Mumbai: ShowBox, IN10 Media Network’s youth-centric music channel is all set to fill this Valentine’s Day with love and romance. With a fresh lineup, ShowBox’s Valentine’s Day campaign has introduced fun-filled Pyar Ke Formulae.
To ‘pataoing’, ‘manoing’ and even ‘hasaoing’ with the lovemojis, ShowBox has leveraged its show ‘Luv You Zindagi’ with short and snappy love tips. The campaign includes short 30-seconds animated capsules of love tips which will be played on-air and social media on 14 February.
Constantly striving to create content that celebrates the spirit of love and life, this time ShowBox’s videos include emoticons as characters, introducing unique love tips- Pyar Ke Formulae. It will be open for viewers to enjoy and interact with Showbox special valentine-based questions on Luv You Zindagi which airs at 4pm daily.
Content innovation is the most effective way to catch viewers attention and ShowBox has been at the forefront of it. After the grand success of previous campaigns, this year will experience a whole new approach by the music channel, creating a fun and thrilling experience.
Have a look at some interesting Pyar Ke Formulae from ShowBox
Mumbai: Epic channel, the flagship channel from the house of IN10 Media Network, has partnered with streaming television platform DistroTV to increase its global presence. DistroTV is a division of California-based media technology company DistroScale.
As per the partnership, the channel will be available to international audiences of the UK and Europe. Audiences in these countries will access titles like “Regiment Diaries,” “Ekaant,” “Umeed India,” “Tyohaar Ki Thaali,” and many others.
“Epic’s commitment towards providing diverse and premium content to its viewers continues to grow,” said IN10 Media Network senior AVP – acquisition and distribution Adita Jain. “Today’s audiences want content at the ease of a click and by partnering with DistroTV, we will be able to distribute our massive content library to different geographies. We are glad to have DistroTV as our partner in our growth journey.”
“It is our constant mission to thoughtfully continue to expand our content library so that we may provide our growing and diverse global audience of viewers with free-to-stream shows and titles that reflect their unique interest and passions,” said DistroScale co-founder and CEO Navdeep Saini.
“We launched DistroTV Desi last year for this very reason,” said DistroScale vice president of business development and content acquisition Rajesh Nair. “So that southeast Asian audiences, who far too often get overlooked by mainstream media platforms, can tune into their favourite channels and enjoy free-to-stream content without the hassle or barriers. We are excited to distribute EPIC’s incredible content library to our global viewers and provide communities near and far with the types of content they crave.”
Mumbai: IN10 Media Network’s premier infotainment channel EPIC has unveiled its brand new look on 16 December. In tandem with a futuristic philosophy of ‘Soch Se Aage’, the channel simultaneously revealed a fresh programming line-up that plans to grow beyond the present and forge an inspiring as well as expansive future for infotainment.
The move seems to have been spurred by the Indian audiences’ growing appetite for all kinds of entertainment, including factual, as a result of being exposed to a wide variety of content in the last couple of years.
Decoding EPIC’s transformation that was built on the brand’s established USP of ‘India ka Apna Infotainment’, IN10 Media Network MD Aditya Pittie had said, “‘Glocal’ is no longer just a textbook phrase for the future, but the very essence of the modern audience that has explored all that is available from around the world and is hungry for more. It is this ‘more’ that is at the heart of EPIC’s new brand philosophy and will be the cornerstone of showcasing content that is ‘Soch Se Aage’ – beyond the known universe of knowledge, ideas, and stories; into the metaverse of an exciting future that continues to celebrate India.”
In addition to launching new seasons of popular shows like ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaaniyaan’, ‘Lost Recipes’ and ‘Regiment Diaries’, EPIC new content slate includes ‘Lakshya 1971 – Vayusena Ke Veer Yoddha’,‘India Post – Dhaage Jo Desh Jode’, ‘Jugaad Mania and’ Homecoming- A Nation’s Fight For Its People’ and digital originals such as ‘EPIC Khoj’, ‘What’s in the Name’ and ‘Short Mid-Wicket Tales’.
In this exclusive interview with Indiantelevision.com, EPIC AVP– content and strategy Nisha Thakkar talks about the rationale behind the brand revamp and programming for the ‘Soch Se Aage’ philosophy.
Edited Excerpts:
On the idea behind the brand revamp, and need for a new philosophy
EPIC has always been a channel ahead of the time. We were the first India-centric Hindi infotainment channel while everyone else was focusing on international content, and since then have showcased exhilarating stories from the country to the world. With the world changing and content consumption patterns evolving, we too have.
The new tagline – ‘Soch Se Aage’ – reflects the channel philosophy of driving thought – leadership, inspiration, pride, and a window to the world ‘Beyond Imagination’. The world is changing at a lightning speed and there is an unseen, unknown universe of knowledge, ideas, and stories to showcase our audience through the platform of EPIC.
On how the demand for infotainment has evolved through 2020-21 on TV, and digital? And, how is the channel planning to meet that demand through the content strategy?
The infotainment genre has remained stable with the launch of a new line-up across the channels however there has been immense growth on digital platforms. Our property – EPIC Digital Originals – launched early this year, has witnessed immense growth on Youtube & Facebook. There has been almost a 30 per cent organic growth in subscribers within one year.
Today, one wants differentiated content on every genre, and EPIC has been able to deliver more than the expectation of its viewers by offering premium content. We have launched new seasons of our legacy shows – ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan’, ‘Regiment Diaries’ & ‘Lost Recipes’ – as well as a new line-up of compelling shows like ‘India Post – Dhaage Jo Desh Jode’, ‘Jugaad Mania’ among others in the coming months.
On new shows, especially the latest ‘Lakshya 1971’ which premiered on 16 December.
The one-hour-long documentary ‘Lakshya 1971: Vayu Sena Ke Veer Yoddha’, highlights the exclusive story of the 1971 aerial war for the first time through the decisive air battles that changed the course of this iconic war.
Travelling back 50 years to retrieve the breath-taking battle stories, the film will uncover some of the Indian Air Force’s closely guarded secrets and tales of men, machines, and missions. Viewers will get to hear first-hand accounts of the game-changing stories and inspiring heroics by the IAF war legends. Combining archival footage with graphics and recreated scenes will bring the war to life with some of the greatest stories of courage, patriotism, and independence which the world has long forgotten.
On the challenge of meeting the growing demand for purely India-centric content, especially in terms of finding the right talent.
Over the years, factual content has evolved and so have the talent working on the same. The genre is no longer restricted to just documentaries or wildlife content, it has broadened its horizons across the spectrum. Broadcast channels, production houses, artists, and other talent working in the genre have been thinking outside the box to create some phenomenal and meaningful work.
On looking ahead to 2022 and the channel’s plans for content strategy, and overall goal for next year
EPIC is known for its iconic shows and we will continue to bring those to our viewers. New seasons of legacy shows like ‘Raja Rasoi, Lost Recipes, and Regiment Diaries’ will once again tingle the viewers’ senses and emotions. As mentioned earlier, we plan to introduce new IPs in the new year. To name a few, ‘Jugaad Mania’ will bring alive stories of ordinary people creating extraordinary innovations and ‘Homecoming – A Nation’s Fight for its People’ that will highlight the efforts of the common man and the government as they faced numerous challenges during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Witnessing great response from the audience, the channel’s digital properties will see the launch of new originals soon. EPIC has been and will be a one-stop destination of amazing stories from across geographies.
Mumbai: IN10 Media Network’s super-app Epic On has announced its collaboration with Yupp TV, a B2B aggregator of live TV channels and VOD. The partnership will aid the app in expanding its footprint across metros as well as tier 2 and 3 cities.
YuppTV, which offers users a single subscription to all premium OTT apps, has a vast distribution network via its partnership with ISPs and broadband companies.
“With an increase in smartphones, affordable data availability and varied taste clusters there has been unprecedented growth in content consumption in the country. Consumers now look beyond the traditional medium for entertainment. To reach a wider set audience across geographies at ease, Epic On has partnered with the B2B aggregator,” said the company in a media statement.
“I am glad to partner with YuppTV Scope that enjoys an immensely penetrated network in the country,” said Epic On COO Sourjya Mohanty. “With this partnership, we look to provide our content to millions of more viewers who are still untapped from an OTT content perspective.”
To be easily accessible to viewers across platforms, Epic On has partnered with multiple partners in the recent past with a presence across 45+ smart TVs and telcos both in domestic and international markets.
“OTT consumption has been growing and through this partnership, we further look to increase the consumers base for YuppTV Scope,” said YuppTV founder and CEO Uday Reddy. “Users will be able to watch top-notch online video streams and enjoy a unique entertainment experience from a single platform.”
YuppTV Scope, a tech-enabled single subscription video streaming platform. It is a one-stop destination that offers users a unified interface to all premium OTT apps using a single subscription while eliminating the task of accessing multiple apps, said the statement.
Mumbai: The month of October registered the highest advertising volumes for the year 2021 on TV, as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India. But what also remained significant was the growth story scripted by the regional language channels in South, Marathi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri, with a consistent growth in ad volume, not only over 2020 but also 2019 levels.
In the South cluster, Tamil and Telugu language channels saw the sharpest growth YoY at 17 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively, in terms of ad volumes. According to Barc India, Star Maa became the most viewed Telugu general entertainment channel (GEC) in week 42 (16-22 October) (U+R, 2+, India) and continues to be in the top three channels of India in the last four out of six weeks. Tamil GEC Star Vijay was a leader in the weekday primetime slot in three out of four weeks of October and its shows ranked number one in top fiction and non-fiction programs.
The Marathi language genre saw a 12 per cent increase YoY in ad volumes with Star Pravah recording the highest reach in the Marathi GEC market. In week 46, Star Pravah achieved its highest-ever TV ratings at 479 GRPs (U+R 2+) for Maharashtra/Goa. Nine out of ten shows among the top 10 programs for Marathi GEC are consistently from Star Pravah for weekdays (U+R, 2+) as per data.
Star Maa aired the latest seasons of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’ and ‘Super Singer’ in October, similarly, Star Vijay aired the latest seasons of ‘Bigg Boss Tami’, ‘Star Music’ and ‘Cook with Comali’ during the month. Star Pravah aired its talent show ‘Me Honar Superstar Jallosh Dancecha’ and announced ‘Me Honar Superstar Chote Ustaad’ which started from 4 December.
Punjabi genre also recorded a 28 per cent growth in ad volumes YoY. PTC Network which operates seven channels in the Punjabi entertainment and news space including PTC Punjabi, PTC News, PTC Chakk De, PTC Punjabi Gold, PTC Simran and PTC Music and accounts for 70 per cent market share in the Punjab market led the ad volume growth in October, according to PTC Network managing director and president Rabindra Narayan.
“The market sentiment was very good this year compared to the previous two years. In fact, many manufacturers and suppliers did not anticipate the demand during Diwali and faced supply shortages. Both local and new clients increased their advertising budgets, however, for us retail clients and local advertisers grew the pie,” said Narayan.
PTC Network also invested in launching fresh unscripted content including the second season of talent show ‘Hunar Punjab Da’ and latest season of singing show ‘Voice of Punjab’ in October. The channel is planning to launch new fiction IPs in January next year.
IN10 Media Network’s Bhojpuri movie channel Filamchi Bhojpuri also saw a nine per cent growth in terms of viewership during the months of September-October, a time when the focus is on major events like Diwali and Chhath Puja to showcase films and devotional content. “Regional channels have seen an upward trend in viewership in the past few years. And the festival season sees a keen interest from both viewers and advertisers,” said Filamchi Bhojpuri vice president – strategy Tarun Talreja.
A range of advertisers visible on Bhojpuri channels include categories like FMCG, retail, lifestyle and e-commerce. “The advertising trends continue to be positive for the genre with a clear focus from brands looking at Bhojpuri speaking markets as a key reach builder spiralled by both increased consumption of Bhojpuri content and wider reach,” noted IN10 Media Network head of revenue Kavita Sagar.
The channel showcased a new world TV premiere every week of the festive month and during Chhath Puja aired devotional songs as well as movies highlighting the festival. On 14 November, Filamchi Bhojpuri streamed the film ‘Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye’ on its YouTube channel which has garnered over 34 million views as of 30 November. Within 15 days of the film release, its YouTube channel grew by 3.2 lakh subscribers, said the channel.
Mumbai: IN10 Media Network- VP corporate strategy and development Mansi Darbar has stepped down from her post.
Darbar had joined the company in January 2020 with the mandate to navigate the network strategically in the media and entertainment space. “During her tenure, the company expanded from one channel to three business verticals – five linear TV channels, two OTT platforms, and a production house. In the process, she initiated numerous strategic partnerships – local and global – for the network,” said the company on Thursday.
She also spearheaded the launch of the network’s first GEC channel, Ishara, which was launched in March 2021, and a kids’ entertainment channel, Gubbare, in November 2020.
IN10 Media Network MD Aditya Pittie said, “Mansi has played an integral part in our network’s growth journey and we are grateful for her valuable contribution to the business. I thank her for her efforts and wish her good luck for the future.”
Darbar said, “ It has been an overwhelming journey to be a part of the expansion process from EPIC to IN10 Media Network. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Aditya for believing in me. And wish the very best to the network for all its future endeavors.”
A media and entertainment enthusiast with over 13 years of experience, prior to joining the network, Darbar was a part of the core founding team of ‘Applause Entertainment’, India’s first Content & IP Studio by the Aditya Birla Group. She was also a core founding team member at ALT Balaji, India’s first home-grown OTT platform.
She will be with the network till January 2022 for a smooth transition, according to the company.
New Delhi: ShowBox, the music channel from the house of IN10 Media Network has unveiled its new logo and brand identity to reflect the channel’s evolution.
The new identity – ‘a music channel for young India which follows its heart’ – will be reflected on the channel and social media starting 16 August. The new logo and the tagline, Dil Ki Sun, mirrors a rising young India that’s high on expressing themselves and represents the emotion of following one’s heart.
“Today’s generation is very expressive and believes in two-way communication with no bars held back. ShowBox caters to this target group and hence, it was important to resonate that in our programming. Our new identity directly represents our vision of non-stop entertainment to music lovers and our limitless ability to inspire people,” said ShowBox vice president, programming and strategy, Clyde D’Souza.
Keeping this in mind, the music channel will launch two new interactive shows: Luv U Zindagi, where viewers can vote and comment live on topics related to love and relationships. The love songs and topics are handpicked by the team scanning the social media and viral videos.
The second show is ‘Reel Top 10’ – A countdown for the Instagram generation where the show will count down the top 10 songs and top 10 reels of the week.
In the pipeline are many more shows with new packaging and dynamism. The channel also revealed a mascot called ‘Showman’, who will take the viewers through all that’s new on the channel while entertaining them in a different way.
Mumbai: IN10 Media Network-backed Bhojpuri film channel Filamchi is all set to entertain its viewers with 50 world television premieres starting 14 August.
In the next three months, the channel will showcase blockbuster Bhojpuri films featuring popular actors. The titles include Baaghi Ek Yoddha, Lallu ki Laila, Pawan Putra featuring Khesari Lal Yadav, Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’, and Pawan Singh, respectively.
The channel said its go-to-market strategy is to serve the large appetite for films that exist within the Bhojpuri audience and that all the titles were handpicked for the viewers.
“Our selectively curated world TV premieres offer great differentiation from the competition. The continuous streak of super-hit world television premieres will help us increase our audience base and build loyalty to the channel. The strategic move will further bolster our goal of being amongst the top three channels in the category,” said Filamchi, VP – strategy, Tarun Talreja.
To ensure the viewers are in awe of the content lineup, the channel will be focusing on a 360-degree marketing plan to ensure an unparalleled experience for the audience. Additionally, the channel will unveil an engagement activity for its loyal customers wherein they will get a chance to win exciting gifts like bikes, TVs, and much more.
The film premieres will be aired every Saturday at 6:30 pm from 14 August and every weekend from 21 August. Keeping in mind the upcoming festive period, the channel will showcase a premiere every day at 6:30 pm between 11 and 18 September.
Mumbai: Factual video-on-demand service DocuBay has acquired multiple premium documentary titles from Germany-based distribution company, Albatross World Sales.
The deal includes documentaries on nature, science, history, and many more genres. The 20+ titles will be available for global streaming on DocuBay in more than 170 countries, with the app available on platforms such as the Apple store, Google Play, Fire TV, and Apple TV.
“We are pleased to partner with Albatross World Sales, whose library includes a range of unique documentaries and factual, which are in line with DocuBay’s diverse line-up,” said IN10 Media Network, senior AVP of acquisition and syndication, Adita Jain. “Our strategy has always been to provide the audience with premium content, in various genres, from across the world.”
“Working on this deal with the DocuBay team has been a pleasure and we’re very excited that our high-quality documentaries will be available to viewers around the world! It’s also a promising start to a fruitful collaboration,” added Albatross World Sales, sales manager for Asian territories, Eleytheria Heine.
Mumbai : Singapore-based content distribution and production company Bomanbridge Media has signed a global distribution partnership with the Indian infotainment channel EPIC, from the house of the IN10 Media Network which has businesses in broadcast, digital, and production under its umbrella.
This alliance will see Bomanbridge exclusively selling more than 500 hours of Indian original content from EPIC’s catalogue which features factual content, including series like Raja Rasaoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan and Regiment Dairies. In addition to the distribution of original finished content, the partnership will also explore co-productions and other mutually beneficial IP projects in efforts to increase cross border storytelling.
To kickstart the new collaboration, Bomanbridge has also announced the first milestone deal on the factual documentary special, Royal Enfield – Brands of India (1×60’) with SBS Australia. The 1 x 60’ programme will air later this year. The series follows the legendary brand, Royal Enfield, and its unique story – a vintage motorcycle company that has an English pedigree but an Indian upbringing.
Royal Enfield Bullet, is the world’s oldest continuously made motorcycle which has legions of fans and followers who love its sound, looks and riding comfort. This is the story of the rise, fall and rise of Royal Enfield – an iconic motorcycle company, the company said on Thursday.
“We are so impressed with the growth of IN10 Media Network’s channels and overall service expansion. It’s clear to us they are ambitious and we are keen to share this adventure with them, support the growth through sales of their high quality content, and embark on a new slate of projects together,” said Bomanbridge Media, CEO, Sonia Fleck.
Commenting on the partnership, IN10 Media Network, VP – Corporate strategy and development, Mansi Darbar said, “We are elated to partner with Bomanbridge Media, whose expertise will take our flagship channel EPIC’s premium content to a global audience. At the Network, we are committed to associate with captivating content which has a universal appeal and caters to a wide set of viewers. This strategic partnership strengthens our commitment towards factual content.”
