ITV

Tag: Ronnie Screwvalas

  • UTV hopes kids channel creates Hungama

    UTV hopes kids channel creates Hungama

    MUMBAI: Ronnie Screwvalas UTV Software Communications, which is launching a kids channel through its recently floated subsidiary United Home Entertainment (UHE), has finally homed in on a name  Hungama.

    Detailing the funds route for Hungama, Screwvala said UHE proposed to raise Rs 750 million through private placement for which Lazard India had been appointed as fund managers. The remaining Rs 250 million would be equally shared between Screwvala himself and UTV (Rs 125 million each). Screwvala holds a majority 51 per cent stake in UHE while UTV holds the remaining 49 per cent equity.
    Screwvala said UHE was on target as far as its proposed August launch of Hungama was concerned. Contentwise, the channel would be 90 per cent live action and only 10 per cent animation, Screwvala said.
    As far as the distribution platform is concerned, UTV is talking to three players – Star, Sony and ESPN Star Sports. These three happen to be the same platforms that Disney is in talks with as well. The difference with Disney, however, is that it is in talks with Zee-Turner too. Information available with indiantelevision.com indicates that Disney will finalise its distribution partner by July.
    As for Hungama, there are three distinct prime time bands that have been identified. The 9 am to 11 am slot is targeted at two-and-a-half to five-year-olds, the 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm band for 4 to 8-year-olds and the 4 pm to 7:30 pm slot for 8 to 16-year-olds.
    Queried as to what would constitute the pre-schooler segment, he said it would be mainly muppet and puppet-based shows that would keep in mind educational requirements as well.
    Screwvala says UHE finally settled on Hungama after shortlisting eight names. The name came up tops through polling among a sample group of 3,800 kids and 1,200 mothers from across 15 cities (13 Hindi-speaking, Hyderabad and Chennai).
    Detailing the pre-launch promotional plans for Hungama, Screwvala said a 15-city roadshow would kick off end-May for a Hungama board hunt. One kid from each city would be chosen as a member of the board of the channel and would be responsible for routing feedback from their individual cities as to how kids were responding to the channel. Screwvala stressed that this was not some gimmick but what the kids had to say would be taken very seriously, so much so that every quarter the kids would represent their cities at the hungama board meeting.
    The chosen 15 would have their own websites through which they would be interacting with other kids.

  • UTV pitches new innovative shows with channels

    MUMBAI: Ronnie Screwvala’s UTV is ready with a series of new shows that are being pitched with channels. The list includes India’s first silent comedy sitcom and India’s first prime time animation serial.
    The silent sitcom is being billed as a hilarious one-upmanship battle between two neighbours who relish putting one another into difficult situations resulting in a series of ‘slapstick’ humourous situations.
    UTV’s show Kahin Naak Na Kat Jaye is being positioned as India’s first prime time animation serial. The serial is about three segments of society called Sharmnaks, Bandnaks, Khatarnaks with noses of varying lengths. In fact, the laws and norms of their societies revolve around the length and sizes of their noses.
    Another comedy Shaam Dale Khidke Tale Tum Seeti Bajana Chod Do revolves around two families – the Shahs and the Mehras. The elders of the two families fight with each other even as the younger ones get romantically involved.
    Another comedy show Mumbai Ki Maaya Muradabad Ki Vidya is a comedy serial about two sisters-in-law; one comes from a literate family whereas the other one is a matriculate who belongs to a rich family. The humourous situations arising from their interactions is a typical ‘money versus knowledge’ clash situation. The show is aimed at viewers from both metropolitan and non-metro audiences.
    Prem Granth part II – Shaadi ke Baad is a romantic comedy. It is about a man who believes that romance has to be kept alive even after marriage. He seeks inspiration from a book called Prem Granth that has been passed on to him by his grandfather.
    The ‘soap’ project that UTV had earlier christened as Holi has been renamed as Sangini. Directed by Sanjay Upadhyay with Sukesh as the creative director and Satyam Tripathi as the writer. The basic premise is about a star-crossed lovers. Mehta says: “To put it simply, it is the story about two brothers and two sisters, who albeit for different reasons, do not see eye to eye. The elder brother of the duo falls in love with the elder sister. But the wrong brother gets married to the girl and the situation between the two worsens.”
    An ideal subject for a soaps, the serial also has a flashback track wherein the roots of the “enmity” between the mothers (who were fast friends at one time) is traced. While the youngsters are bunch of UTV regulars, Navneet Nishan and Reena Wadhwa are playing the older ladies. Both Nishan and Wadhwa are back on the screen after a hiatus along with Govind Namdeo.

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    UTV pitching pilots for four new shows