Tag: &Pictures

  • &pictures to telecast superhero film ‘Spiderman 3’

    &pictures to telecast superhero film ‘Spiderman 3’

    MUMBAI: ‘Spider-Man 3’, the American superhero film is all set to air on &pictures this Sunday, 23 November.  The final installment of the Spider-man trilogy starring mega Hollywood stars surrounds the life of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) – a young high school student who gets bitten by a spider only to develop super-powers and get onto the good scheme of things – saving the planet and its citizens. But being a superhero means much more than merely having superpowers – it’s about sacrifice and responsibility.

     

    However, Peter is grown up now in the third installment of the three-movie series and his relationship with his one true love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) hits rock-bottom. On the other hand, a strange entity with dark powers takes control of him and enhances his power, but in return, Peter has a price to pay. The movie truly stands by its name – ‘Spiderman 3’ as Peter has to overcome three equally strong villains – his black suit, Sandman and Venom who are all ready to rise up to destroy him and everyone he holds dear. Will Peter be able to overcome all three evils? Will he be able to save his relationship with Mary Jane?

     

    Tune-in to Spiderman 3 this Sunday, 23 November at 12 noon only on &pictures!

     

  • Zee will launch a new GEC towards the end of FY15, says Punit Goenka

    Zee will launch a new GEC towards the end of FY15, says Punit Goenka

    MUMBAI: The delay in digitisation of phase III and IV markets has got even the industry giants to speak up. And adding to the list is ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka who feels that the delay in digitisation will invariably have negative impacts on the overall industry.

    In an interview with CNBC-TV18’s moneycontrol.com as part of the IDFC Annual India Conference, Goenka spoke about the delay in digitisation, a new GEC launch and his expectations from the advertising revenue in FY15.

     “The growth levels have slowed down for the industry and therefore for us, as well. The consumer billing has not started to happen the way it was envisaged. All this is having a negative impact on the overall industry,” he said.

    When asked if the delay caused a drop in subscription revenues, Goenka explained that the dip in subscription revenues was mostly due to some accounting changes.

    He elaborated, “The dip is largely on account of some accounting changes that we have had since the aggregate of paper that came out of TRAI. Like-for-like, these are flat or just low single digit kind of growth but as I said, it is attributable to the ongoing delay in the digitisation process. But I do expect that this will pick up hopefully in the next fiscal itself.”

    Goenka also revealed that Zee Entertainment plans to launch a new Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) towards the end of FY15.

    “It will be in line with the cost structures of any other GEC because it is a mainstream GEC launch competing with the current incumbent players in the market. So, it will not be very different from those,” he said.

    Speaking about the sports business, Goenka explained that the losses seen in the sports business were envisaged by the company and they had guided that the losses would be similar to that seen last year.

    Goenka added that he expects advertising revenues to see 11-12 per cent growth in FY15 as from 8-9 per cent seen in earlier two fiscals. He said, “We have seen some improvement in the ad spends especially during the first half of the year. I do expect that the advertising revenues will be seeing healthy numbers from 8-9 per cent that we have been seeing over the past few years to 11-12 per cent.”

     

  • &pictures celebrates Children’s Day with Kiddies Express!

    &pictures celebrates Children’s Day with Kiddies Express!

    MUMBAI: On this Children’s Day, &pictures has plannedan exciting line-up of movies fora day-long‘Kiddies Express’special where parents can enjoy a day at home with their kids and watch the best of kids entertainment movies throughout the day.  The movies showcased on Kiddies Express will be a perfect mix of education and entertainment, making this Children’s Day truly special for the lovely kids out there.

    The festival kick-starts with the fabled film Arjun: The Warrior Prince, a tale on how Arjuna fought his inner self and became the legendary archer.Next in the line is the famous animated movie, Stuart Little3: Call of the wind, the cutest mouse ever who is loved by all kids! It will be followed by Mahabharata, an animated Indian mythological drama film, which is considered to be the greatest and the longest epic in world literature .The next in line is Magic Robot, a fun movie that will totally get the kids excited. Then there is Joker, a 2012 Hindi science fiction comedy that is based in 1947. It is the story of a village of Paglapur, when the maps of India and Pakistan were being drawn. The day ends with the most heart-touching movie of recent times, Taare Zameen Parstarring superstar Aamir Khan and adorable Darsheel Safari.This is the story of an eight year old boy who is thought to be lazy and a troublemaker, until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school.

    With a slew of exciting movies, &pictures promises to make this Children’s Day a memorable one for all kids. So make sure to tune in to this special treat on November 14 only on &pictures!

  • Bharat Ranga bids adieu to ZEEL

    Bharat Ranga bids adieu to ZEEL

    MUMBAI: After serving Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) for close to 16 years, the network’s chief content and creative officer Bharat Ranga has decided to move on. Ranga, who put down his papers on 23 September, according to a source in the network will serve his last day on 7 October 2014.

     

    Being a part of ZEEL since 1998, he took over the content role in April 2012 where he was managing content business for all domestic entertainment channels of the network.

     

    He is the man who can be credited for the launch of &pictures, labelled as India’s first interactive movie channel.

     

    Prior to that, he was the executive director – international operations, leading and managing international business of the company. Before joining ZEEL, he was with Times of India.

     

    A commerce graduate from the University of Rajasthan, Ranga has done his MBA from the University of Ajmer and an Advanced Management Program from Wharton Business School.

     

    A letter was sent out by ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka today morning to the team in the network to announce Ranga’s resignation. The letter read:

     

    “We wish to inform that Mr Bharat Ranga has decided to pursue his career beyond ZEE. With deep regret, we have accepted his decision and will always wish him the very best for his future endeavours.

     

    Bharat has been with the organisation since 1998 and he has had a long checkered career with us. Bharat moved across functions and domains seamlessly, from sales to business head roles to being the International Business Head and then, the Chief Creative and Content Head for the organisation. During his tenure, Bharat has been instrumental in creating value and building opportunities for the organisation.

     

    During his career span with the ZEE, Bharat has contributed to the overall growth of the organisation by leveraging new revenue opportunities, bringing about path breaking content, starting new streams of content through new channel launches and transcending the business beyond geographies; to name a few. Bharat had the capability to move with ease in managing the environment and challenges. We wish to sincerely thank him and put on record his valuable contribution made to the organisation.

     

    Bharat’s last day with the organisation will be 7 October 2014. All those verticals and functions which reported to Mr. Bharat Ranga will now report to the undersigned until further advised.

     

    We wish Bharat the very best for his future endeavor and the team continued success for future.”

     

    Best Wishes

     

    Punit Goenka

     

    MD & CEO

  • &pictures airs ‘Fusion Flicks’ all week!

    &pictures airs ‘Fusion Flicks’ all week!

    MUMBAI: &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel is all set to make this week enjoyable and entertaining for its patrons with ‘Fusion Flicks – The Best of Bollywood & Hollywood Film Festival’ airing on &pictures from 22 to 26 September. The Fusion Flicks film festival will give audiences the greatest movie viewing experience with the best of Desi & Videshi films!

     

    While most Bollywood movies are huge stress busters with an adequate mix of comedy and drama, Hollywood movies are more intense and thematic thus drawing audiences into a particular concept. From the time they switch on the television, Fusion Flicks will go on throughout the week of 22 to 26 September daily from 8:30 pm onwards with two absolutely gripping movie flicks aired back to back on &pictures.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, ZEEL deputy national business head, Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari stated, “At &pictures, it has been our constant endeavour to bring the best of movies for our viewers. Fusion Flicks is a combination of some of the best Bollywood and Hollywood movies on prime-time slot. We are hopeful that our audiences will enjoy this experience.”

     

    From movies like ABCD – Any Body Can Dance, Ramaiya Vastvaiya, Commando to Main Tera Hero, &pictures will air some popular Bollywood movies ranging from edge-of-the-seat drama to comedy beyond compare. This paired with some of the most popular and intense Hollywood movies of like XXX, Men in Black 2, Terminator 3, Resident Evil and Spiderman, ‘Fusion Flicks’ brings to its audiences the best of both worlds. What’s more, you ask? The ‘Fusion Flicks’ festival also features the World Television Premiere of the most recent hit movie Total Siyappa on the last day of the week to end the filmi journey with a bang!

     

    So, when you step into your home after a long day at work… drama, romance, thrill and comedy will take over your lives to reward you with the best movie viewing experience ever with Fusion Flicks – the Best of Bollywood & Hollywood Film Festival all of this week only on &pictures!

     

    So tune-in to experience the best of both worlds – Hollywood & Bollywood from 22-26 September,  8pm onwards only on &pictures!

     

  • The Small Big Idea turns live tweets into online videos for &Pictures

    The Small Big Idea turns live tweets into online videos for &Pictures

    MUMBAI: With digital leading the way forward, &Pictures, an interactive movie channel from Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) stable is leaving no stone unturned to increase its engagement level with the digital audiences.

     

    It had recently launched an interactive application called Dil Se, which allows people to record and upload messages for their favourite celebrity. The recorded messages are then sent to celebs for them to reply with personalized messages for their fans.

     

    Now, the channel’s digital agency The Small Big Idea has roped in stand up comedians Ashwin Mushran and Amogh Ranadive to promote the interactive application Dil Se. In a one of a kind interactive campaign, the audience’s tweets were converted into videos within minutes of them being posted.

     

    The audience had to tweet to the channel, the extent to which they would go to catch the attention of their favourite star. The gags told the audience how their ideas of impressing their stars might not to be the best, by mocking the idea itself. The videos were hilarious and that attracted more than 6 lakh impressions on twitter alone.

     

    The Small Big Idea founder-director Harikrishnan Pillai said, “Our route was twisted and twisted works. People didn’t expect their version of celeb-love to come out in such funny manner, and that too within minutes of them tweeting. Good part is that people were OK to laugh at themselves. The giggles ended at 6 lakh impressions, validating the efficacy of the idea too.”

     

    Zeel Hindi movie channels deputy business head Ruchir Tiwari added, “The end objective was to make people aware of this application. The core message was beautifully weaved around the social activity, giving us dual advantage of creating great online content and marketing the digital property.”

  • &Pictures gifts fans ‘Dil Se’

    &Pictures gifts fans ‘Dil Se’

    MUMBAI: For a country which loves its movies, there are many options to choose from. So when Zeel launched &pictures – Sapnon ki Udaan – in the Hindi movie space it promised to be different from the rest.

     

    Keeping the promise, the channel acquired movies, which would cater to the new mindsets, and took it to next-level through its various interactive programming. Who would have thought Chale Chalo, a documentary film, based on the making of Aamir Khan’s Oscar nominated movie Lagaan, would become a talking-point even before it was aired on the channel. The buzz created on the social media and the chance to speak to the actor through live dial-ins achieved unbelievable ratings.

     

    Now to up its ante after completing one successful year, the channel has come up with delightful surprise for its fans – ‘Dil Se.’ The new digital innovation will help bridge the gap between the Bollywood stars and their fans. Created by YouToo Technologies, first for the Zee TV viewers in North America in 2012 to help connect with each other, the creator has tweaked the video service a little for the movie buffs here.

     

    Expanding on the idea, Zee TV Americas marketing head Vibha Chopra says that in a large country like the USA, families  which couldn’t meet too often loved the idea of ‘Dil Se’ when Zee gave them an opportunity to send in small video chats. “It helped us to increase our viewership base as people loved the idea of seeing their loved ones on television. We have got more than 50,000 videos so far and a two to three minute spike in time spent.”

     

    “We are a movie channel and what would be better than to enhance the engagement level between audiences and the stars or movies they admire so much,” says Zeel chief content and creative officer Bharat Kumar Ranga while adding that through these 15 second videos the channel wants the viewers to share their message from the heart.

     

    The 15 second video will have to go through censors before being aired on the channel. Since, its TG lies in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM), the channel isn’t worried about language barriers. “It will be mostly Hindi but when a fan says something from within his/her heart, it doesn’t need a language to express his/her feeling,” says Zeel Hindi movie channels deputy business head Ruchir Tiwari.

     

    And to market the new section, the channel will take the digital route. Since it wants people who are always online and comfortable with the digital world, ample amount of the marketing spend will be on social media apart from the regular in-channel promotions.

     

    In the past one year, the movie channel has been able to distinguish between itself and its sister channel, let alone competition. Stating the example of Ghanchakkar, Ranga says that he had never allowed a Imran Hashmi film on Zee but the channel acquired the Hashmi and Vidya Balan starrer. “For a traditional masala movie, we have Zee Cinema and for the viewers with progressive attitude but still rooted there is &Pictures.”

     

    Another feather to its cap was the launch of the HD version of &Pictures which will have a completely different FTP than the SD version! The channel aims to target the very core of its target audience of &Pictures. “Even within a TG, one can see fragmentations. Through the HD channel we want to cater to the core TG and not the scattered movie buffs who surf through various channels,” says Ranga.

  • Was it your birthday on 18 August?

    Was it your birthday on 18 August?

    MUMBAI: On the occasion of its first birthday on 18 August, &pictures, India’s first interactive channel, created beautiful moments and memories for its audiences. In a bid to acknowledge the constant love and support of the viewers that has encouraged the channel in their various endeavours all year long, a special initiative was undertaken to make &pictures first birthday a memorable day for its viewers also.

     

    As the channel completed one year on August 18, &pictures in a one-of-its kind initiative, shared its happiness and love with all those who shared their birthday on 18 August – the date that the channel was launched last year. From surprises at the cake shops to surprise home deliveries, &pictures went all out to make viewers taste the sweet joy of happiness, success and celebrations!  The channel’s digital agency, The Small Big Idea, was present at cake-shops in Mumbai and they anonymously took down all details of those who came to order a cake for 18 August. When they came to collect the cake; &pictures not only gifted them their cake but also surprised them with their desired birthday gift.

     

    The channel created a wave of happiness amongst Mumbaikars who shared their birthday on 18 August by continuing to be its unique and interactive self; a promise that was undertaken by &pictures at the time of its launch and was made a reality through the entire year.  &pictures recorded the excitement at each of the birthdays and the videos were updated on the YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/andpictureschannel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/andpicturesin,#ANDturnsOne) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/andpictureschannel) page of &pictures. With this, &pictures has once again showcased its distinctive quality of engaging with its viewers in an endearing and memorable manner and marked the start of yet another remarkable year for the channel.

     

    These memories can be viewed on http://youtu.be/RmEFITGHUbg

  • &pictures launches HD feed

    &pictures launches HD feed

    MUMBAI: The second-largest media and entertainment company in India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises has added another channel to its catalogue.

     

    A year after Zee launched its second brand ‘&’ with &pictures, it has added the HD version of the channel to its growing bouquet of channels.

     

     &pictures HD will focus on bringing the Bollywood blockbusters, mega premiers and Hollywood hits together to a single destination. The channel is currently available on Dish TV and will soon be available on Videocon d2h.

     

    Aimed at targeting the younger mindset, ‘&pictures’ went on-air on August 18 2013. The channel endeavors to build upon the existing film and digital resources to create a continuing conversation with an audience and engaged with the world around them. 

     

    The Ampersand depicts the new age viewer’s graceful ability to connect with cultures, people and practices, says the channel.

     

    India’s premium interactive and movie channel, ‘&pictures’, has always endeavored to provide its audiences blockbuster films through innovative and ground-breaking campaigns. The channel aims to showcase the best of Bollywood and provide complete entertainment to its viewers. The channle’s library consists largely of films released in the last 10 years including blockbusters like ‘Kai Po Che’, ‘ABCD’, ‘Barfi’, ‘English Vinglish’, ‘Love Aaj Kal’, ‘Agent Vinod’, ‘Desi Boyz’, ‘Kambakt Ishq‘ and ‘Break Ke Baad’, ‘Chennai Express’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Besharam’ etc.

  • Digitisation has enhanced industry’s transparency levels: Zeel annual report

    Digitisation has enhanced industry’s transparency levels: Zeel annual report

    MUMBAI: In June 2013, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) unveiled its new corporate identity ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

     

    It was inspired by ‘The World is my Family’ philosophy with an all-new positioning which creatively integrated and crafted with the brand logo. The annual report of the media and entertainment conglomerate for 2013-14 incorporates its ‘One Zee, One Anthem’ philosophy.

     

    The vibrant and stakeholder-friendly annual report gives an insight into the media house highlighting how its reach and viewership share has grown from strength to strength.

     

    Zee’s evolution as a global media brand is vindicated by its 730+ million viewers across 169 countries. This apart, it also added one more channel, Zindagi, to its list taking the toll to 33 for its domestic channels. Zindagi, launched on 23 June, showcases content from Pakistan and has the tagline ‘Jodey Dilon Ko’. It also launched another brand ‘&’.

     

    With the strategy to offer specific content to relevant markets, the powerhouse also added two more international channels to its kitty – Zee Bioskop in Indonesia and Zee Nung in Thailand. It is pushing boundaries forward to realise its vision of being a leading global media powerhouse by the year 2020.

     

    Apart from this, the company also launched Zee Music Company entering into the country’s Rs 960 crore music market.

     

    The three key value drivers for brand Zee are pioneering, prudent and predictability. And these have helped it contribute 26 per cent of the corporate brand to the enterprise value as of 31 March 2014.

     

    In the last five years, Zee’s revenues grew at 15.30 per cent CAGR. The consolidated revenue during FY 2014 grew by 20 per cent y-o-y to Rs 46,024 million.

     

    In a message to shareholders, Zeel chairman Dr Subhash Chandra highlights that even though there is a question mark on India’s domestic growth and there persists a general climate of pessimism, the company’s experience and expertise has helped it grow and overcome roadblocks to unleash their creativity.

     

    “Digitisation has been instrumental in enhancing the industry’s transparency levels. The phase I and II roll out restructured the industry’s standards. With consumers ready to pay for quality content, complete digitisation will entail multiple benefits, such as industry growth, transparency and increased ARPUs for industry players,” he said in the annual report.

     

    54 per cent of revenue is generated through advertisements while 63 per cent of the total distribution expense comes from operational cost.

     

    Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka spoke about the future of India’s M&E industry. “Currently valued at Rs 417 billion, it poised to reach Rs 885 billion by 2018 as per the latest KPMG report. Zee will continue to raise the bar in terms of content innovation, operational excellence and global footprint to sustain its industry leadership.”

     

    With the total strength of more than 2200 people at the company, the annual report shares views of other management teams as well as outsiders like Shahrukh Khan, Sam Balsara, Rishi Jaitly among many others.

     

    The 32nd annual general meeting of the company will be held on 18 July at 11 am in Nehru Auditorium in Mumbai.

     

    Annual reports are not just numbers; they are a piece of handiwork through which a company can promote itself, its prospects to its various stakeholders.  AICL Communications is in-charge of making Zeel’s report more interactive rather than just plain vanilla.