ITV

Tag: Gumrah

  • Channel V’s musical reboot

    Channel V’s musical reboot

    MUMBAI: It has already happened Down Under. Earlier this year, in Australia, Foxtel merged two of its channels Channel [V] and [V] Hits into a new service called [V] Hits running back to back music clips, shuttering all its long form music shows. Huge groans were heard amongst all those who had got used to its cutting edge programming over the 20 years of its existence.

    Something similar is being repeated in India too. Channel [V], was earlier known for its razz-m-tazzy VJs and great shows between the late nineties and up to 2005 and was quite a cult brand. That’s when the management of Star India decided to move it into fiction and non-fiction television, reducing the amount of music played out on the channel. Cut to 1 August 2016, and it’s back to music for Channel [V], almost mirroring what has happened in Ozland.

    Popular Channel [V] shows such Sadda Haq, Gumrah, Mastaangi, Dil Dostii Dance, D4, which had defined it over the past few years are being shipped out to its Hotstar OTT platform. Replacing them will be round the clock music – Hindi, English and popular aired around specially packaged programs. Among the shows that have been introduced include: Hit Machine, Late Night, Most W@anted, V Shuffle, Dance with V, ‘V Hangover, V-non-stop, V international, and V rush.

    The channel has also gone in for a brand refresh with a new look and logo. The two square brackets around the V have disappeared finally, which is indeed refereshing. In a beautiful mix of real world meets contemporary digital design, the origami-inspired logo manages to create a distinct, youthful and approachable form connecting to the youth. The new logo and channel packaging have been created by the in-house design team.

    “Music channels today feature a cluttered environment where the visual experience is compromised. Three fourths of screen is covered with ads or banners with one ticker moving in two directions,” points out general manager & executive VP Channel [V], Star Gold, Movies OK, Utsav Movies Hemal Jhaveri. “Space is blocked for random selfies, there’s a bug on the top left. I always used to wonder where the music and the video is? We observed what was happening and decided to revamp Channel [V]. An uncluttered look, great music videos, minimal graphics on screen will ensure a high-quality experience to the viewer, promising an unparalleled visual experience.”

    According to Jhaveri Indian music channels on air today lack a unique voice, and the category has been dormant for quite some time. According to the Ficci KPMG report 2015 – the last one for which music channels were reported – the music television genre had seen an erosion in viewership and ad revenues dropping from a 3.6 viewership share in 2013 to 3.2 per cent in 2014 and from four per cent ad share in 2013 to three per cent in 2014. Among the players in the segment include: Music India, MTV Indies, National Geographic Music, VH1, B4U Music, Music Xpress, Zing, Mastii, Sony Mix, 9XM, 9XO, ETC, 9X Jalwa, Music India, MTunes etc.

    Jhaveri is quite sanguine that advertising will continue with the channel and newer ones will hop on with the new positioning. “Advertisers serving our target group will remain to be in our portfolio. They pay for eyeballs. If a product is well distributed and the content talks to the target group, advertisers will love to get on board with us,” he says.

    A media planner however adds a note of caution. “Air time on music channels is a commodity,. The entire genre does revenues of not more than Rs 250 crore, even that is a bit on the higher side, ” she says. “Hence, Channel V cannot expect to get the same rates it used to enjoy. The stickiness on music television is simply not there as most music video watchers tend to switch between different channels a lot. There are other B2B ad revenue models and native content deals that Channel V should consider. The advantage for Channel V is that it is a part of the Star India network. It can cross sell between its channels and even its hotstar platform, which should work in its favour.”

    Jhaveri points out to what he claims is another USP for the channel. Says he: “V will be the only channel which will play the best of Indian and International music on the same platform. The global Indian youth today enjoys latest Indian hits as well as popular international music. Staying true to its image, V will be the only channel to deliver a complete package at the consumer’s doorstep.”

    It is over to the Indian youth –who are consuming more and more on digital and on handheld devices– to decide on whether that promise is good enough for them to get on to Channel V circa 2016. And whether the channel’s latest reboot ends up being music for Star India’s ears.

  • Channel V’s musical reboot

    Channel V’s musical reboot

    MUMBAI: It has already happened Down Under. Earlier this year, in Australia, Foxtel merged two of its channels Channel [V] and [V] Hits into a new service called [V] Hits running back to back music clips, shuttering all its long form music shows. Huge groans were heard amongst all those who had got used to its cutting edge programming over the 20 years of its existence.

    Something similar is being repeated in India too. Channel [V], was earlier known for its razz-m-tazzy VJs and great shows between the late nineties and up to 2005 and was quite a cult brand. That’s when the management of Star India decided to move it into fiction and non-fiction television, reducing the amount of music played out on the channel. Cut to 1 August 2016, and it’s back to music for Channel [V], almost mirroring what has happened in Ozland.

    Popular Channel [V] shows such Sadda Haq, Gumrah, Mastaangi, Dil Dostii Dance, D4, which had defined it over the past few years are being shipped out to its Hotstar OTT platform. Replacing them will be round the clock music – Hindi, English and popular aired around specially packaged programs. Among the shows that have been introduced include: Hit Machine, Late Night, Most W@anted, V Shuffle, Dance with V, ‘V Hangover, V-non-stop, V international, and V rush.

    The channel has also gone in for a brand refresh with a new look and logo. The two square brackets around the V have disappeared finally, which is indeed refereshing. In a beautiful mix of real world meets contemporary digital design, the origami-inspired logo manages to create a distinct, youthful and approachable form connecting to the youth. The new logo and channel packaging have been created by the in-house design team.

    “Music channels today feature a cluttered environment where the visual experience is compromised. Three fourths of screen is covered with ads or banners with one ticker moving in two directions,” points out general manager & executive VP Channel [V], Star Gold, Movies OK, Utsav Movies Hemal Jhaveri. “Space is blocked for random selfies, there’s a bug on the top left. I always used to wonder where the music and the video is? We observed what was happening and decided to revamp Channel [V]. An uncluttered look, great music videos, minimal graphics on screen will ensure a high-quality experience to the viewer, promising an unparalleled visual experience.”

    According to Jhaveri Indian music channels on air today lack a unique voice, and the category has been dormant for quite some time. According to the Ficci KPMG report 2015 – the last one for which music channels were reported – the music television genre had seen an erosion in viewership and ad revenues dropping from a 3.6 viewership share in 2013 to 3.2 per cent in 2014 and from four per cent ad share in 2013 to three per cent in 2014. Among the players in the segment include: Music India, MTV Indies, National Geographic Music, VH1, B4U Music, Music Xpress, Zing, Mastii, Sony Mix, 9XM, 9XO, ETC, 9X Jalwa, Music India, MTunes etc.

    Jhaveri is quite sanguine that advertising will continue with the channel and newer ones will hop on with the new positioning. “Advertisers serving our target group will remain to be in our portfolio. They pay for eyeballs. If a product is well distributed and the content talks to the target group, advertisers will love to get on board with us,” he says.

    A media planner however adds a note of caution. “Air time on music channels is a commodity,. The entire genre does revenues of not more than Rs 250 crore, even that is a bit on the higher side, ” she says. “Hence, Channel V cannot expect to get the same rates it used to enjoy. The stickiness on music television is simply not there as most music video watchers tend to switch between different channels a lot. There are other B2B ad revenue models and native content deals that Channel V should consider. The advantage for Channel V is that it is a part of the Star India network. It can cross sell between its channels and even its hotstar platform, which should work in its favour.”

    Jhaveri points out to what he claims is another USP for the channel. Says he: “V will be the only channel which will play the best of Indian and International music on the same platform. The global Indian youth today enjoys latest Indian hits as well as popular international music. Staying true to its image, V will be the only channel to deliver a complete package at the consumer’s doorstep.”

    It is over to the Indian youth –who are consuming more and more on digital and on handheld devices– to decide on whether that promise is good enough for them to get on to Channel V circa 2016. And whether the channel’s latest reboot ends up being music for Star India’s ears.

  • Channel V’s ‘Gumrah’ is first TV series to be adapted into book

    Channel V’s ‘Gumrah’ is first TV series to be adapted into book

    MUMBAI: Channel V’s crime television series, Gumrah – The End of Innocence, has become the first television series to be adapted into a book.

     

    The book titled – Gumrah has been written by Ira Trivedi and was unveiled by Chetan Bhagat in Mumbai on 27 January.

     

    Priced at Rs 195, the book has been published by Rupa Publications and will be available across key retails outlets as well as digitally in the form of an e-book.

     

    With a foreword by Bhagat, the book has 11 gripping short stories, wherein each story tells a tale and unravels the consequences of wrong choices made by innocent teens. 

     

    Talking about the book launch, Channel V business head Kevin Vaz said, “Gumrah is not just a show; it’s a brand in itself. Over the past few years it has gained in stature and is revered by youngsters. It redefined the way in which we looked at teen crime in the country. Even parents ask their teenage children to watch Gumrah so that they can be better prepared to face the uncertainties of the current environment. The purpose of the book is the same; it just gives us another avenue to engage with the youth who can now consume the content in a different form.“

     

    “The stories featured in this book are powerful, touching and gripping all at the same time. They are not only entertaining, but they are also important – they were important to write and they are important to read, and I do hope young Indians everywhere read this book. Many of the stories are chilling, gruesome and even horrific– they are based on true incidents and the book is telling of our times,” added Trivedi.

     

    The book is written with a view to help teens differentiate between perception and reality of the real world. The show is focused towards appealing to the young, vulnerable and impressionable minds of India.

     

    Channel V has been airing Gumrah over the last four years.

  • Channel V’s ‘Gumrah’ is first TV series to be adapted into book

    Channel V’s ‘Gumrah’ is first TV series to be adapted into book

    MUMBAI: Channel V’s crime television series, Gumrah – The End of Innocence, has become the first television series to be adapted into a book.

     

    The book titled – Gumrah has been written by Ira Trivedi and was unveiled by Chetan Bhagat in Mumbai on 27 January.

     

    Priced at Rs 195, the book has been published by Rupa Publications and will be available across key retails outlets as well as digitally in the form of an e-book.

     

    With a foreword by Bhagat, the book has 11 gripping short stories, wherein each story tells a tale and unravels the consequences of wrong choices made by innocent teens. 

     

    Talking about the book launch, Channel V business head Kevin Vaz said, “Gumrah is not just a show; it’s a brand in itself. Over the past few years it has gained in stature and is revered by youngsters. It redefined the way in which we looked at teen crime in the country. Even parents ask their teenage children to watch Gumrah so that they can be better prepared to face the uncertainties of the current environment. The purpose of the book is the same; it just gives us another avenue to engage with the youth who can now consume the content in a different form.“

     

    “The stories featured in this book are powerful, touching and gripping all at the same time. They are not only entertaining, but they are also important – they were important to write and they are important to read, and I do hope young Indians everywhere read this book. Many of the stories are chilling, gruesome and even horrific– they are based on true incidents and the book is telling of our times,” added Trivedi.

     

    The book is written with a view to help teens differentiate between perception and reality of the real world. The show is focused towards appealing to the young, vulnerable and impressionable minds of India.

     

    Channel V has been airing Gumrah over the last four years.

  • What does young India want from TV shows?

    What does young India want from TV shows?

    MUMBAI: Reality shows with dollops of voyeurism or reality shows showcasing talent; hard-hitting real life stories or risqué fiction; fantasy or crime; comedy or cutting edge adventure… what is it that the youth of today wants from television in terms of entertainment?

    While a few shows successfully manage to pervade all society’s echelons, a few fail to take flight. Moreover, now with the digital entertainment landscape augmenting every day offering fresh new content on the go, broadcasters have their task cut out for them to engage the young and restless minds with relevant programming.

    A question that often echoes in the conference rooms of broadcasters and production houses during brain-storming sessions is: What does the youth of today want from television in terms of entertainment?

    Roadies fame and Monozygotic co-founder Rajiv Ram rightly points out, “Today’s youth is always seeking content by consuming it across different platforms, which are available to them. The youth wants to get surprised with edgy content diverting from the mainstream content that is provided to them.”

    Not the ones to follow herd mentality whether it is about career choices or personal life decisions, the youth today wants to bring a change in society and this also reflects in the kind of content that TV shows today are are furbishing them with.

    The youth fare on television today offers a diverse range of life changing shows like Big F, Emotional Atyachaar, Love by Chance, Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya and Gumrah spreading awareness amongst the youth through hard hitting stories. At the same time, shows like Sadda Haq and Yeh Hai Aashique aims at breaking society’s prejudices and stereotypes. On the other hand are reality shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla, Bindass Naach or India’s Top Model, which provides a platform for youngsters to showcase their talent and skills. Bad Company, a talk show, lures the young audience with its concept of revealing the deepest, darkest secrets of TV actors.

    It’s no secret that viewers are the biggest decision makers when it comes to the success of a show. What is perhaps lacking in the youth entertainment landscape today is experimental content, which dares to take some risks. While last year one did see some shows like Warrior High, Roadies X2, Big F, India’s Next Top Model and Love School breaking the shackles with new concepts on MTV, the fact is that there’s a need for more such shows targeting the youth. And while MTV was experimenting with its programming, Channel V and Bindass were not far behind with the launch of shows like Swim Team, Bindass Naach, Tu Con Mein Con, Zindagi Wins and Kota Toppers.

    “A show like Swim Team would not work in India because of the content. It is indeed new, but the youth cannot relate to the concept. On the other hand, a one of its kind dance reality show Bindass Naach will attract viewers’ attention with its concept portraying a trio living for their dreams,” adds a media expert.

    With the buzz created by Big F and Love School, both shows are giving strong competition to existing shows in the category. “The add-on factor to these two shows is that they have roped in familiar industry names as the host to gain some traction,” points out a channel executive.

    The entertainment pyramid is well layered with each level catering to a diverse set of audience. While at the base of the pyramid is the audience consuming content from the internet services, the level above constitutes of people consuming information from the various over-the-top platforms (OTT), which offers content catering to the youth. At the third level is the consumption of international shows and at the tip of the pyramid is a pure experience i.e. live shows. At every level of the pyramid, the youth expects different content.

    Supporting this, erstwhile Viacom 18 EVP and MTV & MTV Indies business head Aditya Swamy, who is now with Flipkart as senior director – marketing says, “The pipe is getting bigger and better every passing day with one end through which the information is being poured to the audience and the other end through which the youth is consuming the content. The content ecosystem is vibrant constituting diverse information for a group of people, who are totally different from one another and have a divergent content preference, which cannot be clubbed together as one.”

    On the other hand, with the growing access to internet, the young generation has the option to consume anything and everything from the web sans barriers. “There is information all around us but it’s on the youth to take the call. They have to use, assimilate and make sense of the information. The only problem that I believe in India is navigation. And the need to have more relatable and real characters that the youth can connect with,” adds Bawa Broadcasting creative director Cyrus Oshidar.

    Added Sunshine Productions producer Sudhir Sharma, “Channels need to understand the need of the youth and what will grab their attention. They won’t consume information that doesn’t interest them. A show done out of a random research won’t work. The youth plays the role of a dual personality these days and you have to link your content with their lives to penetrate the show,”

    Sharma strongly believes that skin show or bold scenes won’t get views, instead more relatable content will get good following.

    “With changing trends, the youth will demand different types of content. Sadda Haq is successful today because of its theme, which goes against the rules laid down by the society. The show successfully bridges the gap between the reel and real characters. The youth will heavily consume such content,” asserts Beyond Dreams founder Yash Patnaik.

    “Roadies X2, with its new concept and jury was well received by viewers. It did well not only because of the recall element attached to it but also the concept, which kept the audience on their toes to know what’s in store for them,” observes an industry expert.

    The youngsters have been hooked to some popular international shows through the internet services available to them. Shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, How I Met Your Mother, Sherlock etc, are widely watched in India. However Patnaik is of the opinion that though shows from the West have enjoyed success in India, they still cater to a limited group of people. “Original content will still be consumed on a larger scale, which cannot be matched,” he says.

    India’s Next Top Model, which is an adaption of America’s Next Top Model, proved to be successful with the buzz that it created. “I don’t think that there is a need to acquire content when we have enough talent available in India to create original shows,” adds Patnaik.

    The year has seen shows like Warrior High or Zindagi Wins going off air in just a few months. While the former was an interesting campus tale with dozens of love moments between the couples, it could not help grab enough eyeballs. On the other hand, the latter being a medical drama moulded on the lines of Dill Mill Gayye, started off as a romance between two friends, but lost its spark halfway. In the absence of a convincing storyline, the show saw an influx of new characters but failed to strike a chord with the audiences and had to make an early exit.

    “Production houses need to constantly re-invent content with the changing dynamics in the society. They can’t feed one type of a content for years,” says Patnaik.

    The youth today is consuming information simultaneously from different platforms and wants shows, which can be consumed easily in one go. And now more so with the launch of Netflix in India, which uploads the entire season of shows at one go on their subscription driven platform, people have yet another legit platform to go to! Swamy rights points out that as the audience will evolve, so will the content model and hence platforms for better consumption of information will evolve. “The entire media – digital or TV – is growing at a steady pace,” he says.

    Also emphasising on the concept of branded entertainment, Sharma points out that if shows stick to brands, they ought to work in India. “The business of shows is dependent on ratings as well as on the funding from advertisers,” he says.

    “Advertisers need to understand the content that the services are providing to the viewers. They cannot provide diluted system fed information to the youth. In today’s scenario, audience segmentation is an issue and needs to be solved so as to retain the youth audience. The youth requires risky, humoristic, never seen before content with elements of surprise,” adds Ram.

    “With the change in consumer trends, channels along with the production houses have to understand the content that they are providing to the youth,” adds Swamy.

    Ram says, “Even advertisers have to understand the content on such channels in a better way and develop the bridge between real and reel life characters. Channels need to work on their programming strategies to keep the audience intrigued. Only then will the entire industry grow as a whole,” says Ram.

    The need of the hour for youth entertainment channels is no doubt to dish out some edgy relatable content, which will in turn keep them glued to traditional TV viewing even in the rapidly expanding digital world.

  • TV turning bold?

    TV turning bold?

    MUMBAI: Two years ago, the television premiere of Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture became a magnet for controversy, when at the nth hour the Information & Broadcasting Ministry banned Sony Entertainment Television from airing the film before 11pm, citing its adult content and sexual innuendo as reason.

    While the movie did eventually premiere on SET at 8pm, it was only after four months, and with as many as 56 cuts advised by the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC).

    In sharp contrast, the world television premiere of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela on the same channel in February was a bit of a pushover.

    No reservations were raised by the government and the movie was aired during primetime and without any cuts. What’s more, the film garnered 8,900 TVTs and helped SET make it to the top four channels after struggling at the bottom for 20 weeks.

    One can see a similar trend with some of the current TV shows. Remember Ekta Kapoor’s show Bade Achche Lagte Hain? An intimate scene between the serial’s lead actors Sakshi Tanwar and Ram Kapoor was aired.

    So, is Indian television becoming bold or has the audience come of age to accept more and more of such content. We spoke to a cross-section of industry to find out.

    “It is not really so much about TV getting bolder as much as acceptance for this kind of content. The audience is becoming a lot more mature to accept it. It is not something you can say is limited only to GECs; it is across the board. It is largely media-driven than anything else. The awareness has gone up and there is so much international content that we are consuming that it doesn’t seem so odd,” said Lodestar UM vice-president Deepak Netram.

    “We consume the same kind of content in so many different places that it is really not alarming. At the same time, there is some amount of dissonance in the conservative mindset, which has always been there. I don’t think there is a dramatic shift; it is something that has been happening gradually over a period of time.”

    Unlike Netram, Sony Max EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said he wouldn’t have gone ahead and aired the whole movie without cuts the way SET did. “A Ram-Leela kind of movie cannot be watched when you are with your family. When it comes to Max, I will ensure that I cut at least 10 minutes of the movie,” he said.

    Star India’s attitude has been completely different to that of SET. An upcoming episode of the celebrity chat show Koffee with Karan featuring Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri turned out so steamy that Star World decided to serve the ‘adults only’ brew at11pm instead of the usual 9pm slot.

    “Staying within the IBF guidelines, we didn’t want to air the episode before 11 pm. The alternative would have been to edit out a lot of the conversation, which we chose not to do. The episode is worth staying up late for,” said Star India content head, English GECs Rasika Tyagi.

    At the same time, Star Plus, another channel within the Star Network, remains unapologetic about airing an adult-themed show Ishq Kills every Sunday at 10pm. Interestingly, the very same channel telecast adult-themed shows such as Maryada – Aakhir Kab Tak and Kaali – Ek Agnipariksha during late primetime back in 2010.

    Meanwhile, a channel like Channel V, a lot of whose content tends to be edgy, maintains a fairly high standard of self regulation of censorship.

    “A lot of the content that we do tends to be edgy. If you look at Heroes or Gumraah, they are fairly edgy subjects. But a lot depends on how you actually create them and also on how you plan and execute. While Heroes by the nature of the subject is quite edgy, we feel it is a topic which needs to be discussed and spoken about. And the way we treat it does not really sensationalize it and does not make it difficult to watch with the family. Therefore, that is really the yardstick that we apply. The topics and subjects might be edgy, but we definitely don’t want to make them sensational,” said Channel V (designation) Channel V general manager and EVP Prem Kamath.

    “Everyone runs their own code of self regulation mechanisms and it depends on what the internal mechanism is allowing them to do. There is an overall body – the BCCCI, which puts down guidelines. If you speak about Channel V or even the Star network channels, we hold a fairly high standard of self regulation of censorship.”

    According to Kamath, there is a strong social responsibility. “If it’s a family viewing channel, there is a certain kind of content you can put out during the regular hours, and if we feel any content is pushing the envelope of boldness and is not suitable for general viewing, we push it to a time slot which is probably late night. Or a lot of times, we don’t air it at all. So, I don’t think there is one brush that paints all the channels, it’s different for different channels,” he said.

  • MTV India gets a programming head in Vikas Gupta

    MTV India gets a programming head in Vikas Gupta

    MUMBAI: MTV India is all set to strengthen its programming team. After almost a decade, the channel will have a programming head in Vikas Gupta. The channel confirmed the development with indiantelevision.com. An official from the channel informed that Gupta will take up the new role from 3 February, 2014 and will report to MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy.

     

    Confirming the news Gupta ecstatically remarked, “Yes, I am going to join in as the programming head for MTV India.”

     

    “MTV is always known for the brand it is. The fact that it has an amazing youth appeal will always be at the back of our mind while making the shows. Making aspirational and youth-centric shows will always be the mantra for the channel,” adds Gupta.

     

    He started his career as a trainee with Balaji Telefilms and then moved on to DJ’s Creative Unit as an associate creative head where he worked for four months. He went back to Balaji Telefilms for a successful stint as an associate creative director and was associated with shows like Kis Desh Main Hai Meraa Dil and Kitni Mohabbat Hai.

     

    Interestingly, the TV fraternity also recognises him as the youngest creative director of the industry. He entered the industry at a young age of 19. After getting enough experience as a creative, he turned to production and started his own banner – A Lost Boy Productions – almost three years ago. In the last three years, the production house has come up with entertaining and critically acclaimed shows like Channel [V]’s Gumrah and The Serial (co-produced with Balaji Telefilms); and Bindass’ Yeh Hai Aashiqui.

     

    Earlier, he has also worked with Max New York Life Insurance for almost a year.