Tag: Pallavi Puri

  • Tata Sky launches new service Tata Sky Romance

    Tata Sky launches new service Tata Sky Romance

    Mumbai: Tata Sky has announced the launch of its latest platform service Tata Sky Romance to offer curated romantic content across Hollywood (dubbed in Hindi), Bollywood, and television to its subscribers. Priced at Rs two per day, the service is completely ad-free and is available for on-the-go viewing on Tata Sky mobile app.

    The DTH player has roped in Shaheer Sheikh and Sana Makbulhave to promote the new offering with a quirky campaign.

    Tata Sky Romance has a lineup of Hollywood blockbusters  “Bold & Beautiful,” “Cedar Cove,” “Ashk,” “Notting Hill,” “No Strings Attached,” “I Could Never Be Your Woman,” “Death Defying Acts,” “Heartbreakers,” “The Good Girl,” and popular Bollywood titles like “Jab We Met” amongst others.

    Going ahead, shows such as “A Place To Call Home” and “Juda Na Hona” will also be added to the service along with more film titles, said the DTH brand in a statement.

    “Romance is one of the most popular genres in India when it comes to entertainment. We believe Tata Sky Romance is a good destination for audiences preferring to watch content from a different country but in their own language,” said Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri. “The service provides the choicest selection of romantic titles across Hollywood and Bollywood on TV screen in Hindi, ad-free, making it a perfect gateway to unwind, this festive season.”

    “We at JOP Network are elated to associate with Tata Sky to bring to the audiences a special curation of romantic movies, shows and more from Hollywood and Bollywood that are sure to entertain the romantic chords of every viewer. These titles have been specially curated keeping in mind consumer likings, popularity and ratings of the shows and movies over the years. This first-of-its-kind service is sure to rekindle the heart,” added JOP Network director Urvi Agarwal.

  • Binge app sees traction from non-metros- DAS 2, DAS 3 cities: Tata Sky’s Pallavi Puri

    KOLKATA: Pay TV meanders along in India, even as the near future will expectedly watch digital adoption accelerating at a rapid pace of disruption. The legacy direct-to-platform (DTH) players are taking note of the shift in consumer habits to keep up with the trend. Tata Sky has been one such player to embrace streaming services to retain consumers.

    The leading DTH player has recently extended its OTT content aggregator service to a mobile app, Tata Sky Binge Mobile App that offers a single subscription and a one-time payment proposition alongside numerous titles across entertainment apps on one single platform.

    “Over the last year, our subscribers said that they wanted the on-the-move experience of Binge. We know that a lot of the OTT content consumption is happening on mobile. Hence, the subsequent step was to broaden the offering through a mobile app, and make it available to a wider audience segment, enabling them to watch their choice of content individually on their mobile phones,” Tata Sky chief commercial & content officer Pallavi Puri explained the rationale of the move.

    The company has launched the app with a product film on Tata Sky’s channel 100, along with a social media campaign #KhojoNahiDekho, Puri stated. The campaign spotlights how people spend a lot of time toggling on the apps and searching for content to watch, and yet often end up watching nothing. 

    Hence, the focus of the communication is to encourage people to stop searching and start binge-watching content from across multiple entertainment apps with a one-stop solution – Tata Sky Binge mobile app, she explained further. “We have a robust and phase-wise marketing strategy in place to scale up the product as we go along,” Puri said.

    In the beginning, the company wants to popularise the app, establish its benefits, rather than focusing on target numbers. Through this app, Tata Sky is targeting every Tata Sky subscriber who has a smartphone. Audience segments that prefer a more personalized content viewing experience, that can be accessed on-the-go, will like and gain from this app, Puri noted. Moreover, the company has introduced the Rs 149 mobile-only plan to appeal to a larger audience.

    Puri is of the view that the launch of this app has strengthened Tata Sky’s OTT aggregation portfolio. Subscribers can now avail the Binge offering through Amazon FireTV Stick – Tata Sky edition, Android-enabled smart set-top box, Tata Sky Binge+, and the very latest Binge Mobile app basis their choice of device and convenience.

    Notably, Tata Sky’s arch-rival Dish TV also has its OTT app Watcho that has already crossed 15 million subscribers. The app provides original content, even woos users with user-generated content. However, Tata Sky wants to focus on OTT content for its app at this point. Based on insights from its subscribers, it may further enhance the overall Binge proposition.

    “The initial traction has been very encouraging. We are seeing great traction from non-metros – DAS 2, DAS 3 cities. With its first-rate end-user interface, unified search, and a seamless hyper-personalised content recommendation and viewing experience, we are hoping Binge will become our subscribers’ favourite very soon,” Puri commented.

  • Tata Sky adds new platform service Astro Duniya

    Tata Sky adds new platform service Astro Duniya

    KOLKATA: Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution and payTV platform has added a new platform service, Tata Sky Astro Duniya, to its vast bouquet of interactive services. Joining hands with Dominiche Productions Pvt. Ltd., Tata Sky Astro Duniya offers curated content created by celebrity astrologers making the service a one-stop destination into the world of astrology, numerology, vastu and many more.

    Tata Sky Astro Duniya will bring non-stop and ad-free access to astrology content for subscribers, featuring a wide range of services from numerology to horoscope, tarot reading to reiki, vastu to fengshui, vedic astrology to palmistry and face reading on a single platform. The service boasts of a line-up of celebrity experts like Munisha Khatwani, Sundeep Kochar, Biindu Khuraana, Rasesh Shah, Jai Madaan, Jyoti Jhangiani, Greenstone Lobo, Dimple Luniya and many more. Additionally, the service allows subscribers to get personalised predictions wherein they can ask a question to an expert anytime between Monday to Friday by emailing their queries. Around five to 10 questions will be answered by renowned celebrity astrologer, Narendra Bunde.

    Subscribers can get access at no additional cost to kundali making, daily horoscope and features like ask a genie by accessing the service through the Tata Sky Mobile App. Additionally, all subscribers of the service can press the red button on their remote and get daily predictions and fortune cookies. Famous astrologers on the platform can be contacted easily via call/chat. All this and more makes Tata Sky Astro Duniya an ideal window into the world of astrology.

    Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said, “At Tata Sky we have a diverse portfolio of platform services and believe in constantly strengthening them. With Tata Sky Astro Duniya we aim to provide our subscribers with information on various aspects of life and home using astrology, numerology, vastu from credible astrology experts, including personalized consultations. We thank Dominiche Productions for helping us develop this property and are confident that our promotional campaign featuring actor Vinay Pathak will create great buzz for the service.”

    Dominiche Productions director Utpal Vaishnav said, "When me and my co-founding partner Adarsh Gupta started our journey with Dominiche, we had set out a very clear objective for our company, to dominate scalable genres of the future. Astrology, given its generic appeal in India came up as a great opportunity to go after as a pioneering initiative. We are honoured to join hands with Tata Sky to bring to the audiences a credible Astrology offering that would make for a compelling watch.”

    The service is now available to all subscribers on #512 at an optimised cost of Rs.2 per day after the first 10 days at no additional cost.  As part of their platform service offerings, Tata Sky has a robust and vast range of offerings – including Tata Sky Fitness, Tata Sky Cooking, Tata Sky Theatre, Tata Sky Beauty to name a few.

  • Tata Sky brings CuriosityStream to India

    Tata Sky brings CuriosityStream to India

    NEW DELHI: Tata Sky has joined hands with factual streaming service CuriosityStream to bring thousands of hours of documentary films and series to viewers across India.

    Tata Sky subscribers will now have access to CuriosityStream’s content via Tata Sky Binge, which is available on the Tata Sky Binge+ Smart set top box and on the Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition. Tata Sky Binge aggregates the best of premium OTT and catch-up TV content under a single interface and subscription.

    CuriosityStream will also be available as a linear service on television to Tata Sky DTH subscribers with an option to view live and catch-up content on-the-go via the Tata Sky Mobile app. Tata Sky subscribers can view the CuriosityStream platform service on #715 on the EPG, from November 17.

    CuriosityStream MD and head of international distribution Bakori Davis said, “CuriosityStream shares Tata Sky’s commitment to bringing viewers the highest quality content wherever and whenever they want to experience new adventures and discover the world’s most fascinating events, people, and places. We look forward to partnering with Tata Sky to introduce CuriosityStream to new viewers throughout India and to grow our company’s reach in this dynamic media market.”

    Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said, “CuriosityStream has thousands of informative and thought-provoking documentaries covering the realms of science, history, space, technology and many such subjects that have an enviable fan following in India. This kind of a coveted library adds another dimension to our content catalogue and we are very proud of this association.”

    The partnership will enable Tata Sky subscribers to enjoy exclusive originals, series and features including popular titles like Deep Ocean and Dragons & Damsels – both narrated by Sir David Attenborough – Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places, Mumbai Railway, Amazing Dinoworld and Age of Big Cats, among others.

  • Tata Sky launches new value-added service Tata Sky Hits

    Tata Sky launches new value-added service Tata Sky Hits

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, leading content distribution and Pay TV platform, has launched its new value-added service Tata Sky Hits. Featuring a selection of some of the most popular, iconic and award-winning Hollywood television content from the 80s and 90s, Tata Sky Hits is all set to invoke nostalgia with this distinctive curation.

    Encompassing all genres of content including drama, comedy, crime, action and romance, some of the key titles exclusively available on the service include: Baywatch, Charlie’s Angels, Charmed, Miami Vice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Three’s Company, Murder, She Wrote, Knight Rider, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, The Lucy Show, Family Ties, Diff’rent Strokes and many more. The never-seen-before HD service will feature the choicest of hit TV series from Hollywood and international majors such as NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, Sony Pictures, Fremantle, ITV Studios and others.

    Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said: “At Tata Sky we are always looking at serving the discerning content needs of our subscribers. With Tata Sky Hits we are giving our subscribers an exclusive platform to indulge in their favourite Hollywood shows from the 80s and 90s. The diverse assortment of English shows from the good old days that Hits has curated is exceptional and fulfils a need gap for our evolving viewers who are constantly looking for unique entertainment destinations that are not available elsewhere be it TV or OTT.”

    “I am very excited with the launch of our service on Tata Sky. This is a major milestone for Rewind Networks,” said Rewind Networks CEO Avi Himatsinghani. “We are confident that the great success of HITS in Asia will be replicated in India, with the service’s solid curation of the best Hollywood TV series from previous decades. Viewers of Tata Sky Hits are going to love some of the best international shows and storytelling that they grew up on – in HD for the first time”

    Through Tata Sky Hits, subscribers can now relive the iconic & memorable characters from yesteryear shows starring Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff, Don Johnson, Michael J. Fox, Lucille Ball, Mariska Hargitay, Angela Lansbury, Shannen Doherty, Farrah Fawcett, Melissa Joan Hart, Gary Coleman and many others on Television as well as on-the-go on the Tata Sky Mobile App under Live TV and catch-up. Tata Sky Hits is now available to all subscribers at a nominal cost of Rs 75 per month.

  • Tata Sky’s Pallavi Puri says TRAI tariff order has no impact on VAS portfolio

    Tata Sky’s Pallavi Puri says TRAI tariff order has no impact on VAS portfolio

    MUMBAI: DTH operator Tata Sky has been banking on value-added services (VAS) for a long time to differentiate itself from competitors. Its newly launched Tata Sky Theatre has emerged as one of the fastest growing services. While there have been speculations on the new tariff order’s impact on such services, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri said the new price regime has not affected its VAS portfolio at all.

    “Tata Sky Theatre is priced at Rs 75 and Rs 99 depending on whether you take SD or HD. At Rs 75, subscribers get four new plays every month; one new play every week plus there are other plays. There is no comparison. The new tariff order has no impact on it. It’s a big value offering for consumers,” she commented.

    Tata Sky launched the subscription-based service for theatre enthusiasts in collaboration with Zee Theatre last September. According to Puri, customer insights revealed a need for access to theatrical content which led them to the ideation of this service. Puri said that while the company was identifying need gaps for launching more services, theatre came across as one.

    “It’s been one of our fastest services. We launched over 30 services. What we found very unique about Tata Sky Theatre is that we have seen consumers actually calling us and say what they want more. So, the engagement has been higher. They love the plays and they want more regional plays,” Puri commented on the traction of the service.

    In the initial phase, more traction has come from the Northern and Western part of India because primarily the plays are in Hindi. However, Puri revealed plans to expand the service in other regional languages. The company is currently discussing what would be the right plays or languages to add on.

  • Tata Sky adds beauty-based interactive channel

    Tata Sky adds beauty-based interactive channel

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky has expanded its interactive channel list by adding Tata Sky Beauty, in partnership with FTheCouch (FTC) Beauty Studio, which is promoted by actor Suniel Shetty. It will feature your favourite actors sharing tips and tricks on makeup, skincare and the latest fashion trends in an easy to understand do-it-yourself (DIY) format.

    On the launch of Tata Sky Beauty, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri said, “Tata Sky has always launched interactive services that inspire and encourage its subscribers to learn, grow and improve in areas that interest them. Tata Sky Beauty is designed to build DIY skills in grooming, styling and care and will inspire women to look good and feel confident at all times!”

    Celebrity make-up experts & stylists such as Bharat & Dorris, Ambika Pillai, Subhash Singh, Shan Mu, Aalim Hakeem, Anju Modi, Tarun Tahiliani, Kavita Bhartiya, Payal Jain and skin care experts such as Dr Swati Maheshwari will recreate Bollywood’s glamour from the comfort of your living room. The service also boasts of a pool of social media talents such as Shruti Anand, Noorin Sha, Hesha Cheema, etc.

    Shetty had previously teamed up with Tata Sky for its Fitness & Acting Adda service. Tata Sky Beauty will also have a Kids Special segment to give tips and updates on hairstyles and fashion trends. On Sunday, a special vignette Zindagi Khoobsurat Hai and show Saas, Bahu Aur Beauty will give subscribers a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of TV celebrities.

    FTC Talent Media & Entertainment co-founder and CEO Akshay Vatsa said, “Our vision at FTC has always been to create innovative content and provide our users with a convenient access to our offerings. Extending this thought, we are happy to launch FTC Beauty Studio with Tata Sky Beauty to help the audience learn and empower themselves to create their own beauty recipe, with the best in class experts.”

    Tata Sky subscribers can avail the service at Rs. 59/- per month on Ch #119 and it will also be available on the mobile app.

  • Tata Sky and Irdeto tie up, OTT service launched on Android devices

    Tata Sky and Irdeto tie up, OTT service launched on Android devices

    MUMBAI: India’s pay TV market is highly competitive, yet there is tremendous growth potential for OTT services as disposable incomes rise. According to Tetra Pax Index 2017, 82 per cent of the Indian population spends its time on mobile phones, and 2017 saw a 23 per cent rise in internet users who spend an average of eight hours a day online compared to 2016.

    To take advantage of the growing trend of consumption of video on-the-go, Tata Sky aims to offer its customers a high-quality viewing experience with superior navigation within a reliable and scalable service. Irdeto has been selected by Tata Sky, a leading content distribution platform providing pay-TV and over-the-top (OTT) services, to enhance its end-to-end solution for OTT services. The first phase of the project has been launched with Android devices, and the follow-on phases will extend Tata Sky’s OTT service to PC and iOS devices.

    Irdeto’s OTT solutions will simplify the operations and workflow of supporting multiple digital rights management (DRM) systems, configuring consistent business policies across different devices and managing a massive library of media assets. This will enable Tata Sky to not only rapidly re-launch their service, but also have the flexibility to easily adapt their service and business model to meet changing demands.

    Irdeto will enable Tata Sky to not only rapidly re-launch their service, but also have the flexibility to easily adapt their service and business model to meet changing demands.

    “In India, it is important for us to offer our customers the best user experience on their devices. This means a high-quality, multi-lingual viewing experience of live channels and on-demand content with superior navigation within a reliable and scalable service,” said Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri.

    “There is a tremendous growth opportunity for OTT services in India, which brings about fierce competition in the industry. As such, it is crucial for operators like Tata Sky to have the freedom to innovate,” said Irdeto senior vice-president of sales and services Bengt Jonsson. “We can offload the complexity of managing security, fragmented technologies and backend workflow for them, and enable them to focus on delivering value to their customers,” he added.

  • Learn acting on Tata Sky’s Adda for Rs 59 a month

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s innovative content distribution platform, HAS announced the launch of its latest interactive service ‘Tata Sky Acting Adda’ powered by FTheCouch (FTC).

    This service priced at Rs 59/- month will be available exclusively to Tata Sky subs on #111 & on Tata Sky Mobile app.

    This revolutionary service will not only offer acting lessons to all the Bollywood dreamers but also offer a platform where they can send auditions and try for their big break from the comfort of their homes. Tata Sky has partnered with FTheCouch (FTC), a Suniel Shetty and Mukesh Chhabra initiative, to create exclusive content with the best acting teachers and to source the best job opportunities across Movies, TV shows, Theatre, Advertising and more.

    Tata Sky Acting Adda had a star-studded launch with National Award winner Ajay Devgn, Bollywood stalwart Suniel Shetty, the leading casting director of Bollywood, Mukesh Chhabra along with Tata Sky’s Chief Commercial Officer, Pallavi Puri, at a press conference in Mumbai. Its tagline ‘Bade Break Ka Bada Manch’ came to life with an engaging live performance depicting the journey of a Bollywood aspirant and culminating with the launch of an ad campaign featuring the legendary superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

    Speaking at the launch, Pallavi Puri, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky, said, “There is a hidden actor in many of us. But, not everyone has the means to hone their talent or the access to find the right opportunities. With Tata Sky Acting Adda, we have tried to bridge this gap. This service will help acting aspirants get a little closer to their dreams of acting on any platform. That too without leaving their homes and landing in Mumbai, the way thousands do today.”

    She further added, “For those not keen on facing the camera, there is a lot of exciting original content to keep them entertained like exclusive star interviews, behind the scenes & more.”

    An exclusive service for Tata Sky subscribers, Tata Sky Acting Adda is the first service on Indian television to offer acting lessons delivered by experts from FTII, NSD, Barry John School of Acting and more. A unique curriculum has been designed for this service where each day, one can learn different aspects of D.R.A.M.A. – Dialogue, Roleplay, Action & Dance, Makeover and Auditions. There’s even special content like acting workshops for kids and short films over the weekend.

    Speaking about his vision, Suniel Shetty says, “The media industry largely depends on new talent, which is the key word to unlock all doors for its growth. Having spent a quarter of a century in front of the camera, I strongly felt the need to streamline the behind-the-scenes processes, to provide new talent, the platform it deserves. Hence Acting Adda, powered by FTC was conceived and curated. To deliver this service, I couldn’t have found a better associate than Tata Sky, with whom we have already successfully partnered, for our ongoing Fitness service. Henceforth those in search of stardom, can start off by just clicking 111, rather than dashing off to Mumbai. From Acting to Auditions, we teach it all.”

    Mukesh Chhabra said, “In my professional capacity as a casting director, having given breaks to Sushant Singh Rajput, Richa Chaddha, Fatima Sheikh, Sanya Malhotra, child artiste Harshali Malhotra, amongst many others, it’s a privileged next stop, for me to be associated with AAA and FTC, two fully integrated digital platforms. They are both bound to expand the base of talent, at a click of a button.”

    The interactive segment of Tata Sky Acting Adda will offer audition details, a fun Bollywood quiz and exciting video based challenges to test acting skills and reward winners with gratification that may just take them one step closer to achieving their dreams of acting.

  • Tata Sky Guru launched; to feature Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadhguru

    Tata Sky Guru launched; to feature Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadhguru

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky has launched a 24X7 ad-free video service providing teachings of spiritual gurus on its interactive platform. Called Tata Sky Gurus, the subscribers can now have access to the wisdom of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Art of Living Foundation), Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (Isha Foundation) and Brahma Kumaris (Brahma Kumari World Spiritual University) from the comfort of their homes.

    The exhaustive content for this service is curated by Shemaroo and will be available exclusively on the Tata Sky platform. It will include discourses, satsangs, meditations, interviews, explanation of scriptures in a relatable format, special events and exclusive live feeds of meditation sessions and the ashrams of each guru.

    “Curated and targeted content is what today’s consumer asks for. Amidst the cluttered content space, we observed that there was need for a dedicated service for spiritual seekers – people who are looking for spiritual guidance or already follow India’s most popular spiritual Gurus. Tata Sky Gurus is a service where they can have unlimited access to their Guru’s teachings and thoughts, whenever they want. We partnered with Shemaroo to create this service with exclusive and unlimited content including LIVE feeds from the guru’s ashrams,” Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri.

    The spiritual gurus will deliver talks and discourses across topics connecting varied human emotions, challenges and complexities of life. These topics delve deep into the understanding of what life is about and are rooted as strongly in mundane and practical matters as they are in inner experience & wisdom. The service aims to cater to subscribers embarking on a journey of spiritual awakening.

    Tata Sky Gurus will be the pioneer in providing Live feeds from Sadhguru’s ashram in Coimbatore & Brahma Kumaris ashram in Mount Abu and exclusive guided meditations in Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s voice.

    Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada added, “With the increasing stress and pressure in individuals’ lives, the importance and urgency for spirituality has grown. We believe this is the right time for a service like Tata Sky Gurus to be launched. Indian consumers have a huge appetite for a subject like this and with high quality content now being easily accessible, we hope the audiences will have a rich experience. Shemaroo Entertainment has been an active player in the devotional space and through this service we are adding a new dimension to our offerings.”

    Content Highlights:

    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

    o Exclusive access to guided Meditations in Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s own voice

    o Scriptures like Geeta and Upanishads explained by Sri Sri complimented by Satsangs and talks on various topics.

    From Sadhguru’s Isha Yoga center:

    o Live & exclusive feed of Nadha Aaradhana – a daily (twice a day) meditation from Isha Ashram, Coimbatore.

    o Sadhguru’s Presence – A 20-minute meditation where Isha chant of Brahmanand Swaroopa is performed.

    o In Conversation with the Mystic – Celebrities talk to Sadhguru across varied topics.

    Content on Brahma Kumari:

    o Amrut Vela meditation (LIVE & exclusive) – A daily morning meditation broadcast from the Brahma Kumaris headquarters at Mount Abu

    o Exclusive, rare and archival footage of senior Dadis including Dadi Janaki & Dadi Gulzar where they talk on various topics