ITV

Tag: Hindi general entertainment channel

  • Vibhu Agarwal announces foray into TV broadcasting with Hindi GEC

    Vibhu Agarwal announces foray into TV broadcasting with Hindi GEC

    Mumbai: OTT app founder Vibhu Agarwal has announced his foray into the broadcasting space with the launch of a new Hindi general entertainment channel whose name is yet to be revealed. The channel will primarily cater to the target audience of 15 plus years. 

    In the past, Agarwal has produced a Bollywood film and numerous web series content.

    The GEC is slated to launch in the first half of the new financial year and will have both fiction and non-fiction series spanning genres like action, comedy, and thrillers. Unlike other GECs, however, the channel will run finite series where each show will have a limited number of episodes.

    Television revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of four to five per cent and reach Rs 826 billion by 2024, as per EY-FICCI media and entertainment 2022 report. The revenue from subscriptions for TV channels is expected to reach Rs 415 billion in 2022. Pay TV will continue to grow as states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and West Bengal get electrified. Free TV subscribers are expected to cross 50 million in 2025. 

    The report predicted overall growth of TV connections at a pace of five per cent per year to cross 67 per cent of Indian households by 2025.

    “We have experienced tremendous success in terms of subscription and popularity with our unique offering on our flagship OTT Platform,” said Vibhu Agarwal. “Over the last three years, we have built a formidable content library spanning multi-genre content and age groups. While the digital entertainment space is poised to grow exponentially, the broadcasting industry is here to not just stay but also grow.”

    He added, “Our new Hindi general entertainment channel will have a varied bouquet of shows targeting all segments of society. It will be heavy in both fiction and non-fiction which will have genres like thriller, crime, comedy, horror, and suspense, and star some of the most renowned actors. We will be working with the best of production houses and the most noteworthy talent across to bring content-rich hours of programming. Each show will have slick production value, a novel concept, differentiated narrative, characterisation, and a finite run time. The shows will also be available on the television channel’s own new OTT App wherein the audiences will be able to watch them at their own leisure. This is our commitment to bring entertainment to the household of every Indian across the country that enjoys and understands Hindi.”

    The channel will be distributed across Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV and d2h, and cable networks such as Hathway, Den, and GTPL in India, as per the statement.

  • Colors to launch new family drama ‘Swaran Ghar’

    Colors to launch new family drama ‘Swaran Ghar’

    Mumbai: Hindi GEC Colors is set to introduce a new family drama to its programming called “Swaran Ghar” starting on 28 February. The show will air every Monday to Friday at 8:30 p.m.

    Produced by Sargun Mehta and Ravi Dubey, the show, set in Chandigarh, features Sangita Ghosh, Ronit Bose Roy and Ajay Singh Chaudhary.

    “Colors has remained ardently committed to bringing the best of fiction and non-fiction concepts on Indian television,” said Viacom18 head Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network Nina Elavia Jaipuria. “With a promise to keep the audiences engaged and entertained, we are pleased to launch a new heart-warming family drama ‘Swaran Ghar’. This show will present the various nuances of parenthood backed by a splendid storyline and an endearing cast. It will further strengthen our prime-time slot at 8.30 pm and we look forward to this new adventure.”

    “The current times have certainly brought families together and family dramas on television have once again earned a special place in the hearts of our viewers,” said Viacom18 chief content officer Hindi mass entertainment Manisha Sharma. “Our new show ‘Swaran Ghar’ represents one such story of Swaran who is abandoned by her children in the most trying times and how she comes stronger out of it. After the immense success of Udaariyaan, we are once again delighted to join forces with Sargun Mehta and Ravi Dubey. With a robust lineup of cast including Ronit Bose Roy, Sangita Ghosh and Ajay Singh Chaudhary, we hope to create magic with the new venture.”

    “Swaran Ghar stems from the various real-life stories and experiences we see around us,” producer Sargun Mehta. “We are delighted to present a show that will give a new perspective on parenthood and shed light on the innumerable struggles they go through.”

    “We began our partnership with Colors with ‘Udaariyaan’ and aim to continue this successful stint with ‘Swaran Ghar’,” said Ravi Dubey. “We could think of no other channel better suited to helm this refreshing concept and we have complete faith in our talented cast and crew to make this journey a sensation among Indian households.”

    The channel has planned an extensive 360-degree marketing and digital campaign for the launch of the show.

  • NDTV Networks Plc, UK, seeks FIPB nod

    NDTV Networks Plc, UK, seeks FIPB nod

    MUMBAI: NDTV Group is setting up a company in the UK as part of its plans to launch a Hindi entertainment channel, sources close to the company say.

    The company, NDTV Networks Plc, UK, is expected to own a stake in the Indian company that will launch the channel. It is not yet clear whether NDTV Networks will wholly own the Indian company or a part of the stake.
    NDTV Networks has already made an application to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for approval, stating that the company’s activities would include “non news and current affairs channels.” More details are not available.

    NDTV Ltd. had earlier announced it would form NDTV Ventures to start a slew of TV channels, including a Hindi general entertainment channel. The non-news forays would be undertaken by NDTV Ventures and will have under it the entertainment and new media divisions, the company had said.

    NDTV Group will be raising money to support its entertainment channel, market sources say. The UK-based company will play a big role in lining up investments for NDTV’s expansion plans in the area of non news channels, they add. How this will be structured, though, remains unclear at this stage.

    When contacted, NDTV Ltd. director Narayan Rao declined to comment on the issue. “We will make an announcement of our plans soon,” he said. NDTV’s chief executive for growth and strategy Vikram Chandra also refused to talk on the subject.

    NDTV has roped in filmmaker Karan Johar for the Hindi general entertainment channel. His production house, Dharma Productions, will hold a small equity stake in the channel.