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Tag: HBO defined

  • IDOS 2014: HBO opening night party a grand success

    IDOS 2014: HBO opening night party a grand success

    GOA: Glitz, glamour and everything else. The most awaited opening night party of the India Digital Operators Summit (IDOS) 2014 at The Leela in Goa organised by HBO Hits and Defined premium channels has set the right tune for the next two days of the confab which will be attended by the leaders of pay TV, distribution,  cable TV and DTH industry. 

     

    Through the opening night party, the premium network has sent out a clear message: ‘It’s not TV, its HBO’.

     

    The party entertained those attending, with fabulous dances, stand-up comedy by Atul Khatri, some of the all time hits sung by the melodious Aditi Singh Sharma who has lent her voice for some of the hit songs including ‘Raabta’, ‘Dhoom Machale’, ‘Offo’ and great bollywood music, which forced everyone to shake their legs.

     

    The evening was well attended by the who’s who of the broadcast, cable TV and DTH industry.  

     

    Says HBO South Asia MD Monica Tata on the success of the party, “We are very excited to have partnered with IDOS 2014. This has helped us showcase our proposition to our consumers.”

     

    “The partnership has been fantastic. Through this, the HBO premium channels will connect with its key consumers, which are the platform owners. We expect them to push our channels further,” she adds.

    “More power to HBO channels and if you haven’t subscribed to it so far, do it now,” she concludes. 

     

  • ‘The Knick’ and ‘Jonah From Tonga’ to premiere in India on HBO

    ‘The Knick’ and ‘Jonah From Tonga’ to premiere in India on HBO

    MUMBAI: Two brand new series THE  KNICKSM  and JONAH FROM TONGA, are all set to premiere in India just within 24 hours of their US premiere – on Saturday, August 9 exclusively 100% Ad-Free on HBO Premium Channels, HBO Hits and HBO Defined.

     

    THE KNICK

     

    Season One premieres Saturday, August 9 at 7:00 pm on HBO Hits

     

    A brand new series THE KNICKSM is all set to kick-start on HBO Hits. Set in downtown New York in 1900, THE KNICKSM is centered around the Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff, who push the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. It depicts how a newly appointed brilliant but arrogant renegade Dr. John Thackery’s addiction to cocaine and opium is trumped solely by his ambition for medical discovery. Also, present into this all-white staff and patient hospital is an equally gifted Dr. Algernon Edwards fighting for respect while trying to navigate radically charged city.

     

    Starring Clive Owen (“Children of Men,” HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn”; Oscar® nominee for “Closer”) and directed by Steven Soderbergh (“Side Effects”; Oscar® winner for “Traffic”; Emmy® winner for HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”), THE KNICKSM kicks off its ten-episode season on Saturday AUG. 9 at 7 pm, exclusively on HBO Hits, followed by other episodes debuting on subsequent Saturdays at 8.30 pm.

     

    THE KNICK: ©2014 HOME BOX OFFICE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CINEMAX® AND RELATED CHANNELS AND SERVICE MARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE, INC.

     

    JONAH FROM TONGA

     

    Season One premieres Saturday, August 9 at 8:00 pm on HBO Defined

     

    HBO Premium Channels present another treat for Indian viewers on Saturday, August 9 at 8 pm. Australia’s Chris Lilley, creator of “Summer Heights High” and “Ja’mie: Private School Girl,” is all set to bring back one of his ground-breaking characters, the rebellious 14-year-old Jonah, in a six-episode comedy series JONAH FROM TONGA.

     

    The plot revolves around the main protagonist Jonah Takalua, who, after being expelled from Summer Heights High, is banished by his father Rocky to the island of Tongapatu to spend time with his extended family and get his life back together. But four months later, fed up with Jonah’s antics, his uncle sends him back to Sydney to enroll in yet another school, the Holy Cross School. Once again, the always impressionable Jonah finds himself adapting to a new school and fending off new foes and other delinquents, all while trying to be a “good boy.”

     

    Lilley has not just created and written but also starred in the title role of the new show, which premieres on Saturday AUG. 9 at 8 pm, exclusively on HBO Defined, followed by other episodes debuting subsequent on Saturdays at 8.30 pm.

     

    The show is produced by Lilley and his producing partner, Laura Waters, who previously produced “Summer Heights High” (where the character of Jonah was introduced to HBO viewers) & co-produced by HBO and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in association with the BBC.

     

    Tune in to watch this incomparable line-up of critically acclaimed HBO original content on HBO Defined and HBO Hits, 100% ad-free and in true HD quality and Dolby surround sound, which will make it an unparalleled viewing experience for viewers.

     

    This follows the recent announcement that all HBO and CINEMAX scripted content on HBO Premium network will air within 24 hours of its U.S. premiere, starting with THE KNICKSM. The ten-episode drama premieres in India exclusively on HBO Hits on Saturday, August 9 at 7 pm. New episodes will air every Saturday at 8:30 pm. The series is also available free on HBO ON DEMAND on Tata Sky.

     

    For more information log on to http://www.hbodefined.in and http://www.hbohits.in

    Also find us on https://www.facebook.com/HBOPremium and https://twitter.com/HBOPremium

     

    HBO, Home Box Office, HBO Hits, HBO Defined are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc. Used with permission.

  • ‘The Leftovers’ to premiere exclusively on HBO Defined

    ‘The Leftovers’ to premiere exclusively on HBO Defined

    MUMBAI: After the huge success of Game of Thrones Season 4, HBO is all set to treat Indian audiences to one of the most anticipated drama series titled THE LEFTOVERS. When 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to come to terms with what happened. With so many questions left unanswered, three years later, THE LEFTOVERS is the story of the people who didn’t make the cut. Premiering within a week of the US premiere, the new HBO Original Series THE LEFTOVERS debuts with its ten-episode first season on Sunday, July 6 at 7:45 pm, exclusively on HBO Defined, 100% ad-free, followed by other episodes on subsequent Sundays at 8:00 p.m.

     

    This new HBO mysterious drama series has been created by Damon Lindel of (Emmy® winner for “Lost”) and acclaimed novelist Tom Perrotta (Academy Award® nominee for “Little Children”; “Election”).  The series premiere is directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights), who also serves as executive producer of the series.  

     

    Based on Perrotta’s bestselling novel of the same name, THE LEFTOVERS is an original look at The Rapture…or was it The Rapture at all? Set in a small New York suburb, the intimate family drama focuses on the residents of the fictional town of Mapleton, whose preconceptions are shattered in the wake of a global event dubbed “The Sudden Departure.” Three years after the fateful day when 140 million people disappeared without a trace, the series focuses on the ways ordinary people react to inexplicable events that can unite or divide families and communities, examining how their untold grief and the strain of an unprecedented calamity can turn faith into cynicism, paranoia, madness or cult-like fanaticism.

     

    At the heart of THE LEFTOVERS is the Garvey family. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), the town’s beleaguered chief of police and father of two, is trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy when the notion no longer applies. While Kevin and his rebellious daughter, Jill (Margaret Qualley), try to go back to the way things used to be, Kevin’s son, Tom (Chris Zylka), sees the event as a wakeup call to take action. At the same time, Kevin is faced with the conflict between the townspeople of Mapleton and the Guilty Remnant, a mysterious cult-like group that seems to offer an escape for traumatized residents.

     

    In addition to Theroux (“Mulholland Drive”; HBO’s “John Adams” and “Six Feet Under”), series regulars include: Amy Brenneman (“Private Practice”) as Laurie, a mother with a successful career who felt all she could do was surrender after the Departure; Christopher Eccleston (“28 Days Later”) as Reverend Matt Jamison, who thinks he knows exactly what the Departure was and wasn’t, and is committed to renewing the town’s faith; Liv Tyler (“The Lord of the Rings”) as Meg, who has serious doubts about her impending wedding; Chris Zylka (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) as Tom Garvey; Margaret Qualley as Jill Garvey; Carrie Coon (“Gone Girl”) as Nora Durst, who lost her entire family in the Departure; Emily Meade (HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) as Aimee, Jill’s friend and the big sister she never had; Amanda Warren (“The Adjustment Bureau”) as Mayor Lucy Warburton; Ann Dowd (HBO’s “True Detective”) as Patti, a Guilty Remnant leader; Michael Gaston (“The Mentalist”) as Dean, a stranger who could be Kevin’s greatest ally, or a force to be reckoned with; Max and Charlie Carver (“Teen Wolf”) as Adam and Scott Frost, twins who forge a friendship with Jill and Aimee; and Annie Q (“The Rewrite”) as Christine, a follower of Holy Wayne and object of Tom’s interest.

     

    The executive producers of THE LEFTOVERS are Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta along with Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey while Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger are co-executive producers of the show, with Lindelof serves as showrunner. The series is produced for HBO by White Rabbit in association with Warner Bros. Television.

     

    Premiering within a week of its US premiere, the first season of THE LEFTOVERS airs in India on Sunday, July 6 at 7:45pm on HBO Defined. HBO Defined presents a 100% Ad-Free experience for viewing back to back episodes of THE LEFTOVERS – season 1 in HD quality and Dolby surround sound. Be prepared to get hooked to this highly anticipated drama series!

  • HBO gets quirky with its new brand campaign

    HBO gets quirky with its new brand campaign

    MUMBAI: HBO South Asia has come up with a new campaign to promote HBO’s belief ‘Nothing should come in the way of entertainment.’ 

    Executed by DDB Mudra, the campaign highlights the core strength of the HBO premium channels: HBO Defined and HBO Hits, wherein audiences have an uninterrupted ad-free viewing experience. The objective of the communication is to get people to visit the channel’s website and subscribe to HBO Premium channels or directly through DTH operator or digital cable operators. 

    “Both the HBO premium channels maximise the entertainment experience by airing HBO original content and blockbuster movies 100 per cent break-free. We have initiated a multimedia campaign developed by DDB Mudra to promote the visibility and popularity of this unique proposition of HBO Defined and HBO Hits across platforms including print, cinema, TV, digital and social media. Our aim is to spoil our viewers with the very best non-stop, high quality programming, thus providing an unparalleled viewing experience,” said HBO India managing director-South Asia Monica Tata.

    HBO premium has taken a new route in its quirky TVCs with HBO Premium Accessories like HBO Agriculture, HBO Super Clone and HBO Ultimate Couch. While HBO Super Clone is a clone that manages everything in life so that one is not interrupted while watching TV, HBO Agriculture is a set of plants that grows foods like popcorn, burgers, etc., so that hunger doesn’t interrupt one from watching TV. The HBO Ultimate Couch is a couch that has just about the whole house built into it – dumbbell holders so that one doesn’t have to get up to workout, a wash basin so that one doesn’t need to get up to go to the restroom, an in-built kitchen and phone charging station and much more. 

    Click here to watch the video

    “Through this campaign, we want to establish the HBO premium channels as your most preferred destination for break free entertainment. And to promote this belief and product of ours, we’ve come up with the idea of HBO Premium Accessories – that makes sure that life doesn’t come in the way of your entertainment either. Our creative approach for this campaign drives home this point, in a fun way. Positioned at the young adult segment, the campaign empowers the viewers to reap the benefits of a completely enhanced ad-free viewing experience,” added Tata.

    Click here to watch the video

    “Content promotion on a channel has a very formulaic approach. The usual strategy is to build intrigue through teaser like edits by using existing footage of the content that needs to be promoted. We wanted to break away from this traditional approach and leverage the USP of uninterrupted original HD quality content in a way that goes beyond just claims and announcements of the product offering. Thus came about our creative proposition of ‘addictive viewing experience’ dramatised through two TV spots showing the consumers going through the experience. We believe it is imperative for a content brand to build the ideology of viewing experience in addition to the promise of fresh content for the consumers to feel compelled to subscribe,” concluded DDB Mudra senior vice president Anurag Tandon.

  • ‘Game of Thrones’ becomes the most popular series in the history of HBO

    ‘Game of Thrones’ becomes the most popular series in the history of HBO

    MUMBAI: With two episodes remaining in the fourth season of Game of Thrones, the show has now become the most popular series in HBO’s history, according to a statement released by HBO.

     

    Episodes of the show, which debut Sunday nights in the US, have an average gross audience of 18.4 million viewers, surpassing the previous record set by the 2002 season of ‘The Sopranos’, which had an average gross audience of 18.2 million viewers per episode. Season three of Game of Thrones had an average gross audience of 14.4 million viewers per episode.

     

    The next episode of Game of Thrones debuts in India on Sunday, 8 June, followed by the penultimate episode on Sunday, 15 June and the season finale on 22 June, exclusively on HBO Defined.

     

    Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George RR Martin, Game of Thrones is an epic story of treachery and nobility set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years, and only the lust for power is eternal. The EMMY and Golden Globe-winning series was recently renewed for a fifth and sixth season.

     

    The executive producers of Game of Thrones are David Benioff, DB Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield with co-executive producers Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis and George RR Martin. Chris Newman and Greg Spence produce the series.

  • Break away from chains this Sunday on Game of Thrones

    Break away from chains this Sunday on Game of Thrones

    MUMBAI: This Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones, “Breaker of Chains,” has been written by the creative team of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and directed by Alex Graves. The episode covers a lot of ground and moves the story ahead on a number of fronts: King’s Landing, Castle Black, Dragonstone, and Meereen.

    One of the things that makes Game of Thrones so successful is the consistency of direction – Graves directed the episode that was telecast last Sunday. He has several more coming this season – and the consistency of the writing, with show-runners Benioff and Weiss writing most of the episodes themselves. It’s for these reasons that any inconsistencies also become significant. This Sunday night’s episode will divide viewers in a very different way with an extremely disturbing sensual and explicit scene.

    On the scene that was depicted on screen, which rather varied from the one in the books, author George R. R. Martin said in his blog, “The scene was always intended to be disturbing… but I do regret if it has disturbed people for the wrong reasons.”

    Also in this week’s episode, Tyrion Lannister a.k.a. the imp, ponders his options. While Tywin Lannister extends an olive branch, Samwell Tarley realizes Castle Black isn’t safe, and Jon proposes a bold plan. Also, the Hound teaches Arya the way things are and Dany chooses her champion.

    Last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, “The Lion and the Rose,” was written by creator George R.R. Martin and was directed by Alex Graves. Graves directed two episodes last season and is slated to direct three more episodes this season, including the finale. This is the only episode Martin will write this season. No doubt he is focusing on getting the novels finished before the series catches up!

    The epic aftermath of ‘The Purple Wedding’ will be aired on Sunday at 9 P.M. on HBO Defined.

     

  • We’re excited to make people’s lives more Jing-a-la-la with HBO: Vikram Mehra

    We’re excited to make people’s lives more Jing-a-la-la with HBO: Vikram Mehra

    Under her watch, the English movies channel has only grown from strength to strength. Before taking charge as MD, HBO India, Monica Tata worked with Turner International India, quitting as General Manager, Entertainment Networks, South Asia, in 2012. Tata has nearly two and a half decades’ experience in the media and entertainment industry, and spent most of her formative years at Star India before moving on to Turner.

     

    Indiantelevision.com was more than happy to have Tata over as Guest Editor for a day and play fly-on-the-wall even as she grilled Tata Sky chief commercial officer Vikram Mehra about the association with HBO and more…Excerpts of the conversation between the two:

     

    Monica: What is the business model for providing the ‘HBO On Demand’ service?

     

    Vikram: The way we are looking at it right now, which is also in sync with our philosophy at Tata Sky is that apart from offering television channels which customers are used to, providing those channels with great picture quality and better customer service is our lookout.

     

    We are also very keen to try out unconventional products and services, which customers haven’t tried out till now and give them a flavour of that. Whether it’s trying out varied services like Karaoke which nobody ever thought could be offered on a television-based platform, which is a global first for us. On our partnership with HBO, where customers are showing interest in watching premium content like HBO Defined and HBO Hits. Not only are they getting to watch 100 per cent ad-free content, but also older seasons that they would not have been exposed to otherwise.

     

    So, somebody who has never been exposed to say, a Game of Thrones, and is keen to watch season four, what with so much publicity around it, need not bother with downloading bad quality content from Torrentz or buying it from the pirated market. Our partnership with HBO is such that any customer subscribing to its premium offering would also get a free entitlement to watch back seasons of all leading shows on VOD.

     

    Monica: So will this be available to everybody or only to HBO premium subscribers?

     

    Vikram: This will be available only to HBO premium customers. This content is offered only as a free value-add to people who have decided to go out and subscribe to the HBO premium service. Conventionally, what used to happen; people would pay for a channel and just get that. But with HBO, for the first time in India, when you pay for the channel, you will not only get the channel but also the free VOD entitlements along with it.

     

    Monica: Please share your views on the genesis of this unique partnership. For the first time, ‘HBO On Demand’ has been brought into the country. Where did it begin and how was the experience?

     

    Vikram: Not only the ‘HBO On Demand’ part but also HBO channels are a complete breakthrough in this country. Nobody else has been able to come out with their high-profile channel which shows you great movies in great picture quality and ad-free. Nobody has that kind of service in the country today.

     

    For us, it is a very big experiment that we genuinely believe in. We have been getting fabulous response from customers about these two channels. And our constant endeavour is to keep thinking what more can we bring to customers.

     

    We have a very well established VOD service today with over 3,000 video titles that we typically sell on a transaction basis or a subscription basis. But you cannot get this content unless you go out and subscribe to the television channels of HBO premium.

     

    We are already getting a large number of calls at our call centres and people want to know more about it. If you check twitter, there are people tweeting about how Tata Sky has brought in a great initiative and we are extremely excited about it.

     

    Monica: What has the response been like and how excited is Tata Sky about the season 4 premiere of the HBO Original Series, Game of Thrones, on HBO Defined?

     

    Vikram: I am a huge fan of Game of Thrones and we are pretty excited about it. It will be an absolutely new audience that we can open up in this country for a Game of Thrones kind of high quality production. I am yet to see anything of this kind of production quality to be put on television. It’s mind-blowing and a new generation, a new kind of crowd is going to open up to this show.

     

    Hence, we are very clear that when we promote season four, it will not be limited to just larger towns but also mid-size and small-size ones. And our communication will say, “Don’t worry if you have missed the first three seasons, why don’t you download from VOD and check it out!”

     

    Monica: Do you think that the dual language proposition is an interesting one and is working well?

     

    Vikram: It is working quite well. Our endeavour is not only limited to people in Mumbai or Delhi. It’s a huge mental block for people in smaller towns who think they won’t be able to catch the accent. The moment they understand that there is a provision to shift to Hindi, it’s a huge comfort to them.

     

    So, ever since we have started promoting the dual-programming concept with HBO, we have seen absolutely fresh households opening up to the entire concept. We have seen a substantial increase in the subscription of the service.

     

    Monica: What do you expect further from this Tata Sky-HBO partnership?

     

    Vikram: Our endeavour is to keep on doing newer things. As a company, we take pride in the fact that we are not just a digital TV service provider. I think there has to be newer things brought to this market, which India has never seen and some of the things globally have never been out here. We believe that in HBO, we have a partner with whom we can go and try these things out. So, we are very excited about making the life of Tata Sky people more ‘Jinga Lala’ with HBO.

  • HBO on Demand gets on board Tata Sky

    HBO on Demand gets on board Tata Sky

    MUMBAI: The Home of Box Office (HBO) just got cosier with ‘HBO on Demand’. The new and innovative service offered for free exclusively to subscribers of the HBO Premium Channels – HBO Hits HD and HBO Defined HD – will be available on the direct to home (DTH) platform starting today.  

     

    The service provides flexibility, choice, and convenience to subscribers giving them complete control of what they watch, when they watch and how they watch.  HBO Hits and HBO Defined are distributed by Turner International in India.

     

    “HBO and Turner have always been ahead of the curve with innovations on content delivery that are designed to entertain consumers like never before. We have received a very enthusiastic response from the discerning subscribers of HBO Defined HD and HBO Hits HD and are very happy to now extend their premium advertising-free television viewing experience with the additional feature of ‘HBO on Demand’ on Tata Sky,” said Turner International India, network and content distribution, senior director Kishan Cheranda in a press statement.

     

    Based on the Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) model, the service will give HBO Premium subscribers access to a wide selection of HBO original content. At launch, subscribers can catch all seasons of HBO shows such as Game of Thrones (Season 1-3), True Detective (Season 1) and Banshee (Season 1-2). Thereafter, additional content including HBO original series and movies will be added on an ongoing monthly basis thus allowing subscribers to view them at a time of their choice completely advertising free.

     

    Tata Sky chief content and business development officer Paolo Agostinelli stated, “At Tata Sky, we work towards providing our premium subscribers with world class television experience with best content to offer. Apart from just bringing entertainment to their homes, now our subscribers can enjoy the programs showcased on HBO premium channels at any time that is convenient to them. Moving with time, we are aware of the changing consumption patterns of our viewers, hence we are pleased to launch the first ever ‘HBO On Demand’ model in India.”

  • HBO strengthens movie library with 2014 Oscar winners

    HBO strengthens movie library with 2014 Oscar winners

    MUMBAI: The Home of Box Office (HBO) is all set scorch television sets this summer with some of the best award winning movies of 2013.

     

    The channel has acquired Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, The Great Gatsby and many other path-breaking 86th Academy Award winning movies and will be premiering them on its 100 per cent Ad-Free HBO premium channels HBO Defined and HBO Hits.

     

    The 86th Academy Award celebration was a spectacular affair, and saw many unexpected, unbelievable wins. Hence, the mesmerising event has now escalated the Oscar fever more than ever and has got everyone clamouring to watch the award-winning movies. HBO is giving its viewers the best movies that swept the most number of Academy Awards.