ITV

Tag: Ferzad Palia

  • Vh1 unveils summer line-up of shows

    Vh1 unveils summer line-up of shows

    MUMBAI: This summer, Vh1 has lined up a slew of shows to enthrall viewers. Vh1 has commenced its non-stop summer entertainment with Asia’s Got Talent. The talent hunt will be followed by the launch of Vh1’s Get with It movement, new seasons of Catfish: The TV Show, 2015 Billboard Music Awards, Hollywood Film Awards and the new season of Britain’s Got Talent.

     

    Viacom18 executive vice president and business head, English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “Our previous showcase of international reality shows and LIVE international awards on Vh1 have received overwhelming response. We take the mandate of entertaining our viewers forward with fresher and more eclectic offerings. New seasons of the immensely popular Catfish and Britain’s Got Talent, a simulcast broadcast of Asia’s Got Talent and the 2015 Billboard Music Awards airing live – we are excited to present our new summer line-up to our audiences.”

     

    The first-ever season of Asia’s Got Talent premiered in India on 18 April, with Grammy-winning musician David Foster and UK pop sensation & former Spice Girl, Melanie C seated on the judges’ thrones. The new season will see hopefuls from across Asia showcasing their talent to the world – celebrities in their own right, Indian sand-artist Nitesh Bharati, martial-arts experts Bir Khalsa, Opera singer Toshanbor, popular child artiste Akshat Singh, will be among contenders for the Asia top title.

     

    Vh1’s Get with It movement brings to its followers a plethora of new activities with a resounding message to rebel against the lazy. With this movement Vh1 will guide people through the various activities, programs and events out there associated with being “cool”. From skydiving to mixed martial arts, this movement is all about getting people out of their comfort zones and discovering and participating in activities which they would have never otherwise imagined or considered.

     

    The reality fever on Vh1 will continue with latest season premieres of Catfish: The TV Show Season 4, which will launch on 4 May and Britain’s Got Talent Season 9, which will go on air on 1 June. While Catfish returns with its fourth season with more peculiar characters and fresher stories, Britain’s Got Talent gears up for its ninth season with its popular judging panel comprising Simon Cowell, David Williams, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. The peppy pack will be joined once again by the famous duo Ant and Dec.

     

    The channel will air the Hollywood Film Awards on 27 April and the 2015 Billboard Music Awards LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 18 May. The evening, hosted by Hip Hop artist and actor Ludacris along with TV host and supermodel Chrissy Teigen, will showcase this year’s favourite musical acts and biggest music stars.

  • Laugh it off with Comedy Central’s new summer line up

    Laugh it off with Comedy Central’s new summer line up

    MUMBAI: Taking forward the promise of unlimited laughter, Comedy Central, India’s leading 24-hour English Entertainment channel, brings to you nonstop laughter and madness. Gear up for a crazy summer as the channel announces the launch of new seasons of some beloved shows and a whole new show with About a Boy – Season 2, Brooklyn 99 – Season 2 and I Survived a Japanese Gameshow – Season 1 and 2. The new seasons are definitely going to give you a splash of high voltage drama filled with humour at its best. Keeping Comedy Central India’s ‘laugh it off’ spirit alive, the channel promises to up the laughter quotient during prime time, beginning this season.

     

    Announcing the channel’s summer season line up, Ferzad Palia, Executive Vice President and Business Head, English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “The success of Impractical Jokers has shown us India’s appetite for differentiated comedy content. Taking this proposition forward we are happy to entertain Indian audiences this summer with three new shows’ I Survived a Japanese Game Show’; which India will see for the first time, & also the new seasons of Brooklyn Nine Nine & About A Boy. Both these sitcoms are extremely popular in India & have been part of our highest rated shows of 2014”  

     

    About a Boy S2

    About a Boy is a 2002 British-American comedy-drama film co-written and directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. It is an adaptation of the 1998 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz. The film at times uses double voice-over narration, when the audience hears both Will’s and Marcus’s thoughts.

     

    Brooklyn 99 S2

    Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American action comedy television series that airs on Fox.  Recently won two Golden Globe Awards in 2014. Set in the fictional 99th Precinct of the New York City Police Department in Brooklyn, the single-camera series follows a precinct team of detectives and a newly appointed captain.

     

    I Survived a Japanese Game Show S1 and S2

    I Survived a Japanese Game Show (originally titled Big in Japan) is an American reality show that inspired shows like Wipeout and Takeshi’s Castle. The show followed a group of Americans, who leave the United States for Japan where they competed in a Japanese style game show. The winner takes home US $250,000. The series won both the Best Reality prize and the overall prize at the 2009 Rose d’Or ceremony.

     

    These shows will be supported by a 360 degree promotion plan which includes an extensive online leg, PR activations, on-ground events and so much more.

  • Alt-Rock sensation Switchfoot to tour India with Vh1 Rock Rules

    Alt-Rock sensation Switchfoot to tour India with Vh1 Rock Rules

    MUMBAI:  This March, Vh1 is all set to bring international alt-rock sensation Switchfoot to India with Micromax Vh1 Rock Rules.

     

    This tour marks the debut performance of the California-based, Grammy award-winning band in India. Alt-Rock fans will get a chance to witness the band perform live in India in Mumbai, Pune and Gurgaon at Hard Rock Café on 25, 27 and 29 March respectively.

     

    After the release of nine studio albums, Switchfoot is geared up to finally take Indian fans down a nostalgic lane with their three-city tour. Being their maiden trip to India, Switchfoot promises to entertain fans with the best hits of their eighteen years.

     

    Viacom18 EVP and English entertainment head Ferzad Palia says, “Switchfoot has created a rage amongst the Indian audience with their super-hit tracks and albums for several years. We are immensely delighted to present the band’s maiden tour in India through Micromax Vh1 Rock Rules.”

     

    Switchfoot member Jon Foreman added, “I had the chance to visit India on my own a few years back, and it blew my mind. Ever since, I’ve been begging for the chance to bring my bandmates back with me to play some shows. We can’t wait to bring these songs to India.”

     

    Switchfoot became a sensation with their popular tracks in ‘A Walk To Remember’. The band then commenced their journey to success with hit singles such as ‘We are One Tonight’, ‘Need To Live’ to name a few. The band comprises singer/songwriter Jon Foreman, his younger brother (and co-writer) Tim Foreman on bass, drummer Chad Butler and multi-instrumentalist Jerome Fontamillas.

  • Vh1 to air 57 Annual Grammy Awards 2015 live

    Vh1 to air 57 Annual Grammy Awards 2015 live

    MUMBAI: Vh1 is all set to air the biggest night for international music live in India. The channel will air the star-studded 57 Annual Grammy Awards live from STAPLES Centre in Los Angeles, California on 9 February, 2015 at 6: 30 am, with a prime time repeat at 9 PM the same evening.

     

    Leading up to the awards, Vh1 has also organised a special contest enabling a lucky winner (+1) to watch music’s biggest night, live and in person.

     

    Viacom18 EVP and head English Entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “After the successful airing of the prestigious Golden Globe Awards, we take pride in carrying forward the awards fever ever further with the live telecast of the Grammy Awards on Vh1. We believe in airing only the best music and international lifestyle content for our viewers and are delighted to present yet another grand edition of the biggest music night in the world.”

     

    The 57 edition of this musical extravaganza will witness rapper LL Cool J as a host for the evening for the fourth time in a row. This year’s evening will showcase mesmerising performances by music legends. The eclectic line-up comprises artistes such as seven-time Grammy winner Madonna, hard rock veteran AC/DC, pop star Ariana Grande, country rocker Eric Church, and singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. This year’s edition of the awards marks the debut performance of highly-nominated artist Sam Smith.

     

    Beyonce, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams leads the race this year with six nominations each, followed by Beck, Eric Church, Tom Coyne, Drake, Gordon Goodwin, Jay-Z, Miranda Lambert, Sia, Usher, Jack White and Iggy Azalea with four nominations each. The edition of the awards has introduced two new award categories; namely, Best American Roots Performance and Best Roots Gospel Album.

  • Vh1 turns 10; to focus on content acquisition

    Vh1 turns 10; to focus on content acquisition

    MUMBAI: English entertainment music channel, Vh1 has had quite an interesting journey. As it completes 10 years in India, the channel plans to focus its energies on content acquisition with renewed vigour.

    The channel’s roller-coaster bumpy ride began exactly a decade ago on 1 January, 2005, when MTV India and Zee-Turner teamed up to usher in this English channel.

    Likening himself to an old fossil, Viacom18 EVP and business head, English Entertainment, Ferzad Palia says, “There were around 175 competing channels when we launched. We had to differentiate our product from the rest and we had to simultaneously build the genre, so that the seeds of investment would start bearing fruit.”

    The channel started off fairly low key, with 40 English music videos in three cities, and had to re-popularize a variety of English music throughout the country. On the other hand, MTV changed its course and programming content to Hindi. Vh1, thus, catered to audiences, who had grown up and thrived on English music.

    Right from its launch, audiences often mistook the brand name for Vhr. Hence, it was tough going for the channel to captivate audiences initially. Multiple approaches ensued. The first one being print ads, wherein the name of the channel was literally spelt out below the logo for people to comprehend the brand well. Secondly, the channel began launching live events such as music festivals to create brand recall. Thirdly, radio and BTL promos along with constant verbalizing on the channel, helped differentiate the channel as well as its name. Finally, it captured youthful audiences in places like salons, had tie-ups with popular branded cafes, gyms and similar set-ups.

    This was followed by integrating the brand with its first on-ground event in 2005 called the Hip Hop Hustle where VH1 roped in Nokia as the presenting sponsor. The next move was to scale up on the content, wherein long format shows like Pimp My Ride, Buried Life and Fabulous Life were introduced. As part of its weekend programming for mature and older audiences, melodious Vh1 Classics were aired.

    The channel then aggressively decided to acquire prestigious award shows like the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Video Music Awards, and the Grammy’s amongst a host of others.

    Palia adds, “Currently we showcase one award show every month and through our ‘Vh1 Ticket To Ride’ contest, winners are sent abroad to actually witness the awards live.”

    The genres consumed the most on the channel are Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and soulful pop music. In 2014, VH1 bagged the rights to exclusively air two immensely popular talent shows – none other than Britain’s Got Talent and X-Factor.

    The two English-speaking metros namely Mumbai and Bengaluru, were the first two markets, which performed well for the channel. However, the channel caught the fancy of audiences in Delhi and the NCR region soon enough.

    In 2008, the presence of the channel had grown beyond the eight metros as cities like Pune and Ahmedabad surprisingly also started witnessing growth. Palia credits the DTH phenomenon at that time to have aided the growth in smaller markets.

    Talking about the opportunities offered by the channel for various brands, Palia said, “Instead of just a 10 second slot, we offer customization for various brands in categories such as jewellery, chewing gum, automobiles and FMCG through our on-ground events and shows.”

    Palia roughly places the ad revenue for the category at approximately Rs 175 crore, informing that the channel took eight long years to first break even, and only then did it see profits trickling in.

    “Currently, the channel has a very mixed viewership share of 20-22 per cent in the English music and entertainment category,” informs Palia. Age-wise, urban audiences in the age group of 15 – 24 contribute to 55 per cent of the audience share, while the age group of 25+ also devour and view the channel avidly.

    On social media, the Facebook page of Vh1 has approximately 31,18, 576 likes while its Twitter handle has as many as 234,000 followers. An in-house team closely follows and monitors the content on these platforms. The channel uses them to not only harness instant and real-time feedback, but also to create the necessary buzz ahead of aggressive launches.

    Vh1 has lined up a host of exciting activities as it celebrates its tenth year in India. As a part of this initiative, the top 100 videos of all time played over the last 10 years are being showcased. Secondly, the most played and popular videos on the channel of all time are being aired to cater to its audiences. Thirdly, it has decided to go down memory lane and telecast its first local show called Vh1 Music Diaries, which tracks the nostalgic journey of the channel.

    The celebrations commenced at the recently concluded Vh1 Supersonic Festival, which was held in Goa where almost 15,000 fans sang ‘Happy Birthday’ with gusto. This was followed by multiple anniversary bashes hosted on New Year’s Eve across six metros namely Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Various contests giving out prizes for winners are also a part of the celebration plans.

    Palia signs off saying, “Our aim is to keep evolving as we follow a similar aggressive, focussed strategy for content acquisition. In the years ahead, we will surely set innovative trends and let our audiences enjoy the best content.”

  • Comedy Central to resume transmission, this evening

    Comedy Central to resume transmission, this evening

    MUMBAI: Comedy Central, the English general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Viacom18 Group, which was asked by the Delhi Court  to go off air for six days, beginning from  26 November 2014, for airing objectionable content, has found  reprieve from the Supreme Court. The court has stayed the previous order of the high court, which means the channel can be telecast again this evening.

     

    Welcoming the court’s decision, Viacom18 Media group general Counsel Sujeet Jain says, “The Hon. Supreme Court today stayed the order on the suspension of the channel, Comedy Central. We are happy to announce that the channel will resume broadcast this evening.”

     

    The previous order had come in wake of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) finding two of the channels shows, Popcorn and Stand Up Club which were telecast in 2012 having objectionable content. The shows “were not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition and children as the same depicted women as a commodity of sex and appeared to deprave, corrupt and injure the public morality and morals,” it was observed.

     

    The apex court, while staying that decision has also issued a notice to the Centre on a petition by Viacom 18, challenging provisions of the law that allow the MIB to take action against TV channels. 

    A channel spokesperson previously said in a statement that it was evaluating all the options available to them during which it approached the SC. It argued that the decision would cause “irreparable loss and damage” to the channel and claimed transmission was its fundamental right.

     

    The High Court had also fined the channel Rs 20,000 which was imposed by the centre.
     

  • Comedy Central to go off air for Six days

    Comedy Central to go off air for Six days

    MUMBAI: Beginning tonight, 12 am onwards, audiences of Viacom18 owned Comedy Central will not be able to view the channel, which is set to go off air for six days  as a penalty given by Delhi High court for airing objectionable content.

    The order comes after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) found two of its TV programmes objectionable. The court observed that the show Stand Up Club telecast on 26 May 2012 at 20:52 hours on the channel “was not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition and children as the same depicted women as a commodity of sex and appeared to deprave, corrupt and injure the public morality and morals.”

    The channels spokesperson said in a statement, “The matter is subjudice. Having said that, we are evaluating all available options to us.”

    With regards to the other show named Popcorn which was telecast on 4 July 2012 at 7:57 hours, was also found to be “vulgar, obscene, offending good taste and not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition and children.”

    The channel on the other hand then submitted a reply blaming the telecast as an ‘operational mishap and unintentional error’ and apologized and assured that the creative, content and programming teams had been sensitized to the programme code. The Inter Ministerial Council which was set up to look at the violations of the programme code had asked the channel to go off air for 10 days.

    Comedy Central then was of the opinion that the ban was long and therefore the broadcaster blocked out the channel for only four days. Viacom18 had then placed an appeal in the court which has now been dismissed.

    The court also observed that the channel by committing a second violation (Popcorn) was clearly indicative of not  having paid heed to the warning given to it for the first violation, even if unintentional and took the matter of self regulation very lightly. “We may also add that the effect of punishment of prohibition of transmission for 10 days has already been diluted by the same being split into four plus six days. We therefore do not find any merit in this appeal and dismiss the same with costs of Rs 20,000 payable to the respondent within four weeks of today. Though the appellant has already given a statement as recorded in the order dated 28 May 2013 that in the event of dismissal of the appeal it would undergo the penalty imposed of prohibition for the balance period of six days, we clarify that the said penalty would come into force w.e.f. 00:01 hours of 26 November 2014,” the court observed in its concluding remarks.

     

  • Comedy Central to celebrate Children’s Day

    Comedy Central to celebrate Children’s Day

    MUMBAI: Children’s day is a hop, skip and jump away. In today’s busy world with limited options for family entertainment Comedy Central is set to present nine  hours of favourite family shows during their special line up on 14th November.  The channel has  programmes lined up to ensure that not only the kids, but the entire family has a fun on the telly!

     

    The special programming has been prepared keeping in mind that during this busy day and age, parents barely get to spend time with their children. Television viewing is still a family activity and Comedy Central wants parents and their children to bond over the latter are shows.  The line-up consists of shows like Growing Up Fisher, About a Boy, everyone’s favourite sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea Spongebob Squarepants and angsty, ninjutsu trained vigilantes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

     

    Viacom18 executive vice president and business head English Entertainment said Ferzad Palia said, “At Comedy Central we believe that Comedy is not only for a certain age or audience, it has a universal appeal and children’s day is another excuse for us to air the best family-comedy entertainment in India. The shows airing on children’s day are popular and adored not only by children, but also have a certain appeal with adults as well. We are positive that viewers will appreciate and enjoy the line up with their families.”

     

    So this Children’s Day audiences can  tune in to Comedy Central on14th November from 11am to 8pm

  • Vh1 to bring X Factor UK to India

    Vh1 to bring X Factor UK to India

    MUMBAI: UK’s most enthralling musical talent hunt returns with an action-packed season on 6 October, with Vh1 moving to air the show within 48 hours of UK telecast from the 13 October onwards.

     

    The new season begins with renowned faces returning to the judging panel. Former ‘frenemies’, Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versisni make a comeback while Scary Spice Mel B has joined this season replacing former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger.

     

    The legendary music manager Louis Walsh resumes for yet another season of X Factor UK despite his claims of not returning for a new season last year! The series resumes with the return of participant-friendly host Dermot O’Leary. He will be seen presiding over all the drama, tears, joy and heartache, as well as lending the aspirants a much needed shoulder to cry on as they perform in front of the difficult panel.

     

    Announcing the acquisition of X Factor Viacom 18 English entertainment head and EVP Ferzad Palia said “We recently began to air Britain’s Got Talent and the show has quickly climbed to become the number one unscripted program in the English entertainment category today.

     

    Clearly this is something audiences are excited about and at this point we are thrilled to introduce them to the latest season of UK’s biggest music reality show. With this new season and our plans to air it right after UK telecast, we reaffirm our commitment to airing the best international music and lifestyle entertainment to ever updated Indian audiences.”

     

    Banded in one of the four existing categories; i.e. the Over 25s, the Groups, the Boys and the Girls, the hopefuls will get a chance to impress and receive three ‘yeses’ from the bantering judges and proceed closer towards the coveted prize. 

  • Vh1 goes mobile

    Vh1 goes mobile

    MUMBAI: Vh1, India’s coolest destination for international entertainment, is set to step out of television sets and go mobile with the launch of Vh1 Mobile-app. Smartphone users now have the opportunity to tune-in to exciting international entertainmentas well as their favourite content from the channelwhile in transit.

    The launch of Vh1 Mobile App makes the best of English entertainment and international content available for FREE on iOS,Android, Windows as well as Nokia X series, customized for both, mobile and tablet users.

    TheVh1 mobile-app gives music-enthusiasts a chance to experience the awesomeness of Vh1 on the go by making videos and episodes of shows airing on the channel available on the website. Apart from music and videos, the mobile-app also links users to featured articles as well as live twitter feeds by their favourite artistes, making all important music-related information available on one page.

    The mobile app will additionally provide information such as the best of gigs taking place around town, gripping Celebrity gossip, regular Entertainment news, VH1 top music charts and much more.

    Announcing the Vh1 mobile app launch, Ferzad Palia, EVP & Head – English Entertainment, Viacom18 says, “The emergence of smartphones has revolutionized the way entertainment is consumed by viewers.With the launch of Vh1 Mobile-app, we aim to further engage with the youth on-the-move. This launch helps take the brand Vh1 a step ahead by offering the best of English entertainment through just one-touch on their screens.”

    Commenting on the offering of Vh1 Mobile app, Rajneel, VP & Business Head – Digital Media, viacom18 says, “The launch of Vh1 Mobile App is a more effective way to connect with today’s screen-agers. This audience is constantly on-the-move and heavily dependent on technology. The mobile app is not restricted to being just an extension of the channel; Vh1 Mobile App offers the best of international content that is not even available on the channel. The app is designed to be user-friendly and is regularly refreshed ensuring users are offered updated content at all times.”
    Known for offering the best of international music and entertainment, the launch of Vh1 mobile-app makes it convenient for all music-enthusiasts to carry their entertainment wherever they go!