ITV

Tag: Sahara One

  • Chalkboard Entertainments announces a strategic partnership with media veteran Sandeep Bhargava

    Chalkboard Entertainments announces a strategic partnership with media veteran Sandeep Bhargava

    Mumbai: Chalkboard Entertainment, a content company dedicated to producing compelling narratives, has announced a strategic partnership with media veteran Sandeep Bhargava to strengthen their business and content strategy. As a part of his role as a partner, Bhargava will be responsible for taking the organisation to its next phase of growth.

    An industry veteran, with an exemplary career spanning over 33 years, Bhargava has an extensive track record of transforming companies into highly successful businesses. From collaborating with internationally acclaimed directors and producers to playing a pivotal role in establishing India’s largest film studios – UTV, Sahara One, Viacom18 (Studio18), and The Indian Film Company (One of the first media companies to be listed on the AIM Exchange in London), Sandeep has been a valuable partner to some of the industry’s biggest names for over three decades.

    On this collaboration, Bhargava said, “I am thrilled to be working with Chalkboard Entertainment at such a dynamic time in the Indian content landscape. Chalkboard has perfectly captured the pulse of evolving narratives and is creating stories in line with that. Our shared vision is to develop an innovative and successful ecosystem that amplifies the impact and extends the reach of their exceptional content. I look forward to building and innovating with the talented team at Chalkboard Entertainment.”

    Speaking about the new addition to the team, Chalkboard Entertainment said co-founder Vikesh Bhutani said, “We are thrilled to welcome Sandeep to the leadership team at Chalkboard as we now gear up for our next phase of growth collectively. The rapidly evolving content industry demands a forward-thinking approach centered on innovation and creation and we are confident that his commitment and experience will add immense value to our future endeavors”

  • Sahara One refreshes early primetime with ‘Behula’ at 7:30 pm

    Sahara One refreshes early primetime with ‘Behula’ at 7:30 pm

    MUMBAI: With Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Sahara One’s recent revamp, the channel is now sporting a new avatar and is all set to build on the popular mythological entertainment genre. Managed by Trilogic Digital Media, Sahara One is readying to launch the renowned Bengali show Behula.

     

    Starting 14 December, the show, which is based on the Hindu mythology of Shiva Purana and Manasamangal – a genre of Bengali medieval epics, will be aired at 7:30 pm with a repeat at 9 pm.

      

    Starring Bengali actress Payal Dey in the titular role, Behula  will showcase the riveting journey of courage, undying love and triumph. The show also stars Rimjhim Mitra, Chandrayee Ghosh, Kaushik Chakraborty and Rupanjana Mitra amongst others.

     

    Talking about the show, Trilogic Digital Media COO Shivaani Jaisingh said, “Behula is a heartfelt show, which will undoubtedly engage the audience fond of our rich mythological history and its making. Our new approach this year is to focus on mythology and crime genres. By launching Behula in this early primetime slot, it is our way of giving the viewers more variety. With insight driven programming and tactics, we are working towards giving our audiences exactly what they want. Sahara One is on a strong growth path and promises spectators to be glued to the grandeur and performance that has been glorified in Behula like no other.” 

     

    The inspiring tale marks the heartfelt journey of Behula, a fearless woman, who is determined to challenge her fate. Depicting the love story of Behula and Lakhindar, the series is also remarkable for its portrayal of a wife who epitomises the best of Indian womanhood, especially a woman’s devotion towards her husband.

     

    Combined with research, Sahara One has positioned itself as owners of the genre with four mythology shows airing from 7 pm onwards.

     

    Bharat Parv at 7 pm is followed by the new show Behula at 7:30 pm. With its current flagship shows Mata Ki Chowki and Jai, Jai, Jai Bajarang Bali at 8 pm and 8:30 pm respectively, the channel had pitched itself as a destination for mythology during primetime.

  • Zindagi’s second original show ‘Aadhe Adhoore’ to mark Ajai Sinha’s comeback on TV

    Zindagi’s second original show ‘Aadhe Adhoore’ to mark Ajai Sinha’s comeback on TV

    MUMBAI: Producer Ajai Sinha, who is known for landmark fiction series on Indian television like Hasratein, Justajoo, and Astitva – Ek Prem Kahani is all set to make a comeback on television after a span of four years. And this time round, Sinha’s production house Ananda Films has readied a fiction series titled Aadhe Adhoore for Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) Hindi entertainment channel Zindagi.

     

    Aadhe Adhoore will be Zindagi’s second home grown fiction series, which is all set to go on air from 14 December. The show will be aired from Monday to Saturday at 9.50 pm. It may be recalled that the channel recently launched its first original fiction show Bhaage Re Mann on 30 November.

     

    Zindagi has roped in India’s Basmati Rice as the co-powered by sponsor and also is eyeing more brand associations for the show.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the show, Zindagi & Zee Anmol cluster head Priyanka Datta says, “Aadhe Adhoore is a story set in Kapurthala of Jassi, who is a perfect Bahu, neighbour and daughter-in-law. The story highlights her caring nature and her willingness to do things. It’s a beautiful emotion that we are trying to touch upon. We are neither trying to be judgmental nor impose any views on the audience.”

     

    With two back to back original fiction show launches in a couple of weeks, Datta throws light on the channel’s programming strategy saying, “The channel’s strategy has been very clear from the beginning. Zindagi aims to bring the best of content, storylines and dialogues for viewers.”

     

    Further elaborating on the same, she adds, “Everything that we telecast on Zindagi is original content. Initially we got shows from Pakistan but it was original for the Indian audiences. Then we went ahead and brought a show from Turkey, which is again new for the audience here. Similarly, we brought these two new shows and also produced Shukriya in the past. Moving forward, this will continue to be our strategy. Our aim is to be the window to provide the best of entertainment anywhere and everywhere across the globe. So be it India, Pakistan, Turkey or any other country, we will continue to bring good stories to our viewers.”

     

    Following the trend of unconventional timing of the show, she informs, “When Zindagi launched, we had shows in the 8 pm and 8.55 pm time slot. So we always had timings that may not necessarily be a clock hour therefore that is what we continue to do even now.”

     

    Aadhe Adhoore will be a finite series, which will run for four months. The channel has a substantial bank of episodes as the style of working and shooting is different for the finite show. Almost 40-45 per cent of the show has been canned before it goes on air.

     

    Zindagi will ready a 360 degree marketing campaign to promote the show across platforms. “We are using television, radio and outdoor platforms for our promotional activities,” she informs.

     

    On his return to television, Sinha says, “I’ve always tried to push the envelope when it comes to content and presented stories that stand out. Making a show for a channel that is differentiated from regular GECs and has got critical acclaim for its content like Zindagi has been a challenge for me. We wanted to create a show that brought out the essence of the modern Indian woman – the real woman who we see around us. The casting, screenplay, locations and original soundtrack will be of a quality that will surely set it apart from what’s seen on television today. I hope audiences will love the story and its characters like they have in all my earlier shows.”

     

    Sinha’s last show was Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Des, which aired on Sahara One from 2009 – 2011.

  • Sahara One targets LC1 and LC2 with new brand image and shows

    Sahara One targets LC1 and LC2 with new brand image and shows

    MUMBAI:  Hindi GEC channel Sahara One aims to strengthen its position in the ratings race armed with niche content and new packaging. Rebranded under the tagline ‘ Har Pal Manoranjan ‘, the channel is looking at mythology and crime as its USP.  The channels new brand identity new brand statement statement and look will be kick started with a new crime show Masterminds, from 23 November onwards.
     

    “When Trilogic Digital went into a Bulk Airtime Purchase and Distribution Agreement (BAPADA) agreement with Sahara One in April 2014, the channel didn’t have a distinct USP or what it stood for. Post which, we did an extensive research on what works for our target audience and who are watching us, and realised that we clearly needed a brand statement for the channel to be communicated to our viewers, and therefore the rebranding ensued,” informed Trilogic Digital Media Limited (TDML), COO, Shivani Jaisingh, giving a premise for the rebranding.

    When it comes to the packaging, Sahara One has kept its design classy, while using bright colours that bring our a connect with its Indianness. Designed by Kolahoi Media, the trademark logo has a new look with a gamut of colours and the name of the channel in a new font. The multi-colour interface is a key component of the channel which personifies its identity and vibrancy. Right from promo bugs, transition windows, sponsor windows to the tickers, each element will propagate the brand philosophy of being fresh, innovative and progressive. Har Pal Manoranjan signifies the new brand promise of providing colossal entertainment.

    Explaining the new content strategy for the channel, Jaisingh said, “We are taking a distinct position on mythology and crime related shows and won’t be catering to all genres. Given that mythology, and crime especially, are working for our target group, we plan to dedicate a prime time band to the genre calling it ‘Prime Crime’, with two new shows launches. Apart from this we will also launch a new show Behula based on Bengali mythology sometime soon.”

    The two new shows that Sahara One will be launching under its new ‘Prime Crime’ band, Sahara One are– CBI Files and the above mentioned Mastermind. Behula will air in the afternoon band, Both CBI and Behula will hit the television airwaves in December.  TDML, being a content producer itself, is responsible for the creative content for the shows from its newly set up production office in Noida.
     

    The decision to rebrand and offer niche content also came in the wake of the BARC India ratings inclusive of rural data, indicating that this the perfect time for the channel to rebrand and reach out to the LC1 and LC2  market. “BARC’s rural data has given us a wakeup call and changed our lives. Hence the timing for the rebranding is absolutely right for us as our viewers is pretty much the same demographic and consuming our content for quite a long time. Our rebranding is targeted at them,” informed Jaisingh.
     

    Jaisingh delves deeper into the question of the channel’s target audience to explain how BARC ratings have prompted them to take the call for the revamp. “As per our research, most of our viewership comes from MP, UP, Bihar, Haryana, with some presence in Delhi. It’s basically the Hindi Speaking Market and North. These areas are pretty much single TV homes where the remote gets passed around, and prime time is male dominated. Therefore we see the crime shows working well for that demography.  We have kept to mythology and some repeats when women are watching,” Jaisingh elaborates.

     

     

    She further added, “We have made heavy investments in both distribution and programming. And thanks to BARC we have seen a sea change in the hierarchy in channel rankings. We plan to capitalise on that and enter the race with full gusto.”

    The timing also makes sense in terms of digitization that is in progress. Jaisingh  informed  indiantelevision.com that TDML is ready to reap the fruits of digitisation and is awaiting the completion of DAS Phase IV. In fact, a part of the revamping also sgetting more cable operators and MSOs on board.

    Under the BAPADA agreement, TDML is to invest in Sahara One in terms of distribution, marketing and programming content for the channel which allows it to collect the revenue the channel makes from advertisements and subscription as well. The rebranding and the launch of the new shows are big advantages for TDML.

    “For existing viewers, we are using promos to inform them of the rebranding. When it comes to marketing, we are concentrating mainly on the digital platform, as that’s where we need to have a presence that was missing for a very long time. We are concentrating on bringing new and younger viewers on board with that,” Jaisingh highlights their current marketing strategy. “Brand to brand approach is what TDML is going for,” Jaisingh adds.

    Right from production, execution to marketing, the channel is spending big money on rebranding itself. In fact, according a source close to the development, approximately Rs 5 crore will be burnt towards marketing, for the rebranding as well as the three new shows that are to launch.

     

    Considering the investment amount, a hike in advertising revenue seems logical. “We are keeping our fingers crossed but we expect a 30 per cent increase in our advertising revenue. In terms of subscription and international distribution, we have some interesting plans that we will announce soon,” Jaisingh concludes.

  • Bomanbridge Media continues Asia expansion; opens India office

    Bomanbridge Media continues Asia expansion; opens India office

    MUMBAI: Singapore-based content distribution agency Bomanbridge Media as part of its Asia expansion has opened an office in Mumbai. It will be headed by TV veteran Arpit Agarwal as Bomanbridge Media director of sales for South Asia.

     

    India is the fourth country in Asia where the company will have a base, after recently launching offices in Korea and Mongolia, in addition to its headquarters in Singapore. The further expansion follows recent investment by Hera Capital, which is also funding the company’s international lifestyle and cooking show Haute & Saucy with Kelly Randall Sia.

     

    Agarwal, who has worked in various capacities at Fremantle India, Balaji Telefilms, Bang Singapore and Sahara One, comes with over 18 years of experience in creating and managing both mass and niche television content in India and in Singapore. He also headed business development at Starcut Asia Pacific – a Nokia subsidiary and is credited for creating Singapore’s first made-for-mobile series Kumarsutra.  Agarwal began his career as a reporter, producer and host at NDTV in New Delhi, India.

     

    “This entrance into South Asia, and especially India, is the beginning of very exciting times for us at Bomanbridge. With assured improvements in TV measurement, and decreasing carriage costs, we are witnessing not only a surge in demand for niche content but also the need for product differentiation through innovation amongst the major GEC players. India has always been one of our stronger territories in the region and we look forward to enhancing our presence there to better serve our partners. Arpit brings extensive television experience and we look to him to bring us to the next level. Our team is now stronger than ever, ready to serve the entire Asian region with the best programming, and with people on the ground in several countries,” said Bomanbridge Media CEO Sonia Fleck.

     

    Agarwal added, “I am very pleased to join Bomanbridge Media, a company that is respected across the broadcasting fraternity of Asia as exclusive representatives of renowned content from around the world. Sonia and her team have a firm handle on the territory and I look forward to adding value and growing the business further in India and the region.”

     

  • Sahara One deeper in red in Q2-2015; cancels content MOU with Trilogic

    Sahara One deeper in red in Q2-2015; cancels content MOU with Trilogic

    Updated: 20 November 2014 (2:00 PM)

     

    BENGALURU: The board of directors of Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited (Sahara One) had decided on 11 November 2014 to terminate the MoU entered into on 21 May 2014 with Triologic Digital Media (trilogic) for sale of TV contents etc., in terms of letter dated 16 August 2014 received from Triologic. This decision was conveyed by the company to the bourses today. Sahara One had earlier entered into a MOU with Trilogic for purchase of content from the company and to appoint the company as sole entity to seek, appoint and engage production houses for producing programme contents.

     

    “Only the content MoU has been terminated, which was the logistical documental exercise between Sahara One and Triologic. The management outsourcing is still with us and we continue to run Sahara One and Filmy and all the teams continue reporting into us and we continue running the programming, distribution, sales and marketing of Sahara One and Filmy,” informs Triologic promoter and director Vishal Gurnani. 

     

    With the termination of the content MoU, Sahara One and Filmy will no longer purchase content from Triologic. “We will purchase it directly from the production houses. The channel still continues to be run by us,” clarifies Gurnani.

     

    Sahara One reported less than half (1/2.4 times) Income from operations (TIO) for Q2-2015 at Rs 9.38 crore as compared to the Rs 22.61 crore in Q2-2014 and 16.2 per cent lower than the Rs 11.19 crore in Q1-2015. HY-2015 TIO also fell to less than 1/2.4 times at Rs 20.56 crore from Rs 50.02 crore in HY-2014.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

     

    The company’s loss in Q2-2015 was Rs 10.36 crore as compared to a profit of Rs 4.1 crore in Q2-2014 and loss was more than four times (4.5 times) the Rs 2.32 crore in Q1-2015. Loss in HY-2015 was Rs 12.67 crore versus a profit of Rs 5.31 crore in HY-2014.

     

    Sahara One’s Total Expenditure (TE) in Q2-2015 at Rs 20.33 crore (216.8 percent of TIO) was 7.1 percent higher than the Rs 18.99 crore (84 per cent of TIO) and 34.6 per cent more than the Rs 15.10 crore (135 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015. TE in HY-2015 at Rs 35.43 crore (172.3 percent of TIO) was 25.5 per cent lower than the Rs 47.53 crore (95 per cent of TIO) in HY-2014.

     

    A major portion of TE in Q2-2015 was decrease in inventory – this reduced by Rs 10.96 crore versus an increase of inventory by Rs 3.64 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal and reduction of inventory of Rs 0.97 crore in Q1-2015. Inventory reduced by Rs 11.93 crore in HY-2015 versus an increase of inventory by Rs.1.91 crore in HY-2014.

     

    The company’s purchase of content cost fell to one third at Rs 5.26 crore (56.1 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 as compared to the Rs 17.51 crore (77.4 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2014 and was 46.8 per cent lower than the Rs 9.90 crore (88.5 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015. Purchase of content cost in HY-2015 was 1/2.6 times at Rs 15.26 crore (74.2 per cent of TIO) from Rs 39.23 crore (78.4 percent of TIO) in HY-2014.

  • Sahara One Q1-2015 revenue down 87 per cent; company posts higher q-o-q loss

    Sahara One Q1-2015 revenue down 87 per cent; company posts higher q-o-q loss

    BENGALURU: Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited (Sahara One) posted 87.3 per cent lower revenue (TIO) at Rs 11.19 crore in Q1-3015 as compared to the Rs 20.95 crore in Q4-2014 and less than half (40.75 per cent) of the Rs 27.42 crore the company had posted for the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    The company’s q-o-q loss is at Rs 2.31 crore in Q1-2015 was about 15 times more than the Rs. 0.15crore in the immediate trailing quarter. In Q1-2014, Sahara One had reported PAT of Rs 1.21 crore.

     

    Sahara One’s total expenditure in Q1-2015 at Rs 15.1 crore (135 per cent of TIO) was 35.9 per cent lower than the Rs 23.54 crore (112.4 per cent) reported in the immediate trailing quarter and 47.1 per cent lower than the Rs 28.54 crore (79.2 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2014.

     

    A major portion of Sahara One’s expenditure is towards purchase of content (Content cost). In Q1-2015, the company spent Rs 9.90 (88.5 per cent of TIO) crore towards this head, which was 42.4 per cent lower than the Rs 17.2 crore in Q4-2014 and 54.4 per cent lower than the Rs 21.73 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    Click here for the financial

  • GEC viewership drops with IPL & election fever on a high

    GEC viewership drops with IPL & election fever on a high

    Updated: 5:30 PM

     

    MUMBAI: With the IPL and elections on everyone’s mind, it is the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) that are at the receiving end.

     

    In the week 19 of TAM TV ratings, the IPL fever took Max to greater heights. It witnessed a huge hike and reported 540,911 GVTs, up from 457,415 GVTs.

     

    The week saw all the GECs taking a plunge. Though, Sab saw a minor gain.

     

    Despite shedding numbers, Star Plus maintained its hold on number one position 732,585 GVTs, down from 746,025 GVTs. All its fiction properties have seen a drop too in the ratings. Thus, its chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum scored 10,525TVTs, down from 12,233TVTs. Saathiya Saath is the second highest rated show for the channel which rated 8,507TVTs, down from 8,885TVTs and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai scored 7,257 TVTs, down from 7,573 TVTs.

     

    Zee TV held onto the second position with 394,786 GVTs, down from 409,010 GVTs. Its experiment t in the comedy space Gangs of Haseepur did not seem to grab eyeballs and lost numbers in the third consecutive week and registered 1,688 TVTs, down from 1,916 TVTs. The channel’s historical series Jodha Akbar also saw a drop in its viewership and registered 8,450 TVTs, down from 9,139 TVTs. Its other fictional offerings like Do Dil Bandhe noted 4,328 TVTs, down from 5,179 TVTs.

     

    Colors occupied the third place with 375,641 GVTs, down from 396,193 GVTs. All its popular fictional offerings have witnessed a rise in the ratings. Madhubala recorded 3,216 TVTs, up from 2,925 TVTs; Balika Vadhu noted 4503 TVTs, up from 4,440 TVTs, and Uttaran garnered 3,648 TVTs, up from 3,254 TVTs.

     

    On the other hand, the channel’s reality shows didn’t work wonders for the channel. Thus, Comedy Nights with Kapil reported 6,923 TVTs, down from 7,198 TVTs, Khatron Ke Khiladi five scored 4,923 TVTs, up from 6,570 TVTs and Mission Sapne recorded 1946 TVTs, down from 2,769 TVTs.

     

    Life OK stays happy at number four with 347,802 GVTs, down from 360,213 GVTs. The channel’s most popular series Shapath recorded 2,533 TVTs, down from 2,852 TVTs. Savdhan India saw a rise and noted 2,603 TVTs, up from 2,480 TVTs and Tumhari Pakhi stood at 2,489 TVTs, up from 2,445 TVTs.

     

    At number five remains Sony which registered 286,202 GVTs, down from 290,948 GVTs. Jee Le Zara scored high and reported 1,390 TVTs, up from 1,297 TVTs, Maharana Pratap garnered 2,697 TVTs, down from 2,858 TVTs. Its crime property Crime Patrol saw a decrease in the number of viewers and stood at 2,281 TVTs, down from 2,680 TVTs.

     

    Lastly, Sab scored 268,051 GVTs, up from 267,113 GVTs. Its chart topper Taarak Mehta noted 5,198 TVTs, down from 5,880 TVTs. Balveer reported 2,774 TVTs, up from 2,734 TVTs.

     

    In the movie genre: Zee Cinema reported 189,889 GVTs, up from 188,125 GVTs; Movies OK scored 132,426 GVTs, down from 143,794 GVTs; &pictures garnered 88,319 GVTs, up from 82,537 GVTs and Zee Anmol earned 72,968 GVTs, down from 74,074 GVTs

  • Star Plus continues to be the chart topper

    Star Plus continues to be the chart topper

    MUMBAI: In the week 15 of TAM TV ratings, Star Plus and Zee TV continued their strong hold on the charts.

     

    Star Plus recorded 748 million GVTs compared to last week’s 702 million GVT. The jump of 46 million GVTs helped the channel widen the gap between itself and the closet competitor, Zee TV.

     

    With a 38 million GVTs more, Zee TV garnered 464 million GVTs as compared to 426 GVTs of last week.

     

    All the other GECs saw a decline in their viewership. Sony Entertainment Television (SET), in the sixth place saw a drop in the ratings. It saw 308 million GVTs as compared to 312 million GVT last week.

     

    Colors that scored 451 million GVTs as compared to 454 million GVTs a week earlier, is at number three.

     

     Life OK slipped to 376 million GVTs as compared to 385 million GVTs last week and ranks four. Sahara One fell too with 24 million GVTs from last week’s 30 million GVTs.

     

    While Sab gained at fifth position with 314 million GVTs as compared to 299 million GVTs, last week.

  • Zee TV’s loss is Colors’ gain

    Zee TV’s loss is Colors’ gain

    Updated: 4:30 PM

     

    MUMBAI: In the week 14 of TAM TV ratings, Colors has ousted Zee TV to grab the number two spot. The channel has recorded 454,335 GVTs as compared to 454,237 GVTs a week earlier.  Zee TV has dropped one position, and ranks number three with 425,698 GVTs, down from 461,300 GVTs.

     

    Star Plus is enjoying its reign as the number one general entertainment channel (GEC). This week again it touched the 700 million GVTs mark as it recorded 702,324 GVTs, a huge rise from last week’s 686,602 GVTs.

     

    Life OK maintains its stability at number four and registered 384,524 GVTs, up from 371,427 GVTs last week. Despite seeing a huge fall in the ratings, Sony continues to remain at the fifth spot as it garnered 312,298 GVTs, down from 362,061 GVTs a week earlier.

     

    Sab saw a rise in the viewership but remained at number six position with 298,753 GVTs, up from 272,972 GVTs. Sahara One continues to remain at the bottom of the chart with 30,030 GVTs, down from 33,173 in the week 13.