ITV

Tag: Mumbai

  • Hungama TV kicks off auditions for ‘John Aur Kaun?’

    Hungama TV kicks off auditions for ‘John Aur Kaun?’

    MUMBAI: Hungama TV is all set to make a splash this monsoon with the auditions of John aur Kaun (JAK) – its talent hunt for kids that will kick-start in Mumbai on 29 July.

    In the first round of Oral-B JAK auditions, 50 kids will be short-listed from the applicants on 29t July in Mumbai.

    In the second round on 30 July, final eight will be selected from Mumbai. There will also be ‘on-the-spot’ auditions for those who missed out on sending their entry from 9 am to 12 noon, on a first come first serve basis on 29 July.

    The Oral-B JAK auditions will travel across five cities to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad over 58 days, with the similar selection process and will culminate in August. The most talented eight contenders per city will be flown to Mumbai for the final rounds.

    The auditions will be aired on Hungama TV where kids will be seen displaying their singing, acting and dancing talents.

    The selected talent pool will be further groomed by industry professionals at every step of the contest. By a process of elimination, the final four candidates will be put up for a nationwide voting process via SMS / televoting, following which the final two winners will be announced at an event in Mumbai.

    Finally, one boy and one girl will be chosen to act in a UTV-produced movie with Hungama TV’s brand ambassador John Abraham and will also be presented with a cash prize of Rs 500,000 each, along with a three year contract with UTV to manage their acting careers.

    Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta says, ”We are delighted to be moving into the auditions phase of Oral B John aur Kaun. We look forward to encountering some hugely talented kids, two of whom will get the chance of a lifetime to act with John in a UTV film. Excitement levels amongst kids around the country are at fever pitch, so let the show begin!”

    Oral-B JAK has received an overwhelming response and UTV has announced a refund of Rs 400 to those who have applied and paid an entry fee of Rs 500.

    For spot auditions, kids needs to go to the audition center with their parent/guardian and pay Rs 100 as an entry fee. UTV will get their entry forms filled and photographs taken and take the audition.

  • Sun TV in for a consortium with Red FM

    Sun TV in for a consortium with Red FM

    MUMBAI: Kalanithi Maran’s Sun TV Ltd. is expected to enter into a consortium with Red FM, the operators in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, for its radio business.

    The alliance will offer a joint platform to advertisers, making it a formidable bouquet against the biggies like Radio Mirchi and Radio City. Brand promotions will also be a part of this exercise, market sources say. Both Red FM and Sun TV Ltd were not available for comment till the time of filing this report.

    Malaysia’s Astro All Asia Networks plc, which is one of the three stakeholders in Red FM, recently said that it was in advanced discussions with strategic partners on various initiatives in India, including participation in a nationwide consortium of FM radio networks. “We expect to finalise partnership arrangements in the coming months. Appropriate announcements will be made in due course,” Astro Group CEO Ralph Marshall told reporters after the company’s AGM in Kuala Lumpur.

    Maran, who made an aggressive nationwide bid in the second phase of FM radio expansion, had excluded Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, the cities where Red FM operates. While Kal Radio (where Sun TV owns 89 per cent) would confine its operations to the southern language states, South Asia FM (Sun has 94.91 per cent equity) would carve out stations in the other regions.

    Joining hands with NDTV and Hyderabad-based Value Labs to acquire Red FM from Radio Today for around Rs 1.3 billion, Astro is eyeing a major presence in the FM sector in India. “We expect that we would have a 20 per cent interest in a nationwide radio licence as soon as we receive the approvals,” Marshall had told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

    Apart from Red FM, Astro is already managing two FM radio stations in Kolkata through AMSI (Airtime Marketing & Sales India). The company, working with its local Indian partners Power107.8 FM and Aamar 106.2 FM, provides studio facilities and airtime sales and marketing services to the two FM radio stations in Kolkata.

    Sun TV Ltd, which raised Rs 6.03 billion through an initial public offering (IPO), has bet big on radio to scale up revenues. A consortium with Red FM would particularly help Sun in the newer markets, analysts say. In the southern language markets, Sun has the advantage of dominating ownership of movie rights which it can leverage for its radio business.

    Before the IPO, Sun had taken clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for issuing equity shares to foreign investors. The company, in its application, had said that it was intending to issue this either by “way of a preferential allotment prior to the IPO” and/or by “way of an initial public offering of its equity shares of the face value of Rs 10 each of 10 per cent of its post IPO paid up equity capital, subject to the maximum foreign investment limit as prescribed.”

  • Hathway rolls out broadband services in Chandigarh

    Hathway rolls out broadband services in Chandigarh

    MUMBAI: The Rajan Raheja promoted Hathway Cable & Datacom, in which Star India has a 26 per cent stake, has launched its broadband service in Chandigarh.

    Apart from cable internet services, Hathway is also planning to launch digital cable in the city.

    The company has launched a mix of pre-paid and post paid packages to provide choice to the customers. The packages will be available from 256 kbps for Rs 250 per month (download limit of 400 mb) and 512 kbps for Rs 500 per month (download limit of 1 gb), according to an official release.

    The company is targeting residential, small medium enterprises and corporates. Hathway’s broadband services are available in the cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Pune, Nashik, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mysore and Chandigarh.

    “We are planning to launch our cable internet services in Kanpur as well. We have close to 90,000 broadband subscribers,” says Hathway & Cable Datacom CEO K Jayaraman.

  • Two students stand Taller, Stronger and Sharper to represent Mumbai at the Horlicks Wiz Team National Finals

    Two students stand Taller, Stronger and Sharper to represent Mumbai at the Horlicks Wiz Team National Finals

    Mumbai, July 24, 2006: Horlicks, the only Health Drink in India that has been proven to make kids Taller, Stronger and Sharper returned to Mumbai with its highly successful and India’s largest inter school festival, Horlicks Wiz Kids 2006 and Horlicks Wiz Team city finals. The city finals culminated in great excitement with two students emerging as the winners who will form the Horlicks Wiz team 2006 from Mumbai and will represent the city in the national finals in November 2006. Bigger than ever before, in its third successive year, the event received participation from more than 2,00,000 students from over 1500 schools and was held at Bhaidas Hall, near Mithibai College, Mumbai

    Horlicks Wiz Kids 2006 by ACTIVITY provided an enjoyable and enriching platform for students to encourage participation and team spirit through a variety of competitions on diverse subjects such as literature, art, singing, dramatics and others. The Horlicks Wiz Kids inter school festival helps students develop the ability and confidence to express their views and talents and not restrict themselves to only academics.

    Talent activity comprising of Style Act, Short Play, Fusion Group Dance and Group Melody gives students the confidence to perform in front of a live audience and showcase their talents. Under Vocal activity, competitions such as Quiz, Hindi Antakshari, Extempore, Speaker of the Year and Air Crash enables students to be quick and attentive, sharpen memory skills and encourage them to express themselves through speech and music. Students learn how to be creative and convey their thoughts and opinions through Literary activity which includes English Creative Essay Writing, State Language Essay writing and Calligraphy. Art activity involves Painting, Pencil Sketching, Greeting Card Making, Pot Making, Collage and Mehndi Design to bring out the innovative and creative talents in every student. Competitions related to Creative activity such as Little Cook, Flower arrangement, Still Photography allows students freedom to experiment with their creativity. Drawing and Fancy Dress competition at the Kids activity and some competitions at the Informal activity such as Face Painting, The Search and Crossword encourage students to start young and perform in an informal atmosphere.

    Horlicks Wiz Teams 2006 is a unique personality and talent search for students who epitomise the Horlicks Generation: Taller, Stronger and Smarter. The winners of the Horlicks Wiz Team 2006 in Mumbai were chosen following an elaborate evaluation procedure. The students were judged on their performance in three rounds: the written elimination round, the interview round and a final selection round on the main stage comprising of the talent round, the versatility round and the judges’ question round. Students were evaluated on their overall personality, stage presence, confidence, self-awareness, communication and interpersonal skills, critical thinking, creativity, decision-making and problem solving ability, stress management and emotional quotient. The two students will now compete against 48 students from 24 other cities at the grand finale.

    “Horlicks Wiz Kids and Horlicks Wiz Team enhance each student’s ability to stand tall, to be sharp and to be strong in all aspects of development, creating a Taller, Stronger, Sharper generation which has the ability to keep pace with the changing world. Horlicks Wiz Kids encourages and provides students with a healthy environment of participation and self improvement,” commented Mr Subhajit Sen, Vice President, Marketing, Glaxo SmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

  • Soccer fever: Zee Sports sets itself ‘Goal 2010’ with AIFF

    Soccer fever: Zee Sports sets itself ‘Goal 2010’ with AIFF

    MUMBAI: Just imagine! With football fever spreading across the country thanks to the football World Cup, Zee Sports has set itself an ambitious target.

    Zee Sports and the All India football federation (AIFF) are looking to spread the popularity of football over the next four years. The two parties have announced a visionary project Goal 2010.

    The ultimate aim is to see India play in the soccer World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. Hence the tagline Just Imagine! The two parties will have public relations, youth outreach, training and marketing activities. The first step in the long journey will be a three week long Soccer Carnival in 11 cities including Goa, Mumbai and Delhi. The carnival kicked off in Chandigarh on Monday.

    Elaborating further on the initiative Zee Sports business head Himanshu Mody said, “Football is an international sport for which there is a vast following among the masses in India. We have put in lot of hard work to present Indian Football in a high quality format at viewer friendly times with in depth analysis.

    “That football has entered a new level has become obvious with the strong response we have received from fans and the corporates in the last one-year. Goal 2010 is an assertion of our commitment to make football as the most watched and played sport in the country. We believe that this project will help Indian football make a place for itself in world football.”

    The channel notes that the level of interest in the ongoing soccer World Cup shows on one level that the interest in the game is alive and well. At the same time the poor standard exhibited by the Indian football team in the past few decades is responsible for the domestic clubs and national team’s performances not being followed. The channel rightly notes that should India take part in the soccer World Cup in 2010 interest will skyrocket.

    The parties are looking to take advantage of the rise of interest in football in the public’s consciousness and build the players, leagues and clubs on the plank of “Support your team and it’s player’s in their crusade for the next World Cup”. The Goal 2010 project will encompass all activities undertaken by Zee and AIFF in their preparation to get India to South Africa in 2010.

    Activity Plan: The earlier mentioned carnival will be in the form of roadshows. For three weeks they will travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata. The roadshows will have branding, MC, music, Zeebras and a roll of Canvas on which the channel will make Indians pledge their support to Indian Football’s World Cup 2010 campaign. The promoters will drive traffic to this Graffiti wall.

    In the morning, the channel shall park outside a school or academy to rally student support. In the evening, the channel will cover public parks and the main market areas. There will also be a giant replica of the Fifa World Cup. The channel is hoping that this will instill dreams in Indians that just like cricket their football team too can do their country proud on the global stage.

    During the three-week period in each city the road show will last for three days and will visit various hip and happening locations in each place. The aim is to create fan awareness about different facets of Indian Football, which includes various tournaments and leagues, football players, clubs, legends of Indian football, etc. Besides providing an opportunity to fans to know about Indian football, the carnival will also host a variety of interactive games and contests where they will have the opportunity to win Zee Sports merchandise.

    The carnival will first visit Chandigarh with the football cheerleading squad, the Zeebras. A huge inflatable football will be placed at a prominent indoor location in each city and will remain there for six months. People can come and pledge their support to the Indian Football’s World Cup campaign. All signatures collected during the campaign will be presented to Fifa president Sepp Blatter in October, during his visit here and his support for India’s dream will be sought.

    Zee Sports VP marketing Gaurav Seth says that later in the year the channel and AIFF will conduct inter school competitions where probables for the under 17 and under 19 teams will be considered. The Japanese team comes down in October to play in qualifying matches for next year’s Asia Cup in Malaysia. If the Indian team is able to qualify for the Asia Cup then that will give them excellent practice ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which start in 2008.

    Zee Sports and the AIFF will also conduct clinics for coaches and teachers. This is important in growing football at the grasroots level. A couple of weeks ago, AIFF, with advice from Zee Sports, had chosen Bob Houghton as the Indian football team’s coach. Houghton has in the past helped take China to the soccer World Cup. Seth is hopeful that with the carnival Indian soccer fans will not forget about the sport once the World Cup (which is airing on rival ESPN) ends.

    Zee Sports had introduced the Zeebras as their mascots of promoting Indian football. Dressed in funky outfits, the Zeebras will perform on hit tunes during the carnival.

    Zee Sports had signed a 10 year deal with the AIFF last year. The channel says that since then it has taken prudent steps to popularise Indian Football. For the first time, 100 matches of Indian football comprising of matches from National Football League, Federation Cup and Santosh Trophy were shown live.

    Zee Sports flew down international experts in football production for the telecast of Indian Football. This included directors, sound engineers, visual graphic specialists from the UK, South Africa and South East Asia. Using a 12-camera setup to cover the action from the field, Zee Sports ensured every shot and dribble was viewed from multiple angles ensuring exciting viewing to its consumers.

    The coverage involved more replays, international commentators, new graphic look and various in studios programming leading to the build up. For the 10th edition of ONGC Cup, two world-class units simultaneously broadcast the matches from Kolkata, Mumbai and Goa. British Match director David Horridge, produced the telecast.

    Horridge is involved in directing Champions League matches and is now Germany to work for Fifa on the World Cup coverage. The telecast package will include preview and review shows, half time match analysis and various studio programming. 

    In line with Zee Sports promise to deliver international quality coverage of Indian football, John Helm and former England International player Russell Osman were flown from England for commentary for all the three major domestic football tournament. Assisting them were Zee Sports commentator Debayan and football expert Noel da Lima Leitao.

  • ‘Mid Day’ to launch in Bangalore on its 27th anniversary

    ‘Mid Day’ to launch in Bangalore on its 27th anniversary

    MUMBAI: While Mid Day is celebrating its 27th anniversary with a special issue on 27 June. This year, the anniversary celebrations are doubled as it will also launch in Bangalore on the same day.

    This time, it is not just another anniversary issue that’s coming out. After 27 years of chronicling Mumbai on the move, Mid Day is now on the move as it hits Bangalore as a separate edition.

    An official comminuque states that since Bangalore has a large English-reading middle class, which is out and about during the day and as it also has significant amount of retail advertisers in the market, it makes sense for Mid Day to target Bangalore.

    Mid Day’s Mumbai anniversary is a mega 264 pages issue. It’s the single largest issue in terms of the number of pages that a newspaper has ever done in the country. The anniversary issue has six supplements and each is highlighting fours hours of a day. It will cover Mumbai round the clock at usual places in odd hours and odd places in usual hours, exhibiting the soul of Mumbai.

    Mid Day will also launches its E-paper on the anniversary. www.mid-day.com has gone a whole lot ‘E-sier’ and much more ‘E-xciting’ after undergoing a face lift. The E-paper will be free for the readers.

  • Sun channels to be priced Rs 5 for Cas areas in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata

    Sun channels to be priced Rs 5 for Cas areas in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata

    MUMBAI: TRAI had issued press releases on 15/10/06, 25/10/06, 14.11.2006, 30.11.2006 and 14.12.2006 placing the details of Maximum Retail Prices fixed by the broadcasters in respect of CAS areas on the basis of the reporting done by them in terms of clause 7 (ii) of the Tariff Order of 31/8/2006.

    Subsequently, the Authority was informed that some of the pay channels listed in the website are not pay channels in some of the notified areas and also some new pay channels for the CAS notified areas, have been reported. A list of such channels as per reporting done now given below:-

    Name of the Broadcaster and Channel Remarks

    M/s SUN TV Limited

    i) Sun TV

    		 Pay channel at a price of Rs 5/- (excluding of taxes) in notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. The channels will however be free to air in Chennai CAS area

    M/s Udaya TV Limited

    i)Udaya Movies , ii) Udaya Varthegalu

    		 Pay channel at a price of Rs 5/- (excluding of taxes) in notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. The channels will however be free to air in Chennai CAS area

    M/s Gemini TV Limited

    i) Gemini Music, ii) Gemini News, iii) Gemini Cable Vision

    		 Pay channel at a price of Rs 5/- (excluding of taxes) in notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. The channels will however be free to air in Chennai CAS area

    An updated list has been placed on TRAI’s website www.trai.gov.in

  • IBN 7‘s ‘Hindustan ki Kasam’ explores Mumbai’s local trains

     

    MUMBAI: IBN 7’s ‘Hindustan ki Kasam’ will be in Mumbai this week discussing the city’s distinctive suburban train system. Covering vast geographical distances to include as much of the local population as possible, this network is the principle mode of mass public transport in the city and one of the oldest in Asia.

     

    Keeping in mind the Mumbaikars absolute dependence on these trains for their daily commute, the programme’s team will bring together people and experts to deliberate on issues such as congestion, women’s compartment’s, security, general conditions, etc.

     

    Two zonal wings of the Indian railways operate the Mumbai Suburban Railway System: the Western Railways and the Central Railways. Renowned for possessing the highest passenger density of any urban railway system in the world, this lifeline of the city carries a record 65-lakh passengers daily.

     

    Despite such heavy commuter traffic, the infrastructure surrounding the railways is insufficient resulting in problems of overcrowding and subsequent fatalities.

     

    “We strongly feel that an issue like the Mumbai local trains deserves attention due to the public’s sheer dependence on it. We believe in inclusive journalism and our aim has always been to air shows, which involve the common man.

     

    This show will provide the people a platform to voice their opinions on subjects, which affect their daily lives. We are confident that the outcome of such a series will put pressure on the concerned authorities to bring about positive changes regarding the same.” added, Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN 7.

    Watch “Hindustan Ki Kasam” from Monday to Sunday at 6:30 pm only on IBN 7.

  • NOKIA announces ‘Star Cast’ for the NOKIA new year’s eve in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Nokia today announced an exciting line up of celebrity artists who will be performing at Nokia New Year’s Eve – a global music event to be held across 5 countries. As a part of the India celebrations, some of the leading Bollywood actors, music maestros & international artists will come together to perform in Mumbai’s Andheri Sports Complex on December 31, 2006. The artist line up for Nokia New Year’s Eve (NNYE) in Mumbai includes, “The Mozart of Madras”, AR Rahman, heart throb of Indian youth – Priyanka Chopra and dancing sensations of Bollywood, Koena Mitra and Shahid Kapoor.

    Nokia is also bringing the Grammy Award winner Nelly Furtado to India for the first time. Nelly will be performing songs from her latest album ‘Loose’. Canadian band Josh Desi, who remixed her single ‘Powerless’ will also be performing as part of the concert.

    The show in Mumbai that would begin with the performance of AR Rahman will culminate with artists performing to a live audience of over 8-10 thousand people and joining hands for the magic moment – Welcome 2007. The five events together are expected to have a combined attendance of 1.3 million and an anticipated global television and Internet audience of 150 million.

    Some of the other international artists performing in other NNYE destinations include Black Eyed Peas and Scissor Sisters.

    Commenting on bringing world class artists together for the NNYE in Mumbai, Mr. Devinder Kishore, Director Marketing, Nokia India, said, “Nokia New Year’s Eve is a natural extension of our brand promise of ‘Connecting People’. With this event Nokia aims to create an unforgettable experience by hosting the world’s biggest New Year party of 2006 stretching across five party capitals of the world – starting from Hong Kong, followed by Mumbai, to Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and rounding off in New York.”

    Sharing details of his performance, AR Rahman, added “Music has been my passion since childhood and I am extremely delighted to perform at the Nokia New Year’s Eve. I look forward to wishing my fans all across the world a great start 2007 by performing among such an exciting line up of Indian and International artists”

     

    Koena Mitra said “I am very excited to be a part of Nokia’s Global New Year Eve celebrations. I look forward to performing live and celebrating the Nokia New Year’s Eve with my fans.”

     

    Priyanka Chopra said “Music has no boundaries and it is the only bond that connects people instantly. This is the first time I am performing live on New Year’s Eve and it is truly going to be a magnificent experience. I am eager to connect with millions of my fans at this New Years Eve musical extravaganza.”

     

    Shahid Kapoor added, “This Nokia New Year’s Eve concert truly is an event of a global stature. I am very thrilled to be performing among such an exciting line up of Indian and International artists. It indeed is a very exciting way to welcome 2007 and celebrate the New Year with my fans.”

     

    The tickets for the Nokia Year Eve concert in Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai will be priced at Rs 2500, Rs. 1500, and Rs 1200. Tickets are available at all Nokia Priority dealers and Planet M outlets in Mumbai. For further information on Nokia Year’s Eve concert please contact the helpline no 022 -26421211.

    For more information on Nokia New Year Eve, please visit www.nokianewyearseve.com.

     

    About Nokia:

    Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.

  • Setting up broadcast regulator to cost government Rs 601 million

    Setting up broadcast regulator to cost government Rs 601 million

    NEW DELHI: The proposed Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India (Brai) is likely to cost the government Rs 601.1 million to set up, which includes recurring and non-recurring expenses.

    According to projections made by the information and broadcasting ministry, the annual cost on pay and allowances of officers and staff of Brai would be Rs 85.7 million, with the chairperson’s remuneration being the highest wherein the monthly financial implication would be Rs 60,000.

    Non-recurring expenses have been pegged at Rs 124.7 million, which include basic infrastructure for Brai. The Indian government is proposing to set up Brai under the yet to be enacted Broadcasting Services Regulation Act. The functions of Brai will be to oversee the broadcast and cable industry in all its entirety with powers ranging from granting licences for any type of broadcasting services to ensuring quality of services to monitor content beamed on radio and TV channels.

    It has also been proposed that Brai have five regional offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati.

    There would be six full-time members of the regulatory authority, apart from the chairperson, with everybody’s term of office being for five years or till the time they attain the age of 65 — whichever being earlier.

    The chairperson or any other member would not be eligible for a second term, but a member can be eligible for appointment as chairperson for the remaining part of his term.

    Even though Brai is being set up as an independent organization, the government would keep a control over it through a government official of not less than additional secretary’s rank who will act as the chief executive of Brai.

    A draft note, prepared by the government, states that the secretary of Brai would act as its CEO and the federal government would make available a panel of not less than three officials for a selection to be made.

    All broadcast and cable related cases pending before the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), presently acting as the broadcast regulator, and the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) will be deemed as transferred to Brai once it is set up.