ITV

Tag: Savdhan India

  • Star Plus set to replace ‘Sumit Sambhal Lega’ with RDP’s ‘Tamanna’ on 1 February

    Star Plus set to replace ‘Sumit Sambhal Lega’ with RDP’s ‘Tamanna’ on 1 February

    MUMBAI: Star Plus is all set to replace the Indian adaptation of Everybody Loves Raymond – Sumit Sambhal Lega, with a new show called Tamanna, from 1 February.

     

    The show, produced by Ramesh Deo Productions, will be aired at 10 pm from Monday-Friday. 

     

    Meanwhile Sumit Sambhal Lega, which went off air on 9 January, will enjoy its presence on the channel till 30 January in the form of Best of Sumit Sambhal Lega during the same time slot of 10 pm.

     

    Tamanna is based on the life of a female cricketer. The story will revolve around a woman who wants to become a cricketer and the sacrifices she makes to make her dream successful. 

     

    Tamanna in the 10 pm time band will be pitched against others programmes across Hindi GECs like Colors’ prime time show Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, which is among the top rated show in Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India rating. On the other hand, it will also compete against Zee TV’s Yeh Vaada Raha, Life OK’s Savdhan India, India fights Back; Sab TV’s new show Sahib Biwi Aur Boss, which was launched on 21 December, &TV’s Begusarai and Sony Entertainment Television’s Power Couple. 

  • Anupama Mandloi resigns as Fremantlemedia India MD, to continue as consultant

    Anupama Mandloi resigns as Fremantlemedia India MD, to continue as consultant

    MUMBAI: Known for spearheading Fremantlemedia’s India operation and building it from scratch, Anupama Mandloi has resigned from the post of managing director.

     

    However, she will continue as a consultant at the company. 

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Mandloi says, “I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to set up and drive the company in India with a fabulous set of colleagues. It has been an enriching five years and I will always treasure this experience. I continue to work with Fremantlemedia as a consultant.”

     

    Mandloi joined Fremantlemedia as content head in 2010 armed with nine years experience at Sony Entertainment Television and over two years as creative director in Star India.

     

    She is best known for spearheading shows like Indian Idol and Savdhan India.

     

  • Buyers treated to Koffee with Karan

    Buyers treated to Koffee with Karan

    CANNES: Barely has Mipcom 2013 taken off and Star India seems to have sprung a huge surprise on buyers gathered at Cannes.

    It’s Koffee with Karan, being served hot and fresh at the world’s largest content fest before it returns to screens back home.

    That’s not all. The network is equipped with a host of other series and thousands of films from its library, and is particularly betting big on the epic saga – Mahabharat – which is already on air on Star Plus since 16 September.

    Star India’s ammo includes the thriller series Savdhan India and Humne Li Hai…Shapath from sister channel Life OK’s portfolio as well as Arjun which is currently being telecast on the network.

    Star India vice president Ashutosh Mordekar exults: “While we are looking at selling the Mahabharat format to countries which look at it as mythology, there is also a huge chunk of countries which think of it as a costume drama coming from India and are interested.”

    So Star India also plans to position Mahabharat, a la Korean costume dramas that are very popular with global audiences.

    “We are looking at tapping central and eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS region. We are hoping for a good Mipcom this year,” says Mordekar.

    Having succeeded in selling Life OK’s Devo Ke Dev… Mahadev to Mauritius and Eastern Europe, the network is looking at expanding the market base of the hit series.

    Nach Baliye, India’s Dancing Super Star and Channel V’s teenage crime series Gumrah are among the other show formats the network is looking to license this year. Star India will also hunt for new formats for Life OK as well as its new channel Star World Premier HD.

    About the propensity for Video on Demand (VoD), Mordekar says: “In India too, there is a huge shift from linear TV to non-linear and to VOD and we are also looking at creating content to occupy that space. We are coming up with branches to fulfill the VOD need of our viewers.”

    So while it’s early days at Mipcom, indiantelevision.com will keep a watch out for deals cracked in markets the channel plans to tap.

  • What keeps Life Ok ticking…?

    What keeps Life Ok ticking…?

    MUMBAI: In December 2011, when Star India launched its second Hindi GEC christened Life OK, the network made a promise to its viewers that through the channel they will see not only different but also out-of-the-box content.

     

    And keeping to it, the channel is launching a new show wherein the wife is the “other” woman. Gustakh dil portrays the life of a simpleton (Laajo) from a village whose husband (Nikhil) continues to be madly in love with his childhood sweetheart (Ishana).

     

    Commenting on how the show stands apart from the rest Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur asserts, “Disruption has always been a key thrust for us at Life OK and with Gustakh Dil we are aiming to bring out the other side of a love triangle. We are confident that people will accept this unique storyline and will appreciate our modest attempt at providing quality entertainment.”

     

    This is not for the first time that the channel has tried to do something different. In the past too, the channel has tried to grab eyeballs through it shows. It recently launched a reality crime-based show Police Dial 100 where the channel took a completely different track. Here, the team from Endemol follows policemen in Delhi, as they attempt to solve crimes and face different situations.

     

    “Police Dial 100 is Life OK’s effort to delve deeper into the functioning of law enforcing agencies and capturing on camera the highly stressful lives of our police forces lead”, Thakur had expressed earlier during the show’s launch in Delhi.

     

    Apart from it, another major property by the channel has been Savdhan India. However, one cannot deny that the crime based shows have done well for the genre.

     

    On the other hand, unlike the other channels which have failed to garner ratings and viewership through mythology, the channel struck gold with its mythological show – Mahadev – which is the most popular show on the channel.

     

    HavasMedia, MD, Mohit Joshi emphasis on it and adds, “Mahadev has set the grounding for the channel. And with good production quality and new shows every now & then, the channel has been able to grow significantly as well as make a mark for itself in the market. What even sets it apart from sister-concern Star Plus is the fact that it’s more contemporary.”

     

    What is interesting is that the channel not only brings out innovative shows but also has interesting FPCs. On 23 June, the channel showed non-stop 12 hours of fresh content comprising of crime, terror, mythology programming and Bollywood movies. Life OK plans to make it a regular initiative at least once a month as it feels that such kind of experimentation will make it a game changer. Before baara-se-baara, it had experimented with 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. and that too had worked well with the channel.

     

    Moreover, Life OK has acquired the format of the popular US reality dating game show The Bachelor and has commissioned the Zodiak owned SOL Productions to produce the Indian version – The Bachelorette India – Mere Khayalon ki Mallika which is expected to be on-air in September.

     

    “The series will strengthen Life OK’s programming and set another benchmark in quality entertainment”, states Thakur optimistically.

     

    However, Helios Media MD Divya Radhakrishnan resounds, “Though Life OK has been taking a lot of initiatives to make a name for itself among the leading Hindi GECs, it still has to do a lot more. Today the Hindi GEC cluster is leaving no stone unturned to come up with new shows, but are not moving any boulders. It’s just like any other GEC.”

  • “The challenge in India is to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside”

    “The challenge in India is to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside”

    A vibrant and curious professional is what describes FremantleMedia India head of content Anupama Mandloi. Based out of Mumbai, Anupama joined the production house in 2010, which was then led by managing director S.K. Barua, who departed a little later. But since his departure she has been involved in furthering the India strategy, along with commercial and operations head Vidyuth Bhandary, of the subsidiary of German media firm RTL.

    The affable and soft spoken but firm Anupama is best known for her nine-year stint with Sony Entertainment Television where she finally rose to head programming. She followed that up with a stint as the non-fiction head at Star India‘s Star Plus for two years.

    Anupama loves taking the challenge of successfully setting up large entertainment properties and rolling out innovative concepts to television. She is currently creatively helming Indian Idol Junior which is being aired on Sony Entertainment Television. Indiantelevision.com‘s Seema Singh spoke to Anupama to get her insights and perspectives on the road ahead for FremantleMedia.

    Excerpts:

    Since you joined FremantleMedia, what are the changes that have been brought in the content? Elaborate on your experience with Fremantle?

    My experience with FremantleMedia has been an eye opener. The work is truly enriching. The culture is extremely professional and the people are like-minded. We enjoy content. We take pride in what we do.

    In every show, be it another season of an established format or creating indigenous content, the intent is always to push the envelope. We have introduced scripted reality shows in its true form and will be doing a lot more of that going forward.

    What is the vision for FremantleMedia in India? 

    To be the best and to work with the best. We are also looking at creating more innovative and inspiring content. To create indigenous shows that travel worldwide.

    Is non-fiction the only genre you want to cater to or are you looking at expanding into fiction and other genres as well? You seem to have a very good relationship with Sony? Have you been able to extend it to other broadcasters too? And other languages too?

    We are in the business of content creation and this is not specific to any particular genre. We have not yet moved into daily soap production but we have been creating fiction and scripted reality like Savdhan India on Life Ok, Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Aamna Saamna (four seasons) and have a couple more bi-weekly shows in the pipeline.

    We enjoy good relations with all broadcasters. And yes, now that we have consolidated our space in content creation, we will be moving into drama as well but more on this front later.

    Where would you rank FremantleMedia as a production house in India? And where do you see it going in terms of being amongst the top players in India? Do you have any competitors? 

    I would rank it amongst the top players. The day we establish our credentials in the daily fiction space we will be unbeatable with our teams, our international presence and content that we can carry across continents.

    We are looking at it (the south) and while we do have licensed deals with some regional channels like Jaya TV and BIG, we have yet to get into production for regional channels

    How did FremantleMedia fare in 2012? Did recession affect the production house in any way?

    FremantleMedia started its India operation in 2010 with Indian Idol 5 and since then has produced a multitude of shows in various genres. The organisation has grown slowly and steadily and moving forward we have plans to build several verticals while strengthening the core. 2012 was a very good year for us.

    What is FremantleMedia‘s core competence in India? How large is the team? How is it structured? How many shows is Fremantle working on currently? How many hours of production have you achieved across all your shows to date?

    Our core competence is production and content creation. The internal team is lean but we work with freelancers on a project basis. We are particular about the people we work with and we focus on building talent.

    Our belief is that shows are as good as the people who make them. So we focus more on building teams. To date we have created approximately 400 hours of content.

    After six seasons of Indian Idol, what led to Sony choosing Indian Idol Junior? We know it failed in the US but has done well in Latin America? Why then go for it in India?

    Why not? It was the next logical step in the format in India. The talent we have discovered this season is a case in point.

    What are the limiting factors of doing production and the formats business in India? And what are the good points of doing production and the formats business in India? How important is FremantleMedia India in the Asian scheme of things and in the global scheme of things? 

    India is important in all schemes of things, globally or otherwise. Internationally, FremantleMedia, is not seen just as a production house. We are one of the biggest distributors of content worldwide. The formats that we own are adapted, produced and licensed worldwide. Our ability to get content to travel across the world is phenomenal.

    We collaborate with boutique content companies, license content and develop as well as adapt and produce across territories.

    In India, lack of IP while developing and producing indigenous content is a hurdle. It would be great to see shows developed locally being adapted in other countries as well. We would be able to do that with shows that have the potential to travel.

    The day we establish our credentials in the daily fiction space we will be unbeatable with our teams, our international presence and content that we can carry across continents

    Any new show that can be expected this year? Any new format deals on the anvil? 

    Yes. There are several new shows on the anvil as well as collaborations.

    How are you using digital space to promote FremantleMedia production shows? Any apps that have been added to attract audiences? What is the response to these apps? How many downloads? 

    Our formats have merchandising as well as digital extensions. On Indian Idol Junior itself we have launched an app this season that has had approximately 70,000 downloads.

    Sony is extremely receptive and keen to push the digital experience and we work collaboratively on that front. Internationally, the second screen phenomenon is huge and all our digital extensions are geared to fulfill the parallel TV viewing experience across our formats.

    Are you also looking at extending your reach to the South? 

    We are looking at it and while we do have licensed deals with some regional channels like Jaya TV and BIG, we have yet to get into production for regional channels.

    Are you open to licensing a format in your catalogue and having another production house produce the show for a channel? Has that worked? Why and why not? 

    No. That will not happen while we have our production set up in the country. It makes no sense.

    Is the format licensing biz becoming interesting in India? Why and why not? 

    Yes it is. The reason it is interesting is that there is increasing recognition of the fact that production houses own shows that have already created an audience in other territories and are now available to a new market, that is, India.The challenge is to be able to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside.

    What are the shows that FremantleMedia has produced so far?

    * India‘s Got Talent – two seasons

    * Indian Idol -three seasons

    * X Factor – one season

    * Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Aamna Saamna – three seasons

    * Aamna Saamna Investigative

    * Savdhan India – two seasons / 44 episodes (part of a producer mix)

    * Mission Cover shot – National Geographic

    * Food Food Maha Challenge Assignment

  • Colors, Life OK gain in TAM week 21; Star Plus continues to lead

    Colors, Life OK gain in TAM week 21; Star Plus continues to lead

    MUMBAI: Week 21, TAM’s ratings. Colors was the highest gainer amongst Hindi GECs as it added 10 GRPs to increase its total to 184 for the entire week. Life OK was the next highest gainer, clipping on an additional eight GRPs to take its score to 130 GRPs, according to ratings provided by a TV channel.

    Zee TV and Colors shared the No 2 position with 184 GRPs each. Sony Entertainment was at No 3 as it shed three GRPs to end the week with 149 GRPs.

    Life OK had its special Maha episode of – Savdhan India which added 1.1 TVR to its chart. It even aired a Hindi feature film on Sunday titled ‘Dhammu’ that got 0.6 TVR.

    Star Plus held on to its pole position this week, gaining only four points to take its tally to 238 GRPs. Its chart topper Diya Aur BaatiHum retained last week‘s TVRs of 3.7 TVR. Pyaar ka Dard was the second most popular Star Plus show with 2.9 TVR (3.0 TVR last week). Its long running Yeh Rishta lost eyeballs as the show rated 2.8 TVR (2.9 TVR last week). The channel‘s new talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar witnessed a fall to 1.8 (2.8 TVR last week) on Saturday and a slight fall on Sunday with a 2.6 TVR (2.8 TVR last week).

    Colors leading fiction series Balika Vadhu saw a minor fall to 2.6 TVR (2.8 last week) and Madhubaladropped to 2.3 TVR (2.5 last week). Another daily, Uttaran continued to stay put at its last week‘s TVR of 2.6. Sasural Simar Ka ended the week with 2.5 TVR (2.4 TVR last week). What added muscle to Colors GRPs was the 1.6 TVRs that indiantelevision.com‘s The Indian Telly Awards notched up on 25 May at 9 pm. Overall, The Indian Telly Awards added seven GRPs to Colors‘ total tally to help it get level with Zee TV this week.

    Zee TV‘s ficitonal shows seem to be shedding viewers if one goes by the fact that Qubool Haidropped to 2.5 TVR (2.8 last week), Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke fell to 2.0 TVR (2.4 last week),PunarVivaah which fell to 1.8 (1.9 TVR). The only gainers were Hitler Didiwhich rose to 1.3 TVR (1.2 TVR) and Pavitra Rishta which rose to 1.9 TVR (1.8 TVR) and the Mahasangam Qubool Hai episode, which generated 2.8 GRPs on 20 May. That along with Hindi feature film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hai’ which notched up a 1.0 TVR, and its reality talent show India‘s Best Dramebaaz which generated 2.5 TVR (2.0 TVR) on Saturday and 2.0 TVR (1.8 TVR) on Sunday which helped Zee hold on to its position this week.

    Third placed, Sony Entertainment‘s long running crime series CIDwitnessed a fall to 1.8 TVR (2.4 last week); whereas Crime Patrolshowed a marginal 0.1 improvement as it registered a 1.8 TVR (1.7 last week). Finally, Comedy Circus showed a drop of 0.2 taking Sony‘s tally to 1.4 TVR (1.6 last week). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

    Fourth placed, Sab gained three GRPs ending the week with 135 GRPs and the No 4 spot. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel lead with 2.8 TVR (2.9 last week).

    Sahara managed to gain two GRPs but still continued to be at the bottom of the heap with 15 GRPs.

    Since the cash rich league was nearing its qualifier stage, the number of matches played trickled down to a match every two days, and that reflects in Max chopping off 59 point taking its GRPs down to 170 GRPs (229 last week).

    Movie channels too witnessed marginal increases: Zee Cinema stayed stable with 102; Star Gold rated at 110 GRPs (105 last week) and Movies OK was at 56 GRPs (54 last week).