ITV

Tag: GEC channels

  • Publicis strengthens content practice with key hire Urvashi Khanna

    MUMBAI: Publicis Media India has strengthened its Content Practice with a key hire in the form of Urvashi Khanna. She has joined as Associate Director, Content & Brand Solutions and will report in to the Content Practice Lead Gautham Pingali.

    The Content Practice provides across the board solutions on content in the area of strategy, insight, consulting, audit, production, tech, partnerships and publishing. It spans all forms of content, be it brand content, social content, influencer content or SEO content.

    What differentiates the Practice is its approach to Content. For Publicis Media, Content delivers against core marketing KPI’s and business challenges. The Practice uses a proprietary data-driven approach called Content Audit and then the output fuels the actual content and brand solutions. This is all tied back towards ROI, therefore offering clients a holistic and tangible approach towards content.

    Urvashi Khanna has been producing and writing for television for many years. She started her own production house and successfully promo launched many big shows on leading GEC channels. She also produced TVCs and digital ads for brands. She successfully collaborated with Spykar to produce ‘India’s first web series’. Apart from running her own company, she has creatively helmed many shows and has run film and television sets in different capacities. As a Creative Director, she has executed various shows, documentaries and web series and has explored branded content both as digital brand solutions and short form programming.

    Gautham Pingali, Content Practice Lead at Publicis Media India, says, “Urvashi is a fantastic addition to the team. With her strong background in storytelling and production, she is the apt fit for this role and we are delighted to welcome her on-board.”

    Urvashi Khanna says, “We live in very interesting times. Brands are beginning to feel the need to go beyond the clutter of everyday commercials. My role gives me the unique opportunity to create content that is both engaging and accountable. I am very excited to be a part of Publicis Media India.”

  • Sun TV to air Nandini on four GEC channels

    Sun TV to air Nandini on four GEC channels

    MUMBAI: Sun TV Network is set to launch its magnum opus fiction Nandini on all its four south Indian GEC channels, namely — Sun TV, Gemini TV, Udaya TV and Surya TV from 23 January.

    The show is scheduled from Monday – Friday at 8.30 pm time band for Udaya TV while the similar show will be aired at 9pm time slot from Monday to Saturday on Sun TV. On Gemini TV it will aired from Monday to Saturday at 9pm and Monday to Friday on Surya TV.

    Produced and presented by the acclaimed Tamil film director Sundar. C Nandini is a supernatural fiction series.

    Nandini boasts of high end graphics and big scale production values that is sure to provide the viewers a wholesome entertainment.

    The story narrates the life of a family whose life is intertwined by supernatural species.

    The star cast includes Vijayakumar, Nithya Ram, Malavika, Ramesh Pandit, Gayathri Jayaram, Narasinha Raju to name a few.

  • Sun TV to air Nandini on four GEC channels

    Sun TV to air Nandini on four GEC channels

    MUMBAI: Sun TV Network is set to launch its magnum opus fiction Nandini on all its four south Indian GEC channels, namely — Sun TV, Gemini TV, Udaya TV and Surya TV from 23 January.

    The show is scheduled from Monday – Friday at 8.30 pm time band for Udaya TV while the similar show will be aired at 9pm time slot from Monday to Saturday on Sun TV. On Gemini TV it will aired from Monday to Saturday at 9pm and Monday to Friday on Surya TV.

    Produced and presented by the acclaimed Tamil film director Sundar. C Nandini is a supernatural fiction series.

    Nandini boasts of high end graphics and big scale production values that is sure to provide the viewers a wholesome entertainment.

    The story narrates the life of a family whose life is intertwined by supernatural species.

    The star cast includes Vijayakumar, Nithya Ram, Malavika, Ramesh Pandit, Gayathri Jayaram, Narasinha Raju to name a few.

  • Will the new scripted dramas make an impact?

    Will the new scripted dramas make an impact?

    After two years, finally, some light ahead on the narrative television sightscreen? Hindi entertainment certainly needs it. 24 April will witness the launch of five new scripted dramas across the GEC channels, with three other prime time shows subsequently lining up for launch during this April-May phase.

     

    The K-shows continue to have a clamp on share of audience, but on share of mind, it has been the reality and gameshow genres that have held sway since 2004
    _____****_____

    One would really hope that some of these offerings hit bulls eye since it’s been a while since scripted drama got front row mindspace on Hindi entertainment television. It was way back then, in September 2003 to be precise, that narrative entertainment made headlines and IMPACT when Star Plus’ Kahiin To Hoga and Sony Entertainment’s Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin debuted almost simultaneously on the small screen.

     

    What of Balaji’s K-serials, one might ask? True, the K-shows (let’s not forget Kahiin To Hoga is one as well but it is different) continue to have a clamp on share of audience, but if one were to look at a share of mind + audience combo, it has been the reality and gameshow genres that have held sway since 2004.

     

    If end-2004 and beginning 2005 belonged to SET’s Indian Idol, the second half of 2005 belonged to Star Plus’ KBC2 and Star One’s Nache Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC), with Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge also making a year-end splash.

     

    Barely have the viewers gathered their collective breaths on these shows, we’re already into Star One’s TGILC 2, Sony’s Fear Factor India and Zee’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ek Main Aur Ek Tu.

     

    It is pertinent to note that even Star, which has had by far the most success on its narrative offerings, would have reported a rather flat year had it not been for the success that KBC2, TGILC and Nache Baliye provided.

     

    Now coming back to the narrative tale, it has happened abroad, with scripted drama making a grand comeback thanks in particular to extremely strong and successful worldwide successes such as Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and Lost.

     

    Star, which has had by far the most success on its narrative offerings, would have reported a rather flat year had it not been for the success that ‘KBC2’, ‘TGILC’ and ‘Nache Baliye’ provided
    _____****_____

    In India meanwhile, it is refreshing therefore, to know that in the middle of all this format overdose, Zee TV has been able to build a scripted success in Saath Phere – Saloni ka Safar (not your regular saas-bahu weepy) that rode beyond the spike provided by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge. That is critical if such efforts are to get acceptance. Because while mind share is fine, the brutal truth is that the moolah is in audience share.

     

    To quote Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair: “Going by the theory, ‘People watch programmes and not channels,’ you require really strong magnetic programming to be successful. TV programmes and channels are going to further focus on the differentiation.”

     

    More power to the drama is what we say. And since so much of television in India gets its cues from cinema, here’s hoping that the box office success of offerings as different and diverse as Rang De Basanti, Malaamal Weekly and Being Cyrus is reflected on the small screen as well with the new shows that are set to debut. And those which follow.