ITV

Tag: Maiboli

  • B4U Network hires new revenue chief

    B4U Network hires new revenue chief

    MUMBAI: Hemlata Yederi has moved to B4U Network as chief revenue officer after spending 14 years building the sales operation at rival broadcaster Sri Adhikari Brothers group. The move, effective September, hands her control of revenue strategy and partnership deals across B4U’s entertainment channels.

    Yederi spent over a decade as national head of sales and latterly chief revenue officer at Sri Adhikari Brothers, where she managed advertising revenue for channels including Mastiii, the country’s leading music channel, Hindi film channels Dabangg and Dhamaal, Marathi regional channel Maiboli, and general entertainment channel Dillagi. That she’s now steering B4U’s monetisation efforts marks a significant coup for the network—and an uncomfortable loss for her former employer.

    With three decades in media sales under her belt, Yederi’s career spans stints at NDTV, where she ran advertising sales for the west, and an 11-year run at Mid Day as associate vice president of sales. She cut her teeth in yellow pages sales at Getit Infomediary in the early 1990s, managing field and telesales teams before the digital revolution upended directory advertising.

    At B4U, Yederi now oversees brand monetisation, media sales and cross-platform expansion for the Mumbai-based broadcaster. Her LinkedIn announcement, posted five days ago, came wrapped in the obligatory corporate sentiment about “people and purpose” and “balancing strategy with heart”—the sort of language that sounds earnest but means little.

    What matters is execution. B4U has hired someone who knows how to extract revenue from India’s advertising market and has spent years doing precisely that for a competitor. Whether Yederi can replicate that success in new colours remains the only question worth asking. In media sales, loyalty lasts only as long as the next quarterly target.

  • Prasar Bharati’s bold OTT leap with Adhikari Brothers

    Prasar Bharati’s bold OTT leap with Adhikari Brothers

    MUMBAI: Have you ever wondered what happens when two iconic Indian media powerhouses join forces? The answer is an unprecedented expansion of content horizons, blending tradition with innovation.

    Prasar Bharati, India’s revered public broadcaster, has unveiled a landmark strategic alliance with Sri Adhikari Brothers Digital Network Pvt. Ltd., promising to redefine the country’s entertainment landscape. This partnership aims to bring premium and diverse content from Sri Adhikari Brothers to Prasar Bharati’s Waves OTT platform and linear television channels, ensuring something for every viewer.

    This collaboration symbolises a reunion of historic allies, rooted in shared values and a deep commitment to quality entertainment. Under the agreement, Mastiii, Dabangg, and Maiboli, Sri Adhikari Brothers’ popular channels, will now be accessible on Waves, enriching its library with vibrant, family-friendly, and youth-centric programming.

    Sri Adhikari Brothers Network chairman emeritus, Markand Adhikari reminisced, “Gautam (my brother) and I started our career with Doordarshan, and whatever Adhikari Brothers is today is because of the massive reach of Doordarshan. We feel like it’s a homecoming, and I am confident that, once again, we will provide quality entertainment for our audiences. We are proud of our legacy with Doordarshan.”

    The partnership extends beyond content distribution, focusing on co-developing fresh, innovative programming to cater to contemporary audiences. With an eye on culturally rich and socially relevant content, this alliance aims to bridge generational gaps while embracing digital advancements.

    What does this mean for viewers? Waves will become the go-to destination for diverse entertainment, boasting the best of regional hits, family dramas, and youth-focused shows. The inclusion of Mastiii, Dabangg, and Maiboli strengthens the platform’s appeal, making it a versatile hub for modern-day audiences.

    Sri Adhikari Brothers MD Kailasnath Adhikari expressed his excitement, “I have grown up watching Doordarshan and I call it my home. We are filled with nothing but pride and will always put our best foot forward to carry on this association for times to come.”

    What’s next?

    This collaboration is more than a content-sharing deal—it is a step forward in enriching India’s entertainment ecosystem. By blending Prasar Bharati’s 50+ years of broadcast legacy with Sri Adhikari Brothers’ modern approach, this alliance signals a promising era for both traditional and digital platforms.

    Is this the beginning of a broader trend in Indian media partnerships? Only time will tell.

  • Sri Adhikari Brothers Initiative 2.0 to enable migrant workers to show hidden talent

    Sri Adhikari Brothers Initiative 2.0 to enable migrant workers to show hidden talent

    MUMBAI: While India is battling Covid2019 at its forefront, unemployment has shaken the very core of its economy and its impact is likely to change the dynamics of its labour force essentially of migrant workers. To imbibe the PM’s thought of AtmaNirbharata, Sri Adhikari Brothers has opened a gateway of employment, to the less fortunate migrant workers who have been rendered jobless, through Sri Adhikari Brothers Initiative 2.0.

    Sri Adhikari Brothers will use its network channels including Mastiii, Dabang, Maiboli and digital platforms to call out to millions of migrant workers who might have any talent that they would want to showcase. Be it dancing, singing, acting or any other performing arts would be welcome. The program would shortlist thousands of individuals month on month who have a hidden talent and will monetarily reward the chosen 1000 people by means of direct bank transfer to their accounts. The chosen ones will also be aired on the network channels of the group.

    Sri Adhikari Brothers, through its association, would further attempt to maximise growth for the talent by providing them a break in suitable professional opportunities.

    Co-founder Markand  Adhikari said, “Mostly all business minds get focused on protecting their business and bottom lines in such tough times. We are aware that millions of Indians have had to return back to their villages after being left with no option. No matter what job they were in, there’s a possibility that many of them had talent that they once in life might have had to compromise to earn their livelihood. We have often seen videos of people on the street singing or dancing as well as any professional. Some fortunate ones have even touched the stars. Our attempt is to put a structure, reach out to millions of Indians in a planned manner – give them hope, give them employment and ensuring direct transfer of money into their accounts and thereby give them self-belief to be AatmaNirbhar.”

    For this initiative, Sri Adhikari Brothers has put aside a dedicated team that will be driving this program.

  • Maiboli to premiere ‘Shortcut’ on 30 April

    MUMBAI: SABGROUP’s Marathi channel Maiboli is set to entertain the audience with the broadcast of the Marathi Blockbuster ‘Shortcut –Disto pan Nasto’a moviefeaturing for the first time on the small screen. “Maiboli”, a regional Marathi language channel, showcases the Marathi culture and heritage.

    The telecast is scheduled on 30 April,2017 at 1:30pm& repeat at 7:30pm, featuring stars like Vaibbhav Tatwaddi, Sanskruti Balgude& Rajesh Shringarpure.

    ‘Shortcut – Disto pan Nasto’, a blockbuster Marathi thriller directed by Harsh Raut is based on the ups and downs in Rohit’s life who plays the protagonist. A movie that went on to receive many industry accolades.

    To add to the excitement, Maiboliwill be running a “Shortcut to Win” contest, where viewers can win big with the prizes such as home theater speaker systems, LED TV & Bluetooth Headphones by simply answering couple of questions asked during the movie.

    Magnifying this World television premier, an extensive marketing campaign has been unfolded across Maharashtra including TV, Digital, Outdoor, Print & PR campaigns.Brand like FeviKwik and Reliance trends are on board with this special screening as the powered by sponsor & associate sponsor respectively. Also on board are media partners – Dainik Saamna and Manas Creations.

    Tatwadi said, “I am so excited that Maiboli is doing a world television premier of one my special films – Shortcut. This film is very close to me because the character I have played has never been portrayed in Marathi films before.”

    Balgude said, “Shortcut is a thriller movie that will keep you asking for more, my character is very glamorous and with the “shortcut to win” contest it is just going to add to the excitement.

  • SAB’s Maiboli to recommend ‘save environment’ during Ganesh immersion

    SAB’s Maiboli to recommend ‘save environment’ during Ganesh immersion

    MUMBAI: Sri Adhikari Brothers (SAB) Group’s Marathi channel Maiboli is all set to take the festivities a notch higher.

    Maiboli will feature episodes where they will be visiting celebrity homes and celebrate the festival with them. Viewers can enjoy Bappa’s darshan at their favourite celebrity’s home every day at 12:30 pm, 5pm and 10:30 pm till 15 September. In order to add essence of ethnicity, the channel will feature 8-10 Ganesh naam Mahima fillers daily which will talk about various names of Lord Ganesha and the trivia behind it.

    With the philosophy to make the audience responsible and conscious towards the nature and as a part of SAB’s social responsibility, the channel will feature “Appaapla parvyavaran–apli jababdari,” where celebrities will endorse SAB’s message of saving environment by not polluting natural water resources and requesting viewers to use artificial ponds.They have even taken the initiative of researching and telecasting the list of artificial ponds.

    SAB CEO Manav Dhanda says, “Over the past few years, Maharashtra has witnessed severe drought. But, this year, Maharashtra has been blessed with good amount of rains and hence this festive season we would like to spread the message of saving water through Maiboli which is the most watched Marathi channel in the morning prime time. We have celebrities like Gauri Nalawade, Sai Tamhankar, Vandana Gupte and many others joining this cause.”

  • SAB’s Maiboli to recommend ‘save environment’ during Ganesh immersion

    SAB’s Maiboli to recommend ‘save environment’ during Ganesh immersion

    MUMBAI: Sri Adhikari Brothers (SAB) Group’s Marathi channel Maiboli is all set to take the festivities a notch higher.

    Maiboli will feature episodes where they will be visiting celebrity homes and celebrate the festival with them. Viewers can enjoy Bappa’s darshan at their favourite celebrity’s home every day at 12:30 pm, 5pm and 10:30 pm till 15 September. In order to add essence of ethnicity, the channel will feature 8-10 Ganesh naam Mahima fillers daily which will talk about various names of Lord Ganesha and the trivia behind it.

    With the philosophy to make the audience responsible and conscious towards the nature and as a part of SAB’s social responsibility, the channel will feature “Appaapla parvyavaran–apli jababdari,” where celebrities will endorse SAB’s message of saving environment by not polluting natural water resources and requesting viewers to use artificial ponds.They have even taken the initiative of researching and telecasting the list of artificial ponds.

    SAB CEO Manav Dhanda says, “Over the past few years, Maharashtra has witnessed severe drought. But, this year, Maharashtra has been blessed with good amount of rains and hence this festive season we would like to spread the message of saving water through Maiboli which is the most watched Marathi channel in the morning prime time. We have celebrities like Gauri Nalawade, Sai Tamhankar, Vandana Gupte and many others joining this cause.”

  • NexGTv ties- up with SAB Group on regional content

    NexGTv ties- up with SAB Group on regional content

    MUMBAI: In a major move, nexGTv has announced its partnership with SAB Group. As a part of the alliance, nexGTv has acquired the worldwide digital rights to broadcast the group’s most sought-after regional channels such as Masti, Dabang, Dhamaal, Maiboli and Dillagi for its users across the globe.

    Started by brothers Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari in 1985, SAB Group has gone on to establish its brand proposition as a pioneer in the field of Indian Media, pushing through various stages of growth over the last 25 years from a production house to a broadcaster. SAB Group has successfully identified the gap in the regional market and has emerged as a leader in the space by delivering highly relevant localized content.

    Speaking on the announcement, nexGTv COO Abhesh Verma said, “Since its inception, nexGTv has endeavoured to deliver the most tailored entertainment solutions to the rich and diverse consumer base it enjoys across the country. The partnership with SAB will allow us to curate and deliver popular regional entertainment solutions on-the-go to our viewers. We are confident that the latest addition will enhance our regional offering and add greater value to the mobile viewing experience of our users by providing them with seamless access to locally relevant video-based entertainment content.”

    NexGTv’s latest association will no doubt delight the country’s digital viewership, who will now be able to view their preferred regional entertainment content at their convenience anytime, anywhere. All the channels from SAB Group are a part of the paid category at nexGTv, and can be accessed either through www.nexGTv.com or through the nexGTv mobile app for Android and iOS.

  • NexGTv ties- up with SAB Group on regional content

    NexGTv ties- up with SAB Group on regional content

    MUMBAI: In a major move, nexGTv has announced its partnership with SAB Group. As a part of the alliance, nexGTv has acquired the worldwide digital rights to broadcast the group’s most sought-after regional channels such as Masti, Dabang, Dhamaal, Maiboli and Dillagi for its users across the globe.

    Started by brothers Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari in 1985, SAB Group has gone on to establish its brand proposition as a pioneer in the field of Indian Media, pushing through various stages of growth over the last 25 years from a production house to a broadcaster. SAB Group has successfully identified the gap in the regional market and has emerged as a leader in the space by delivering highly relevant localized content.

    Speaking on the announcement, nexGTv COO Abhesh Verma said, “Since its inception, nexGTv has endeavoured to deliver the most tailored entertainment solutions to the rich and diverse consumer base it enjoys across the country. The partnership with SAB will allow us to curate and deliver popular regional entertainment solutions on-the-go to our viewers. We are confident that the latest addition will enhance our regional offering and add greater value to the mobile viewing experience of our users by providing them with seamless access to locally relevant video-based entertainment content.”

    NexGTv’s latest association will no doubt delight the country’s digital viewership, who will now be able to view their preferred regional entertainment content at their convenience anytime, anywhere. All the channels from SAB Group are a part of the paid category at nexGTv, and can be accessed either through www.nexGTv.com or through the nexGTv mobile app for Android and iOS.

  • Sri Adhikari Bros aims to break into Bollywood with 7-8 films in 2016

    Sri Adhikari Bros aims to break into Bollywood with 7-8 films in 2016

    MUMBAI: Markand Adhikari and Gautam Adhikara – the promoters of Sri Adhikari Brothers – first tasted success as TV producers when they produced some of the most commercial shows on television around 15-20 years ago. Then they launched a television channel SAB, which Multi Screen Media (Sony Entertainment) bought over. Following that they unrolled several television channels, which have slowly been getting traction. Among these: Mastiii, MaiBoli, Dabang, Dillagi, and Dhamaal. A print magazine – Governance Now – is also under their umbrella. 

     

    Now the company is aspiring to get a foothold in the competitive film production and distribution business and plans to unveil seven to eight films into theatres worldwide in the next year.

     

    As match practice, it co-distributed the now-running Pyar Ka Punchnama 2 (released on 16 October) along with the Anand Pandit promoted Lotus Group, which it acquired from Viacom18 Pictures and Luv Films.

     

    The final filming schedule of its first co-production Great Grand Mastiii  (the sequel to Grand Masti) along with Indra Kumar and Askhok Thakeria is in the process of being completed. 

     

    Sri Adhikari Brothers vice-chairman and managing director Markand Adhikari says that the company would like to produce one or two films with big stars with the rest being medium budget ones. “Arre yaar, the masses want fun and entertainment, mazaa, and we want to give them that through our films. They already enjoy our content on television,” he says. “I understand the film business is competitive, but we are sure we can make a mark. The more the merrier.”

     

    Adds the company’s group CEO Manav Dhanda, “The reason behind entering into film distribution is to expand our business across all media verticals and not limit access to television. A few other films, which are in the pipeline, will also be announced in due course of time.”

     

    It is also looking at inking a few distribution deals just as it partnered with Lotus Group for Pyar Ka Punchnama 2. Each one will depend on the money involved as the film business is extremely dynamic, says Dhanda. “We are not looking at distributing any low-budget films, which will not make an impact on the viewers.”

     

    “At SAB, it is our relentless drive to facilitate accessibility of world class entertainment to the Indian audience across media verticals. Having engaged in production already, the distribution vertical would only be a progressive component in order to complete the value chain of the cinema business,” points out Dhanda. “This umbrella corporation has housed the film exhibition division as its key drivers in 2016 and will be seeing aggressive expansion in the years to come.”

     

    The Sri Adhikari Brothers share closed at around Rs 300 over the weekend and the company has a market capitalisation of around Rs 1,000 crore.

  • Sri Adhikari Brothers to raise Rs 100 crore

    Sri Adhikari Brothers to raise Rs 100 crore

    MUMBAI: It is one of the more successful Indian-origin companies in the media industry that delved into the comedy genre with SAB TV, which it sold to the Sony Entertainment Television in India. It followed that up with niche channel forays, the most recent of which is a Marathi comedy and music channel Maiboli. Now, Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd (SABTNL), has once again drawn up ambitious expansion plans and has decided to raise funds of upto Rs 100 crore to bankroll them.

     

    In a disclosure to the Bombay Stock Exchange, SABTNL  says that it will be offering 100 lakh warrants with an option to subscribe for equivalent number of equity shares of Rs 10 each at a price that may be determined by SEBI regulations. The warrants are to be issued on a preferential basis to the persons in the promoter group and others.

     

    The purpose of the fund raising exercise, says SABTNL, is to meet general long term financial and working capital needs and also to expand its successfully growing broadcasting business. The plans are subject to shareholder approval  which it will be seeking through postal ballot.