Tag: Republic Day

Network 18 announces the team behind its first newspaper – Firstpost

Network18 will be launching its very first weekly newspaper – Firstpost. Expected to see the launch on Republic Day – 26th January, 2019, the newspaper will mark the media conglomerate’s foray in the newspaper domain.

The Network appointed Praveen Swami as the Group Consulting Editor a few months ago. Along with BV Rao, the Editor of Firstpost, he will lead the editorial team of Firstpost newspaper. Rahul Kansal, Network18’s brand advisor will also be seen in the role of Business Head of the newspaper. A veteran of media marketing, Rahul was earlier the Executive President of Bennett Coleman, serving as the business head of The Times of India. Praveen Swami has earlier held key editorial positions at The Indian Express, The Hindu, and The Daily Telegraph, London. B.V. Rao comes with an extensive experience of 33 years where he has led newsrooms across various brands, formats and platforms.

A roster of some of the biggest Indian and international columnists will write for the paper; anchored by a talented team of journalists, cherry-picked from India’s leading newsrooms.

January 12, 2019
Republic Bharat, Arnab Goswami’s Hindi offering, to debut on 26 January

MUMBAI: The Hindi offering of the Arnab Goswami-led network Republic is set to hit the airwaves on 26 January, a source close to the development informed Indiantelevision.com. Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani, in a recent interaction with Indiantelevision.com, however, had side-stepped queries about Republic Bharat’s (in short format it would be known as R Bharat) launch, though he added it would materialise in the first quarter of 2019.

Hersh Bhandari, the former national revenue head for India Today Television, is all set to join the brand new Hindi news channel. With him onboard, R Bharat aims to start strong as far as revenue performance and grow exponentially from there. He spent six years at Times Network. Bhandari has also had effective stints at the Star Group, NDTV Media, Mastiii and TV Today Group, collectively translating in 20 years of experience in the media industry. He has played a key role in helping channels boost their presence and revenue over the years and aims to replicate the same with R Bharat.

"We are pleased to have Hersh Bhandari on board and he is now a part of the Republic Network. With a proven track record of being a powerhouse and implementing strong customer focused strategy, he will lead the team to scale up the Republic Bharat advertising business. We wish Hersh all the very best in his new role," Khanchandani added.

The Hindi sibling of Republic TV will have Shamsher Singh as its editor. Singh has over 20 years of experience and has worked with leading television news channels, including India News, Zee Hindustan and Aaj Tak.

According to media reports, earlier in June this year Republic TV had circulated a note through a financial consultancy firm based out of Gurugram stating that the company was planning to raise capital of around Rs 120 crore (Rs 1,200 million) to set up a Hindi news channel. The investor note also stated Republic TV had “overachieved” its projected revenue and profitability estimates to close FY18 with Rs 155 crore (Rs 1550 million) in revenue and planned to close FY19 with close to Rs 2 billion in revenues.

Pointing out that `India’ is equated with `Bharat’, Khanchandani previously said, “Republic Bharat or R Bharat resonated with all of us and we were instantly drawn to it. It has stood out as a differentiator and as a name that smashes the clutter. The name is powerful and will connect with the audiences across HSM markets. The audiences will embrace Bharat.”

December 17, 2018
TV channels ready Republic Day programming line-up

MUMBAI: With the Republic Day holiday upon us, broadcasters have readied a slew of programmes to keep viewers enthralled. To build the excitement around the day, various special shows and movies have been lined up. Let’s take a look at a few of them:

Sony BBC Earth is celebrating the day by premiering shows such as Joanna Lumley’s India—recipient of the prestigious Bafta Fellowship. The show entails Lumley taking an evocative journey around the country of her birth. The other show, named The Ganges with Sue Perkins, traces the course of the Ganges, from source to sea, to tell the story of modern India at a crucial point in its history. To make things more interesting, the network will telecast World’s Busiest Cities, the most awaited Blue Planet II and Fishing Impossible.

AXN, meanwhile, is premiering a number of shows such as the Handmaid’s Tal, which is an American television series created by Bruce Miller based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, with an IMDb rating of 8.6. Other shows include Vikings season 5. With the death of King Ragnar, his sons are at war against each other. From the executive producer of the show Homeland, The Brave revolves around DIA deputy director Patricia Cambell and her team, who put their lives at risk and embark on challenging missions behind enemy lines. Another heart-racing show is Doubt, which is about a successful defence lawyer at a boutique firm who becomes romantically involved with a client who may or may not be guilty of a brutal crime.

The list of programmes for the Sony cluster doesn’t end there. Sony PIX also has a strong line-up in place for the day. The channel will premiere Ouija: Origin of Evil, which is a show about a widow and her two daughters that use an Ouija board to help people move on with life. Other movies include Fifty Shades Darker, The Fate Of The Furious, Despicable Me 3, and American Made. Another movie to watch out for on the channel is Pitch Perfect 3.

Sony Le PLEX HD has a line-up for shows such as When the Bough Breaks, which is about a surrogate mom for a couple who becomes dangerously obsessed with the soon-to-be father, and All We Had. Adding to the entertainment quotient are Nocturnal Animals and Sing.

Stepping beyond the contours of television, Nickelodeon is celebrating Republic Day with the school kids across various cities. Through its Republic Day campaign, #BeRepublic, the channel took the charge of educating and bringing awareness to the kids. The campaign saw fun videos that captured quick facts about Republic Day and enlightened children about the rich heritage of our country and the importance of parades. Fun gifs and informative posts on social media supported the celebration session. The celebrations continued when Nicktoons took charge of the classroom and converted it to a fun-filled yet informative session at schools across various cities. The toons enlightened children through various placards on quirky unknown facts about our constitution-making syllabus for the day fun and memorable.

With such great programming in the works, this Republic Day is all set to be memorable for viewers across age groups.

January 25, 2018
Nickelodeon’s Republic Day campaign teach kids the true meaning of #Being Republic

Republic Day is celebrated in grandeur every year with ceremonious parades in various parts of the country as well as celebrations across schools. India’s leading kid’s entertainment franchise, Nickelodeon has always ensured to celebrate every occasion with a twist reinforcing the significance every festival by reinventing its true meaning. Given that 26th Januray, marks the day when the Constitution of India came into effect takes upon the mission of educating kids and bringing in awareness about the importance of Republic Day through its campaingn – #BeRepublic

The campaign saw fun videos that captured quick facts about Republic day and enlightened children bout the rich heritage of our country, importance of parade etc. The session was supported by fun gifs and informative posts on social media. The celebrations continued when Nicktoons took charge of the classroom and converted it to a fun-filled yet informative session at schools across various cities. The toons through various placards enlighted children on quirky unknown facts about our constitution making syllabus for the day fun and memorable.

January 24, 2018
Celebrate Republic Day special with ‘Beats of India’ only on MTV Beats

This Republic Day, MTV Beats is set to hit the patriotic notes with ‘Beats of India’. The channel will be playing a song every hour as a part of ‘Beats of India’ to intensify the patriotic vibes. From the inspiring ‘Vande Mataram’ by ‘A.R. Rahman’ to the energetic ‘Rang De Basanti,’ and from ‘Chak de India’ to ‘Aisa Desh Hai Mera,’ these songs are sure to emphasize on the importance of freedom and evoke your love for India with some of the most nationalistic Indian songs.

Show: Republic Day special- ‘Beats of India’

Date: 26^th January

Time: 8 AM – 11AM & 5 PM – 7PM

January 24, 2018
Times Network evokes the ‘hero’ in viewers with its Republic Day movies line-up

Times Network, a part of India’s largest media conglomerate, The Times Group, commemorates the 69th Republic Day of India through a specially curated line-up of movies on its channels MOVIES NOW and MNX featuring big screen heroes who save the world from dark forces. With movies such as ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ ‘Valkyrie’, ‘Ben-Hur,’ and ‘The Dark Knight’, Times Network’s English movie channels, MOVIES NOW and MNX, bring to its viewers a formidable line- up of Hollywood blockbusters that celebrate guts, glory and action.

Movies NOW through its property ‘Badge of Courage’, celebrates heroism & passion this Republic Day from 9am to 9pm with an array of Hollywood blockbusters like Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, Marvel’s The Avengers, Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Ant-Man. Movies NOW has assembled all its super heroes to ignite the spirit of nationalism amongst Indian audiences who in their quest to save the world from destruction, exude courage and valour which are symbolic of what Republic Day is all about.

Likewise, MNX through their line-up seek to inspire audiences with films that celebrate resilience, bravery and commitment, values which are characteristic of any hero to the nation. Viewers will be privy to films where the good guys undergo hardships to emerge triumphant in the end be it Valkyrie (overcoming Nazi rule), London has Fallen (fighting terrorism), Ben-Hur (reclaiming lost honour) to The Lone Ranger (capturing rogue outlaws) to name a few.

Wear your badge of courage this Republic Day and tune in to catch the movie line-up on Movies NOW and MNX on Friday, January 26^th

January 24, 2018
Celebrate Republic Day with megastar league on Sony Max 2

MUMBAI: On Republic Day get ready for an all day long movie marathon with India’s iconic Hindi movie channel from Sony Pictures Networks, SONY MAX 2. Binge-watch the movies of some of Bollywood’s megastars throughout the day on 26th January with SONY MAX 2’s Megastar League.

The Republic Day special line up will comprise of a varied genres of movies like Mithun Chakraborty’s action flick ‘Phool aur Angaar’, Rishi Kapoor and Jaya Prada’s family saga ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Khaani, Vinod Khanna’s action-packed movie ‘Farishtay’ and Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana’s romantic movie, ‘Chhote Sarkar’.

January 23, 2018
Bring in Republic Day with the award-winning political comedy VEEP on Star World

MUMBAI: Our 68th Republic Day is just around the corner and considering the political scenario in our country and globally, Star World has lined-up a marathon of a show that is not only entertaining but also takes a satirical view into what goes on behind-the-scenes in government policy-making and legislations! With 188 nominations and 56 awards, VEEP, starring multi-award winning actress Julia Louis Dreyfus will air on 26th January from 11 AM onwards on Star World and Star World HD.

Following the life of Selena Meyer, a self-obsessed and vapid vice-president, the show trails her journey as she tries to prevent various political uproars and juggles her public as well as private life. Having won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards for six consecutive years for her role on the show, Julia Louis Dreyfus made history by breaking her own record in 2017 marking ‘The Most Awards Won by a Performer in the Same Role’! Not just that, the show also went on to win the award for Outstanding Comedy Series for three consecutive years from 2015 – 2017!

Veep’s ensemble cast also includes other actors who have all been nominated for their extraordinary acting talent including an endearing Anna Chlumsky, a meek Tony Hale and a hapless Matt Walsh! With fast-paced, dry and witty humour to boot, the cast’s perfect comedic timing elevates the script to another level.

January 23, 2018
Mother’s Recipe undertakes initiative for war heroes

MUMBAI: India’s homegrown pickle brand Mother’s Recipe initiated a new campaign called, tribute to our motherland to salute the supreme sacrifice and selflessness of our brave men in uniform.

Under this initiative, the company will contribute Rs 3 from the sale of every special edition Mothers Recipe 500 gm pickle bottle. The select product range will be only available in Canteen Stores Department (CSD) across the nation till January 2018.

Additionally, to reach out and connect with a larger set of audience, Mother’s Recipe is amplifying the campaign on various social media platforms using a unique hashtag #EkAchaarDeshKeNaam. For each comment, like, shares, tweets / retweets related to the campaign, Mother’s Recipe will contribute a certain amount towards the cause. The initiative is already a hit on the digital platforms and has reached more than 5 lakh people, received 75,000+ reaction and 2000+ shares.

The entire campaign both on-ground and online aims to raise a substantial amount of funds which will be donated to the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) on the occasion of Republic Day. The amount generated will be utilised for the welfare of the war widows and their families. The initiative hopes to sensitise the public and create awareness among CSD consumers that they can support this noble cause by simply purchasing Mothers Recipe products or supporting the cause online.

Desai Brothers Ltd food division – Mother’s Recipe head of business development

Sanjana Desai says, “For war widows, the battle continues long after the images of war have faded from public memory. It is hard to believe, but India has the highest number of war widows in the world. These women don’t just struggle with the loss of their husbands, but they also, need to take on their husbands’ roles and support their families.”

Overall, the initiative is being extensively promoted through online advertisements, in-store branding, geo targeting, social media posts and stories. “We urge and anticipate more and more people to come forward to support the cause, so that maximum amount is collected for the families of our war heroes,” Desai concludes.

January 22, 2018
Sony BBC Earth reveals Republic Day programming plans

MUMBAI: Just as the new year commences, the latest entrant in the infotainment genre, Sony BBC Earth, has planned its 2018 Republic Day programming.

The network is all set to premiere three special shows on 26 January 2018. The first is Joanna Lumley’s India—recipient of the prestigious Bafta Fellowship, an evocative journey around the country of her birth. In another show—The Ganges with Sue Perkins—comedian and presenter Sue Perkins traces the course of the Ganges, from source to sea, to tell the story of modern India at a crucial point in its history. Beginning her journey in the Himalayas, Sue travels through the agricultural and industrial heartlands of the Gangetic plain, visits Varanasi and travels on to the river’s vast delta on the Bay of Bengal.

The channel also plans to premiere World’s Busiest Cities, which takes a closer look at the secret systems that keep the world’s most crowded, complicated and chaotic cities on the move. From transport and engineering to food and trade, the show highlights the logistical and social challenges faced by some of the most iconic megacities.

It will also premiere Blue Planet II—the series that shares discoveries coupled with awe-inspiring and wonder revealing new places, charismatic new characters, and extraordinary new behaviours.

The series on three fishing fanatics, Fishing Impossible, will see Jay, Charlie and the Blowfish embark upon an exciting journey packed with adrenaline-fuelled fishing antics and plenty of friendly rivalry. This trio’s crazy fish-luring inventions feature the search for monsters in the freezing Icelandic Atlantic.

Sony BBC Earth, in its initial phase, had planned to target the urban mega cities constituting 10 million towns. BBC Earth has garnered great traction from viewers despite a plethora of players competing across the infotainment genre.

During the launch of the channel in March 2017, NP Singh had stated that a year down the line, “I wish to see BBC Earth in the top three lists.”

The year holds a lot of promise for Sony BBC Earth as it unveils new plans and strategies going forward. So far, the newest entrant in the infotainment genre has attracted a great number of eyeballs, building anticipation by providing a strong line-up to woo audiences.

Also Read:

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Sony BBC Earth explores wildlife in 3 shows with Steve Backshall

January 3, 2018