ITV

Tag: Hiren Gada

  • Shemaroo Entertainment launches new comedy show

    Shemaroo Entertainment launches new comedy show

    MUMBAI:  Content powerhouse Shemaroo Entertainment has added another big show in its comedy catalogue with the launch of BHARTI KA SHOW – ANA HI PADEGA. The show hosted by comedian Bharti Singh will have 13 episodes and go on air from 3 November. The show will be available on Shemaroo Entertainment’s comedy services on DTH platforms like Tata Sky Comedy, Comedy Gali on Airtel Digital TV, Comedy Active on Dish TV and Comedy Active on Videocon D2H.

    “The comedy genre is redefining a lot of media platforms in India. We are in exciting times and at Shemaroo we understand the pulse of our audience and provide 24/7 comedy services to our consumers sitting across the globe through our various platforms. Our association with Bharti Singh for the upcoming comedy show, Bharti Ka Show – Ana hi Padega, will surely take the viewers on a joy ride. I am sure this show will take the entertainment levels a notch higher,” Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada said.

    The show will see a host of TV celebs coming in and will be given various tasks to perform on the show by Singh while it will start with a stand-up comedy segment by the host herself. The episodes will end with the invited celeb getting roasted. The 13-episode series will see celebs like Krushna Abhishek, Sudesh Lehri, Karan Wahi, Ada Khan, Rithvik Dhanjani and many more taking the hot seat. A brand-new episode will be released every Saturday at 9 pm and a repeat telecast will run on Sundays.

    “After doing a lot of stand-up comedies and cracking many a jokes on people, I am very excited to have got an official platform to roast celebrities and comedians. I am truly obliged and thankful to one of the pioneers of the entertainment industry, Shemaroo Entertainment, for giving me such a platform for my brand-new show Bharti ka show – Ana hi Padega. This show being my first show after marriage is very close to my heart. My excitement levels are at the peak as this is something which I do off the camera, but now my fans will see me doing the same on camera,” Singh said.

  • SEPC pavilion makes waves at MIPCOM 2018

    SEPC pavilion makes waves at MIPCOM 2018

    CANNES: It was indeed a historic moment for India’s content creation, distribution and broadcast industry at this year’s MIPCOM which concluded at Cannes, France on 18 October 2018. More than 300 Indian delegates swarmed the French Riviera village – the largest delegation in the Reed Midem market-cum-festival’s history.

    The highlight of the market was the first ever Indian pavilion which had around 38 companies registered on it, the screening of Eros Now’s digital series Smoke, the presence of Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada and Zee Entertainment’s Sunita Uchchil on a panel which discussed how Asia was developing.

    What generated the most oohs and aahs was the India pavilion which was located in the basement of the Palais des Festivals. Led by Services Export Promotion Council director general Sangeeta Godbole and her team, it had a mixture of service providers such dubbing and subtitling company BOL, Native Ninjas, animation studios such as Digitoonz, Eplus Technologies, BFX CGI, Big Animation, Ayanaa Cinematics, Animantz, Aadarsh Motion Philm CGI, Nilesh Patel Studios, Locomotive Films, Phoebus Creations, Rockline Group, Rotomaker India, Sacom MediaWorks, Sony Music, Technicolor India, Though Cloud Studio, Vedatma Studios, and Broadvision Group.

    Said Godbole: “It is the Indian government’s intent to help India’s very small and small content creators to take their work globally. And also help highlight the fabulous creative talent we have in India. We have subsidised the rates that they have to pay to enter what can otherwise be an expensive market for the small studios. This was our first entry into MIPCOM and we are very enthused by the response and can only look forward to scaling up our presence by taking a larger pavilion with many more smaller entertainment companies registered in MIPCOM 2019 apart from promoting the Indian presence in a bigger way.”

    Present at the celebration was Indian embassy’s Paris-based chief of the economic and commercial wing Sarvjeet Soodan who said that he was delighted by the presence of the pavilion and the plethora of Indians at MIPCOM. He promised that the Indian embassy and its officials would be available to support the initiatives of the SEPC at the coming MIPCOMs in any way that was needed.

    Film maker Ketan Mehta who now heads animation powerhouse Cosmos-Maya was also delighted about the pavilion. Said he: “It took me as a creator a long time to get to know how to take my content global and sell it internationally. We struggled in our time and I am very happy that the smaller studios have this opportunity to leap frog and achieve in a couple of years what took us many more in our time. Congrats to the SEPC.”

    Reed Midem India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh representative Anil Wanvari – who drove the initiative from the Paris-based organisation’s side along with international sales manager Paul Barbaro – said it is an initiative that is very welcome though it took some time doing. “In earlier years too, efforts were made to set up an India pavilion but the response was tepid from both industry and government. We started the conversation with the SEPC a year or more so ago and it took the grit of Sangeeta to see this to its logical conclusion,” said Wanvari. ‘Now smaller studios who come in as participants can at last have the  address of the Indian pavilion from which they can operate and fix meetings to show case their content or services to potential international customers and buyers.”

  • Eros Now’s Smoke MIPCOM screening gets packed house

    Eros Now’s Smoke MIPCOM screening gets packed house

    CANNES: A packed house turned up to watch Eros Now’s premier of its original Smoke at the Verriere Californie in the famed Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France on 15 October 2018 during the world's largest content confab and market MIPCOM.

    . 
    The shortened  20 minute version of the 45 minutes per episode had you gripped right from the first frame which showed the ailing Tom Alter essaying the role of a Russian drug  mafioso  lord. It revealed the dark underbelly of Goa – a vaction spot for both Indians and foreigners alike. But behind the façade of sandy sun kissed beaches lies the cruel world of the drug  cartels – the Israeli, the Russian, the Konkani – which fight bullet for bullet to control the flow of cocaine, marijuna, speed, in to the land of beaches.

    The digital series stars  Jim Sarbh (Neerja), Kalki Koechlin (Margarita, with a Straw), and Mandira Bedi (Vodka Diaries).  Directed by Neel Guha (That Girl in Yellow Boots),  with music from Karsh Kale (Karthik Calling Karthik), Smoke also stars Gulshan Devaiah (Hunterrr), Amit Sial (Inside Edge), Satyadeep Mishra, Neal Bhoopalam, and Prakash Belawadi.
    Eros Now chief content officer Ridhima Lulla was pleased with the response Smoke received at the screening. “It is a serious initiative targeted at showcasing Goa like it has never been before,” she says. “The story will take you to deeper into the gang wars that only locals in Goa know about. Our teams worked closely with then to get closer to what really happens in the drug trade. You can safely say that the series is inspired by real events.”

    Present at the screening was Rishika Lulla, Eros Now COO Ali Hussein, apart from a string of distributors and producers from all over the world. 
     

  • DishTV launches ‘Thriller Active’ service on both platforms

    DishTV launches ‘Thriller Active’ service on both platforms

    India, 4th October 2018: Dish TV India Limited, world’s largest single-country DTH Company, is delighted to introduce a never heard before value added service-‘Thriller Active’ offering best thriller and horror TV shows and movies to Indian audiences on its both brands; DishTV and D2H. The first of its kind service is being offered in partnership with Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, one of India’s leading filmed entertainment content house. Customers can now enjoy best of thrilling content at channel number 134 on DishTV and D2H platform.

    ‘Thriller Active’, DishTV’s exciting new offering is available to the subscriber on free preview of 15 days. Post free preview, the viewers can continue to enjoy spine chilling thrillers, television shows and movies at a nominal subscription price of Rs.40+Taxes.

    Announcing the new service, Mr. Anil Dua, Group Chief Executive Officer, Dish TV India Limited, said, “Our focus at DishTV and D2H, has always been on innovative content, best value proposition and unique entertainment initiatives. Horror and thriller is a genre that young audiences have a huge appetite for, and we are here to fill the gap for a singular destination for the best of content available in this segment.”

    Apart from classic horror shows such as Aahat, Zee Horror Show, Fear Files, a bouquet of unique features await every thriller enthusiast on DishTV and D2H. Further, to make weekends exciting for binge watching, the service brings special thriller, crime and horror series every Saturday and Sunday along with a popular movie.

    Hiren Gada, Director – Shemaroo Entertainment Limited said, “We are delighted to tie-up with Dish TV India Ltd to provide this exciting content on its DishTV and D2H platforms. Being a leading content aggregator and owner, our efforts are to serve audiences with exciting content in innovative ways. Bearing the same in mind, the programming of the service has been carefully chosen and hand-picked from Shemaroo’s best thrilling library content.”

  • Shemaroo revamps logo to suit digital consumer

    Shemaroo revamps logo to suit digital consumer

    MUMBAI: Over the years, Shemaroo has had to reorient its business to suit the changing ecosystem and consumer preference. Now, the content powerhouse has revamped its look as well by unveiling a new logo.

    In its 55 years of journey, Shemaroo has witnessed various changes. 15 years ago, it went through a brand refresh. About 10 months ago, the company announced that it has embarked on a transformation journey.

    Shemaroo gears up for digital era; adds devotional app Ibaadat

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada shared the experience. After a three-month selection process, Ogilvy India was approved as the creative partner. “It’s the number one agency in the country. Shemaroo is a brand which has been around for 55 years, has been so closely guarded, so many people have such an emotional connection with the brand. If it has to undergo a refresh, it needs to be with the best,” Gada commented on the reason behind choosing Ogilvy as a partner.

    Initially a B2C brand, over time, its business model has become B2B2C. However, the main target of the refresh is consumers. Gada believes that a strong B2C connection is needed before thinking about how people will perceive the change.

    However, Shemaroo promises to stay loyal to the Indian audience by offering them entertainment with that “special tadka”. ‘India Khush Hua’, the new tagline, wants to convey the message of how the company wants to bring joy to Indians with multi-genre offering.

    Curation brands the need of the hour in digital: Kranti Gada

    The logo comprises a series of overlapping layers in rich Indian colours while the shape of the design elements has been derived from the digital play button. “They are already the modern forward-facing company that the logo reflects,” Ogilvy India CEO Kunal Jeswani said.

    “What I found really interesting was the company has done so much to transform internally before they decided to do the external transformation of the brand. Then the task for us becomes much easier. For agencies, when you are transforming a brand externally, it’s far more difficult when the internal shift is going to happen after that. In the case of Shemaroo, it’s just the colours and logo reflecting the change,” he added sharing his experience working with Shemaroo.

    To devise the new logo, Ogilvy undertook surveys for a thorough understanding of the brand, consumers and the trade through careful planning, exhaustive research and understanding of emergent trends.

    A large part of its multimedia campaign will be through its own media. “There are partner properties which we would be working with. We would also be buying some additional media. But primarily it would be on the digital domain. Because the consumer is largely digital, that’s where more targeted and faster refresh can be achieved,” Gada said.

    The company has the ambition to achieve 5X growth in five years. Multi-genre and multi-language strategies are also on the anvil. Devotional content is a core area for the current time. Through the new identity, the company wants to convey their passionate commitment to the goal.

  • Shemaroo’s Filmigaane crosses 10 mn subscriber mark

    Shemaroo’s Filmigaane crosses 10 mn subscriber mark

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment’s YouTube channel dedicated to retro music Filmigaane has crossed the 10 million subscriber mark. The content powerhouse has strengthened its digital presence with more than 50 YouTube channels.

    Filmigaane is the one-stop destination for classic bollywood melody lovers. The audience base is spread around multiple geographies like India, the US, UAE, Canada, Australia and more and reaches 384 million digital consumers per month.

    “We started Filmigaane with an aim to reach out to audiences who love retro music. This is such a momentous occasion and calls for a big shout out to all our fans across the world who have helped us achieve the remarkable milestone of 10 million subscribers. We are truly humbled and overwhelmed by their support and love. It is their belief in us that will help us continuously strive for new and innovative content. Digital has been an exemplary medium for us to reach out to the fans of retro music and connect with them,” Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada said.

    Starting in 2018, the channel has been offering a mix of content ranging from the golden era of 1950s to the still recent popular numbers from the 1990s over the last four years. Filmigaane succeeded in bringing the trends of evergreen songs back, leading to a humungous growth in subscribers.

    Also Read :

    Shemaroo appoints Hiren Gada as CEO in leadership rejig

    Ogilvy to handle Shemaroo’s creative duties

  • Shemaroo gears up for digital era; adds devotional app Ibaadat

    Shemaroo gears up for digital era; adds devotional app Ibaadat

    MUMBAI: Right at the opportune time, one of India’s oldest media companies, Shemaroo Entertainment, has launched a new devotional app called Ibaadat.

    The Islamic devotional app will contain live feeds, devotional tunes, an e-commerce platform, donation service, etc. Over time, customer feedback will enrich the app’s growth.

    On the reason for picking the Islamic faith, Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada said, “For us, it is not about choosing a particular religion. We already have content and presence in all the major religions in India whether it’s Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism or Jainism. In fact, we already have a Hindu app in place, Hari Om. The next biggest population is the Islamic population. So, the idea is how many more people we can help connect with their faith.”

    About five years ago, there was an inflexion point when the company realised that digital is soon going to explode. “There are a lot of changes overall as an organisation that we have been going through the last few years. We have been preparing ourselves for the digital era. Some of these initiatives which we are seeing are a result of this,” he said.

    While the company’s digital segment has grown at roughly 40 per cent y-o-y, it stands roughly around 25 per cent of the total business.

    Very recently, Shemaroo opened its US office which is still in its initial stage. Rather than making content to cater to the US audience, it will try to serve the diaspora with existing content. “First opportunity is to be able to serve the diaspora with existing content we have in a much better way because we felt that it was clearly an underserved consumer segment for us which we saw based on various platforms we were present. So that was our first target, and that itself is a large task by itself,” Gada said.

    He did not reveal any firm plan on whether the company wanted to go the OTT way any time soon.

    The Ibaadat app is free except for some services which have minimal charge. For now, it is only available on Android and the iOS version is on the way. For promoting the app, Shemaroo is targeting DTH and social media.

    The content library is a combination of outsourced as well as the content created in house. It will be tying up with more shrines in future.

    Just three months ago, Hari Om was launched where people could tune into live telecast of aartis, order Prasad at their doorstep from temples across the country, listen to teachings of top gurus and even book religious services or orders.

    Once associated with classic movies of the previous century, Shemaroo has evolved over time staying relevant to the current age. The next challenge is to make Shemaroo digital-savvy.

  • Shemaroo Entertainment announces two new appointments

    Shemaroo Entertainment announces two new appointments

    MUMBAI: In an order to strengthen its leadership team, Shemaroo Entertainment has announced two new appointments. Vivek Koka has been appointed as Assistant Vice President for the New Business Development division and Rajesh Kathuria as Assistant Vice President for the IT division. 

    “With a clear focus on strengthening the organisation for the next phase of growth and raising the bar in terms of its capacity and capability, Shemaroo is continuously scouting for exceptional talent from the industry.  We are pleased to welcome Vivek and Rajesh in the Shemaroo family.  Both Vivek and Rajesh come with rich experience and their expertise in understanding bollywood content and technology respectively, will definitely help Shemaroo climb milestones in our transformation journey,” Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada has commented on the new appointment.

    Vivek Koka, an alumnus of IMDR, has an overall work experience of over 15 years. Prior to this role, he also worked as the Marketing Head of AndPictures and ZEE Classic. He will be responsible for creating new and alternate revenue streams for Shemaroo and also maximize the existing Bollywood business.

    Rajesh Kathuria, the new assistant vice president, has an overall experience of around 29 years. He was previously associated with Rediff.com and along with that he has a technology expertise in IT Assets.

    Also Read :

    Shemaroo appoints Hiren Gada as CEO in leadership rejig

    Shemaroo launches Hindu devotional app ‘HariOm’

  • Shemaroo appoints Hiren Gada as CEO in leadership rejig

    Shemaroo appoints Hiren Gada as CEO in leadership rejig

    MUMBAI: Gearing itself for the next phase of growth, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd (Shemaroo) has restructured its top leadership making several timely appointments. 

    According to a release on the BSE website, the entertainment and content company has elevated Hiren Gada as the chief executive officer (CEO) in addition to his existing role as chief financial officer (CFO).

    Having spent time with various divisions within the company and leading the organisation to scale up and get listed, Gada will now take on the leadership role in addition to his original role as the CFO. In his new role as CEO and CFO, Gada will lead the company through its next phase of growth.

    Shemaroo has also promoted Kranti Gada to the role of chief operating officer (COO) of the company. Kranti Gada was involved in setting up the company’s mobile business and played a key role in the company’s early adoption of digital platforms. More recently she incubated the company’s expansion into the DTH segment. In her new role, Kranti will head the revenue function of the company to drive growth.

    Hiren Gada, who joined Shemaroo 15 years ago, has played a significant role in the transformation of the company from a family-run business to a professionally driven organisation in terms of systems, processes and best industry practices.

    Kranti Gada joined the family business at Shemaroo in 2006 after a successful stint in marketing at Pepsi Co. She helped set up Shemaroo’s mobile business and established the company as a leading mobile VAS player in the country.

    With a clear focus on strengthening the organisation for the next phase of development, Jai Maroo, director of the company, will now move from his current role of guiding the expansion of the digital media business to focus on organisational transformation and excellence.

    Raman Maroo and Atul Maru remain managing director and joint managing director of the company, respectively. The new leadership structure is effective immediately.

    Commenting on the restructuring, Shemaroo managing director Raman Maroo said, “Our endeavour has always been to build a future-ready organisation with distinct professional capabilities while retaining its entrepreneurial culture. We have done that with an emphasis on developing internal talent and marrying that by bringing in great talent from industry peers. We want to create a structure that will power us as we enter our next growth phase.”

  • DishTV launches ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ for marathi Viewers

    DishTV launches ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ for marathi Viewers

    MUMBAI: Dish TV, Asia’s largest DTH brand, has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., one of India’s leading filmed entertainment content house to launch Marathi regional value added services for its valued Marathi audience. A 24-hour Marathi service ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ is now available at Channel number 1232 on DishTV platform. With the launch of this new service, customers can now enjoy the complete Ad-Free and 24X7 Marathi Service packed with Movies, Plays and Songs.

    ‘Aapla Manoranjan’, DishTV’s new regional offering is now available to the subscriber on free preview of 15 days. The viewers can continue to enjoy amazing Marathi content with a nominal subscription price of Rs 38 + GST.

    The full entertainment package includes Marathi Songs, legendry Plays and two Marathi movies every day. In addition to this, every Sunday there will be a world satellite TV premiere of a newly released movie which hasn’t been telecasted on any satellite channel like Bus Top, Paisa Paisa & Suagr, Salt aani Prem on this service.

    Speaking on the initiative DishTV, Senior vice president-Marketing, Mr. Sukhpreet Singh said: “We’re committed to provide the best of entertainment to our viewers across all regions. With an overall bouquet of 600+channels & services and with this new regional service offering, we’re excited to bring the best content and excellent TV viewing experience to our Marathi audience. The addition of ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ will cater to the needs of our Marathi subscribers across India for complete entertainment in their preferred language.”

    Shemaroo Entertainment Limited – Director, Hiren Gada said, “We are pleased to associate with Dishtv and bring to the viewers Aapla Manorjan, a premium marathi content service that will air the finest of marathi films, songs and even theatre. It will be fueled by Shemaroo’s rich and exhaustive library of content and programming prowess. Marathi cinema with its thematic diversity, technical excellence and high production values has made a mark for itself in the industry and amongst cinema lovers. We are sure that this new offering will thoroughly be enjoyed by the viewers of Dishtv”.