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Tag: Nisha Chothani

  • Travelxp wins National Film Award for ‘Timeless Tamil Nadu’ at the 71st National Film Awards

    Travelxp wins National Film Award for ‘Timeless Tamil Nadu’ at the 71st National Film Awards

    MUMBAI : Travelxp has announced that its original travel documentary Timeless Tamil Nadu has been awarded  Best Arts/Culture Film in the Non-Feature Films category at the prestigious 71st  National Film Awards for the year 2023.

    Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, Timeless Tamil Nadu is a powerful and poetic  tribute to the cultural soul of India’s southernmost state. The film is narrated through the  lens of celebrated travel host Alex Outhwaite, who finally fulfills her long-standing dream  of visiting Tamil Nadu. The film captures the grandeur of ancient temples, the serenity of  landscapes, and the warmth of people who speak a language she doesn’t understand — yet whose stories she deeply connects with.

    “It’s a wonderful feeling to receive this honor,” said Kamakhya Narayan Singh, director of  Timeless Tamil Nadu. “After 17 years of creating travel stories with Travelxp, this award  feels incredibly special. With this documentary, we wanted to go beyond destinations, to  explore the essence of Tamil Nadu’s culture and people. “

    Nisha Chothani, Producer of Timeless Tamil Nadu, added: “Winning the National Award is  incredibly humbling, and it reinforces our belief that travel storytelling, when done with  authenticity and heart, can create lasting emotional connections. We would like to thank  the Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu and the esteemed jury members for  this recognition, it means the world to our entire team.”

    With this honour, Travelxp cements its reputation as a storyteller that doesn’t just show  the world, but deeply feels it. Timeless Tamil Nadu is a celebration of a place that has  stood the test of time, and a reminder of the enduring power of cultural narratives told with  heart, sensitivity, and cinematic soul.

    Timeless Tamil Nadu is available to stream globally on the Travelxp app and TV channel,  reaching over 200 million homes across 119 countries in 25+ languages.

  • Travelxp launches food channel Foodxp in India

    Travelxp launches food channel Foodxp in India

    Mumbai: Travel channel and OTT platform Travelxp has announced the launch of its food channel Foodxp in India. The new channel was unveiled on 1 March.

    Foodxp was first launched in the UK on Sky in August 2019 to distribute food-based content. The channel emphasises diversified cuisines and talented upcoming Indian chefs.

    “Foodxp has gained huge popularity amongst Indians as well as the local residents of the UK,” said the statement. “Foodxp has become one of the top ten most viewed food channels in the UK and also received the award of ‘The Best Asian Food Channel’ in the UK in December 2021.”

    With more than 1,000+ episodes, the channel offers varied cuisines incorporating delicious dishes from Asia, Europe, America, and all across the world. One of the distinctive features of Foodxp involves real-time food creation, which means the recipes are made outright while shooting the episodes. This feature facilitates users to obtain real-time insights into the recipe.

    The team consists of some of the finest, talented, young as well as experienced chefs including Ajay Chopra, Harpal Sokhi, Vicky Ratnani, Neha Deepak Shah, Kiti Bhoutika, and so forth. The channel will be launched with shows comprising “Mix Masala by Chef Ajay Chopra,” “Food Fiesta by Chef Kriti Bhoutika,” “Kuch Teekha Kuch Meetha by Chef Neha Shah,” “The Royal Taste by Chef Mirvaan Vinayak,” and so on. 

    Travelxp is a 4K HDR travel channel reaching out to over 500 million+ viewers in over 50+ countries. “The channel strives to create and distribute high-quality content across all their channels. Foodxp is indicative of the kind of content viewers are looking for i.e., food adventures, how-to videos, luscious food recipes, and so forth,” said the statement.

    “With Foodxp, we bring what we are recognized globally for world class 100 per cent original programming which is relevant, experiential and informative for the viewers,” said Travelxp director Nisha Chothani. “We aim to make Foodxp the default destination for food just like Travelxp did with Travel.”

    “Food is the only thing that connects people from different cultures,” said Foodxp creative director Geetika Jain. “We launched Foodxp with a vision to promote Indian food and talent globally. The channel successfully provides an international platform to the brilliant upcoming Indian chefs. Each of the recipe is distinctive and curated by bringing together innovative recipes from across cultures.”

  • ‘Backpack – Egypt’ and ‘City Breaks Salzburg’ – new shows to broadcast on Travelxp, world’s leading travel channel

    ‘Backpack – Egypt’ and ‘City Breaks Salzburg’ – new shows to broadcast on Travelxp, world’s leading travel channel

    Mumbai, 26th September, 2018: Travelxp, the world’s leading travel channel reaching more than 92 million homes globally brings superlative viewing experience to the television screens with two new series of the popular shows “Backpack” and “City Breaks”. Titled “Backpack-Egypt” and “City Breaks – Salzburg”, the shows uncover and explore respectively; a civilization which is rich in history and culture and a picturesque old town which is an UNESCO Heritage Site.

    “Backpack – Egypt” and “City Breaks – Salzburg” are presented by Travelxp anchor Sabrina Chakici, who is a popular British television presenter and travel expert. She recently hosted live from the red carpet at The British Fashion Awards and The Golden globes interviewing Lady Gaga and Christopher Bailey. Sabrina has also presented on a number of Sky Channels and is a recognizable radio voice over artist for brands such as Boots, Glossy Box and Lego; as well as well-known for hosting the breakfast show for Vibe 197.6 FM.

    In “Backpack-Egypt”, Sabrina will take travelers to the land of dessert and the country known for pyramids, ancient temples and crafty mosques – Egypt! Viewers will be able to explore an exceptional and pleasing experience to an ancient city which is much more than Hollywood fantasies of mummies and hidden treasures.

    Show host Sabrina takes us through the Austrian town of Salzburg in “City Breaks Salzburg”, unraveling a city, nestled in the beautiful Alps. Unwrap Salzburg with Sabrina, a city not just known for Mozart but also for its cityscape dominated by beautiful churches, castles and palaces.

    Nisha Chothani, Director – Travelxp, said, “Those who are passionate about traveling are always in search of new places to travel to and explore. We are happy that Travelxp is able to bring to its viewers new television shows which are 100% original travel content. With Backpack-Egypt and City Breaks – Salzburg, we give our audience new destinations to learn about which are so different from each other, making the wait for the release of the shows even more worthwhile. The idea is to showcase the places in depth, giving travel buffs a great experience while watching it.”

    Backpack-Egypt will telecast three episodes starting with “Cairo” which will comprise the first part, where Sabrina starts her backpacking journey in Egypt from the capital Cairo, evenly painted in the shades of ancient Islamic and modern architecture. Marveled at the Pyramids, exploring the necropolis of Giza, Sabrina calls off her day after an eventful river cruise on the Nile.

    In the second part “Alexandria and Luxor”, Travelxp will unfold Alexandria, a perfect amalgamation of modern culture and traditional art. It covers the city from the Royal Library to the glorious Citadel on the Mediterranean coast. The grand temple of Luxor dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship in Egypt with a dash of traditional Arabic delicacies of Koshari and Falafel.

    “Luxor and Sinai” is its third part and the final leg of Sabrina’s journey where she uncovers the mysteries of the ancient temples of Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel paired with the Monastery of Catherine atop Mt. Sinai. Bidding adieu to Egypt she visits the vibrant town of Sharm-El-sheikh, exploring the local market and a mosque.

  • How Travelxp plans to conquer the travel space

    How Travelxp plans to conquer the travel space

    MUMBAI: Travelxp wants to travel far and wide. The Mumbai-based lifestyle channel, that has already seen a steady revenue growth for the last few years, now intends to grow by 30-40 per cent in the coming year.

    The network intends to expand to at least 15 more countries by the end of 2019 fiscal, and Latin America is one of them. The channel is already available in English, German, Czech, Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian and Bulgarian, and Travelxp director Nisha Chothani says it will soon be launched in Chinese too by December 2018. The channel caters to the Indian local markets through its Hindi, Tamil and Bengali feeds. The plan also includes launching certain South Indian and Marathi languages as well.

    “Since our plan is to enter Latin America and Russia, we will be launching one of these two languages depending on which country we are in Latin America. Spanish or Portuguese language might be the one and then Russian as well,” said Chothani.

    All shows on the channel are original in-house productions and its content is divided into six main categories – destination, lifestyle, food, culture, nature and heritage. Audience analysis has found that shows about hotels or anything related to spa works well.

    When it comes to the growth of OTT platforms, Chothani feels it is just another medium of consuming content. “So today when we say that TV viewership is dipping, at the same time we see that all these OTT platforms have become a part of the apps on television, and that’s more like having one more channel on TV. So ultimately you are watching it on TV, whether it’s coming through satellite or internet,” she said.

    She added that when it comes to OTT platforms, Netflix and Amazon are also the channels that provide differentiated content and have more content than other players in the market. As far as the preferences of the viewers are concerned, they might consume daily soaps, movies, news or infotainment on digital as well, which is the same that you see on the linear television. “TV is just the medium to transport our content,” she added.

    While producing a show, in order to keep the viewers glued to their channel, it obviously takes a lot of effort for not by the broadcaster but the crew making the show. Chothani said that when they produce any show, five people are required to take up the responsibility as the amount of equipment that is carried by them is difficult for an individual person to handle.

    When it comes to the time and efforts made in making just a show, Chothani said that if it’s just the shooting for the program, it takes minimum 20 days to shoot at the destination. Pre-production and post-production take around four months and later the post edit part also consumes four weeks to set the ball rolling. “By the time we start identifying the destination, designing, what all you need to see in a destination, getting the permissions for the shoot to be done, getting 4K ready, where it takes the longest time, from ingesting a material to rendering an episode and dubbing the same in various regional languages, it is a long process,” she explained.

    Travelxp has had its content work in most countries. “Mauritius now wants to include in different packages, earlier, we were only in one package but now they want us in more than one package because they find people liking this particular genre in travel,” she added.

    The channel is all set to launch its new programme named 10 Days Cyprus. The story revolves around a normal traveller who visits a place in 10 days, shooting all the exciting things about that place, in a bid to make the viewer plan a holiday by watching the show.

  • Travelxp launches new shows Thali-The Great Indian Meal, and City Breaks’ Uzbekistan series in 3 Indian, 7 global languages

    Travelxp launches new shows Thali-The Great Indian Meal, and City Breaks’ Uzbekistan series in 3 Indian, 7 global languages

    MUMBAI: Travelxp, the world’s leading travel channel reaching over 75 million homes and renowned for mainstream travel shows shot on 4K, has launched a new food-driven show and added three enticing destinations to its globally popular ongoing series.

    City Breaks Nisha Chothani, Director – Travelxp, said, “I am delighted to announce the launch of a unique new show, Thali – The Great Indian Meal, celebrating different, unusual but locally very popular culinary treats from all over India. We have also added three beautiful destinations from Uzbekistan to our globally popular series City Breaks. These shows have been created in the best Travelxp traditions of worldclass mainstream travel content shot in exquisite 4k and HD with multicultural hosts for immersive engagement, and will be launched on Sunday the 22nd of April in seven global and three Indian languages.”

    Thali – The Great Indian Meal:  Presented by celebrity Travelxp anchor Rohan Patoley, known most for his work in the non-fiction lifestyle-based series Strictly Street, Food Highway and Foodicted on Travelxp, this weekly half-hour series will air at 8:00 pm  every Saturday and Sunday, starting Sunday the 22nd of April 2018.

    Rohan will take food and travel aficionados on a quest to explore the flavors and assortments of one of the most traditional fares of India; the Thali. Viewers will explore various aspects of food ranging from street food to lost recipes and luxury cuisines in what will be a great window to understand the culture of every region through the local and unique delicacies it has to offer.

    Global and Indian audiences will get to savour the different, unusual, locally popular but globally not so well known  Thalis from India and the insightful stories behind different culinary flavors. The show will allow people who love travelling and exploring food of different countries, regions and communities to see India all over again through the culinary journey of the Thali.

    City Breaks to feature three exotic cities from Uzbekistan: Travelxp has added three beautiful, rugged, historic cities of Uzbekistan to its tentpole series City Breaks, which airs on weekends at 9:30  pm, and focuses on world cities that are great travel destinations. The series helps viewers see, know and become one with the history, culture and people of each city while savouring its sights, food and traditions. Starting Sunday the 22nd of April at 9.30 pm, City Breaks will feature these beautiful aspects in City Breaks Samarkand, City Breaks Bukhara and City Breaks Tashkent, presented by the celebrated, popular and glamorous Travelxp host, Alex Outhwaite.

    Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent are like a string of pearls on a timeline, each having a unique story to tell, and City Breaks’ Uzbekistan series will see the glamorous Alex  travel on a journey, shot in 4K, to Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, visiting markets and madrasas; indulging in local cuisines and exploring buildings ranging from the modern to historical monuments that were built during the times of Genghis Khan and Amir Timur.

    City Breaks is yet another example of the mainstream travel content Travelxp produces for discerning travel aficionados across the world. The cities from Uzbekistan are ancient and historical. Once part of the  erstwhile Silk Route, they are today progressing towards a modern outlook. Their rich history, elegant and magnificent architecture and pristine and rugged natural beauty are bound to appeal to lovers of great travel content worldwide.

    City Breaks has featured several beautiful cities so far, including  Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Prague, Sofia, Brussels, Budapest, Belfast and Dubai.

    With its new launches, Travelxp has opened a window to the world for the viewers to watch the evolution of thalis ‘from kitchen flame to worldwide fame’, and lesser explored destinations through 100% originally-produced content in High Definition and 4K.

    “Through these new shows, we wanted to bring our audiences great food and immersive travel destinations,” said Chothani. “Thali – The Great Indian Meal, will help audiences savour the delicious and unique culinary delights that vary across virtually every 50 to 100 kilometers in India, and City Breaks will present the aura and beauty of intriguing, architecturally brilliant yet simple cities of Uzbekistan – Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent,” she said. “These are a little offbeat, yet need to be on every avid traveler’s list. That is a part of Travelxp’s ongoing mission, and we hope to achieve it this time round too,” Chothani concluded.

  • Break free from the clutter and take a city break!

    Break free from the clutter and take a city break!

    MUMBAI: City Breaks premiers with one of the most beautiful and the second largest city of Spain – Barcelona. There is more to Barcelona than just football. The show gets a viewer up close and personal with the designs of the architect wonder Antony Gaudi, and also takes you on a ride through the cheerfully exciting Montjuic and La Rambla the streets where Barcelona comes alive.

     

    Talking about the show Nisha Chothani the CSO says that “Since its inception we at travelxp have tried to give shows which appeal to every kind of traveller. With this show we are addressing the needs of the “short of time” kind of traveler who wants to see & do everything in a span of a day or two. “City Breaks” will provide an insight on how to make the best use of your time by visiting just those not to be missed places, to the happening food joints, heritage sites, and festivals all in a short span of time.”

     

    City Breaks will air every Sunday starting 25th January 2015 at 20:00 hours with a rerun on Saturday 22:30 hours.

     

    travelxp HD is India’s first High Definition (HD) travel channel with the largest India-centric HD library of travel content across the world. Talking about the plan for travelxp in 2015 Prashant Chothani says that “We had taken the lead in producing premium high definition content much before others. Distribution platforms world over have shown keen interest for 4K content from travelxp. We are happy to announce that all our new content is now being produced in 4K starting from this year & we are confident to be ready in time for the 4K transmission by the platforms.” 

     

  • Travelxp brings back grandma’s recipes in vogue

    Travelxp brings back grandma’s recipes in vogue

    MUMBAI: Move over fusion and fad foods, good-old grandma’s recipes are making a comeback. And putting them back in focus is travel channel, Travelxp HD, with its new show Quest slated to air every Saturday at 8.30 pm, starting 1 February.

     

    Much to the delight of foodies, this extravagant gastronomical journey will scoop out long forgotten recipes from across geographies like Banitza, the Bulgarian cheese turnover; Pampushki, the Russian/Ukranian stuffed potato dumplings; Mamaliga, Romanian stuffed polenta balls; Kajmak, Serbian cheese spread; Bialy Barszcz, Polish white Borscht; Bandwesh of Rewa, a type of Indian gosht; Sarma, Serbian stuffed cabbage; Dusene Zeli, Czech braised cabbage; and Lecso, Hungarian tomato pepper stew among others.

     

    So why did a travel channel start a food show? Travelxp HD director Nisha Chothani replies: “When we were sitting on to decide our fresh line-up of programming, we realised that there are a lot of programs across the world and specially in India where people have been watching recipes which have been there since quite a few years but over time have either been adapted in a different format or got lost. So we thought of providing a platform for people who are used to observing the recipes with a different tadka.”

     

    The channel’s research team realised that traditional food has taste and is the key to nutrition and health. After extensive research and discussions with food researchers and chefs, the channel came to the conclusion that demand for traditional food is now outgrowing demand for the latest recipes and audiences are now turning back to their roots.

     

    Quest will be hosted by Alex, herself a food enthusiast who won the National Award for her cooking skills in a program called Herb Heroes judged by John Torode of MasterChef fame. She will not only dig for little known or remembered recipes from across the globe, she will also unravel the story behind each such dish and what makes it unique.

     

    Speaking about her experience working with the show and the channel, she said: “Working on Quest was enjoyable but challenging. To be able to see so many great places and meet so many people – we did a lot of travelling by all means of transport. I tried so many foods that the general public doesn’t get to try like recipes from Maharajas, politicians, Princes and teachers plus many more.”

     

    With so much competition from food-based programs across channels, how will this show stand out? “This is the show about recipes which are not actually covered. If you notice, today, all the food shows across channels, it is more about fusion and fast food. This is about making food which used to be made earlier. Through this show, we are kind of presenting it again to the viewers that have been lost over the years. When presented again, I am sure it is going to interest a lot of people,” says Chothani.

     

    With 25+ women as target audience, the channel feels the Saturday primetime slot is the right choice, given that TV is decorated with reality shows in that time band. “There is a certain audience for reality and there is a certain audience for non-reality. Not everybody would want to sit down on a Saturday evening and watch a singing or dancing show. There is an audience for everything. We believe there will be audience for this, who will be interested in watching this,” says Chothani.

     

    On the marketing side, the channel will promote the show across all its network channels and more so in print. At present, the channel’s official Facebook page boasts around more than 17 thousand likes and around 828 followers on Twitter (at the time of penning this article).

     

    While media planners feel that, the show is not going to live up to the channel’s expectations. “Look at the amount of food shows in television today. On a weekend what grabs more eyeballs is content that is entertaining and stress buster for an individual after a stress full week. Who would want to sit infront of their TV sets and check out food recipes,” informs media planner.

  • Get high on food with ‘Food Highway’

    Get high on food with ‘Food Highway’

    MUMBAI: If your idea of travel is to hit the highway and sample epicurean delights en-route, this might be just the show for you.

    Kicking off its maiden journey on travelxp HD, on Sunday, 17 November, is the all new seriesFood Highway, which promises viewers unbridled adventure and excitement.

    Each half-an-hour episode will unravel lesser-known vistas through the eyes of a gastronome cum wanderer, as the show ferries from one town to the other, one country to the other, in search of newer, even more interesting destinations. 

    Hosting the series will be well known foodie – Rohan, of Foodicted and Strictly Street fame, who will venture onto global highways in his quest to savour the planet’s culinary delights.

    Explaining the thought process behind the show, travelxp HD CEO Nisha Chothani says: “We wanted to engage our audience with clutter-breaking content that attracts viewers across the globe. We realised that the food world on highway is altogether a different culinary world, which is less known. We wanted to capture this non-franchised, sleeves-up food made by cooks along the highways and bring it to our viewers.”

    As a tribute to India’s rich cultural tradition, Food Highway opens along the 1235 km National Highway from Mumbai to Chennai, serving everything from Mumbai’s ‘Vada Paav’ to Western Express Highway’s Special ‘Mutton Rann’ to Pune’s ‘Misal Pav’ to Satara’s ‘Kandi Pedas’ to Kolhapur’s ‘Tamda Pandhra Rassa’ to Belgaum’s ‘Kunda’ to Chitradurga’s ‘Ragi Balls’ to Chennai’s grills.

    Not just India, the series will bring home to viewers the culture and very essence of diverse regions across the globe.

    “Most of us have a craving to step out of our mundane chores and drive down to places for an unconventional food experience which forces you to lick your fingers. But one goes blank when it comes to closing in on any such place. This is where our show – Food Highway, comes into the picture,” exults the quirky Rohan.

    How will the show stand out from the rest in an already cluttered space? “Food Highway is not a food show but a show which is a fine amalgamation of experiencing food, travel, thrill, raw – ruggedness of a journey. It is long rumoured that every 20 km of land, not only people, tradition and culture changes but also their food habits. Every state, village and town has a lot of character which reflects in the taste of their food and their style of cooking. We are out to capture these local flavours and bring them to our viewers,” says Chothani, adding, “Also, viewers can identify with our host – he is a travel and food enthusiast like many of us. This element brings in an instant connect with the audience.”

    With travelxp HD catering to SEC A and A+, 25-50 years, Chothani says, “We target niche audiences who love to travel, love adventure, who aspire to explore the world.” 
    Will Food Highway grab eyeballs with the chosen Sunday prime time slot which is a reality show domain? “The content of a show like Food Highway suits perfectly for the Sunday evening mood. Most people prefer staying back at home and relaxing as Monday blues start creeping in. Viewing such content comes out as a natural desire,” reasons Chothani.

    The promos of Food Highway are already on air and travelxp HD plans to promote it on digital platforms. As things stand, the channel’s official Facebook page boasts over 16,000 likes and over 700 followers on Twitter. The promos of the series are already buzzing with tweets and re-tweets on the same on the social media site.

    However, planners have a different say. “It is very difficult for me to say how the series will work unless and until I watch it. But, I will say the channel has not made the right move by airing it on Sundays. Weekends are ruled by reality shows, and no one would like to switch to some other channel. Audience will go wherever they find entertainment and good content,” says a media planner who does not wish to be named.

  • Indias first HD travel channel at MIPCOM 2013

    Indias first HD travel channel at MIPCOM 2013

    Ask any traveller the meaning of a journey and he/she is likely to say it’s something where you never know how far you’ve reached till you go back to where it started.

    Indeed, this is the very core of what they call wanderlust, and who better to know it than travelxp HD, India’s first high definition travel channel.

    Presently, the channel stands strong as a premium lifestyle with 400+ hours of original HD travel content – shot across 35+ countries and growing, expanding at 150 hours each year, and covering all genres of the travel space. Shot in English, with hosts from across the globe, the channel boasts a truly international look and feel. Exactly what draws it to this year’s MIPCOM.

    travelxp now in its third year at MIPCOM, feels that exhibiting in a market like MIPCOM has added to its learning. The channel has not only tapped market demands and understood buyer requisites, but has also understood the latest trends, practices and technology which in turn have laid the guidelines for content that the channel creates in the future.

    Says travelxp HD director Nisha Chothani: “An international platform like MIPCOM is the year’s most anticipated global market for entertainment content across all mediums. Our content finds the perfect fit with the needs of travel content buyers across the globe. It provides us an opportunity to reach out to our buyers, leading to ground-breaking partnerships.”

    MIPCOM provides us an opportunity to reach out to our buyers, leading to ground-breaking partnerships, says Nisha Chothani

    So what’s the channel offering at MIPCOM 2013? It will launch five new shows including Quest, City Breaks, Bliss, Food Highway and World Spas for participants this year.

    Apart from these, travelxp HD will also present shows like XP Guide, Xplore World, Xplore India, Great Indian Hotels, Great World Hotels, Foodicted, Strictly Street, Heritage, Landmark, Best from the Rest, Bada Weekend, Hills and Valleys, and Divine Destination at the content sale market. “With this, we are looking forward to cracking deals and partnerships with our buyers.

     Also, networking with content buyers and aggregators across the globe will be an add-on,” says Chothani.

    And it’s not just travelxp HD, the entire travel industry stands to benefit from MIPCOM. “Travel content caters to a large international audience due to its geographical spread. MIPCOM provides us a platform with immense selling opportunity; it helps us to reach out to around 4,400 buyers from 100 countries across the globe. Travel content demand is growing globally, platforms like MIPCOM help two ends meet, thereby leading to the growth of the genre,” elaborates Chothani.

    Meanwhile, travelxp HD shows will be accessible to viewers on various multi-media platforms from DTH systems to in-flight screens, TV networks to IPTV networks, VOD to AVOD systems and websites to mobiles.

    The channel claims its content finds resonance with travel connoisseurs the world over.