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Tag: Rajjat Barjatya

  • Rajshri partners Bajaj for Youtube cookery show

    Rajshri partners Bajaj for Youtube cookery show

    MUMBAI: For long it had been said that digital content pioneer Rajshri Entertainment was getting its mammoth YouTube views courtesy its Bollywood catalogue. That was because of the million plus subscribers it had on the mother channel Rajshri featuring Bollywood content. However, the founder, the late Rajjat Barjatya had worked hard to correct it by launching a slew of channels right from Rajshri Soul to Rajshri Food to Get Curried to channels in languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati.

    Most of these had started getting traction: Rajshri Food has a subscriber base of almost 500,000, Get Curried 70,000, Rajshri Soul 64,000, Peekaboo Kids, 48,000 and Mind Body and Soul 59,000.

    The growth in its subscriber base and views in the non-Bollywood zone has encouraged it to launch its first brand integrated food show – Ruchi Unboxes with Bajaj on Rajshri Food, which offers only vegetarian recipes. Ruchi Bharani, the host of the show, is one of the channel’s flagship chefs and will be appearing in five episodes between 1 August and 29 August with each episode being of six to seven minutes duration.

    Within two days of its launch, the first episode which focused on the scrumptious Lebanese Falafel wrap, had managed to generate close to 100,000 views. The series has been shot in Ruchi’s home with a crew of five to seven over two weeks with Rajshri content head Kavya Krishnaswamy helming it.

    The standout of the series is the brand integration the Rajshri team has managed for Bajaj. Throughout the show, Ruchi works in a Bajaj kitchen with Bajaj appliances helping make her life easier as she cooks. And at the end of the show viewers can get Bajaj giveaways and hampers delivered to their homes if they answer the chef’s quiz question right. The contest is being run on Rajshri’s facebook page too.

    Rajshri Entertainment General Manager – Content Alliances Inderpal Singh Jaggi, says the Bajaj association is just a start. “We are looking at more and more brand integrations and not just with Rajshri Foods but with our other channels too,” he says.

    “Brand integration works in a two way benefit. It helps fund our content while we give the brand a wider and different audience,” he points out. “We have received an overwhelming response from brands as well, considering the reach of our platform” informs Inderpal.

    On the promotion front, Inderpal and team have lined up a social media marketing plan which includes ads on Facebook and Youtube. Hopefully it will cook up a storm for Ruchi Unboxes with Bajaj.

  • Rajshri partners Bajaj for Youtube cookery show

    Rajshri partners Bajaj for Youtube cookery show

    MUMBAI: For long it had been said that digital content pioneer Rajshri Entertainment was getting its mammoth YouTube views courtesy its Bollywood catalogue. That was because of the million plus subscribers it had on the mother channel Rajshri featuring Bollywood content. However, the founder, the late Rajjat Barjatya had worked hard to correct it by launching a slew of channels right from Rajshri Soul to Rajshri Food to Get Curried to channels in languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati.

    Most of these had started getting traction: Rajshri Food has a subscriber base of almost 500,000, Get Curried 70,000, Rajshri Soul 64,000, Peekaboo Kids, 48,000 and Mind Body and Soul 59,000.

    The growth in its subscriber base and views in the non-Bollywood zone has encouraged it to launch its first brand integrated food show – Ruchi Unboxes with Bajaj on Rajshri Food, which offers only vegetarian recipes. Ruchi Bharani, the host of the show, is one of the channel’s flagship chefs and will be appearing in five episodes between 1 August and 29 August with each episode being of six to seven minutes duration.

    Within two days of its launch, the first episode which focused on the scrumptious Lebanese Falafel wrap, had managed to generate close to 100,000 views. The series has been shot in Ruchi’s home with a crew of five to seven over two weeks with Rajshri content head Kavya Krishnaswamy helming it.

    The standout of the series is the brand integration the Rajshri team has managed for Bajaj. Throughout the show, Ruchi works in a Bajaj kitchen with Bajaj appliances helping make her life easier as she cooks. And at the end of the show viewers can get Bajaj giveaways and hampers delivered to their homes if they answer the chef’s quiz question right. The contest is being run on Rajshri’s facebook page too.

    Rajshri Entertainment General Manager – Content Alliances Inderpal Singh Jaggi, says the Bajaj association is just a start. “We are looking at more and more brand integrations and not just with Rajshri Foods but with our other channels too,” he says.

    “Brand integration works in a two way benefit. It helps fund our content while we give the brand a wider and different audience,” he points out. “We have received an overwhelming response from brands as well, considering the reach of our platform” informs Inderpal.

    On the promotion front, Inderpal and team have lined up a social media marketing plan which includes ads on Facebook and Youtube. Hopefully it will cook up a storm for Ruchi Unboxes with Bajaj.

  • Industry remembers Rajjat Barjatya

    Industry remembers Rajjat Barjatya

    MUMBAI: Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero was on the button when he said: “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”

    29 July shook the entire entertainment industry with the sudden demise of Rajshri Entertainment managing director and CEO Rajjat Barjatya. Barjatya had been battling a cancer relapse since March. He was first detected with lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010. He fought and conquered the life-threatening disease but unfortunately succumbed to it on 29 July evening.

    Barjatya is remembered as a digital pioneer and stalwart and the one who played a large role in taking digital content mainstream. Though his presence will be missed big time, but he still remains an integral part of the industry through his excellent work. No sooner did the news surface through various news agencies, than condolences started pouring in. His former colleagues and well wishers within the industry have also taken to social media to express their loss.

    A+ E Network managing director and TV 18 strategy, product and alliances president Avinash Kaul tweets, “ Saddened beyond words to hear of #RajjatBarjatya passing away. Finest human being I have come across and a very dear friend. RIP.”

    RBNL CEO Tarun Katial also tweeted saying, “Life seems short and extremely unpredictable! RIP #RajjatBarjatya”

    Filmmaker, Shirish Kunder who had worked with him for a very long time says, “Nothing shakes you up more than when someone your age dies. RIP Rajjat Barjatya. A dear friend, since I edited a film for him 13 years back.”

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Balaji Telefilms group CEO Sameer Nair shared, “It’s really unfortunate to hear about his death. I was really shocked because I know him from many years. Just two days back at a CII meeting we were discussing about him and such news is a real shock. He was a true pioneer in the video online space. I remember my first meeting with him in Star India in 2005. We were talking about Rajshri.com and what he plans to do with it. 2005 was the pioneer days for online video and nobody knew at that time that where it will go and the online digital world is really going to miss him.”

    Universal Music Group and EMI Music, South Asia managing director & CEO Devraj Sanyal expressed, “I just remember him as the nicest people I know. Every interaction I had with him – discussion about work, music matter or about the industry. He was one those who really want to change the industry and do it decently not like a typical Bollywood type. He will be remembered as a person who always looked for good in each and everyone he met. It’s a terrible loss for the industry.”

    “It’s a deep shock for all of us. He was more than a boss for the entire team and we lost a genuine person today. He always wanted us to have a very large vision for Rajshri and we are very hopeful and passionate about making his dream true,” recounts Rajshri Entertainment content alliances general manager and his close friend Inderpal Singh Jaggi.

    Hotstar creative director and Barjatya’s old friend Siddhartha Jain states, “I shared a great friendship and relationship with him. He was one of the finest human beings I know in this industry. He was also the pioneer in the internet content space and first one to buy into internet content when nobody knew about it. It’s a big loss for the family and as well as for the industry.”

    Indeed, a loss it is.

    As indiantelevision.com joins the industry to mourn for this great loss, we leave our readers with this old interview that Barjatya had given us a year ago

    Note: A prayer meet to remember Rajjat Barjatya is to be held on 31 July 2016 at Rangsharda, Bandra, Mumbai between 3-5 pm.

  • Industry remembers Rajjat Barjatya

    Industry remembers Rajjat Barjatya

    MUMBAI: Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero was on the button when he said: “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”

    29 July shook the entire entertainment industry with the sudden demise of Rajshri Entertainment managing director and CEO Rajjat Barjatya. Barjatya had been battling a cancer relapse since March. He was first detected with lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010. He fought and conquered the life-threatening disease but unfortunately succumbed to it on 29 July evening.

    Barjatya is remembered as a digital pioneer and stalwart and the one who played a large role in taking digital content mainstream. Though his presence will be missed big time, but he still remains an integral part of the industry through his excellent work. No sooner did the news surface through various news agencies, than condolences started pouring in. His former colleagues and well wishers within the industry have also taken to social media to express their loss.

    A+ E Network managing director and TV 18 strategy, product and alliances president Avinash Kaul tweets, “ Saddened beyond words to hear of #RajjatBarjatya passing away. Finest human being I have come across and a very dear friend. RIP.”

    RBNL CEO Tarun Katial also tweeted saying, “Life seems short and extremely unpredictable! RIP #RajjatBarjatya”

    Filmmaker, Shirish Kunder who had worked with him for a very long time says, “Nothing shakes you up more than when someone your age dies. RIP Rajjat Barjatya. A dear friend, since I edited a film for him 13 years back.”

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Balaji Telefilms group CEO Sameer Nair shared, “It’s really unfortunate to hear about his death. I was really shocked because I know him from many years. Just two days back at a CII meeting we were discussing about him and such news is a real shock. He was a true pioneer in the video online space. I remember my first meeting with him in Star India in 2005. We were talking about Rajshri.com and what he plans to do with it. 2005 was the pioneer days for online video and nobody knew at that time that where it will go and the online digital world is really going to miss him.”

    Universal Music Group and EMI Music, South Asia managing director & CEO Devraj Sanyal expressed, “I just remember him as the nicest people I know. Every interaction I had with him – discussion about work, music matter or about the industry. He was one those who really want to change the industry and do it decently not like a typical Bollywood type. He will be remembered as a person who always looked for good in each and everyone he met. It’s a terrible loss for the industry.”

    “It’s a deep shock for all of us. He was more than a boss for the entire team and we lost a genuine person today. He always wanted us to have a very large vision for Rajshri and we are very hopeful and passionate about making his dream true,” recounts Rajshri Entertainment content alliances general manager and his close friend Inderpal Singh Jaggi.

    Hotstar creative director and Barjatya’s old friend Siddhartha Jain states, “I shared a great friendship and relationship with him. He was one of the finest human beings I know in this industry. He was also the pioneer in the internet content space and first one to buy into internet content when nobody knew about it. It’s a big loss for the family and as well as for the industry.”

    Indeed, a loss it is.

    As indiantelevision.com joins the industry to mourn for this great loss, we leave our readers with this old interview that Barjatya had given us a year ago

    Note: A prayer meet to remember Rajjat Barjatya is to be held on 31 July 2016 at Rangsharda, Bandra, Mumbai between 3-5 pm.

  • Rajshri Entertainment MD & CEO Rajjat Barjatya no more

    Rajshri Entertainment MD & CEO Rajjat Barjatya no more

    Mumbai: Rajjat Barjatya, the affable, soft-spoken managing director & CEO of Rajshri Entertainment, passed away Friday evening in Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital. Rajjat had been battling a blood cancer relapse since end-March this year. He was 41 years old.

    He was first detected with lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010. But he fought and conquered the life-threatening disease and had started aggressively expanding Rajshri in the digital space over the past couple of years. The dreaded disease resurfaced earlier this year.

    He is survived by his wife Neha and two daughters, aged 11 and six.

    Rajjat was a big votary of digital and online video and Rajshri Entertainment had emerged as amongst YouTube’s most preferred partners in India under his guidance.

    Confirming the news, Jaslok Hospital CEO Dr Taran Gianchandani said that the death occurred at around 6:30 pm and refused to comment further.

    According to sources, Rajat was supposed to travel to London next week for a bone marrow transplant. “He had been in and out of hospital over the past three weeks. In the ICU and out. On Thursday, he became quite serious and was put on the ventilator,” says a source close to family. “His body gave up the fight on Friday evening.”

    His last rites will be performed on Saturday at Mumbai’s Worli Crematorium at 1 pm.

    A cousin of renowned film maker Sooraj Barijatya and the son of Ajit Kumar Barjatya, Rajjat was also the founder & managing trustee of Rajshri Foundation, the non profit social enterprise of the Rajshri Group. He was actively involved in the Barjatya family’s Rajshri Productions, which has been behind family based movies such as Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Apke Hain Kaun and the recent 2015 Salman Khan starrer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.

    May his soul rest in peace.

    (Updated on 1 August 2016, 12:54 pm)

  • Rajshri Entertainment MD & CEO Rajjat Barjatya no more

    Rajshri Entertainment MD & CEO Rajjat Barjatya no more

    Mumbai: Rajjat Barjatya, the affable, soft-spoken managing director & CEO of Rajshri Entertainment, passed away Friday evening in Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital. Rajjat had been battling a blood cancer relapse since end-March this year. He was 41 years old.

    He was first detected with lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010. But he fought and conquered the life-threatening disease and had started aggressively expanding Rajshri in the digital space over the past couple of years. The dreaded disease resurfaced earlier this year.

    He is survived by his wife Neha and two daughters, aged 11 and six.

    Rajjat was a big votary of digital and online video and Rajshri Entertainment had emerged as amongst YouTube’s most preferred partners in India under his guidance.

    Confirming the news, Jaslok Hospital CEO Dr Taran Gianchandani said that the death occurred at around 6:30 pm and refused to comment further.

    According to sources, Rajat was supposed to travel to London next week for a bone marrow transplant. “He had been in and out of hospital over the past three weeks. In the ICU and out. On Thursday, he became quite serious and was put on the ventilator,” says a source close to family. “His body gave up the fight on Friday evening.”

    His last rites will be performed on Saturday at Mumbai’s Worli Crematorium at 1 pm.

    A cousin of renowned film maker Sooraj Barijatya and the son of Ajit Kumar Barjatya, Rajjat was also the founder & managing trustee of Rajshri Foundation, the non profit social enterprise of the Rajshri Group. He was actively involved in the Barjatya family’s Rajshri Productions, which has been behind family based movies such as Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Apke Hain Kaun and the recent 2015 Salman Khan starrer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.

    May his soul rest in peace.

    (Updated on 1 August 2016, 12:54 pm)

  • The Content Hub: Thinking digital

    The Content Hub: Thinking digital

    MUMBAI: Digital has become the core of any strategy today. And highlighting the same were the digital content creators at indiantelevision.com’s ‘The Content Hub,’ where the makers shared their valuable insights on the success stories and how they manage making money in this competitive market.

     

    Sharing their views were Viral Fever and TVF Media Labs founder and CEO Arunabh Kumar, Rajshri Entertainment MD and CEO Rajjat Barjatya, Viacom18 Media – MTV and MTV Indies EVP and business head Aditya Swami, Qyuki Digital Media co-founder and MD Samir Bangara, Zenga Group MD and CTO Shabir Momin, YouTube head of content operations India Satya Raghavan and Multi Screen Media EVP and head – digital business Uday Sodhi.

     

    Moderated by CNBC-TV18 editor, storyboard Anant Rangaswami, the discussion began with Rangaswami raising the point of how each digital creator makes money differently in the business.

     

    According to Sodhi, while ‘digital only’ may not be the viable way of going about it right now, for popular sports it will turn around. “Look at television or any other entertainment, sports is a critical part where money goes from advertisers and from an eyeballs perspective. Why the same pattern is not followed on digital? It will happen, but how it grows and how much money it takes, only time will tell,” opined Sodhi.  

     

    Rangaswami believes it is an interesting curve and content can make money on digital. Agreeing to him, Kumar shared that in the financial year 2012-13, also the first year of TVF online network, its total turnover was equal to one day of shooting cost of an MTV promo and this financial year its total turnover is the cost of one promo of MTV. “The growth has been really phenomenal. Once upon a time, we were doing 10-15 thousand views on YouTube and the brands feature were also very less. That time there was this whole idea that a brand or a client could own a piece of content after giving you money. But cut to now, we have shows on MTV or our channel or AIB and you can see a lot of brands being open to that.”

     

    For Kumar, it is a pretty much age old television model where for example Cadbury takes a lot of money for KBC, because it is watched by a lot of people.

     

    According to Bangara, the big opportunity is the content marketing opportunity. “If advertisers and brands let creators do what they need to without putting restrictions, then it will work much better. Because audiences online are very different than audiences consuming content on the traditional platforms.”

     

    The traditional media players believe that production value equals quality. “In the online space, production value is not directly proportionate to popularity. The concept drives engagement and therefore you don’t need expensive budgets to ride your films on digital platforms,” said Bangara.

     

    Rangaswami further delved to find out whether is it easier to sell branded content on digital than on television? Contradicting his statement, Swamy feels that the future of TV is TV and from a reach and growth perspective, there is huge growth and spread still on television. “On branded content, the way we make this work is that it is the combination of bringing the screens together.  If you go to see TV and digital separately, the challenge will be much harder. But a lot of branded content that we do, we bundle the whole thing. For example, take the premium content like ‘Coke Studio’ series that we produce, we produce it as a broadcaster, give it legs on television and it kind of survives on beyond TV as well.”

     

    Going forward, Rangaswami highlighted the different needs of monetisation of content. Barjatya revealed that Rajshri has 20,000 hours of content that it has aggregated with Mukta Arts. “That brings in the revenue. But we also do a lot of experimentations. We have a channel in the entertainment space, bollywood news space, hollywood news space, television space, channels in kids, food and devotional space. These I think will grow going forward.”

     

    But, according to Barjatya, money still needs to keep coming in and that can come only through blockbuster movies, which the company has acquired over the last couple of years.

     

    According to Raghavan brands are experimenting, content creators are experimenting and the entire ecosystem is experimenting. He pointed out that the difference the industry is noticing in the last few years is that advertisers are ready to put their money on content because they believe that the creator of the content or the participant will be able to create the content and distribute it as well. “Till now what was happening was that they wanted to own the delivery itself which is why a lot of brands created good stuff but later fell off the clip. Now, they are trusting a lot on the creators. That’s where the point of money floating to content creators and to networks is multiplying.”

     

    Further adding to this, Momin felt that success on the digital platforms is not counted only by achieving the million views mark. “People get onto the digital platforms for multiple reasons. A movie production house comes to the digital platform not to make money or for ad sales but they are now looking at increasing their eyeballs reach.” He believes that there are other serious players who are trying to make this as a profession. “Branded content is becoming content and that will always be there because they are the ones who are pumping in a lot of their money but if you look at the industry overall , it is the rate of creating content which is growing,” said Momin. 

  • MIPCOM 2014: Best time to invest in India, say Indian media barons

    MIPCOM 2014: Best time to invest in India, say Indian media barons

    CANNES: Indian content market is going through an exciting phase, and putting the scenario upfront to the world, through one of the biggest stages at the ongoing MIPCOM 2014 was the India panel which comprised of Colors CEO Raj Nayak, Balaji Telefilms group CEO Sameer Nair, Rajshri Entertainment managing director and CEO Rajjat Barjatya and online video expert and ex-head of YouTube content south/south east Asia Amit Agrawal. The session on ‘New business strategies from India’ was moderated by PwC global leader, entertainment and media Fenez Marcel.

     

    Setting the stage for some heated discussion was Nayak when he highlighted one of the biggest issues the country faces: lack of broadband. “Lack of connectivity is an issue. If the experience of watching becomes smooth, it will be a game changer,” he said.

     

    Comparing the online market in India with that of the world, Agrawal said that the Indian market has both traditional medium and online play “and both are very strong,” he informed adding that this meant huge opportunity to tap into.  

     

    Agrawal went on to say that while India consumes a lot of content online, almost 30-40 per cent of this content is not made in India. “That’s a huge chunk. I am seeing an emergence of micro-communities with technology. This will enable the content producer to tackle the right community. It will happen and very soon, may be in the next 12-18 months,” he stressed.

     

    There is too much of fragmentation in the country, currently. Mentioning the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s regulation about ad-cap for pay TV, Nayak said, “Once this happens, the supply and demand ratio will change. This will also help in the yield going up, because the demand will go up. We have to come at a point where the FTA channels will carry advertising with no limitations, pay channels which will have 10+2 advertising and very premium channels will have no advertising.”

     

    Barjatya who wears the hat of both traditional movie maker and digital feels that India is at a cusp of digital revolution. “For me the opportunity is to reach the global audience, especially through mobile. Traditional media rules cannot be applied on mobile,” he said.  

     

    The YouTube journey in India started with traditional media content that was distributed to audience which was moving away from traditional media. “But now, over the last one and a half years, I see so many online channels coming up on comedy, food, music, news, tech bloggers have all come up,” informed Agrawal.  

     

    With a contradicting viewpoint, Nayak said that YouTube is the biggest competitor to the broadcaster. And that it is due to this, that the broadcaster, since the last month, has taken its hit show Comedy Nights with Kapil off YouTube. “I am a big believer of digital media and I feel it is the future, but I also feel that it will co-exist with television and they will grow parallel.”

     

    Viacom itself is looking at a lot of short formats. “But the problem is that unless broadband issue is not addressed, monetisation will remain a huge problem. If you look at the money, YouTube does Rs 500-600 crore business from India, where television is a Rs 7000 crore business, so the numbers are small and that will not grow until and unless the bandwidth issues are addressed,” said Nayak.

     

    Nayak believes that no one in India has so far mastered the art of monetising content on the digital media, social media the way it should be, given its increasing reach and targeting abilities.. 

     

    “Monetisation will happen with broadband and hopefully this should be resolved with the rollout of 4G,” he added.

     

    The panel also put forth its wish list for the new government formed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Nair regulation for content already exists, which is beneficial to the whole industry. Highlighting PM Narendra Modi’s ‘come make in India’ campaign, he said that the government is giving open invitation for people to come to India. “As for Raj’s point that producers in India are not partnering with broadcasters and thus not sharing risks, we are looking at that very seriously and are encouraging everyone else to do it. If there is a risk-reward mechanism, everyone can benefit,” explained Nair.  

    As for Nayak, keeping in mind the dynamic & tech-savvy PM the country currently has, who understands the power of the Digital media, connectivity and broadband will get addressed in a much faster footing.  Given that electricity is still erratic in rural India, people will communicate and consume content through mobile phones. “I would ask him to release spectrum because that’s a big issue that’s coming in the way of growing business. Another thing that I would request  is complete implementation of the digitisation, process which is expected to be over by 2016 . He further added that broadcasters are not getting their fair share of subscription revenue and this can only happen once the digitisation process is complete and all stakeholders start seeing the benefits,” he said.

     

    Barjatya’s wish list consists of wiring up India and encouraging Indian entrepreneurs to have a global outlook rather than be restricted to Indian audiences alone. “We need to appeal to the audience outside of India,” he said.

     

    For Agrawal, the government should remove hurdles. “Out of all the YouTube content that we produce, more than 70 per cent of the viewership for programme comes from global audiences. We haven’t done a great job in marketing ourselves and make people aware of the country,” he added.

     

    Nayak is hoping for a dynamic change in the media industry, with the new PM.   

     

    The discussion also touched upon the consumer behaviour in the country.  “We see a lot of consumption happening on handheld devices. When we began, 10 per cent of our views were from handheld devices, today it is almost 50-50 and that number is higher in India than in the rest of the world. India’s next billion people will access internet on mobile, and will not know about PCs,” opined Barjatya.

     

    Agreeing to this, Nayak said that the reason it will happen is because for mobile, one doesn’t need electricity. “We have 160 million homes and 900 million handheld devices right now, which is expected to go up to 1.5 billion handsets. So the explosion is happening. Power will take a lot of time to be addressed, but if you have internet, you can consume content,” he informed.

     

    Nair classified the audiences and the programmes being made. He said, “The television industry currently is programming for newer audiences who are more into household dramas. Then there are also those who have already lived through all this and are now looking for more. The audience is evolving. There will be more niche channels.”  

     

    All the panelists felt that this is the best time to invest in India. “In India, people are ready to match dollar to dollar. And we are ready to put the money where our mouth is,” announced Nair.  

     

    Concluding the session with one advice to entrants in the market, Nair said, “It is important to be patient. We are still at the ground floor, but we can build.”

  • Rajshri Entertainment launches a web channel for TV news

    Rajshri Entertainment launches a web channel for TV news

    MUMBAI: What to know what’s happening behind-the scenes in your favourite daily soaps then tune in to Telly Masala.

    The Hindi language entertainment news channel available on leading web and mobile platforms is launched by Rajshri Entertainment. Telly Masala adds a new dimension to the network on digital platform.

    With a tagline ‘TV Hua Tadkedaar’, it is all about the latest TV news, gossip, drama, behind the news, exclusive interviews, fashion trends and many more interesting insights into the lives of the most popular TV stars.

    Rajshri Entertainment managing director and CEO Rajjat Barjatya said: “There is an insatiable appetite for entertainment news and gossip on digital platforms. We have built successful channels for Bollywood and Hollywood entertainment news on the world’s leading web and mobile platforms. Hindi TV stars have a huge fan following that is distinct from and is as dedicated as any top Bollywood star. We hope our new digital channel, Telly Masala, will bring our viewers closer to their favorite TV stars and shows, making them accessible to viewers worldwide anytime, anywhere and on any device.”

    Rajshri Entertainment has more than 25 successful digital channels across various genres like full-length films, regional, Bollywood and Hollywood e-news, food, kids, devotional and many more on the world’s leading web and mobile platforms. 

  • Rajshri launches broadband entertainment portal, to release ‘Vivah’ for viewers at $9.90

    Rajshri launches broadband entertainment portal, to release ‘Vivah’ for viewers at $9.90

    NEW DELHI: Rajshri Group, one of the oldest production and distribution houses in the country, has launched a broadband entertainment portal, www.rajshri.com, that will offer streaming and downloading of various forms of content including movies, music videos, concerts, and documentaries.

    Rajshri’s latest movie, Vivah, will be premiered on the portal simultaneously along with its theatrical release on Friday. This is the first time in India that a film is being made available on the internet at the day of its release.

    The downloading of Vivah will be at a payment of $9.9 through an international credit card, said Rajshri Media (P) Ltd managing director Rajjat Barjatya. The copies do not run the risk of being pirated because of a special software that has been used, he added.

    Rajshri Media (P) Ltd will be the group’s digital media initiatives arm. This will cover streaming services which users don’t have to pay for. Among the broad gamut of content available is the historic midnight speech of late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 15 August 1947. “We are also soon going to add humor, management-related content and spiritualism to our site,” said Barjatya.

    Describing the new initiative as an “historic moment,” Barjatya said the company had been working on this project for the past two years. The aim seems to be converting the ‘non-consumers into consumers’ while attempting to break the stranglehold of piracy.

    Barjatya is also targeting about 25 million Indians abroad, NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) put together, who are “extremely keen to stay in touch with their roots and will pay for rich and origial Indian content as against the pirated one.”

    About 51 per cent Indians abroad spent time daily on the net, he revealed. Besides, Indian content was also becoming extremely popular among non-Indians across the world.

    So how will the box office takings of Vivah, for instance, be a hit because of online viewing? “We are getting into a four screen scenario, instead of a two-screen one. Cinema theatres were always there, and then came TV, the big screen and the small screen. Now there is the internet and the mobile,” said Barjatya.

    “Each of these screens are a different experience and one cannot replace any of the other. It is one thing to see a film on the Net alone, and quite another doing so with the family on a TV set, or watching it in a dark hall with a lot of people, so there is no cutting into turfs,” he added.

    The delivery of movies through the internet could also cut down piracy. “If there is a viewer in say Finland, I can now get to him before the pirates can,” Barjatya said.

    A key feature of the site is that the movies can’t be pirated. “We have used a software which ‘wraps around the programme’ and while it is being streamed, it cannot be copied, nor downloaded. Even while it is ‘sitting’ on the hard disk for 72 hours, it cannot be made into a CD or DVD,” he said.

    The portal is also aimed at the tech-savvy younger audience. “The site has a lot of features. You can actually saute the film, slice and dice it, rate it, send a link to a friend and read what others have to comment about it,” Barjatya said.