing rapidly on TVs.  Viewers watched over 400M hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices. They’ve been tuning into podcasts similarly to how one would tune into a late-night talk show. The lines between audio-only podcasts and videos have blurred, and more creators are evolving to a multimedia storytelling approach to deepen connection with their audiences on YouTube, says the streamer. 

    The surge in living room viewership is no accident. The share of videos uploaded to YouTube in 4K is up by over 35 per cent year over year, as creators prioritize high-quality viewing experiences that truly shine on TV screens. And that investment is paying off: the number of creators making a majority of their revenue from TV is up more than 30 per cent year over year.

    To further fuel this growth and support creators, YouTube recently made it even easier for viewers to subscribe to their favorite channels while watching on TV by adding the subscribe button directly to the video player. Early tests of this streamlined button show more than a 40 per cent increase in net subscribers through TVs.

    Here’s more: families continued to watch together on TVs in 2024. After rolling out an option to easily switch between YouTube and YouTube Kids profiles on TV directly from the YouTube app last year, parents had expressed that they wanted better control. And the streamer is gearing up to introduce a new parent code feature that gives parents the power to prevent kids from accessing content that might not be age-appropriate. 

    (The picture is courtesy the Hathway Cable and Datacom annual report)

  • Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Mukkupudaka’ on 11 July

    Zee Telugu to premiere ‘Mukkupudaka’ on 11 July

    Mumbai: Adding new content to its cutting-edge lineup of shows, Zee Telugu is all set to launch its new serial Mukkupudaka. Zee Telugu has always aimed at entertaining its audience with an array of unique fiction shows ranging from romantic tales to mythological and supernatural narratives as well as family dramas. Joining the trend, Mukkupudaka will be a traditional and deep-rooted family drama.  

    The show will hit screens on 11 July and air every Monday to Saturday at 8 p.m, only on Zee Telugu. 

    Steering clear from the usual mother-in-law and daughter-in-law tussle, Mukkupudaka revolves around Vedavati’s desperate search for a daughter-in-law who could be her successor in fulfilling a religious obligation to save their village from the wrath of Goddess Annapurna Devi. The catch here is that the daughter-in-law’s horoscope must completely match Vedavati’s horoscope. What’s more is that her younger son, Srikar (Raki Gowda), is Vedavati’s only hope as her money-minded elder son goes against her wishes. While Vedavati’s search continues, Srikar falls in love with Avani (Aishwarya Pisse), a tourist guide in their city.

    But will Avani’s horoscope match Vedavati’s horoscope? If not, will Vedavati accept Avani as her daughter-in-law? And why did Goddess Annapurna get angry in the first place? And what obligation did she put on the village? With plenty of questions in everyone’s mind and with several twists and turns in the tale, we are sure the audience will enjoy this thrilling yet emotional rollercoaster ride. 

  • Zee urges consumers to shop local this Diwali

    Zee urges consumers to shop local this Diwali

    Mumbai: The festive season is usually filled with countless stories that unfold on the streets. It’s truly an experience going to your local city market with your friends and family members and returning home with little moments of laughter. This Diwali, OptimiZEE, the social content hub at Zee is celebrating such stories that strike a chord with its purpose-led campaign #YehDiwaliKissonWali.

    Featuring veteran actors including the evergreen Zarina Wahab, Avtar Gill, and Virender Saxena, the heartwarming film rolled out across ZEE’s social platforms portrays a relatable moment and the countless stories that unfold with the message #YehDiwaliKissonWali. Depicting a saree shopping visit and another couple on a cutlery shopping spree, the feel-good films each bring alive a unique story that unfolds on the streets. Be it Sarojini Nagar market in Delhi or fashion street in Mumbai, OptimiZEE urges viewers to shop local to help them rediscover the small joys of helping your neighbourhood business and creating memories this festive season.

    OptimiZee head Kartik Mahadev said, “In the post-pandemic world, while digital transactions have helped many businesses flourish and given consumers convenience, it has also brought with it a tyranny for small businesses who thrive on the footfalls from the neighbourhood. ‘Stories’ emerge when people connect. With this belief, the campaign encourages people to make a local shopping trip, experience a story, and make their Diwali shopping trip a memorable one, while also supporting the neighbourhood business.”

    Tiqui-taka founder Jigar Fernandes, Founder, tiqui-taka who directed the films, said, “A visit to the local shop often rewards us with interesting moments. Through two such moments, the campaign highlights the joy of local shopping and asks the viewer to go experience their own local shopping stories this Diwali. It was a privilege working with legends like Zarina Wahab, Avtar Gill, and Virendra Saxena. Their timeless charm is the soul of the films.”

    The campaign is further bolstered by a user-generated content activity announced across Zee’s social handles calling for viewers to share their Diwali shopping stories with #VocalForLocal by tagging @ZEECorporate.

  • ALTBalaji welcomes Pammi Aunty & family

    MUMBAI: OTT platform ALTBalaji is bringing a hilarious new show with Pammi Aunty to its viewers. The digital show will showcase celebrated Pammi Aunty aka Ssumier Pasricha and her maddening dysfunctional family. The highlight of the yet to be named show is the fact that all the characters are played by Ssumier Pasricha himself.

    The entertainment dose of ALTBalaji’s new show is manifold as it is a riotous extension of Pammi Aunty; where audience gets to meet her larger than life funny family as well. Her America-returned son Timmi, fireball draped maid Shanti Shole and one amusing neighbour Kishori Lal will add zest to the antics of Pammi Aunty. After launching the stand-up comedy playlist, ALTBalaji is enduring the tradition of bringing laughter to its viewers with this show. The character of Pammi Aunty is loved and the videos are shared endlessly on social media; her funny anecdotes on life and people has been a source of enjoyment for the masses.

    Speaking on the show, Ssumier Pasricha said, “The most exciting part is that I get to enact four characters in one show, it is once in a lifetime opportunity for any actor. The entire show is Ekta’s vision and it was her idea for me to play multiple roles. It would be interesting for viewers to see hysterical relationship dynamics between the members of this family.”

    ALTBalaji is available in 75 countries and promises to offer 250+ hours of original, exclusive content to its subscribers. It has watch time of more than 100 million minutes so far. The app had over three million downloads across iOS and Android users and was recently the No.3 top grossing iTune app in the entertainment section in India.

  • DD launches new family game show

    DD launches new family game show

    MUMBAI:  DD National will soon be airing a new show. It is a game show christened Family No 1: Rahein Saath, Khelein Saath (Stay Together, Play Together) and will only have family members as contestants.  The show aims to bring the families together to have good times together and have fun.

    The format of the show is very simple wherein the games played will be as easy as breaking matkas while blindfolded, finding coins from cake with your hands tied and so on. Every episode has two contestants (families) playing against each other. The innovative and interesting games will be played in four rounds. In the first round one member from each team will participate, second round will involve two members from each team, third round will have three members from each team and fourth round will be open.

    The ultimate winner will get a Family Car, first runner up will get a trip to Disneyland and the second runner up will get a bike. Episodic winners will get a full year supply of Pepsodent. The show is sponsored by the toothpaste brand.

    The show will be hosted by the stand-up comedian Rajiv Thakur of Comedy Circus and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge fame and Sa Re Ga Ma L’il Champs anchor Afshaa Musani.

    It is directed by Gajendra Singh and produced by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Saa Productions. Singh is the pioneer of the music reality shows in India and has given super hit shows such as Antakshari, Sa Re Ga Ma, Voice Of India, Music Ka Maha Muqabla, Sur Kshetra among many others.
    The show will be aired from 5 October 2013 every Saturday and Sunday from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm.