ITV

Tag: FX

  • Empire released promo for new episodes on FX

    Empire released promo for new episodes on FX

    MUMBAI: With the promos of the latest episode of hit TV series Empire already out, there is certainly a lot of drama and spectacle for the audiences to witness this Sunday. The cat and mouse game between the glamorous protagonist Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) and Anika Calhoun – lucious Lyon’s ex-fiancé (Grace Gealey) briefly pauses as the two women come together to throw the ‘Cookie Lyon’s Block Party’.

     

    Guest stars Ne-Yo, Adam Rodriguez, Bre-Z, Kelly Rowland, Rafael de La Fuente and Jamila Velazquez make an appearance on Season 2 Episode 5 of hit TV series Empire on FX!

     

    Meanwhile, with the Latin star power increasing in the show this season (cue to Becky G and Pitbull’s guest appearance on the show), Hakeem Lyon (Bryshere Y. Gray) finds himself in love with a lead singer of his girl group, Laura (guest star Jamila Velazquez).

     

    While Andre Lyon (Trai Byers) gets baptized because he thinks he has done a lot of horrible things, Cookie is shown pulling a gun at someone. Whether she’s pulling a ‘Bunkie’ at someone at the Empire or is it merely a flashback of her former life, is something the episode will tell us when it airs this Sunday, 9 PM only on FX!

     

    Users can watch the new episodes this Sunday, October 25, 2015 at 10PM on FX!

  • FX & FX HD to air season 2 of ‘The Affair’ from 10 October

    FX & FX HD to air season 2 of ‘The Affair’ from 10 October

    MUMBAI: The Affair, which won the Golden Globe 2015 for Best TV Drama,  has returned with its second season on FX & FX HD.

     

    The series will start from the point the previous season concluded. Starting from 10 October, the second season will be aired every Saturday at 10 pm.

     

    Season one of The Affair was an intriguing depiction of an emotional journey of two couples struggling to tackle their marriage and their extramarital relationships, to strike a balance between life and life’s responsibilities, emotions, expectations, memories and more. The first part ended on a intoxicating note where Noah gets arrested leaving curiosity in the minds of the viewers.

     

    The speculated plot of season 2 will unfold through the perspectives of all characters involved. As the story unfolds, the viewers will see the upheaval of Noah and Helen’s life as they move forward with their divorce.

     

    Speaking about the success of first season, one of the main lead Dominic West, who plays Noah, said, “The story is told from two different perspectives. One is Allison’s perspective and the other is my character i.e Noah’s perspective. So as in life, there is no objective truth, so you’re guided through the prism of the character’s viewpoint. And so it’s very much shot from the viewpoint of either him or her. So, you never know really what is going on.”

  • FX launches TV show ‘The Affair: A concoction of emotions’ on 4 September

    FX launches TV show ‘The Affair: A concoction of emotions’ on 4 September

    MUMBAI: FX is the only exclusive destination in India that brings to its viewers a gamut of genres with the latest of the cult and award winning shows. This year, keeping true to its word, the channel is all set to captivate its viewers with the #AllNewFX. The channel offers a fresh, cutting edge look and will now showcase over 50 of the most edgy, new and acclaimed shows across genres.

     

    The Affair (Season 1) is just one of the many shows in the brilliant line-up that FX has in store for all their viewers. The show has garnered much appreciation and won more than just viewers’ hearts. An IMDB rating of 8, 95% positive response on Rotten Tomatoes, Winner of 2 golden globe awards – Best Actress and Best Television series and Nominated for Emmy, 2015 – Best Actress (Ruth Wilson) are just a few things the show has to boast about.

     

    It depicts an emotional journey of a marriage and an extramarital relationship and a struggle to strike a balance between life and life’s responsibilities, emotions, expectations, memories and more. Between realm and dreams, what’s right and what’s not- join us to view the journey of a couple, Alison and Noah, who is striving to make things work and make ends meet while they are caught up in a roller coaster of their sentiments.

     

    The show stars Dominic West in the role of Noah Solloway – A writer and a schoolteacher; Ruth Wilson in the award winning role of Alison Lockhart – A waitress at a local diner. The story progresses to show how the two give in to an extra-marital distraction battle their moral dualities and stand at the brink of losing everything they have.

     

    Not only that, FX is all set to make the weekends even more exciting by bringing the latest seasons of new and exciting shows, right after the international telecast. Season 2 of Affair has already made it to the list and is set to air after an ecstatic season 1.

     

    Catch the captivating romantic drama of the two couples living on the edge every Mon- Fri, 10pm only on FX!

  • Star India to launch FX HD in mid September; spruce up content line-up

    Star India to launch FX HD in mid September; spruce up content line-up

    MUMBAI: As competition heats up in the English Entertainment space with the launch of Colors Infinity and Colors Infinity HD along with the recent revamp of Comedy Central, existing players are now upping their game with compelling content and HD launches.

     
    In a bid to stay ahead in the game, Star India’s English entertainment channel FX is all set to change the way Indian viewers consume content. The channel, which is undergoing a brand refresh by adding new content, will also be launching its high definition (HD) version, FX HD within the next two weeks.

     

    This year, the channel is all set to captivate viewers with the #AllNewFX by showcasing over 50 of the most edgy, new and acclaimed shows across genres.

     

    Speaking about FX, Star India English cluster business head Kevin Vaz said, “English speaking people in India are increasing at a substantial rate and therefore more and more channels are coming in. FX will be for audiences who are following English entertainment since a long time. We now have Star World, which is for family viewing, Star World Premiere – the ad free channel – will cater to premium category and with FX, we want to reach out to the top brass.”

     

    The network pulled Fox Crime off air recently. Vaz cites lack of content and not poor response as the reason for taking the channel down. “We didn’t want to mix it with other content, hence when we saw there were not enough offerings, we decided to pull the curtains down on it,” informed Vaz.

     

    Piracy often eats up a major pie of English entertainment viewership as consumers are accustomed to downloading pirated content and watching marathon episodes on their desktops and laptops. Vaz is of the opinion that accessibility can change that behaviour. “The world is now connected unlike ever before. People talk to friends in the US and want to see content with them and talk the same trend. That was not happening earlier so people resorted to downloading. Now shows will be available at the same time as the US, so I don’t see that factor being a huge obstacle,” he adds.

     

    Post the KBC and Kyunki era, Indian viewers want to consume content everyday and are not used to the concept of waiting for a week, which is a challenge, as per Vaz. Shows in the US are aired once a week and at times while there is Christmas or any other occasional break, they are not even aired every week. “People in India don’t expect something like this. There 22 episodes are run over 32 weeks,” he says.

     

    Keeping Indian viewers at par with the world on English entertainment, FX is all set to make weekends more exciting with day and date shows on the soon to be launched HD version. This will enable viewers to watch the latest episodes of shows like Homeland (Season 5),Affair (Season 2), Empire (Season 2) and Doctor Who (Season 9) right after the international telecast.

     

    What’s more, the action doesn’t stop there. Psychological thrillers like Luther and Bosch, reality comedy like Last Comic Standing and Last Man on Earth will all be showcased in the month of September on FX.

     

    Weekends have also been spruced up with FX Top Rated – where viewers can watch the highest rated and loved shows back to back. With 80 per cent premieres and only shows that pass the 7+ rating on Imdb, FX Top Rated is slated to bring curated quality content across the year.

     

    The all new look and packaging of the channel is specially designed to bring out its strong brand promise of ‘Edge of Entertainment,’ which aptly resonates not just the channel philosophy but also that of curated content.

     

    Content price is constantly escalating and India is yet to figure out which revenue model will work and which won’t. “I think we need to have all the options available for consumers at this stage,” said Vaz.

     

    The English entertainment space on Indian television is definitely getting a facelift at a brisk pace with channels putting their best foot forward as far as programming goes.

  • FX gets psychological crime drama ‘Luther’ to India

    FX gets psychological crime drama ‘Luther’ to India

    MUMBAI: Indian viewers are in for multi-dimensional miniseries experience this August. ‘Luther’- a critically acclaimed dark psychological crime series, will take Indian viewers through a twisted and thrilling journey the fascinating world of crime. Starting 17th August, the channel will showcase the series every Monday to Friday at 10pm.

     

    Crackling with spine-chilling suspense and a gripping storyline, Luther stars Idris Elba in the lead role as John Luther, a brilliantly genius yet emotionally impulsive detective who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts. Just on the right side of ruthless, John Luther brilliantly tackles one outrageous, high-profile case after another, each compelling him to confront and rise above his own moral dualities. As he battles his own terrible demons and takes on the sociopathic criminals, Luther treads on the brink of becoming a predator or a prey.

     

    The star of the show is Idris Elba as John Luther, essaying a strong performance that won him a Golden Globe Best Actor award. Best known for his roles in The Wire, Thor and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Idris Elba is an award winning British television, theatre & film actor. In addition to his acting work, Elba is a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis (or Big Driis the Londoner) and a hip-hop soul musician. Another notable actor, a two-time Olivier Award and Golden Globe Award winner, Ruth Wilson plays the psychotically brilliant and close friend of Luther, Alice Morgan. Alice insinuates herself into Luther’s business and personal life both as an enemy and ally while providing the show with its most visceral kicks. The actress has earned global attention for her roles in Suburban Shootout and Jane Eyre.

     

    Bringing the entire series from season 1 to the premiere of season 3 to India, FX will add the international hit to its robust line-up of the edgiest shows across categories. FX has already built an array of shows across genres with recent launches like Doctor Who, Empire and many more in the future. Staying true to its tagline “Edge of Entertainment”, FX is treating its Indian viewers to the most evolved, the edgiest and risqué international content spanning genres including comedy, crime, reality and more.

  • Star India’s English cluster to air 67th Emmy Awards live

    Star India’s English cluster to air 67th Emmy Awards live

    MUMBAI: Star India’s English general entertainment channels (GECs) will telecast the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards to Indian audiences on21 September, 2015. 

     

    Touted as the Oscars of the small screen, this glamorous gala will be simulcast LIVE on Star World, Star World HD, Star World Premiere HD and FX, and the primetime telecast on Star World, Star World HD and FX. The Network has a staggering 98 nominations across categories for this year’s Emmys. 

     

    The Star network aired more than 50 shows and 28 of those are vying for the trophy within all major contested categories this year. American Horror Story has bagged 19 nominations – coming second in line for most nominations in any category. Following closely are Mad Men with 11 and Downton Abbey with eight nominations. Other notable nominations include Emmys darling Modern Family and Louie with six nods each, while Homeland and The Simpsons received five nominations each.

     

    “Like every year, our shows find themselves as top contenders of the Emmys, which only reflects the quality and excellence of the content we curate on our channels. It gives us great pride to become broadcasting partners with the Primetime Emmy Awards once again,” said a Star India official spokesperson.

     

    Girl-power runs high at the Emmys this year with strong independent television characters portrayed by Claire Danes (Homeland), Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder), Taraji P. Henson (Empire) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. 

     

    Not far behind, the gentlemen have blown away viewers with their funny performances, with Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Louis CK (Louie) and Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth) nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. 

     

    Star World’s soon-to-premiere Jimmy Kimmel Live has garnered a nomination for the Outstanding Variety Talk Series category as well.

  • FX join hands with Uber to promote ‘Empire’

    FX join hands with Uber to promote ‘Empire’

    MUMBAI: Taking the edge of entertainment to a whole new level, FX has launched the 2015 television hit Empire on Indian television. 

     

    To celebrate the launch of this addictive drama, the channel has joined hands with personal cab service, Uber, to bring consumers an exclusive chance to ride like an Empire kingpin.

     

    With an aim to bring show fans a real-time feel of the series, FX and Uber are giving away an exhilarating ride in a super car. All viewers have to do is catch the show when it airs on FX every Monday to Friday at 10 pm. 

     

    During the airing of the episode, a special code will appear on TV screens. Viewers need to spot this code and enter it in the app to unlock a hidden ‘UberEmpire’ Tab. 

     

    Select lucky winners would win a ride in true Empire style in an uber glam super car free of cost. Spanning across two cities, Mumbai and Bangalore, the activity is live now. FX and Uber shall also promote this activity on their Twitter platforms.

     

    Further strengthening the show’s proposition, FX set-up a unique on-ground activation to engage viewers and bring them the true feel of the show. The channel associated with 10 media agencies including the likes of Lintas, Madison, GroupM across three cities. 

     

    With show branding in key areas at the agency offices, employees were further engaged with a contest activity. Participants had to get themselves clicked in quirky show related props at the photo-booth set up in-house. Winners picked through a lucky draw, got an opportunity to ride the high life in a Limousine.

     

    The channel also gave the audience a taste of the Billboard chart topping music before launch, with the songs playing on radio stations across Mumbai and Delhi. Taking a step further, FX has augmented Empire’s strong music connect and grabbed audience eyeballs through a larger than life rotating turntable in the form of an innovative outdoor hoarding at a key hot spot in Mumbai.

  • FX to telecast drama series ‘Empire’

    FX to telecast drama series ‘Empire’

    MUMBAI: This July, FX will exclusively launch ‘Empire,’ a super addictive hip hop drama series that has created a sensation on International television. Hitting TV screens on 14 July in India, the series is sure to engage viewers with its gripping narrative and brilliant performances every Monday to Friday, 10 pm only on FX.

     

    Uncovering an explosive and ferocious struggle for power, Empire weaves a riveting tale of unimaginable extremes, centering on the exploits of a hip hop music empire mogul and his family who battle it out for his throne.  Family politics, Money, Murder and Passion charged with the twisted dynamics between the show’s cast has made Empire one of television’s most addictive dramas in recent times.

     

    The series brings to life risqué characters, portrayed through an impressive award winning ensemble cast. Headlined by the brilliant Terrence Howard as the music empire mogul- Lucious Lyon played by Terence Howard and his ex-wife Cookie Lyon played by Taraji P. Henson, the show has witnessed the highest ratings in recent television history breaking numerous records on television including being #1 new series of the 2014/15 Season on US Broadcast TV among its other accolades. Set against a backdrop of the glamorous hip-hop music industry, the series has surpassed expectations with its original soundtrack exclusively written and produced by the multiple Grammy-winning producer-rapper Timbaland. Earning rave reviews, Empire’s soundtrack beat the Queen of Pop, Madonna on the race to the top, debuting on the number one spot of the much coveted Billboard 200 chart.  According to Nielson Music, Empire is also First TV Series Soundtrack to Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and sold 110,000 copies in the week ending 15 March.

     

    FX has launched a 360 degrees multimedia campaign spanning TV campaign beyond the Star Network, Digital, Trade and innovations across Outdoor and consumer activations.

  • ‘Doctor Who’ to air on FX from 15 May

    ‘Doctor Who’ to air on FX from 15 May

    MUMBAI: Come 15 May, and FX is all set to invade Indian television screens with one of the greatest science fiction series Doctor Who.

     

    It may be recalled that Indiantelevision.com has reported last month that the channel was all set to launch the cult show in India.

     

    Doctor Who will be aired every Monday to Friday at 9 pm on FX.

     

    Produced by the BBC Wales, Doctor Whois the longest running sci-fi TV show in the world. A significant part of British popular culture, the iconic series follows the adventures of the Doctor, a Time Lord – a time-travelling humanoid alien. He explores the universe in his Tardis, a sentient time-travelling space ship. Along with a succession of companions, the Doctor combats a variety of foes while working to save civilizations and help people in need.

     

    Doctor Who executive producer Brian Minchin says, “We are delighted that Doctor Who is going to hit the screens of FX. We’re hugely proud of the show and the Doctor’s adventures in time and space. Hold on tight – there are thrills and wonders ahead! 51 years ago, the very first episode of Doctor Who was directed by Waris Hussein, born in Lucknow. I like to think we’ve finally come full circle with the new modern series launching in India on FX.”

     

    Doctor Who has a phenomenal following millions fans across the globe winning 98 television awards. Until 2015, the series even holds the Guinness World Record for the largest simulcast of a TV drama – 98 countries across six continents. Over the recent years, Doctor Who has won over five million fans on Facebook, 1.2 million followers on Twitter, and in November 2014, the YouTube channel bagged a new subscriber every 41 seconds.

     

    To give the show an apt promotional platform, FX has created an integrated marketing campaign reiterating the channel’s tagline- The Edge of Entertainment. Reaching out to all the ‘edge seekers’, FX India has also made a music video complete with original composition, zany graphics and footage that has been specially created to announce the show’s launch and the impending arrival of the Doctor.

     

    Commenting on the cult fan-following and Doctor Who’s travel to India, an official spokesperson from Star India said, “We are very excited to be associating with BBC and bringing a cult show such as Doctor Who to Indian audiences. The show has garnered tremendous popularity internationally, and we believe that the unique concept along with a strong integrated marketing campaign at FX will make it big in India too. We are already receiving a great response from fans post the announcement, and anticipate much more.”

  • Boom time for HD channels in India

    Boom time for HD channels in India

    The High Definition (HD) TV channels landscape is rapidly expanding in India. Amongst the various genres available today, the English general entertainment and movie channels genre is still a fragmented space and networks in their quest to stand apart from the nearest ranking rival, rely excessively upon content, marketing and a host of options among others.

     

    While not much is achieved in the process, the game of throne continues as networks try to outdo one another. A potent yet common weapon that networks are now heavily relying on is by launching HD channels.

     

    What is augmenting well for these networks is the demand by consumers for content that is best experienced in high definition. Since almost all the content in the English category is produced internationally, it makes sense in delivering it to consumers in HD only so that production values receive their due credit and viewers experience it at its best. This hunger for HD has very well transcended into networks now launching or sensing business opportunities by launching new HD channels. In some cases, an HD feed has been introduced to complement the existing Standard Definition (SD) feed. Digitisation will only ensure that the consumption of high definition shoots up further.

     

    Networks and their HD channels

     

    Star India will soon be launching two new HD English general entertainment channels (GECs). Its soon to be launched channel, Star Movies HD Select for a span of one year (365 days) has a content library of 365 movies – one for each day. About 50 per cent of the content comprises award winning Oscars and Golden Globes titles. To name a few, the channel has The Fault In Our Stars, Birdman and The Theory of Everything in its kitty.

     

    Star will also launch another new channel Star FX HD to compliment the SD feed of FX. The content of FX currently comprises Madmen, Seinfeld and the animated series Family Guy. Other HD channels from the network include Star World Premiere HD, Star World HD and Star Movies HD in addition to eight other HD channels in various genres like sports and Hindi movie and GEC.

     

    Multi Screen Media (MSM) is not far behind. With channels such as Pix, Pix HD and AXN, it is a strong player in the English movie and GEC space. On 6 April this year, the network sensed an opportunity by launching AXN HD to go along with the SD feed. For the man behind the launch, Pix and AXN EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik the onset of digitisation and a strong audience base spending more time on special interest channels, made sense for the launch of the new feed. “While the shows will be same on the two channels, we will be tweaking some of the content for the HD feed. We could also have certain exclusive content for the HD feed in the future,” Yagnik had earlier told Indiantelevision.com. MSM also has two HD channels in the Hindi GEC and sports category.

     

    On the other hand, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (Zeel) is also looking at strengthening its HD portfolio. The network will soon launch a new HD channel in the English GEC space called Zee Cafe HD to compliment its SD feed. Besides this, Zeel has five other HD channels in its channel portfolio. The content on Zee Café currently comprises shows such as Two and a Half Men, Desperate Housewives and Secrets and Lies amongst others.

     

    Times Network, which operates channels like Movies Now and Romedy Now is another mighty contender. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com earlier, Times Network senior vice president and English entertainment cluster head Vivek Srivastava had said that its new channel, Movies Now+ was the HD version of the SD feed but it did have some differentiating content from the SD feed. It simulcast movies on both feeds such as The Wolf Of Wall Street, which is going to be showcased on 26 April 2015.

     

    The increasing growth of premium ad free channels such as HBO Hits and HBO Defined too have resulted in aiding subscription revenues for the English entertainment genre. Strong and popular content such as Game of Thrones today is synonymous with the HBO network.

     

    Growth of HD Channels in India

     

    From the meagre three HD pay TV channels in 2010, the number has shot up to 34 in 2014, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) 2013-2014 annual report. The number jumped to 22, 31 and 33 for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively. With impending launches of English movie and GEC channels this year, this number is only going to be on the rise going forward.

     

    The DTH factor

     

    Value Added Services (VAS) and HD channel penetration are strong revenue generators for Direct to Home (DTH) operators. Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera was quoted in the FICCI-KPMG report for 2015 as saying, “The boom in the panel TV industry has been a key growth in HD channel viewership. The viewers are ready to pay a premium price for HD channels. With the right pricing and packaging for these channels, HD channels can achieve faster penetration.” 

     

    As per the report, there are four million HD subscribers, which account for 10 per cent of all DTH subscribers, whereas 15 to 20 per cent of incremental subscribers in 2014 were HD subscribers. “HD adoption continues to drive ARPU growth for DTH players with the average ARPU of HD subscriber at 1.5 to 2X the ARPU of a non HD subscriber,” states the report.

     

    Conclusion

     

    Premium HD channels recorded a ten-fold top line growth with DTH accounting for over 95 per cent of the premium channel subscriber base according to the 2015 FICCI KPMG report. The success of HD viewing thus, is not just a mighty boon in for broadcasters alone, (where the Ad Ex share for the space in 2014 was at 4.6 per cent) but also for DTH operators. 

     

    As panel TV sales figures were expected to touch approximately eight million units in 2014, of which 55 per cent was expected to have been HD panel TVs, the rise is only going to be vertical in the coming years. With the share of HD and 4K TV sales expected to contribute to over 80 per cent by 2019, broadcasters’ key agenda will definitely be upping their HD channels offering. Moreover, the fact that DTH operators are more than happy to increase their HD bouquet, the growth story for HD viewing and consumption in India has only just begun.