ITV

Tag: NP Singh

  • MSM strengthens Sony team with four top-level hires

    MSM strengthens Sony team with four top-level hires

    MUMBAI: In an attempt to strengthen its team and galvanise renewed energy into its flagship channel Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Multi Screen Media (MSM) has made four top level appointments.

     

    The company has appointed Danish Khan as EVP & business head for Sony Entertainment Television. He steps into the shoes of erstwhile business head Nachiket Pantvaidya. Khan was previously programming head at Star Plus.

     

    Additionally, as a part of Khan’s core team, the company has made three new appointments. Anup Vishwanathan has been named as SVP and head marketing, Anshuman Sinha has come on board as SVP and senior creative director, whereas Ritesh Modi has been appointed as VP and creative director. The trio alongside Khan will be working with a battery of seasoned professionals at MSM. 

     

    As the man at the helm for SET, Khan will be driving the overall business of the channel including its objectives of channel growth, viewership and developing innovative revenue opportunities. Khan has earlier spent ten years in MSM in various marketing roles.

     

    In his new role, Vishwanathan will be working closely with Khan to amplify and support efforts towards the growth of SET and to substantiate the brand equity for the channel, primarily with its viewership base. 

     

    During the course of his work across various advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett, Mudra Communications and McCann Erickson, Vishwanathan has earlier serviced the SET portfolio from the agency side, for six years. He moves from Times Network where he was marketing head of the English Movie cluster.

     

    On the other hand, Sinha comes to MSM with 17 years of work experience. His forte lies in synergising consumer sentiment with progressive content. Sinha will join forces with Modi in charting a new creative course for SET. Modi, who has 18 years of working life behind him, specialises in non-fiction reality show formats and has a deep understanding of regional markets.

     

    MSM chief executive officer NP Singh said, “Given rising industry competitiveness coupled with a steady surge of growing audience expectations, innovation has become the key to success and growth. It is imperative that consumer insights dictate a channel’s look and feel as well as programming.”

     

    “The new team is not only seasoned and versatile but also willing to go the extra mile to ensure that consumer choice becomes the key to new offerings from SET – the flagship channel of MSM. This new team is committed to writing the next chapter of our growth story and they have my full support,” he added.

  • “It took five years to put ‘Mahabharat’ on air:” Siddharth Kumar Tewary

    “It took five years to put ‘Mahabharat’ on air:” Siddharth Kumar Tewary

    MUMBAI: Known for shows on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) like Mahabharat, Razia Sultan, Yam Hai Hum andManmarziya amongst others, Swastik Productions has completed eight years in the television industry and in its journey so far, the company has managed to create differentiated content as well as maintained its position as one of the top show churners.

     

    Since the launch of its first show – Amber Dhara in 2007, Swastik Productions founder and creative director Siddharth Kumar Tewary has left no stone unturned in making it a successful journey.

     

    Launched with the vision to create and tell stories in a way that no one had done before, Swastik Productions’ journey has been sprinkled with huge amount of learning. 

     

    In an exclusive chat with Indiantelevision.com, Tewary said, “I realized a month back that we are completing eight years. It’s been a very exciting journey. I always wanted to tell stories to the world and the only way I could do that was by opening my own production house. That’s how Swastik came into existence.”

     

    The production house took up the challenge to deliver unique content from day one in the form of Amber Dhara, which was a story about conjoined twins. 

     

    While coming up with a subject like Amber Dhara eight years back was progressive in thought, it was difficult to portray on screen. “The outcome is not in our hands but as long as you try, you will be rewarded sooner or later,” Tewary said.

     

    It was while he was working with Sony that Multi Screen Media CEO NP Singh advised Tewary to open his own production house if he wanted to do something on his own. “Singh has been a very important person in my life. He assured me that I would get an opportunity if I did well. At the time of Amber Dhara, we were very raw and didn’t have any experience. We used to shoot without a set and it was tough to shoot at different locations on a daily basis. Sleeping on the road or in a car was normal for me at that time. I was moving like a zombie but it was an amazing experience,” Tewary recalled.

     

    A major breakthrough for the production house came in the form of Mahabharat, which did really well on the small screen. Star Plus approached Swastik Productions to give the epic a different identity without changing its history. And Tewary was quick to rise up to the challenge. Talking about the show, he said, “When Star Plus asked me to make the show, I had no clue whether I would be able to do it or not. Uday Shankar (CEO Star India) is the most visionary person I have ever met. He asked me to make Mahabharat in a way that nobody else could make it in the country. He was instrumental in upping the scale of the show and that in itself was a big challenge for us. The idea was to put the show on air in eight or nine months but when we actually started working on it, we realised that it was not something that could happen overnight. We needed to go deeper into the subject in order to interpret it and give the show a new take.”

     

    Making the show from a different perspective was no cakewalk. “It wasn’t a remake, rather it was a reinterpretation of the epic. It took us five years to put the series on air. In hindsight, it was much more difficult and than even starting Swastik Productions. Doing a show on a large scale isn’t an easy task. It took us five years to complete the show. We wanted our work to be remembered and Mahabharat was an effort in that direction,” Tewary asserted.

     

    Mahabharat became the talking point because of the story, cast as well as costumes and was much appreciated by the audience. Tewary’s research and studying of every character closely worked. From costume to casting, everything was done under his observation. After trying out numerable people from the industry to give a different look to each character, he zeroed in on Oscar winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya to design costume for the cast of Mahabharat.

     

    While Mahabharat rakes in the praises, the production house’s other show Manmarziyaan failed to generate sustainable ratings despite being appreciated for its content and production quality. “We made an experimental show and an effort in telling a story in a different style, which connected with the younger audiences but not with the older ones. While we didn’t get the desired number, we are happy and proud that we made an attempt to do something new.” 

     

    After the success of Mahabharat, Tewary was keen to come up with a comedy and it came in the form of Swastik Production’s next show – Yam Hai Hum, which airs on Sab. “We were keen to explore other genres and I really wanted to produce a comedy show. I met Anooj Kapoor (Sab business head) and discussed the concept with him. He loved the idea and that’s how Yum Hai Hum happened,” he informed.

     

    While television remains the mainstay of entertainment, its digital counterparts like OTT and VOD platforms are fast catching up. More and more entertainment content is consumed on the go today. Tewary is of the opinion that in the coming years, digital will be the way to go and there will be no other option left. “Indeed the market is growing and digital will appeal more to metro centric audiences, whereas television will cater to the masses. There is huge market out there for digital, which is needs to be explored,” he said.

     

    Swastik Productions currently has three shows on air namely Yam Hai Hum on Sab TV, Razia Sultan on &TV and Suryaputra Karn on Sony. “Primarily at the core, we are a content company and that is core purpose of Swastik Productions. We are happy with our work. There are some projects in the pipeline and we will make the announcement when the time is right,” he concluded.

  • MSM hires Humsa Dhir as SVP & head of PR & corp comm

    MSM hires Humsa Dhir as SVP & head of PR & corp comm

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media has appointed Humsa Dhir as senior vice-president (SVP) & head  – PR & corporate communications for the network.

     

    In this newly created role, Dhir will lead MSM’s PR and communications strategy and execute on pivotal campaigns, programmes and activities that advance the network’s brand image and reputation. Dhir will report to MSM Network CEO NP Singh.

     

    Dhir has over 19 years of experience across advertising, public relations, corporate communications and public affairs; having worked for the India, South Asia and Middle East markets.

     

    Singh said, “We are delighted to welcome Humsa as our corporate communications lead. We believe Humsa’s well-grounded, robust experience across different aspects of communications will enable her to play a very intrinsic role in the network as she charts a strategic direction to shape the network’s reputation amongst its multiple stakeholders. She has our unflinching support to execute on this commitment.”

     

    Prior to joining MSM, Dhir was with AkzoNobel India, where she managed the communications and public affairs portfolio for the entire organisation including its various business verticals. Some of Dhir’s previous work stints have been with Suzlon, the Eicher Group, RK Swamy BBDO as well as J Walter Thompson.

  • MSM Media Distribution amongst ‘India’s top 50 companies’

    MSM Media Distribution amongst ‘India’s top 50 companies’

    MUMBAI: MSM Media Distribution (MD), the wholly owned subsidiary of Multi Screen Media (MSM) has been ranked 31st amongst ‘Top 50 India’s Best Companies to Work For in 2015’ by global research organisation – Great Place to Work Institute India in association with Economic Times.

     

    MSM Media is the sole company to feature in this list from the television industry.

     

    In its 12th year, 700 organisations from over 20 industries participated in ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For’ study. Great Place to Work Institute is a firm that assists organisations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust cultures.

     

    According to the institute’s research, a great workplace is one where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in the work they do and enjoy the people they work with. Any workplace can be measured through five dimensions: credibility, respect and fairness, as well as pride and camaraderie.  

     

    MSM CEO and MSM Media Distribution chairman of the board NP Singh said, “I am elated to see our team resonate the vision I envisaged for MSMMD and work towards making it a reality. MSMMD culture is built around exceptional people, and there is nothing more rewarding than to see that our colleagues feel deeply connected to the organisation on an emotional level. I look forward to the team achieving further milestones in the years to come.”

     

    “We as an organisation constantly strive to help our employees understand that their work has more meaning than ‘just a job’. We constantly collaborate with colleagues and evolve offerings that unlock our Individual Potential to excel at work. We have always believed that we are a great company and this accolade further validates the same. The credit for this recognition goes to our entire team which very clearly is the best in the industry. We are a team of passionate people with core values that create a great culture within the organization. This is the primary reason for our unprecedented success year on year,” added MSM Media Distribution president Rajesh Kaul.

     

    MSM Media Distribution human resource director Hema Malhotra stated, “It’s indeed a privilege to be featured in the Great Places to Work. Trust is the single most important ingredient in making a workplace great.  Our employees are our most important assets and this award truly recognises MSM Media Distribution’s commitment to building an admirable workplace through focused initiatives for our employees. We just don’t create employees we nurture leaders within us. Our workplace is one that attracts people that are characterised by inclusive environments in which all employees participate in the cultural life of the organisation. We as an organisation also believe in working hard and partying even harder. This recognition from GPTW is extremely encouraging and motivating for our continuous efforts towards becoming the most preferred workplace for the associates as well as potential talent.”

     

    An organisation can create and sustain a great workplace culture by implementing great practices across nine people practice areas: inspiring, speaking, listening, developing, caring, thanking, hiring, celebrating and sharing. MSM Media Distribution undertook the Trust Index Survey, which surpassed all the industry percentage of positive responses. 

  • After Serie A MSM bags broadcasting rights of FA Cup

    After Serie A MSM bags broadcasting rights of FA Cup

    MUMBAI: When Multi Screen Media (MSM) CEO NP Singh said that the network was looking at building an ecosystem for football in the country, he had a foolproof strategy to back it up. The network has bagged the exclusive three-year broadcasting rights for The Emirates FA Cup from the 2015-16 to the 2017-18 season and Italian Seire A.

     

    Indiantelevision.com was the first to report about the channel acquiring the telecast rights for Italian Seire A. It can be noted that both the assets were earlier with Star India’s sports channel Star Sports.

     

    Following an agreement with MP & Silva, The Emirates FA Cup and Serie A Tim rights holder for the India sub-continent, Sony Kix will exclusively showcase live coverage from the two football properties in a bid to tap into the growing popularity of the sport in the region. These acquisitions strengthen the current portfolio of live football programming which already boasts of a strong line-up of marquee properties including the UEFA Euro 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2016, European Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup and Copa America.

     

    With the consistent increase in viewership for football witnessed in the past decade in India, the channel is looking to capitalise on this opportunity and provide Indian viewers with a slice of the best in football across the globe. The acquisitions come as a mode to bolster the group’s football portfolio, consolidating their position as the ultimate destination for international football. The Italian jewel of premier division football – the Serie A, along with the oldest and most historic association football competition in the world – The Emirates FA Cup, will surely add a new dimension to the channel’s library of iconic sports properties.

     

    Starting 2 August, 2015, Sony Kix will broadcast the traditional curtain raiser to the English football season, the FA Community Shield which will be played between FA Cup champion Arsenal and Barclays Premier League winner Chelsea, followed by The Emirates FA Cup.

     

    The Italian Serie A Tim Football Championship, the topmost division in professional league in Italian football, kicks-off the 2015 season on the weekend of 22 August 2015. This will be the 114th season of top-tier Italian football, featuring some of the best teams and players in international football. The channel will also showcase in-depth post-match highlights accompanied by a weekly highlight bulletin providing exclusive insights into the league.

     

    This comprehensive and holistic offering of the league will be accompanied by high quality audio and visual feed of the live matches, providing viewers with an unparalleled and enhanced viewing experience.

     

    Sony Kix and Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “We are witnessing a golden era of sports viewership transition in the country, and are proud to be offering two of the world’s most renowned events in football. We have seen an overwhelming demand for football viewership in the country, and through these acquisitions, we wish to cater to that need and reiterate our commitment towards providing high quality sports content for our viewers.”

  • “In next 3 months, we will launch female skewed shows”: NP Singh

    “In next 3 months, we will launch female skewed shows”: NP Singh

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET), the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable has for long been perceived as a male skewed channel, but no longer. The channel is working on a content strategy, which will change the perception of the channel, and all this over the next three months.

     

    “A lot of our recent shows were clearly launched keeping the female audiences in mind, but it was perceived to be male centric. In the next three months, we will be launching shows, which will be focused on female audiences,” MSM CEO NP Singh tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    It can be noted that MSM’s third GEC Sony Pal, which launched in September 2014, is currently airing repeats from Sony and Sab. The strategy has helped the channel double its viewership. So is Sony looking at reviving its old content strategy in order to improve its viewership numbers? Informs Singh, “While we have always tried making content, which is inclusive, there have been a few shows that are more male skewed. Our objective is to get more women on our channel and therefore the new lineup will have a greater appeal to female audiences, to achieve balance between male and female viewers.”

     

    Sony towards the end of June will launch Suryaputra Karn, which according to Singh will see greater traction from female audiences. “The story of Karan has never been shown on TV as a standalone and has always been a part of Mahabharat. I am sure that it will do well,” opined Singh.

     

    Of the current programming lineup, shows, which have been doing well for the channel are Maharana Pratap, Itna Karo Na Mujhse Pyaar, Hanuman, Indian Idol Junior, CID and Aahat.

     

    Sony Pal: Content Strategy

     

    The channel, which currently is airing old shows from Sony and Sab will continue with its strategy. “We will continue with it till we reach a threshold where we believe that the channel can start introducing original content. Our objective of launching the channel was to appeal to audiences in the heartland and to some degree, Pal has been able to achieve that and we are reaching out to those audiences. With the repeats of shows from Sony and Sab, we have been able to actually double our viewership on the channel. We will proceed with that strategy for some more time and then bring in original content for the channel,” says Singh.

     

    MSM and Sports

     

    The network, which currently has few of the biggest sports properties including FIFA World Cup and Indian Premiere League (IPL), apart from National Basketball Association (NBA) is looking at acquiring a lot of other new sports properties. “The announcement will be made in a couple of months,” informs Singh.

     

    When asked which sporting properties the network was looking at, Singh said, “Football is becoming very popular with the youth today, which is what we are focusing on. But, apart from that, we are also focusing on the other properties.”

     

    Talking about the just concluded IPL season eight, Singh said that the property had seen a 20 per cent plus jump in revenue as compared to season six. “We cannot really compare season seven and eight, since the last season was unique as it came in the midst of the general elections. But if we compare season six and eight, the growth has been encouraging,” he informs.

     

    While the network aired this season of IPL in six different languages, it did not sell the property separately for different language feed. “We will continue airing IPL in different languages in the future seasons, but in terms of sales, we will see if we can sell some languages separately than Hindi,” he said.

     

    The highest viewership for the league came from Sony Max, followed by Sony Six. “Within IPL, High Definition (HD) has done well as we saw growth in both revenues and viewership. There is demand for HD content in the market,” opines Singh.

     

    It can be recalled that the network launched a new channel, Sony Kix, right before IPL kick started. Throwing light on the channel Singh said, “In the past three years, MSM has aggregated a lot of sports content, which we showcased on Sony Six and in some cases on Pix. With Kix coming in, it gives us the flexibility of multiple language feeds and that’s what we did with IPL. It also gives us another platform on which we can actually showcase content, which erstwhile were sitting on other channels of the network,” he points out.

  • Sony set to explore the media world with new show – ‘Reporters’

    Sony set to explore the media world with new show – ‘Reporters’

    MUMBAI: Breaking News! A common phrase that is flashed almost on all screens everyday – from news channels to websites. Now Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has picked it up as a ‘concept’ for its new entertainment show.

     

    While internationally, the backdrop of journalism has been seen in shows like The Newsroom starring Jeff Daniels, Dirt and The West Wings, amongst others; in India the concept was untapped until now.

     

    The Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from Multi Screen Media’s stable is all set to explore the world of media with its new show – Reporters. A love story that will make breaking news is set to hit the television screens from 13 April at 9 pm. The channel has roped in Frooti as the presenting sponsor for the show.

     

    Produced by Rose Audio Visuals’ Srishti Arya, it will reveal the challenging world of news in a contemporary way. Set against a backdrop of a media house, it follows the journey of seasoned and respected journalist Kabir Sharma (Rajeev Khandelwal) and a budding reporter Ananya Kashyap (Kritika Kamra). The show is a story of these two strong and conflicting individuals, who are destined to be together.

     

    SET SVP and marketing head Gaurav Seth believes that today the country’s perceptions, opinions and decisions are shaped by the world of television news and it is this world, which forms the setting of the channel’s new show.

     

    According to Seth, there are two kinds of stories that work on television – love stories inside the house and outside. One such show that had a love story setting in a fashion house was Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi.

     

    “A show’s backdrop and context needs to change after sometime as it tends to lose the novelty factor. It is important for us to keep evolving the medium, stories, characters and that’s where this new show comes in,” he said.

     

    Behind the scenes

    From visiting news channels to having in-depth conversations with journalists from the news medium, the actors have done it all. The actors met veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai to know how a newsroom functions.

     

    Moreover, the production house also did research in the matter in terms of how news is created, what the first point of connection to the last point of delivery and the process followed amongst other things.

     

    The production house did its R&D by seeking help from a senior journalist and made sure that the procedures that were being followed were on the right track.

     

    “The journalist we worked with said that many a times a news channel’s agenda and point of view may differ from that of its journalist. We have to be able to identify with the crisis of the character. Unless we don’t feel the need to take a side or stand, we are not going engage with the character. It is fascinating to see how news is created,” explains Arya.

     

    Seth further points that people, who are from the news medium, will relate to it. “This is factual and not made up just for the sake of it. However, at the same time you have to take creative liberties because at the end of the day, it is a story,” he said.

     

    Agreeing on the same, Arya asserts, “I would not say it is 100 per cent authentic because then it might not necessarily be engaging. We have tried to stay with the systems that a news channel follow.”

     

    The channel has canned five episodes till now and the show is designed for a finite run with 120 episodes. Seth feels that one has to tell the story in a limited time period that is available. “You can’t just keep on extending the show. If a story holds for 2000 episodes, by all means we can go for it but if it is conceptualised for a 100 episode pattern and then if you move it to 300, you will end up stretching the story,” he opined.

     

    Having started his career as a journalist with the newspaper called Mahanagar, SET chief creative director Ajay Bhalwankar has lived this life closely. “I believe that there are lots of interesting stories to tell. Today individual reporters are known, unlike during my time. When I began my career as a reporter, a press conference would see maximum eight to ten journalists with notepads. There was not a single camera present. Today, there are more cameras, so times have evolved and so has the profession. However, not many people know what happens inside and we thought that will create a great amount of curiosity for people.”

     

    Marketing buzz

     

    This time round, the channel has decided to push its marketing efforts on the digital medium to get the maximum bang for its buck.

     

    The first promo of Reporters grabbed one million views in less than a week. The channel ensured that the promo was interesting enough to create a splash. “It has been absolutely remarkable that people have noticed it. It’s been trending on Twitter regularly and we have managed to build a lot of anticipation for the show,” Seth said.

     

    Additionally, the channel has created a LinkedIn account for Khandelwal, where he is going to invite people to interview for jobs inside his network.

     

  • 8 Reasons to tune in to Indian Premier League 8

    8 Reasons to tune in to Indian Premier League 8

    MUMBAI: India has Diwali, Christmas and Eid. And then India also has the Indian Premier League (IPL). No other celebration than the IPL can unite a Bengali and a Tamil in the same vein.

    In its eighth season now, the sports property has grown by leaps and bounds. It continues to get bigger and better with international participation each passing year.

    While India may have lost its mauka at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, this is one celebration where India wins with every new wicket taken and every ball crossing the boundary. As the teams battle on field and Kolkata Knight Riders sets out to pick their trophy once again, Indiantelevision.com gives you eight reasons why you should tune in to the eighth season of India Ka Tyohaar!

    Perform or Perish for star players

    For players like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, who missed out on playing at the Cricket World Cup 2015, this is the ultimate chance to prove themselves and set the record straight about their playing capabilities on field. Delhi Daredevils even paid a whopping Rs 16 crore for Yuvraj for this season, making him the highest fetched cricketer. Tales of united sportsmanship that brought teams together during this World Cup will stand divided now, as the battle of the ultimate champions begins during India Ka Tyohaar!

    Think Global, Act Local

    The IPL is India’s product and as such should be accessible for all. Official broadcast network Multi Screen Media (MSM) knows that and in this season, it has even decided to launch a brand new channel Sony Kix with IPL feeds in Tamil and Telugu. Its sister channel Sony Aath will ensure Kolkata Knight Riders fans are closer to their champions (And Shah Rukh Khan) with its Bengali feed. Max, again from its stable, will cater to the Hindi speaking audience, while Six will carry the English feed. No one will be a stranger to the IPL season 8!

    WAGs to watch out for

    Stuart Binny has Mayanti Langer, M.S Dhoni has Sakshi Dhoni and Kevin Pietersen has his posh spice of cricket, Jessica Taylor! But the star of the pack to watch out from the Wives And Girlfriends (WAGs) list is clearly Anushka Sharma. Post her innocent outing at the World Cup, Virat Kohli will have to really ensure his girlfriend’s oomph factor matches his own on the field. Mitchell Johnson’s celebrity wife Jessica Bratich and Michael Clarke’s Kyly Boldy are other reasons why you should tune in to this season of the IPL!

    Come One, Come All

    Fret not if you do not feel a little spendthrift this season. BCCI along with MSM will be treating fans to an exclusive fan park-screening cross 16 cities. The mass screenings are not only free but also come along with fireworks and music display. The experience promises to be one of a kind, treating fans to an experience as similar as the stadiums.

    Make in India, play in India

    Post its last outing to UAE last season, this season of the IPL will be played exclusively in India. It was then shifted out of the country for some time because of the Lok Sabha General Elections. However, now with Narendra Modi at the helm and his promising ’Make in India’ campaign, the IPL returns to India as the Indian made sports property will be played only in India and its diverse cities. 

    Women commentators and Cheer Leaders 

    Who said cricket was only a gentlemen’s game? Lending their wisdom and knowledge in IPL season 8 will be Anjum Chopra, Isa Guha, Lisa Sthaleker and Melanie Jones, who will be part of the 26-member strong commentary team. And then there will also be the sizzling set of cheer leaders ensuring their moves are in sync with the boys on field.

    Remote Mode: Only IPL Season 8

    During the seventh season of the IPL, households had tiffs over the remote as the general election was the eyeball grabber. However, post the tamasha and the country already gripped with India’s lost mauka, there is only one reason to settle for the remote: IPL.

    IPL season 8 on the Go

    No passes? Download Hotstar. Hotstar, which is Star India’s recent digital mammoth app, promises to provide netizens and the tech savvy audience seamless streaming of the IPL. People who are not near a television set can download the app and continue watching the playback continuously in as little as 64 kbps.

     

  • MSM launches new pay channel in Sony Kix

    MSM launches new pay channel in Sony Kix

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has launched another sports channel called Sony Kix to complement its existing channel – Sony Six.

     

    Kix will be available on all the major cable and DTH platforms with a pricing of Rs 45 and Rs 18.90 in analog and digital respectively. 

     

    The channel will be headed by Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, he says, “With the number of sports we have in our catalogue, a new sports channel launch was just a matter of time. Recently we saw a number of FIFA matches taking place simultaneously and we were handicapped since we could not air all of them. Moreover, we also at times had to place important matches on our GECs and that creates a lot of confusion for consumers. As the name suggests, Kix will mainly focus on football and fight sports but whenever needed it will complement Six with other sports too.”

     

    Speaking about his vision for the channel, Sony CEO NP Singh says, “Sports has always been a core focus for us right from our early days. Our entertainment and movie channels such as SET, Max and Pix have also, over the years, broadcast some of the landmark sports events both in India and internationally. While the resounding success of Six in less than three years was a deciding factor to launch Kix, there was also this need to cater to the clear demand seen in the market for largely, alternative sports programming. Kix promises to be a great addition to our mix of channels and will go on to complement Six in more ways than one with exciting and iconic properties such as Pepsi IPL, UFC and NFL among many others.”

     

    The channel will be launched during MSM’s flagship asset Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to kick off on 8 April, 2015. Kix will carry Tamil and Telegu feeds apart from English. The channel’s major geographic target will be South India for the time being.

     

    “When one campaign is already on, there is no point setting up another and hence we will not launch a promotional campaign for Kix till the IPL is over. Post IPL, we might give an aggressive push but for the time being, it’s a new sports channel from Sony and will be airing IPL in three different languages. The channel will be launched in standard definition and in near future there may be another HD feed too,” Krishnan informs.

     

    According to Krishnan, multilingual feed is emerging as a recent trend and every big event has been following the trend. “We started it with FIFA and Sony Aath airing the Bengali feed and now no big event is complete without the multilingual feed. In the future too, we will innovate and invade into new territory,” he adds.

     

    In his two year stint at Sony, Krishnan has helped expand Sony Six’s portfolio and acquired new assets of international importance. Kix will be the newest channel under his tutelage. “I am happy and satisfied. It has been very significant two years and we managed to grow bigger and bigger. Being a two years old sports channel, what we are doing and have done is commendable. The end goal is to make Sony the one ultimate destination of sports broadcasting for both viewers and advertisers. We have partnered and discovered new leagues like Champions Tennis League and World Kabaddi League and in future also we will evaluate and explore something new, which will be long term entertainment for viewers,” he concludes.

  • Sony Aath to broadcast Pepsi IPL 2015 in Bengali

    Sony Aath to broadcast Pepsi IPL 2015 in Bengali

    MUMBAI: After tasting success with airing FIFA World Cup 2014 in Bengali, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) Bengali entertainment channel Sony Aath will offer Bengali language feed for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).

     

    This will be the first ever broadcast of the Pepsi IPL on the channel and will also be the first such exercise by MSM to launch a Bengali feed of the tournament. Sony Aath will cover the opening ceremony and all 60 matches of the eight edition of Pepsi IPL.

     

    MSM senior vice president Tushar Shah, who also manages the operations of Sony Aath, said, “With an aim to provide the most premium content to our viewers in West Bengal, we are back yet again to enthrall them by offering a whole new experience of consuming the largest cricketing extravaganza in their favourite language. We believe this initiative will not only help further expand the popularity of the nation’s most beloved cricketing tournament but also augment a larger fan base for the channel.”

     

    MSM CEO N P Singh added, “West Bengal has always been one of the key markets for Pepsi IPL. We believe that by offering the world’s largest cricketing spectacle in one of the most popular and widely spoken languages in the country will help enthrall the viewers. It will create a holistic viewing experience unlike anything else seen before on the channel. Given the tournament’s aggressive growth and ability to connect with millions on a national scale, this year we are positioning the event as ‘India Ka Tyohaar,’ which establishes the event as an annual sporting and entertainment festival.”

     

    As a prelude to the event the channel will run the ‘India Ka Tyohaar’ marketing campaign till the tournament kick-starts on 8 April 2015.

     

    The tournament will feature a total of 60 matches, including the live telecast of the opening ceremony on 7 April, the home and away matches between the franchises, the qualifying playoffs and the finals. The knockout stage will be from 19 – 22 May and conclude with the final match on 24 May, 2015.