ITV

Tag: Sameer Nair

  • Zee5 inks multi-show partnership with Applause Entertainment

    Zee5 inks multi-show partnership with Applause Entertainment

    Mumbai: Streaming platform Zee5 has announced a strategic partnership with content and IP studio Applause Entertainment, a venture of Aditya Birla Group for a multi-show association. The two content companies will collaborate to create a robust original content slate of new Zee5 originals in Hindi across genres to entertain viewers across the globe.

    The first offering as part of the partnership is titled “Kaun Banegi Shikharwati’”– a dramedy series with a unique take on a dysfunctional royal family. The show will be produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Emmay Entertainment and directed by Gauravv Chawla and Ananya Banerjee. The original will premiere exclusively on Zee5 in January 2022.

    “Over the last four years, Applause has created a diverse slate of content and explored stories across genres, languages, and geographies. We are thrilled that our first outing with Zee5 is with Kaun Banegi Shikarwati, a light-hearted, heart-warming dramedy that is both quirky and delightful and boasts a stellar cast of actors. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Zee5 and help contribute in a small way to their global ambition,” said Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair.

    Zeel president-content and international markets Punit Misra said, “Zee5’s content design principles centre around intimately knowing our viewers and building a bouquet of engaging and entertaining offerings for our multiple consumer cohorts. While Consumer Intimacy is at the heart of our content creation philosophy, our Content Creator Partners are the other crucial pillar in our approach.”

    “In 2021, Zee5 has made a concerted effort to associate with premium content creators across languages and genres, a move that has enabled us to inch closer to our overall vision of ‘Entertainment inclusion’,” said Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra. “Applause Entertainment has had a strong record of creating some of the most popular shows of recent times and with this association, Zee5 is confident of enriching our content slate even further.”

    The move is in line with Zee5’s content-first approach of forging more partnerships within the creative ecosystem to build a diverse slate of originals and movies. The platform had earlier sealed partnerships with TVF (The Viral Fever), Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari, and Red Chillies Entertainment to deliver several new shows across the digital entertainment ecosystem.

    “Kaun Banegi Shikharwati’” features a spectacular cast of renowned Bollywood faces, including Naseeruddin Shah essaying the role of a King while Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Soha Ali Khan, Kritika Kamra, Anya Singh play his daughters, and Raghubir Yadav, Cyrus Sahukar, Varun Thakur and Anurag Sinha play key roles.

     

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by ZEE5 (@zee5)

     

    Elaborating on the new show, Emmay Entertainment producer Nikkhil Advani said, “Kaun Banegi Shikarwati offers a quintessential story of Indian families that’s replete with oddities and conflicts. But at the core of it, lies unfiltered emotions that are sure to resonate strongly with the masses.”

    Zee5 chief creative officer- Hindi Originals Nimisha Pandey said there is an increasing need for family-viewing content in a post-pandemic era and a multi-dimensional drama like “Kaun Banegi Shikharwati’” works beautifully in that aspect. “We hope that the audience enjoys the roller coaster of emotions with this series,” she added.

  • Need to create a new creative ecosystem for multiple platforms: Sameer Nair

    Need to create a new creative ecosystem for multiple platforms: Sameer Nair

    Mumbai: The OTT streaming business is not for the fainthearted and players with light wallets, said Applause Entertainment founder and chief executive officer Sameer Nair as he talks about the evolving streaming business at the CII Big Picture Summit.

    While there is an opportunity to make it big in the business, it’s important to ensure that it reaches a critical mass of subscribers. “And to do that you need to make investments,” said Nair, discussing how several OTT platforms turned out to be making losses.

    Elaborating on why he decided to enter the IP creation business, he said, “We are trying to work with a movie studio model. Attract a certain risk capital and produce some content. TV was funding IP creation and so the upside was being reaped by TV broadcasters. Producers did not get the upside of owning the IP. Today, there is an opportunity for content companies who take a degree of risk in content creation and license it to platforms.”

    Until now, TV was driving investments into original programming in India as it was catering to a mass audience. It was dominated by celebrity-led reality shows and daily soaps and that’s what consumers were watching for decades. But OTT has unlocked a new audience as it caters to a mass of niches. “For example, let’s say 10 per cent of the country likes the crime genre, that’s the size of a small European nation,” he said.

    But when it comes to paying for streaming services, then consumers look at the service that offers them the most value for money. “We never had HBO or Showtime in India in terms of producing original Indian content for a digitally-savvy audience. The creative ecosystem was catering to TV and films. We need to create a new ecosystem and content for multiple platforms,” he highlighted.

    According to Nair, OTT platforms also offer more data on consumers so decisions can become more informed, unlike TV where broadcasters always struggled to understand consumer behaviour because TRP was the only metric. The advantage for streamer is that can be “massy and classy”. A show can be created in a widespread spoken language but subbed or dubbed in multiple regional languages at the same time hence broadening its appeal.

    Talking about recommendation engines on OTT platforms Nair said that like any other algorithm the more you use it, the more you get out of it. “To say that I’m being shepherded by the recommendation engine and it is reducing my choice is not a fair comparison. Everyone knows that a consumer’s content viewing choices operate between new and comfort. That’s why Netflix has the ‘Play Something’ feature,” he said.

    There is a notion that TV is free and that the consumer has to pay for OTT. That’s why many consumers are still keen on ad-supported streaming services. Nair said that consumers were always paying cable distribution companies to watch TV. Similarly, today OTT services are built on top of broadband companies and telcos.

    Speaking about ad supported streaming, he said, “Every time you do anything regarding messaging and selling within a content experience, then it becomes an art.” There are all sorts of ways to monetise content and a lot of companies are trying to crack it. “Netflix has 214 million paid subscribers and it is the most premium streaming service globally. If five people are sharing a Netflix account then 200 million becomes one billion. If they’re watching Netflix two-three hours daily then that’s how many premium customers there are who don’t want to come into contact with regular advertising messages,” he observed.

    Nair said that the lockdown has been a uniform experience for nearly every human being on the planet. “We used to think TV is our window to the world but actually TV is only the window into your neighbourhood. The internet is the window to the world,” he said. The inevitable outcome of this is that the consumer has become used to the fact that there is a lot more content to watch.  

  • Applause Entertainment licenses 400+ titles from Amar Chitra Katha

    Applause Entertainment licenses 400+ titles from Amar Chitra Katha

    Mumbai: Aditya Birla Group-backed content studio Applause Entertainment has announced a partnership with Amar Chitra Katha, a player in the children’s publishing segment. 

    As part of the collaboration, Applause Entertainment has acquired the license to Amar Chitra Katha catalogue, of more than 400 titles, which will be developed and produced into animated content.

    “At Applause, we only strive to deliver the best in storytelling. Over the last four years, we have significantly pushed the envelope in curating and creating the most disruptive stories for Indian audiences that cut across genres and geographies,” said Applause Entertainment, chief executive officer, Sameer Nair. “Amar Chitra Katha is a household name in India with a diverse and celebrated library that deserves to be retold. Like millions of other people, I have grown up reading these iconic comics and as a child, imagined them with dynamic visuals and dramatic sound & action. This is our opportunity to realise that dream. This partnership is also a small step towards helping export Indian culture by taking a unique and deep-rooted cultural brand like Amar Chitra Katha to screens across the globe.”

    Spanning 20 languages, the Amar Chitra Katha library boasts titles across epics and mythology, history, fables and humour, brave hearts, visionaries, and ACK Junior. The children’s publisher was founded in 1967 by Anant Pai and sells more than 1.5 million copies every year. Amar Chitra Katha has forayed into digital with their app as well as a presence on Alexa, YouTube, and other digital platforms.

    “At Amar Chitra Katha, we have been custodians of India’s stories for over 54 years, and we are thrilled to partner with Applause Entertainment to take our rich storytelling heritage to Indian and global audiences through animation,” said Amar Chitra Katha, president and chief executive officer, Preeti Vyas. “As the nation’s favourite storyteller, our mission has always been to provide Indian children a route to their roots and inspire in them a great sense of pride about India and being Indian. While we continue to keep our founder, Mr Anant Pai’s dream alive by telling new stories and creating fresh content in print and digital formats, we are also keen on presenting our iconic stories in an animated avatar. For this, we could not have hoped for a better partner than Applause. We are confident that Sameer Nair and his team, with their passion and superlative track record, will do an amazing job adapting our stories to animation and providing the new and future generations of Indians a crucial link to our past.”

  • International Women’s Day: ‘Wonder Women 100’ list to be unveiled today

    International Women’s Day: ‘Wonder Women 100’ list to be unveiled today

    NEW DELHI: Women have made tremendous strides over the years to achieve equal representation in the workplace. Many have broken the glass ceiling and risen to the top despite all odds. This International Women’s Day, Indiantelevision.com will recognise 100 such talented and outstanding women executives and professionals from the world of advertising, media and marketing with its major initiative- ‘Wonder Women 100’.

    The powerful list which honors 100 top women achievers from the industry has been put together with the help of an esteemed advisory board comprising of senior professionals from the industry including Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair, House of Cheer founder Raj Nayak, RED FM director Nisha Narayanan, Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias, Discovery Communications MD-South Asia Megha Tata, Social Access founder Lynn de Souza, Armugum and Consultants founder Punitha Arumugam, Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD) CMO Anupam Bokey, the Walt Disney Company head – human resources APAC & India Amita Maheshwari, IN10 Media Networks MD Aditya Pittiee, and Indiantelevision.com, founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    The list will be unveiled during a virtual event on Monday (today), 4 pm onwards. This will be preceded by a panel discussion wherein noted experts from the industry will deliberate upon the topic- ‘Women, inclusivity and change’ and share their views on various initiatives taken by the media and entertainment industry to make the workforce more inclusive. Zee5 head-customer strategy and relationships Anita Nayyar, ABD CMO Anupam Bokey, Social Access Communications founder Lynn de Souza, NXTDigital group chief technology officer Ru Ediriwira, Madison Media Sigma – Madison World CEO Vanita Keswani, Hollywood actress and producer Rashaana Shah and Indiantelevision.com founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari will be part of the discussion.

    ‘Wonder Women 100’ features women who have had a lasting impact on the industry and their respective organisations. It also includes those who have driven transformation of social and cultural narratives in their respective organisations and made significant strides towards advancing equality and inclusivity.

    "We are in the 21st century, but for a large part it is a male-dominated world still. Yes, more women are coming out and standing shoulder to shoulder in every profession, in fact, even outshining them. They are doing it against all odds, on most occasions. The journey upwards and forwards is that much harder despite the talent being in abundance. The  2021 Wonder Women 100 – is our way of saluting them. Our hope is that their stories will give wings to many other younger women and inspire them to realise their full potential," said Indiantelevision.com founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    To join the conversation, register : https://www.indiantelevision.com/wonderwomen100/index.html

  • SonyLiv’s Scam gets season two, will tell The Telgi Story

    SonyLiv’s Scam gets season two, will tell The Telgi Story

    MUMBAI: After delivering a monster hit with Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, SonyLiv and Applause Entertainment are looking to recreate the magic with the second season of the Scam franchise.

    Tentatively titled Scam 2003: The Curious Case of Abdul Karim Telgi, the show will be adapted from the Hindi book Reporter ki Diary authored by journalist Sanjay Singh, who broke the story of the 2003 stamp paper scam by notorious counterfeiter Abdul Karim Telgi. 

    The series promises to be an intriguing watch as it will capture the life of Telgi, born in Khanapur in Karnataka, and his journey to becoming the mastermind behind one of India’s most ingenious scams spread across multiple states which shook the entire country. It is estimated that the scam value was allegedly around Rs 20,000 crores.

    Applause has roped in the talented Kiran Yadnyopavit, known for his contribution to the Marathi film industry, to write and develop the story along with author Sanjay Singh, with Hansal Mehta back at the helm. 

    Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair said, “Scam 1992 has helped establish a solid ground for the Scam franchise where we aim to tell stories about the various scams that our country has witnessed, the people behind it, their motivations and machinations. The success of Scam 1992 endorsed our belief about the audiences’ interest in such stories. We are extremely thrilled to announce The Telgi Story as the next season. There is some great potential we see in this story and are absolutely delighted to partner once again with StudioNext, SonyLiv and Hansal Mehta in taking forward this franchise.”

    Sony Pictures Networks India Sony Entertainment Television, SonyLiv & StudioNext EVP & business head Danish Khan said, “We are delighted to partner with Sameer Nair and his fantastic team at Applause for season two of Scam. We look forward to collaborate with Hansal Mehta to bring an absolutely compelling show for our SonyLiv premium subscribers.”   

    Director Hansal Mehta said, “I am delighted to be back with exploring yet another fascinating story following the immense success of Scam 1992. The new season of this franchise will focus on another riveting story that shook the country a few years ago – the stamp paper scam. I am looking forward to collaborating again with team Applause, SonyLiv and StudioNext, partners who think alike and encourage creative thought.” 

    Scam 2003: The Curious Case of Abdul Karim Telgi, is being produced by Applause Entertainment in association with StudioNext. The riveting series will be hitting the shoot floor later this year and stream exclusively on SonyLiv.

  • Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors is a ‘whydunnit’

    Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors is a ‘whydunnit’

    NEW DELHI: Innocent until proven guilty. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch passionately upheld this legal principle while defending a Black man who had all the odds, and prejudices, stacked against him. And in the first trailer of Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, lawyer Madhav Mishra is seen firmly reminding us of this inalienable tenet in the age of media trials.

    At a virtual press conference, Disney+ Hotstar has released the first look at the new season of its investigative legal drama Criminal Justice. The intense video clip shows Pankaj Tripathi reprising the role of lawyer Madhav Mishra and becoming embroiled in another gripping murder case.

    The second chapter of Criminal Justice also stars Kirti Kulhari (Pink, Four More Shots Please!) as Anuradha Chandra, and the premise is based on her character apparently committing the murder of her husband and reputed lawyer Bikram Chandra, played by Jisshu Sengupta (Manikarnika, Shakuntala Devi). Actor Anupriya Goenka returns as Madhav’s capable colleague Nikhat Hussain, while Shilpa Shukla (Chak De! India, B.A. Pass) joins the cast to portray an enigmatic character.

    The new season of the critically acclaimed web series will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24 and will be available to VIP subscribers in seven languages.

    “Great television has always been about outstanding characters and I feel that what we have with Madhav Mishra is a true benchmark for Indian OTT shows,” said Star India Hindi entertainment president Gaurav Banerjee during a virtual press conference for the trailer launch.

    Without giving away too much, he added that the story delves into a very important issue which has been brilliantly developed by the writers, and it will give audiences something to think and reflect about.

    “It’s a ‘whydunnit’. You’ll get to it as the mystery unfolds. Viewers are in for a good, entertaining and enriching ride,” teased Banerjee.

    Applause Entertainment founder & series producer Sameer Nair said they had taken characters from the first season forward and developed them further, something that wasn’t done by the British series from which Criminal Justice has been adapted. The “little universe” of the police and legal system that surrounds Madhav expands in the new season, with the addition of new characters, issues and a layered mystery to be unravelled.

    On his part, Pankaj Tripathi is glad to once again essay the role of the street-smart advocate with the zingy one-liners, and disclosed that he finds Madhav extremely relatable as a person.

    "If Madhav Mishra were an actor, he would have been me from five years ago. He's a jugaadu aadmi (resourceful man) like me. Just like Madhav doesn't get any big cases, I didn't get any proper roles either. He comes across as a wily, street-smart guy who knows how to survive; but when he gets into a case, he's very upright and keeps a clean conscience," he detailed.

    The case that Madhav takes on this time around is his toughest yet, plus he also has to deal with the enigma that his client (Kulhari’s Anu Chandra) is – which makes for a confounding, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat mystery.

    “The whole series is about ‘kyun kiya’ – the motive behind the crime. What made Anuradha Chandra who she is, that she takes the step to stab her husband, the journey that leads up to that point is very exciting. It’s a story that will leave you rattled. There’s also a diverse array of women characters, each of whom is distinct but there’s something universal about them, that connects them all,” said Kulhari.

    Among these strong female characters is that of an inmate in a women’s prison, played by Shilpa Shukla. “You know they (female criminals) are going to be judged, but the beauty of the entire narrative is that you cannot really judge because there are differing and equally relevant perspectives. It’s humane,” she said.

    The new season puts the lens on women’s prisons in the country – how they’re run, the conditions there, the internal politics at play. Director Arjun Mukerjee stated that owing to security concerns, research and getting on-ground footage of real prisons for reference was quite tough, though production crews eventually managed to speak to wardens and staff and take a few pictures. Then a dabba factory was converted into an “exact replica” of a women’s prison, where they shot several scenes over many days.

    Banerjee shared that the maiden edition of Criminal Justice was his favourite show as a viewer, but more than that, the series has proved to be the best performing drama for Disney+ Hotstar.

    “It was the most viewed drama and it acquired subscribers for us – people who saw the trailer said they wanted to sign up. It did truly, phenomenally well and so we’re hopeful that the series has become a firm fan favourite and we can make more seasons going forwards. And that happened because of the incredible effort put into adapting the story, making it truly Indian and telling it in an entertaining and gripping manner. So, great writing, superb direction, and a fabulous cast who gave really good performances. It’s a great delight to have them (Pankaj Tripathi and Anupriya Goenka) coming back this season,” he said.

    As for whether the show will be back with a third chapter, along with the core characters of Madhav and Nikhat, the showrunners hinted that there’s hope. “A lot will depend on how they handle this case,” quipped Nair. 

  • This generation will witness shift from linear TV to OTT: Sameer Nair

    This generation will witness shift from linear TV to OTT: Sameer Nair

    MUMBAI: Ever since the Covid2019 pandemic cast its shadow over the world, the consumption pattern of audiences has altered drastically. The entertainment industry, for one, has witnessed radical changes as the shutdown of theatres led to viewers taking to smartphones to keep themselves engaged. This shift has further prodded the digital landscape to pick up the pace and the streaming platforms across the world to acquire a fresh audience base. To bring these changes to light and platform an in-depth discussion, the Asia Society in southern California held a  webinar on ‘Cinemas to Smartphones: Streaming Wars and the Future of Bollywood and India Content’.

    The discussion was a part of the eleventh US-Asia Entertainment Summit, and the country in focus was one of the largest consumer markets in the world – India. To represent the country on a global scale, Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair shared his insightful perspective on the topic. Other panellists included filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and entertainment lawyer Gowree Gokhale.

    On OTT landscape in India

    Nair began by highlighting the impact of Covid2019 on the streaming industry in India, the future of television, and the big opportunities that await in a nation of content-hungry viewers.

    The current state of the OTT landscape in India is a lot like the early days of television, related Nair. Just like in the ‘90s when a whole bunch of TV channels emerged from a number of players and investors, a similar trend is at play in the streaming business now. “In India we have a potential of 500 million-strong audience base and the streaming platforms have touched around 20 million, so it is a long way to go. India is a large market connected with smartphones and broadband connectivity, cheapest data in the world, already savvy with television and film. This is a growth phase where there will be a lot of investment as we essentially move audiences from television to streaming,” said Nair.

    He went on to add that theatrical revenue is a very important income stream –

    Those who draw a comparison between 9,000 theatrical screens versus 900 million smartphone screens miss the fact that the 900 million smartphones are not going to generate the sort of revenue compared to what the country can potentially generate theatrically. “So, taking the theatrical experience off the market translates to a significant economic change and you are also leaving a great chunk of retail revenue on the table. I think streaming platforms can compensate for those $80-100 billion to offset the theatrical revenue loss.”

    On the other hand, film Director and producer Shekhar Kapur quipped that there is no competition between theatre and OTT platforms. The success of any content, be it on television or OTT platform, largely depends on the technology as well. Every new technology creates a new culture of content creation and a new culture of content consumption. Therefore, he finds Netflix and Amazon as technology companies rather than content companies who, in the end, took advantage of technology to deliver content. But due to Covid2019, people are very comfortable watching content while sitting at home, and so it becomes very difficult for theatres to bring audiences back, mused Kapur.

    On the future of television in India

    The linear television industry in India has reached 197 million TV and cable satellite homes. There is about 10-15 million more to go and it is now scraping the bottom of the barrel. As every content platform and every technology creates a content habit, TV was the classic talking to the consumer technology and it told you to watch your favourite shows at specific time slots so you had to reorder your life accordingly.

    But then came the streaming platforms, which made content available to you whenever you want it, thereby precipitating one of the biggest changes in consumer habits. Nair theorised that it won’t be long before traditional TV viewing becomes completely obsolete. Said he: “The way TV is progressing, dependent on advertising and subscribers, it has reached its scale. This is a decade where we will be able to see a gradual transitioning out of typical linear television to streaming platforms and then moving on to even more dramatic technological advancements.”

    On the success of Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story

    One of the platform’s latest offerings, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, has become the talk of the town. It is currently the highest rated show on IMDB in India (9.6) and #16 amongst the top 50 television shows globally. With phenomenal ratings and record-breaking performance, the show has made it to the list of the top five OTT shows for the last week of October, according to a streaming tracker by Ormax Media.

    This is a clear indication of the demand for differentiated content and the need to cater to the audience in this regard.

    “People watch programmes, not channels. And in a way how people watch movies and go to theatres because of the ambience, similarly now with platforms or with any form of content, people are more drawn to individual experiences and a collection of that content makes a platform,” Nair said.

    He noted that for a platform to succeed, its offerings have to be much larger and deeper, as eventually they depend on a subscription model or they want their customers to come back again and again.

  • Applause Entertainment releases 18 premium drama series in 19 months

    Applause Entertainment releases 18 premium drama series in 19 months

    MUMBAI: The content ecosystem has witnessed a boom with the advent of streaming services and an upsurge in non-linear content consumption. Amidst the creative revolution, Applause Entertainment has produced 18 diverse shows in multiple languages in a short span of time.

    Spearheaded by the media veteran Sameer Nair, the content creation studio has focused on a combination of smart originals of international formats, book to screen adaptations, and Applause Originals. It has created the official Indian adaptations of popular international shows including The Office, Criminal Justice, Hostages and Your Honor.

    Applause is presently developing Indian versions of the hit series Call My Agent, Fauda and Luther. The studio’s latest offering, Scam 1992 The Harshad Mehta Story, is currently the highest rated show on IMDB in India (9.6) and #21 amongst the top 50 television shows globally. Shows produced by Applause are currently streaming on leading global video streaming services including Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, SonyLiv and MX Player.

    Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair said, “We are truly humbled by the phenomenal response from audiences for all our content. From Criminal Justice to Scam 1992, it’s been a delightful journey creating our shows, collaborating with best in class talent, creators and business partners! We are here to dazzle, delight, disturb and disrupt, and this is just the beginning.”

  • Kaun Banega Crorepati and its glorious 20 years

    Kaun Banega Crorepati and its glorious 20 years

    MUMBAI: It was in 1999 when Zee TV and Sony TV led the charts with shows like Amanat, Hasratein and Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, while Star India was struggling to keep up with its counterparts, especially in the prime time slot of 9 pm to 10 pm. Star India had highly appreciated shows but it didn’t get them the expected ratings.

    With a sheer hope to turn around Star TV’s brand image and positioning, the then Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea and programming head Sameer Nair. Steve Askew and Nair’s boss in Hong Kong, came across a popular show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in UK and Australia. Nair is currently the CEO of Applause Entertainment.

    Later, in July 1999 Askew showed a snippet of the show to Nair. Initially, Nair was hesitant about the format of the show, he asked Askew to buy the rights for Who Wants to Be A Millionaire from ECM. He started looking for someone to create a similar show in India.

    Nair zeroed in on Siddhartha Basu, a quiz master,  who had earlier worked with Star Plus for current affairs show with journalist Vir Sanghvi called A Question of Answers.

    Under Nair’s guidance, the channel brought, Kaun Banega Crorepati  a reality show that has changed the destiny of three brands – Star TV, Amitabh Bachchan, and Samir Nair. On 3 July 2000 KBC went on air it was also the year Indian television changed.

    Today, the shooting for the twelfth season of quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati is in process. Host Amitabh Bachchan, who has been a part of the quiz show since 2000, shared glimpses of the first day of the shoot on social media and also celebrated 20 years of Kaun Banega Crorepati in his own style. "20 saal, 12 parv, KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, arambh! (20 years, 12 festival, KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, begin!)"he tweeted.

    Let us have a look at the KBC campaigns over the last 20 years.

    Nau Baj Gaye Kya?

    In 2000, Star Plus launched KBC with its campaign ‘Nau Baj Gaye Kya?’ It was also the first time when megastar Bachchan appeared on a small screen. The campaign spoke about giving chance to viewers to win the prize money, worth Rs 1 crore. KBC not only changed the destiny of the reality shows on television, but also helped Bachchan and Star Plus regain their lost glory.

    Umeed Se Dugna

    After a hiatus of 5 years, KBC was launched in 2005 and this time the prize money was doubled to Rs 2 crore. To promote the new season and create a buzz in the market Star Plus came up with a rap campaign named Umeed Se Dugna. The season, however, ended abruptly with Bachchan falling ill.

    Kuch Sawaal Zindagi Badal Sakte Hain

    In 2006, when Bachchan fell ill, the channel had roped in Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to host season 3 of KBC. The campaign highlighted that some questions can change the life. However, the change of host didn’t go well with the audiences and ratings started to go down. This time KBC decided to take three years gap.

    Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota

    With the new season falling flat, and the show witnessed considerable dip in ratings. Star Network denied reviewing the rights. It was around this time, that KBC moved to Sony Entertainment.

    The’ campaign titled ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota’ was directed and produced by Chrome Pictures. This was also the season where a whopping prize money of Rs 5 crore was introduced. This year was crucial for Sony Network as the rival network Viacom18’s Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) Colors has acquired the rights to Bigg Boss which was earlier aired on Sony TV with Arshad Warsi as a host.

    Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota

    In 2011, KBC launched their brand new campaign ‘Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota’ which highlighted the importance of never underestimating anyone and their talent.

    Dusra Mauka

    In the sixth season KBC incorporated cause-advertising in its promotion. It focused on deep-rooted issues like girl child, dalits and more. The campaign was conceptualised by Leo Burnett. Amitabh Bachchan explained the power of knowledge, by reciting a verse ‘Gyaan Hi Aapko aapka Haq Dilate hain’.

    Seekhna Bandh to Jeetna Bandh

    In 2013, KBC with its campaign titled ‘Seekhna Bandh to Jeetna Bandh’ pointing out the importance of learning, because the moment you stop learning, your progress comes to a grinding halt. This year the price money was hiked up to Rs 7 crore.

    Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi Dil Bhi Jeete Jaate

    In 2014 KBC released a campaign titled ‘Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi Dil Bhi Jeete Jaate’, it became an instant hit among the audiences.  It showcased the sensitive issues like Hindu-Muslim animosity and discrimination of north East people in India.

    Jawaab Dene ka Waqt aa Gaya Hai

    In its ninth season, Sony Network had discontinued its long-standing association with Leo Burnett. This time the campaign was conceptualised, directed, and written by Dangal movie director Nitesh Tiwari, Nikhil Mehrotra. The campaign dealt with a slice of life situations.   

    Kab Tak Rokoge

    Continuing with their partnership with Nitesh Tiwari and Nikhil Mehrotra ahead, the campaign titled ‘Kab Tak Rokoge’ focused on the spirit of resilience.

    Vishwaas Hai toh Khade Raho…Adey Raho

    Released in 2019, the campaign  Vishwaas Hai toh Khade Raho…Adey Raho again conceptualised by Nitesh Tiwari, had humour in it.  It narrated the story of a youth who breaks the shackles of societal norms and succeeds in life.

    Jo Bhi Ho, Setback Ka Jawaab Comeback Se Do.

    The twelfth  season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) gears up for the most celebrated comeback with the thought – Jo Bhi Ho, Setback Ka Jawaab Comeback Se Do.

  • “Looking at creating multinational co-funded and co-financed content”: Applause Entertainment’s Sameer Nair

    “Looking at creating multinational co-funded and co-financed content”: Applause Entertainment’s Sameer Nair

    Many believe this is the golden age for content creators. Applause Entertainment is one of those at the forefront of creating digital content today. However, the company’s ambition isn’t just restricted to India but rather a global audience. Some of the recent names that can be credited to the Sameer Nair-run company are Hostages, Criminal Justice, Rasbhari, Hasmukh, The Office, etc. Under development are an Israeli thriller adaptation for India – Fauda, as well as Luther.

    In the second part of this interview, Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair, in a virtual fireside chat with indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari spoke at length about content creation for global audience, co-production in different countries, short-form content, TikTok, the role of streamers in today’s digital world and much more.

    Read the first part here

    Edited Excerpts:

    The pandemic has been longer than what we have suspected, do you think it will change the way viewers live. Due to lack of fresh content at their disposal audiences are moving from GECs to OTT now.

    I think what the pandemic has done, in India especially, is that it has exposed a new giant audience to the OTT platform. It is a forced thing that has become a habit now. I think it’s a good thing; the distribution of content via the internet is a golden age of content consumption and content creation. Television, theatre and OTT are very important parts of our business. I don’t think any one part of the business can or should replace the others. From a content creator point of view what you want to have is multiple revenue channels. If it gets monopolised then it will create distortion in the market. 

    Do you think that Indian content has not travelled the world? Also the broadcast industry is heavily dependent on advertising and subscription is not coming to the level it was expected.

    I think from our scheme of things the world is an open playground. For now, we are an Indian studio but thankfully due to streamers content is travelling globally. The US market exists all over the world but in the next 15 or 20 years, the Indian market will have the same influence. Initially, Chinese had a lot of power with their technology and the Koreans have done that but as India seems to have a large market one can be happy because it is such a huge market. But now what global streamers have automatically created is a system where content can be viewed in any part of the world.

    Certain animation studios have set outposts in Hollywood and they are starting co-production and are hiring locals from there. So are you looking at penetrating American market with American style shows rather than doing Indian shows alone?

    It is definitely a possibility and different people in different ways have done that. The story of Hollywood is like when they run out of money they find a new investor. Originally, it was run by Jews then Germans and Russians came and the Indians went for some time. If you talk about co-production in America, I believe they are already more qualified than Asians. It is more about growing together, partnerships, collaborations because they are already doing great stuff and maybe we can contribute to it.

    Is there a chance to do a co-production between India, France and the UK?

    Yes, in fact, we have been approached by a documentary company to figure out if we can co-produce some documentaries which would be partly financed by the French and partly financed by Applause Entertainment. We were looking at monetising it in a way where France would take care of Europe and we could take care of the rest of the world and India. Actually streamers while arriving are shaking up the global content. Originally what used to happen in the  West is that anyone in the US or Europe is completely aware of how these whole syndication licencing models work, how multiple financing models work or how to create content in one market and sell in different countries. Streamers have put a planner in place and they are doing this very effectively.

    We are looking at these partners and seeing how to create a multinational content which is co-funded and co-financed. Finally, what has to work is the economy, the business of it, who pays and the ways to recover money.

    What is your opinion on 15-second 30-second and 90-second short-form story format? Are they lending good storytelling?

    I think the whole TikTok revolution and before that what YouTube did and a lot of short-form content has democratised storytelling. Before the internet and social media came along, only a few could create that content. Either you have to be a filmmaker or a media and TV producer. Then YouTube came and TikTok took it even further. I think storytelling is a form of expressing creativity. I don’t believe it is right to judge anybody. With millions of pieces of content on YouTube some things rise up some things catch our attention and that is how a YouTube star or TikTok star is created just like any other platform. Story of content and its quality remains fundamental. People should be allowed to express their story.

    What do you think about the TikTok ban, now a lot of indigenous brands that have come up or do you think Indians will create a better version then TikTok?

    TikTok is more than a brand and replacement; it is an ecosystem that has been built over so many years. It has been built on very clever insight and how audiences and market works. It is not something that is replaceable; it was also an economic model that needs financial backing. In the end, a lot of social media platforms have huge financial resources that look at building customer acquisition. Personally, I think the TikTok ban will be revoked and it will be sorted out

    Do you think it is important to entertain and impact society at the same time with content?

    I think in a way we are already doing this. What we are today is the outcome we have created for ourselves. Different creators, filmmakers are trying to influence society. One can influence society in a good or a bad way. There are many movies that make you sit and think and there are also some dumb comedies. I don’t think one size fits all or there is a right way. That goes into a dictatorial regime which is against creativity. If I want to laugh about something, then I should be allowed to do so. I don’t have to be meaningful all the time. Television has been the biggest influencer in India but to what extent it has influenced, that we don’t know.

    How do you choose a story or a subject of a story and what is the process of greenlighting the project? Also, which are the genres you are looking at developing further?

    One filter for our selection process is to do something which we are already not doing or have just done. If I have three to four thriller series in development then maybe I won’t do the fifth one right now. There are some broad genres we want to focus on: thriller, crime, homeland security, military biopic, inspirational stories, romance, family drama and historical.

    For us, the process is very simple. The idea of a story comes to us, sometimes it comes through a producer or a writer, then we get into development. We are always involved in the process. We are responsible for every product that comes out of Applause Entertainment. Sometimes the idea comes attached with the producer who then comes with his own director then actors come on board. This is the overall process but it starts with writing.

    Tell us more about your joint production with Gurinder Chadha and Sunder Aaron for Seeker?

    Locomotive Global’s Sunder Aaron was already in talks with Bend it Films & TV’s Gurinder Chadha. They have developed an idea after which they approached Applause Entertainment. I have met Sunder a couple of times where I explained to him about our work. It took some time to complete the paperwork and now we are creating a multi-country writers room. There is a writer in New York then there is a writer’s room in India  and all of us at Applause Entertainment are putting this together. I am very excited about this project.