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Tag: Hindi GEC

  • How GECs plan to light up viewers’ Diwali

    How GECs plan to light up viewers’ Diwali

    MUMBAI: Diwali, the festival of lights, symbolises homecoming as well as new beginnings. Whether or not one subscribes to the mythological or religious significance of this festival, it cannot be denied that it’s a time of togetherness, of spreading happiness and good cheer. In a similar fashion, Hindi and regional GECs have curated special programming to light up Diwali for their viewers.

    As we cope with the new normal, TV channels are keeping the festive spirits high with their best programs, presenting viewers with a perfect opportunity to spend this golden time with their families and binge watch their all-time favourite shows. We list down their Diwali line-up this year:

    Zee TV:

    During Diwali there is a special festive event on the cards for fans of the channel’s top-rated shows Kundali Bhagya and Kumkum Bhagya. During the day, audiences can look forward to the telecast of special awards shows and events like Zee Cine Awards 2020, Zee Rishtey Awards 2019 and the film, Good Newwz. The network will also premiere its highly anticipated collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, Brahmarakshas 2, on the weekend after Diwali.

     

     

    Colors Marathi:

    Colors Marathi has curated a special Diwali programming line-up for its viewers. From November 13 to 16, the channel has in store special episodes of its most popular fiction shows like Jeev Zala YedaPisa, Sukhi Mansacha Sadara, Sundara Manamadhye Bharli, to name a few. To drive the audience’s festive sentiment a notch higher, the channel will also host a special singing Diwali show named Ghei Chanda on 15 November at 12 noon, featuring renowned Indian classical vocalists Mahesh Kale and Rahul Deshpande.

     

     

    Romedy Now:

    Lighting up this Diwali with the best visual treat for viewers, Romedy Now has brought ‘Diwali Delights’ through 1 to 14 November, every night at 9 pm. The property will air some of the most wholesome Hollywood rom-coms such as Marley & Me, First Daughter, Love & Other Drugs, Down With Love, Burnt and Bride Wars.

     

     

    Colors Kannada:

    On the non-fiction front, the channel will air special event Jodi Deepavali on 15 November at 1 pm. Couples from Kannada television and cinema will come together and celebrate with fun tasks, rib-tickling gimmicks, songs, and dance to make it a special Deepawali. The show will be hosted by Kannada television’s most energetic and enthusiastic anchor, Akul Balaji. The fun doesn’t end there, as the channel will also air Baahubali at 4:30 pm on 15 November.

    As a special Diwali gift for viewers, Colors Kannada aims to spread love with the launch of Hoo Male on 16 November at 9 pm.

     

     

    Dangal TV:

    To celebrate Diwali, Dangal TV has shored up its primetime viewing with the debut of mythological series Devi Adi Parashakti on 9 November. The show has been produced by Swastik Productions and will be telecast Monday to Saturday at 9 pm.

     

     

    Big Ganga:

    Ganga Deewali Carnival is Big Ganga’s hot ticket property for this time of the year. The four-day multi-entertainment, multi-celebrity festivity will begin 10 November and culminate on 14 November.

    Colors Tamil:

    With its special Diwali line-up, Colors Tamil aims to provide viewers with an added reason to look forward to the festivities. In the non-fiction category, the channel has curated special Diwali episodes for Sindhanaigal Simplified and for their recently launched show Colors Kitchen.

    Sinthanaigal Simplified with Gurudev Shri Shri Ravi Shankar will have popular actor Yugi Sethu engaging in a refreshing conversation about life and spirituality on Saturday, 14  November 2020 at 11:00 am. This special Diwali episode is also the show’s finale. Following this, Colors Kitchen will spice up the celebrations at noon, with Chef Damu, Chef Shreya and Colors Tamil artists cooking up a delectable festive feast.

    To pump up the fun spirit of Diwali further, Colors Tamil is also set to present the world television premiere of Chitiram Pesuthadi – 2 on 14 November at 4 pm. A multi-starrer film, Chitiram Pesuthadi – 2 is a hyperlink drama that encompasses four gripping stories which take place in a time frame of 48 hours.

    Further, adding sparkle to its original programming in the fiction category, Colors Tamil has curated a special Diwali line up for its shows Amman, Idhayathai Thirudathey and Uyire.

     

     

    Colors Bangla Cinema:

    Colors Bangla Cinema will rejoice in the festivities of Kali Pujo and Bhai Fonta by showcasing special movies from 14 to 16 November. The channel will air blockbuster films such as Chore Chore Mastuto Bhai, Adorer Bon-Dadar Adesh and Inquilab-Greftaar to entertain its viewers during Diwali.

    Zee Biskope:

    On the eve of Diwali, Zee Biskope has lined up the world television premiere of Aandhi Toofan, co-presented by Nestle Munch.  It will air on 13 November 2020 at 6 pm.

    Nickelodeon:

    Nickelodeon is all set to make sure that kids and their families enjoy the festive weekend through a host of exclusively crafted fun entertainment and engagement experiences.

    To start off, the channel will premiere a made for television movie headlined by kid’s favourite toon Shiva called Rise of the Technosapiens. Set to premiere on 14 November 2020 at 11.30am, the action-adventure film will take kids on a roller coaster ride with super kid Shiva.

     

     

  • Diwali with a bang: Hindi GECs bet big on special programming

    Diwali with a bang: Hindi GECs bet big on special programming

    MUMBAI: Crackers may be banned, but television channels are making sure Diwali 2020 goes off with a bang for their viewers. With the outlook that viewers will stay at home rather than jostle with crowds in the age of Covid2019, Hindi GEC’s have taken up an aggressive stance programming-wise to maximize viewership in the run-up to the festival of lights.

    Festive fervour has taken hold of Zee TV. While ongoing shows like Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega, Tujhse Hai Raabta, Qurbaan Hua, Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare will see drama spikes and highpoints, its latest fiction offerings – Apna Time Bhi Aayega and Hamariwali Good News will see significant milestones that are bound to keep audiences on the edge of their seats this Diwali week. There is a special festive event on the cards for fans of the channel’s top-rated shows Kundali Bhagya and Kumkum Bhagya. During the day, audiences can look forward to the telecast of special awards shows and events like Zee Cine Awards 2020, Zee Rishtey Awards 2019 and the film, Good Newwz. The network will also premiere its highly anticipated collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, Brahmarakshas 2, on the weekend after Diwali.

     

     

    Colors Bangla, too, has a treat in store for its viewers. “Focusing on the special days including Navratri and Dussera, Karva Chauth, and Diwali, we started airing special programming called Shandaar Ravivaar hosted by the comic duo Bharti Singh and Harsh Limbachiyaa from 25 October, 12 pm. It will culminate over the Diwali weekend. We will also launch a new show Molkki featuring Amar Upadhyay and Priyal Mahajan that highlights another custom prevalent in Haryana wherein brides are bought by people. It will air starting 16 November. Apart from this, we have planned festive special segments on Bigg Boss and a few other fiction shows,” said Viacom18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria.

     

     

    Dangal TV has shored up its primetime viewing with the debut of mythological series Devi Adi Parashakti on 9 November. The show has been produced by Swastik Productions and will be telecast Monday to Saturday at 9 pm.

    Ganga Deewali Carnival is BIG Ganga’s hot ticket property for this time of the year. The four-day multi-entertainment, multi-celebrity festivity will begin 10 November and culminate on 14 November.

    Promotional sparklers

    Besides special programming on the small screen, Diwali is always associated with contests and exciting games. Zee TV business head Aparna Bhosle mentioned that the channel has introduced Zee Wali Diwali contest for its loyal viewers, wherein they get a chance to win gold and special vouchers everyday through 2 November to 19 December. She added, “This contest will be promoted across digital, social media and PR where we will invite our viewers to share their experiences of making rangoli, mithai etc together as a family. We want to give our viewers another reason to make a fresh start, take a step forward, and make a shubh shuruwaat (auspicious beginning) with Zee TV through this contest and our on-going shows.”

     

     

    With Children's day and Diwali coinciding this year, Colors is going to run a campaign that will show the audience how to bring alive the Diwali spirit with children at the heart of it. The channel will host a #DIYwali party with the participation of notable characters and celebrities. The initiative will have a series of micro-videos that will teach DIY ways to do multiple festive rangoli, food, art & craft activities symbolic of the festival of lights.

    On the marketing side, Colors has designed a TV-focused campaign panning across network & non-network channels in all the Hindi speaking markets, along with print presence. The concept of bought bride or Molkki, the channel's newly launched show, will be brought to life with a promotional tie-in with Amazon, where customers will come across a unique buying proposition. In order to tap into the massive reach of 84.25 million people on its social media platforms, the ‘Colors golden petal club’ virtual event has flagged off ahead of Diwali.

    Ad spends rocketing too

    With market sentiments improving over the last few months, brands have started coming up with new and dynamic ways to connect with consumers. Experts observe that the festive season is the same every year – from consumer as well as advertisers’ perspective – enthusiastic and buoyant, even if celebrations may be a little toned down this time around. OMD Mudramax EVP & principal partner Navin Kathuria stated that if not all, most categories like e-commerce (Amazon, Flipkart, Pepperfry etc), cars, paints, white goods have started advertising.

    Jaipuria noted that gaming and edu-tech brands are also seizing the opportunity to invest big and have been receiving good traction for the last six months. She further added, “In the April-June quarter, most broadcasters gave attractive discounts to advertisers which helped the ad volumes to bounce back. However, ad rates were down due to the discounting. July to September quarter has witnessed a strong revival in pricing, with September discounting down to zero for movies and GEC genres.”

    According to both Kathuria and Madison Media Sigma CEO Vanita Keswani, the surge in advertising is more prominent on TV and digital. Meanwhile, print, radio, cinema, and OOH are nowhere close to their yesteryears’ inventory levels, though there also is a marginal increase in advertising. The only difference between last year and this year will be the scale of celebrations, advertising and spending / purchasing.

    Keswani also mentioned that ad spends started recovering since August and has almost reached the pre-Covid2019 levels in October, riding on the back of festive spending and the IPL. She said, “We expect ad-ex to recover in H2 2020 and grow at a dramatic rate of 60-70 per cent of the collapsed H1 half, or grow 6 per cent to 13 per cent versus H2 2019. This will lead to ad-ex in 2020 contracting by 14 per cent to 18 per cent.”
     
    Kathuria opined that advertisers will advertise only if they sense consumer demand. And many festive categories like cars, paints, e-commerce, electronic retail shops, home loans are advertising. In fact, a latest report indicated home purchase in October 2020 being higher than January this year – when the pandemic had not set in India. So all these signals point to consumer demand going up.

  • Viacom18 ropes in Network18’s Rajesh Iyer

    Viacom18 ropes in Network18’s Rajesh Iyer

    NEW DELHI: Viacom18 has appointed Rajesh Iyer to take on independent charge of Colors' regional portfolio of Bangla, Odia, Tamil and Gujarati.

    Network18 MD Rahul Joshi, said: “Regional broadcast entertainment is a key pillar in our endeavour to chart out a high-growth path for Viacom18. India is witnessing an unprecedented boom in the segment and agility is the need of the hour to get to leadership positions in our existing regional markets. With his years of leadership experience across TV and digital ecosystems, Rajesh is ably poised to take on the challenges presented by the genre and successfully grow the business.”

    Iyer joined Network18 in March 2019 and has worked closely with the leadership team to spearhead new initiatives. Prior to this and as part of the broadcast leadership team at ZEEL, Rajesh successfully launched its second GEC ‘&TV’ in 2015. He is no stranger to Viacom18, having served the organisation for six years when he led the marketing portfolio of the network’s flagship GEC Colors. He has also worked with Star, YuppTV and Ambience Publicis/Ogilvy & Mather.

    Ravish Kumar will continue to lead the network’s regional broadcast forays in Kannada and Marathi. Both Rajesh and Ravish will work closely to grow the regional broadcast footprint of Viacom18.

  • English GEC emerges as top gainer in Chrome DM week 38

    English GEC emerges as top gainer in Chrome DM week 38

    MUMBAI: After seeing a noticeable spike in week 37, the television genres have witnessed slight growth in week 38. English GEC genre has become the top gainer in week 38, 2020 of Chrome Data Analytics and Media data. The genre has grown by 0.71 per cent.

    Among English GEC channels, Comedy Central has gained the highest OTS with 43.7 in the six metros. OTS is the actual census-based percentage connectivity of a channel spread across 81 million homes, as reported by Chrome DM, across analogue cable, digital cable, and DTH.

    This week, Sports has acquired the second position on top gainers list with a growth of 0.21 per cent in the all India 1 lakh+ market. In this genre, DD Sports has gained the highest OTS with 97.0 per cent.

    Read more coverage on ChromeDM

    Among other genres, English Movies, infotainment, Hindi GECs have seen growths of 0.10 per cent, 0.08 per cent, 0.06 per cent respectively.  

  • News affect GEC viewership in primetime slot across all languages, reveals BARC-Nielsen report

    News affect GEC viewership in primetime slot across all languages, reveals BARC-Nielsen report

    MUMBAI: As India moves back to normalcy, the share of general entertainment channel (GEC) viewership has started showing signs of recovery. The data provided by TV audience measurement body, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) reveals that in the week 30-33, the total number of Hindi GEC viewers who watches news is 49 per cent, whereas 77 per cent of them watch movies. Movies have definitely impacted GEC viewership, especially in Bangla, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam.

    The report further says that in Week 33, total TV viewership recorded 1.08 trillion viewing minutes. The TV viewership has shown a consistent growth in the last 12 weeks. It was 22 per cent higher than pre-Covid2019 viewing. Also, the daily average reach is seven per cent higher than pre-Covid2019 time.

    The data highlights that the primetime shows have shown consistent growth in the last 12 weeks with 3 per cent rise in both Hindi and Southern markets. However, non-primetime shows continue to operate at 44 per cent higher than pre-Covid2019 levels.

    As far as the Southern GEC is concerned, the cumulative reach has not been affected during Covid2019.


     

  • Dangal seeks to ramp up original TV programing

    Dangal seeks to ramp up original TV programing

    MUMBAI: In March 2019, the big four networks pulled out of DD’s  FreeDish service as TRAI’s new tariff order did not allow FTA (free to air) channels’ inclusion in the pay channel bouquet. However, it was the apt time for FTA channels to make merry.

    One such network was Enterr10 Television. The network’s Hindi FTA GEC Dangal TV gained significant viewers and today, it is one of the most popular Hindi GECs.

    Its top shows, Ramayan and Crime Alert, among others, brought it a one-fifth share of the viewership in the Hindi-speaking market (HSM), Many of the current shows on Dangal TV include those based on Indian mythology and reruns, sprinkled with a few original productions.

    “We have observed that putting original content has been a game changer for the other players in the market. Creating original content is the only way forward,” says Enterr10 Television COO Deep Drona. “ I have observed that the audience in FTA space is no more different then the  paid audience in terms of wanting to watch good entertainment.”

    He also highlights that TV  consumption amongst viewers is back to normal because the original programs are back on track. Drona believes that the many Hindi GEC channels with fresh programming line-up have significant advantage over other channels.

    He is quite optimistic about a new show- Aye Mere Humsafar – which is going to hit the screens in the coming week. Another four new series will debut on Dangal over the next two months, taking costs up by 40 to 50 per cent.

    According to him Dangal continued to be the leader in the rural market for the initial three months of the lockdown in terms of viewership; ad revenues however did not match up to the audience surge. But Drona points out that currently the channel is faring better than the pre-Covid2019 level with inventory fill  levels going back to what they were before the pandemic. He shares that adex had softened in the months of May and June but now things are getting back to normal.

    When most of the channels are worried about IPL, Drona thinks the entire FTA space will be spared from the brunt of the cricket extravaganza. He opines that the impact of IPL will not be very high especially for FTA channels.

    In its thirteenth year, the IPL is coinciding with the festival season, which is expected to lead to a reallocation of ad spends on TV. Drona shares that as IPL is a large property and everybody knows what kind of rating it can deliver; channels have planned a certain strategy to overcome this.

    “IPL is also coming at a time where viewers are dying for live sports content. So, there are many things that are going in its favour,” he explains. “For the past six to seven seasons it has been observed that IPL ratings do not disrupt GECs anymore. But this time it is a unique year no one can predict what will happen because it is coming during festivities. However, it will shake the advertising revenue and viewership.”

    His view is that  post-the- Covid2019 and lockdown period,  rural India  appears to be showing signs of a rebound; urban seems to be lagging behind, because many cities are partially contained still. With DD FreeDish more accessible in rural areas, it’s no wonder that Dangal has become a favourite hunting ground for FMCG advertisers.

    Says MediaDonuts MD Vidhu Sagar: “Advertisers are fundamentally interested in reach. The fact that audiences are flocking to  FTA channels such as Dangal, effectively turning them into potent messaging delivery avenues, is a win-win situation for both advertisers and the channel. The channels have chosen to forgo potential subscription revenues only since they believe greater audience traction would more than make up by way of advertising revenues. And advertisers are basically ROI-oriented. Greater reach is the most preferred option. If it’s courtesy of FTA channels like Dangal, so be it, that is just the way the cookie crumbles.”

    Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are very strong markets for Dangal as majority of its audiences come from this belt.: “There is a lot of work to be done in places like Gujarat, Rajasthan and other urban markets but our strengths lie in the Hindi speaking belt,” reveals Drona. “As of now, we will continue to focus on these markets.”

    The channel is currently working with Swastik Productions, Shashi Sumeet Productions, Rashmi Sharma Telefilms and few others. Dangal is also looking at creating more home-based shows in the near future.

  • Will GECs score big this IPL & festival season?

    Will GECs score big this IPL & festival season?

    MUMBAI: 2020 has been a different year, what with the pandemic totally putting things out of kilter for the economy, for business. And it continues to be different even as the festival season comes up in India.

    Normally, the fiefdom of India’s general entertainment channels which launch new seasons, and shows to indulge their viewers and attract a large chunk of the advertisers’ dollars and their own annual revenues,  August to November, this year features a party pooper, in the shape of India’s biggest sports extravaganza, the  Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Set to take place in the UAE between 19 September and 10 November, the league – which is usually held between April and May every year  – corners close to Rs 2100 odd crore of ad spends and is expected to better those numbers in its 2020 season .

    Hence, the question being asked is: will the IPL’s overlap with the festive season lead to  a drop in viewership for the GECs and to advertising dollars being sucked out from them towards the league?

    OMD MudraMax EVP & principal partner Navin Kathuria believes that viewers who are looking for refreshing content will find that in the IPL.  Says: ”Due to Covid2019, only 17 per cent of the total sports events took place and that too pre-Covod2019. Secondly, there is a fatigue in viewers due to the plethora of mythological programmes, overdose of Covid2019 news, repeat movies etc.”

    He says what will aid its viewership is the fact that majority of the working population will be at home during the IPL as many organisations will not be fully functional or will be working with shortened hours / reduced staff strength / alternate days of the week. “With bars and clubs shut, people will be watching more from home, reading to an  upsurge in home viewing.”

    The Media Ant co- founder Samir Chaudhary echoes Kathuria. Says he: “The lines were clearly demarcated that April-May would be for cricket and festive seasons would be for GEC, but as IPL is coming now the viewership of GECs will be impacted.”

    “The audience is hungry for IPL and cricket so the performance in terms of ratings could be unprecedented or amongst the best in the recent seasons,” shares regional language network Enter10 chief operating officer Deep Drona.

    The belief is that with matches scheduled at 3:30 pm and then at 7:30 pm, single TV homes – of which India has a majority – will opt for the IPL, with GEC shows being watched between the match breaks or viewers tuning into them when the matches end.

    Zee TV business head Aparna Bhosle does not support this viewpoint.

    According to her, Hindi GECs have over many years has managed to sustain viewership and even grow despite the IPL. She says, “Long running fiction or non-fiction shows have, by and large, not seen an adverse impact on viewership due to existing fan bases and the loyalty channels’ command in terms of appointment viewership.”

    She further adds: “The viewership of television has increased by 34 per cent during lockdown. There is a growth of 10 per cent in average daily reach as well as 22 per cent growth in average daily time spent. (Source: BARC| 2+| HSM (U+R)| Wk 12-20’20 vs Wk 1-11’20). With the best of content across our primetime, we want to ensure that our shows act as a great binder that brings families together during this period of social distancing.”

    In fact, so confident is she of it being business as usual, that Zee TV is gearing up to premiere four big-ticket family targeted shows during the festive season.

    Ditto with the Enter10 network. It is planning to have a robust line up starting from the end of August until November end with a slew of original new series planned.

    Estimates are that marketers signed checks to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore during the festival period last year. The pandemic and the lockdowns over the past six months have resulted in Indian advertising expenditure shrinking by as much as 39 per cent over last year. Soothsayers predict that 2019’s festival adex of Rs 24,000 crore will not be breached this year. 

    Not everyone agrees. Havas Media CEO Mohit Joshi says, “There has been a revival of sorts from June, July with spends going up gradually. We expect brands to press the accelerator pedal in September-October-November.”

    Drona believes the fact that the IPL and GEC launches are coinciding, will lead to an overall expansion of the ad pie in the festive season, benefiting both. According to him spending has been subdued for a large part of the year, and this will be the time when it will be all systems go for categories such as FMCGs, ecommerce sites, gaming platforms, the OTT sector and what have you. “Yes, there will be a scramble for marketing and ad budgets but that will lead to a growth in the overall spends,” he added.

    Chaudhary points out that may not come to be true as budgets have been slashed and with smaller budgets, advertisers would prefer to park it with a big bang event. Says he: “Disney Star India has priced its spots at Rs 10-15 lakh per 10 seconds. Only the big companies can afford these price points. So they will mostly park their spots with the IPL, leaving aside smaller spends for the GECs.”

    Will the GECs then be forced to shave their FCT and sponsorship rates? Kathuria would like to wait and watch. “Normally, GECs don’t discount big properties,” he says. “The challenge they face is that consumer sentiment has been subdued due to Covid2019 and it has impacted consumer spends. And hence the propensity by brands to spend big.”

    Clearly, for both the IPL and GECs, the festival season 2020 is bringing with it interesting and testing times.

  • Sony SAB launches ‘Tera Yaar Hoon Main’, a show on father-son bond

    Sony SAB launches ‘Tera Yaar Hoon Main’, a show on father-son bond

    MUMBAI: Father, a son’s first hero. But can this hero be his friend too? Will an attempt at friendship spoil or enrich the lives of a father and son? Sony SAB’s latest offering, Tera Yaar Hoon Main seeks to address this new age dilemma in a light-hearted and Indian family backdrop. The show features a stellar line-up including Ssudeep Sahir, Rajendra Chawla, Shweta Gulati, Ansh Sinha, Meghan Jadhav, Jaya Ojha amongst others and is all set to premiere on 31 August 2020 at 9 pm only on Sony SAB

    Produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions, Tera Yaar Hoon Main is built on the lives of Jaipur’s Bansal family, the show draws inspiration from the evolving times and its effect on each generation in a family. Rajeev (Ssudeep Sahir) regrets not having an open and friendly relationship with his father, the patriarch i.e. Pratap Bansal (Rajendra Chawla) and does not want it to be the same with his teenage son, Rishabh (Ansh Sinha). Eager to keep up with today’s time and be a part of his son’s life, he takes the approach of becoming his friend in real and virtual life too. But Rishabh’s reluctance and embarrassment to be his father’s friend is a setback for Rajeev. While he loves and respects his father, he wants to just keep it at that and not have him as an intrusive ‘buddy’ in his life.

    The show will keep the audience engaged with the son reacting to his father's attempts to be his friend in a series of consequences that are highly relatable and inspired by events that may have taken place in every average Indian household. While the show's fascinating story focuses on a father-son relationship, Tera Yaar Hoon Main is a perfect amalgamation of modern yet largely conservative average Indian household.  It is latest addition to Sony SAB's robust offerings of light-hearted and values-driven shows that appeal to the entire family.

    Sony SAB business head Neeraj Vyas said, "It has always been Sony SAB's endeavour to offer content and concepts that are highly relatable and that can bring smiles on everyone's faces. Tera Yaar Hoon Main highlights the nuances of new-age father-son relationship, the emotions, the affection and even some dilemmas it brings. We have always attempted to present compelling stories with characters that are loved by all sets of television audience and we hope that Tera Yaar Hoon Main too has all the right ingredients to create a special place in the hearts of our viewers"

  • TV channels line up special shows for Independence Day

    TV channels line up special shows for Independence Day

    MUMBAI: The country is gearing up to celebrate India’s 74 Independence Day. The patriotic fervor is in the air. However this year’s Independence Day, which is traditionally marked with a lot of pomp and gaiety, will be subdued and restricted due to the circumstances created by the Covid2019 pandemic.  But broadcasters are keeping up the spirit. From Hindi general entertainment channels to English GECs to news and movie channels, all have donned the colours of the tricolour.

    Channels have curated special programming line ups to entertain audiences.

    Colors

    The team at Colors’ Khatron Ke Khiladi: Made in India in a special episode honour’s braveheart warriors that will air on 15 August 2020 – Independence Day.

    The real khiladis who will be felicitated on the episode are senior police officer Ramesh Nangare, Dr Anil Panchekar, and Pune’s ‘Warrior Aaji’ Shanta Balu Pawar. The khiladis will share their stories and reflect on their experiences as they worked courageously in the face of the pandemic. Senior police officer Ramesh Nangare and his team policed the city fearlessly during the pandemic. Dr Anil Panchekar worked tirelessly in Dharavi which was one of the most Covid2019 affected areas in Mumbai. Warrior Aaji Shanta Balu Pawar, whose earnings were affected because of the pandemic, performed some fearless lathi stunts to earn a living for her family. The courageous acts by the real khiladi’s will be celebrated on the show.

    Comedy Central India and Colors Infinity

    Comedy Central India and Colors Infinity have curated special programming with Indian-origin actors that have carved a niche on the international scene and become globally recognised stars. Starting 11am on the 74 Independence Day, you can watch 73 of the best Koothrappali special episodes of The Big Bang Theory starring Kunal Nayyar as Raj Koothrappali.

    Nickelodeon

    Nickelodeon under its initiative #SochKaroUpgrade intends to throw light on environmental issues the planet is facing and simple ways to create a change.

    The campaign actively seeks individuals to take the pledge on nickindia.com to protect nature and lists three commitments including planting a tree, discontinue the use of plastic bags, and save water. he franchise is extensively promoting the campaign on-air and on digital with promos and through an array of activities to drive awareness on steps to bring about a change.

    A popular doodle artist Woodle Doodle Designs also did a series of graphic illustrations to drive the message to social media audiences. 

    &Pictures

    &pictures celebrates and salutes the bravery of ordinary people with extraordinary courage with the Hindi Television Premiere of Hotel Mumbai on 16 August.  Based on true events, the visually breathtaking movie recounts the 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel in Mumbai and how the fearless staff risked their lives to protect their guests.  

    MTV

    In its newly released brand film, MTV shows people from different walks of life in 2019, criticising the monotony of college life, everyday hassle of traveling to office, also talking about how partying is done to death for youngsters and being self-dependent is an overrated concept.

    Viacom18  head of marketing – youth, music and English entertainment Navin Shenoy said, “The unprecedented times brought upon us by the pandemic has curtailed what impacts the youth most – their freedom to live as they deem fit. With this film for Independence Day, we wanted to put the spotlight on that everyday freedom and gratitude for it.”

    Zee Cinemas

    Zee Cinema is all set to celebrate this special day with the world television premiere of Good Newwz. Directed by Raj Mehta, the blockbuster family entertainer revolves around the hilarious roller coaster journey of two couples who find themselves in an unusual situation because of a medical goof up.

    Zee Anmol

    Zee Anmol Cinema celebrates the patriotic fervor with ‘Naye Bharat Ka Naya Josh’, a day long movie festival on 15 August. Celebrating this auspicious occasion with Full JOSH, the specially curated movie line up will transport you into a world of bravery, resilience and determination that will evoke the patriot in you. Kickstarting your day with the patriotic flavour will be the action thriller Pukar at 9.30 am. Commending the spirit of heroism and passion will be the thrilling channel premiere of Surya The Soldierstarring Allu Arjun and Anu Emmanuel. It will start  at 1 pm, the movie revolves around an aggressive soldier who aspires to serve at the borders but find trouble after getting into brawls and killing a terrorist. Vidyut Jammwal starrer Commando 2 will be kick starting at 4.30 pm, the movie traces the journey of Commando Karanveer Singh Dogra who is on a mission to eradicate corruption.

    Sony PIX

    On the occasion of Independence Day, Sony PIX will celebrate bravery, grit and courage with blockbuster movies like Mortal Engines, The Incredible Hulk, Furious 7, Jurassic World, Battleship and Rampage, all day on 15 August.

    EPIC TV

    The channel brings to fore the extraordinary Indians and their contributions, achievements, and commitment to build a united and free India. Starting from 7 am on 15 August 2020, audiences can watch Bharat Ki Awaaz for iconic speeches by freedom fighters. In the thoroughly researched ‘Epic Ke Dus’, a panel of experts giving their views, highlighting the significance of the events, and describing the mood of the era.

    Adrishya gives an experience from the point of view of India’s greatest spies like Aziz Un Nisa, Durga Bhabhi, Saraswati Rajamani, Ajit Doval and more. The series revisits the lives of these spies – the danger, the fear, the triumphs and the captures, bringing the spy’s heroic acts through their eyes. And in ‘Ekaant’ visit the famous Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, which is a dark reminiscence of the British rule in the Indian subcontinent. It’s a place where freedom fighters were kept before the independence of India. This place has witnessed the torture and pain given to the people imprisoned here after the first war of independence. This episode gives a glimpse of years of India’s struggle for freedom.

    ShowBox

    ShowBox’s musical programming for Independence day rides high on the wave of patriotism with a specially curated playlist, ‘Freedom Wala Swag’ that will evoke a truckload of nostalgia and overwhelming feelings of being an India. The playlist will air popular songs with touching melodies and powerful lyrics, including Aisa Desh Hai Mera, Desh Rangila, Chak De India. The playlist will be aired between 10 am and 2 pm. 

    Filamchi

    Bhojpuri movie channel, Filamchi also takes a dip in the mood of the day with movies like India Versus Pakistan, Love Aur Rajneeti, Ziddi, Khiladi and Dulhe Raaja, which features leading superstars like Pawan Singh, Ravi Kishan, Khesari Lal and Dinesh Lal to charm the audiences with their drama.

  • Sports becomes top gainer in Chrome DM week 30

    Sports becomes top gainer in Chrome DM week 30

    MUMBAI: Sports genre has become the top gainer in week 30, 2020 of Chrome Data Analytics and Media data. The genre grew by 8.20 per cent. In this genre, DD Sports gained highest OTS with 96.6 per cent in all India 1 lakh+ market.

    OTS is the actual census-based percentage connectivity of a channel spread across 81 million homes, as reported by Chrome DM, across analogue cable, digital cable, and DTH.

    This week, religious genre gained the second position and grew by 7.35 per cent in  HSM excluding <1 lakh market. In this genre, Sankskar gained the highest OTS with 97.9 per cent.

    Hindi movies genre stood at the third position followed by Hindi news and Hindi GEC genre at 7.15 per cent, 6.85 per cent, 6.07 per cent in HSM excluding <1 lakh market respectively.