ITV

Tag: Sony Entertainment Television

  • Sony’s ‘Mahotsav’ to engage with its TG

    Sony’s ‘Mahotsav’ to engage with its TG

    MUMBAI: The last few years haven’t been very kind to Sony Entertainment Television (SET), at least in terms of weekly TAM ratings, but that hasn’t stopped the channel from making all the right noises in recent months.

     

    On the back of NP Singh’s elevation from COO to CEO and Man Jit Singh’s appointment as president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) comes ‘Sony Mahotsav’, an engagement extravaganza launched by the channel to get up, close and personal with its audiences in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Having started in November last year, the festival will continue till the end of this month, both gratifying and exposing audiences to the opportunity of understanding the 17-year-old brand.

     

    Says SET senior VP and head marketing Gaurav Seth: “This extravaganza has been organised to take the experience of Sony to our audiences in UP, Punjab and Haryana. UP and Punjab are critical markets for us. Through the show, we have realised that even if the channels’ reach and viewership doesn’t reflect in the TV ratings, there is a huge section that wants and desires the shows aired on it.”

     

    SET has already covered Varanasi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Agra, Meerut and Dehradun in UP and plans to cover Punjab and Haryana’s top nine markets including Bathinda, Abohar, Batala, Yamuna Nagar, Kaithal, Jind, Rohtak, Jalandar and Bhiwani.

     

    “We are covering cities in UP which have a population of one million plus, while cities in Punjab and Haryana which are being covered have a population of a 0.1-1 million,” informs Seth.     

     

    With ‘Sony Mahotsav’ held on Sundays, he goes on to explain how it works. “We reach the destination one week in advance and start promoting the festival through radio stations, local cable channels and print. We also rope in a few local people, who inform the residents through word of mouth. Then, we take up a huge ground and set up stalls which showcase the colours of the channel,” he informs.

     

    What can one expect from the fest? It gives audiences an opportunity to interact with their favourite characters from Sony’s shows and serials. Indeed, popular faces like Anoop Soni, Sangeeta Ghosh and Ruslaan Mumtaaz among others have been roped in to engage with the audience.

     

    Elaborates Seth: “There are separate stalls. So, we have a Nandini stall inspired by the show ‘Nandini’ based on the political scenario. On offer are activities like voting for the best couple or best show on the channel.” In a similar vein, there is a Maharana Pratap museum where spectators can dress up like the Maharana; a Kaun Banega Crorepati stall where people can pose alongside show host Amitabh Bachchan; an Indian Idol stall where fans can take to karaoke singing; and a Boogie Woogie stall where fans can groove to foot-tapping music. “There is something for everyone. We have also set up a workshop for women to teach them self defence, which is inspired by our shows CID and Crime Patrol,” says Seth.

     

    Also, spectators can view five to seven minute clips of shows aired on Sony during the day. “The idea is to ensure that people who have somehow missed the shows so far can be informed what the shows are about and can start watching it here on,” Seth informs.

     

    While the sponsor for ‘Sony Mahotsav’ in UP and Punjab is Kent RO, the music talent partner for the state is Universal Music. “We have also partnered with major radio stations in the state. So for UP, we roped in Radio Mirchi and Big FM for promotions. Also, we partnered with local cable operators to distribute the free-of-cost entry passes for the event,” reveals Seth.

     

    Sony has made a ‘sizeable’ investment in the festival and though it has conducted similar such events in the past, they’ve never been on such a large scale.

     

    The channel claims to have got a capacity crowd in every city of UP it has covered so far. “Though the numbers do not suggest the popularity of the brand, the crowd did show the love for the brand,” exults Seth, adding, “Looking at the response, we may conduct such events in other states as well.”

     

    So has a mammoth exercise like ‘Sony Mahotsav’ succeeded in boosting viewership? “We haven’t done any ROI till now. That will be done once the whole activity is complete. Once this is done, we will get an idea of the increase in viewership and reach numbers,” says Seth.

     

    And ‘Sony Mahotsav’ isn’t all. Recently, the channel launched two new shows as well – Ekk Nayi Pehchaan and Main Na Bhoolungi. Whether all of this reflects on the ratings, only time will tell…

  • N P Singh elevated to MSM CEO, Man Jit Singh to be MSM India chairman

    N P Singh elevated to MSM CEO, Man Jit Singh to be MSM India chairman

    MUMBAI: In a major development, Multi Screen Media India (Sony Entertainment Television) has promoted its COO N P Singh as CEO effective 3 January 2014. In his new role, NP will report to Sony Pictures Television President Worldwide Networks Andy Kaplan. Singh confirmed the development to indiantelevision.com, adding that he was looking forward to taking the company into its next growth phase.

     

    He replaces Man Jit Singh who has been designated as non-executive chairman. Singh will reportedly be spending more time in Los Angeles (LA). 

    While much work has been done there is clearly a long road to go before we can fully achieve our vision, says NP Singh

    “NP and I have worked closely together as equal partners these last five years and the success of the company is largely due to his efforts. The time has come for him to lead the company to the next level and I fully expect the innovations he brings as CEO will ensure we have years of success ahead. As the Non-executive Chairman of MSM, I look forward to supporting NP and will continue to remain involved with the Indian television industry,” said Man Jit Singh.

     

    Kaplan also expressed strong support for the move. “We have full confidence in NP being able to lead MSM and continue the success of the last five years. NP has been involved in all the decisions that lead to the success of our business and this is a well-deserved recognition of his untiring efforts and of the faith we have in his decision making. I wish him all success in his new role as CEO of MSM. I would also like to thank Man Jit for the huge contribution he has made in growing our business in India and setting it on the path of sustainable future growth.”

     

    “I am delighted by the confidence Man Jit, Andy and the board have expressed in my abilities to lead MSM. It’s been a wonderful experience and a pleasure working with Man Jit last five years. While much work has been done there is clearly a long road to go before we can fully achieve our vision. I am certain that with our top quality management team and our dedicated employees we will achieve new heights of success in near future. I am excited in taking up the new role and look forward to making MSM the most profitable network in the business,” commented NP on his appointment.

    In the new role, I look forward to supporting NP and will continue to remain involved with the Indian television industry, says Man Jit Singh

    NP, a Delhi University alumnus, has been associated with MSM since the past 15 years, that is since 1999. Prior to that, he was the Chief Financial Officer at Spice Telecom. He has also worked as Chief Financial Officer – Telecom and other positions at Modicorp, Controller Business Operations and others for Modi Xerox, and as Senior Accounts Officer and others at Hindustan Copper Limited. His aptitude in business comes from the education he has got. After completing his B.Com (Hons) from DU, NP studied at Delhi School of Economics and further on completed his Management Accounting from Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India.

     

    Man Jit on the other hand, prior to joining the MSM group, was with Diogenes Capital, a private equity fund in Los Angeles, California, where he was a principal. He had also served as chairman and CEO of Compete, Inc, in Boston, Massachusetts, a predictive analytics service. He has also been the CEO of several companies specialising in management recruitment and temporary staffing, including Futurestep Inc, Korn/Ferry International’s online subsidiary and Talent Tree Staffing Services, a subsidiary of the service conglomerate BET Plc. He also held senior positions at various management consulting firms including Sibson & Co, LLP in Los Angeles, The Cast Group AG in Zurich, Switzerland and Los Angeles, and Cresap in Los Angeles. He began his career at Nestle India. Man Jit is a graduate of the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, India.

  • Sony to air thriller Anaamika from 26 Nov

    Sony to air thriller Anaamika from 26 Nov

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television is all set to introduce to its viewers a show that highlights a belief that too much happiness in one’s life is bound to attract the wrath of evil or jealousy.

    Titled ‘Anaamika’, the show is a love story with a mystical twist. It is replacing Set’s another fiction show ‘Byaah Humari Bahu Ka’ that failed to do well and has gone off-air.

    Starting 26 November, Anaamika will air every Monday to Thursday at 8 pm. 

     

    The new show of Set will compete with slot leader Colors’ ‘Balika Vadhu’, Star Plus’ Iss pyaar ko kya naam doon’ and Zee TV’s ‘Rab se sohna isshq’.

    Produced by Trishulla Productions, ‘Anaamika’ traces the journey of a young couple Jeet (Mudit Nayar) and Rano (Annie Gill). The story explores this intriguing world where a life filled with happiness, togetherness and love is subject to uncanny circumstances.

    Sony Entertainment Television chief creative director Vivek Bahl said, “Anaamika is actually based on a true incident I’d heard about. We’ve taken that, and built an entire series around it, rich in characters, and driven by a young girl who stands up and fights for her husband against the scariest enemy.”

    “In keeping with Sony’s innovative approach to content, Anaamika is a first, in the fact that it’s a full-fledged soap-horror, which is also why it debuts at a prime-time weekday slot of 8 pm,” Bahl added.

  • Sony readying new shows in thriller band

    Sony readying new shows in thriller band

    Sony Entertainment Television is adding muscle to its 10 to 11 pm thriller band with some new offerings that are set to roll out in the coming months. 
     

     

    The band is currently occupied by one-hour reruns of the Aahat supernatural thriller series Mondays through to Thursdays, with CID and Achanak 37 Saal Baad on Fridays. The band is likely to see some new shows coming up post-August.

    Fireworks Productions, which is behind Aahat, is currently updating the popular series that will be launched as a one-hour show, probably a weekly.

    Siddharth Kak’s Cinema Vision India is adding to Sony’s proposed late night thriller band with a one-hour weekly fiction series. The show is a thriller but not run of the mill stuff, says Kak. “It will be a show that uncovers the mysteries of mystic India,” he says. Kak is the producer of the series that goes on the floors in the next couple of weeks, while Shriram Raghavan will write and direct the serial. The cast are all fresh faces to television, says Kak.

    Manish Goswami’s Siddhant Cinevision, meanwhile, is producing Force One, the plot which revolves around a crack team of investigators who belong to a fictionalised organisation loosely modeled on Indian government’s espionage outfit – Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). 

    Whatever may be the programming that is being put together by Sony for the 10 to 11 pm band, the channel has a veritable mountain to climb because it is pitted directly against Hindi entertainment television’s top two shows – Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki andKyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, both on Star Plus.

  • Maharana Pratap bags yet another award

    Maharana Pratap bags yet another award

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television’s historical saga Bharat Ka Veer Putra… Maharana Pratap has added another feather to its cap by winning the award for the ‘Best Fiction Serial’ in Big Star Entertainment Awards 2013.

     

    The show that bagged the ‘Best Fiction Serial Award’ at Indian Television Academy (ITA) Award and Lions Awards has now emerged as the clear favourite at the Big Star Entertainment Awards 2013 beating all its competitors hands down.

     

    Maharana Pratap captures Pratap’s journey from being a prince to the great warrior king Maharana Pratap. Having some of the most talented actors like young Faisal Khan playing the lead and aptly given company by talented actors Shakti Anand, Aashka Goradia, Rajshri Thakur and Divyaalakshmi, the show has done justice to its plot with a correct mix of action, drama, and emotions.

  • Hui Keng Ang becomes the senior VP and GM for SPT Asia

    Hui Keng Ang becomes the senior VP and GM for SPT Asia

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has promoted Hui Keng Ang to the position of senior vice president and general manager, networks, Asia. He would continue to report to SPT executive vice president, networks, Asia-Pacific George Chien.

     

    Ang will oversee the networks’ robust portfolio of channels across Southeast Asia, including AXN, Sony Entertainment Television, beTV, ONE, Animax and the recently-announced GEM. Ang would be based in Singapore and would also continue to manage the company’s interest in joint-venture networks AXN and Animax in Korea, as well as Televiva in Indonesia.

     

    Prior to this, Ang was the senior vice president, business operations, where he managed SPT Networks Asia’s channel operations, finance, technology and human resources. However, he had joined SPT Networks, Asia as the financial controller in 1997.

     

    He has also served as the networks’ growing Asian content portfolio, including Animax, which is currently available in 46 million homes across 17 markets; as well as ONE, which launched in 2010 and under his guidance has grown to be one of the top-rated pay-TV channels in Malaysia and Singapore.

  • Sony LIV releases app update for iOS7 compatibility

    Sony LIV releases app update for iOS7 compatibility

    NEW DELHI: Sony LIV, Multi Screen Media (MSM)’s video-on-demand service, has updated its application to be compatible with the recently launched iOS7. 

    On the all new iOS 7 platform, users can log in via Google + and can also share videos via WhatsApp. The innovative app experience matches the redesigned user interface and enhanced functionality of the new iOS mobile operating system.

    The Sony LIV app also recently featured as the best new application on the iPhone and iOS devices. 

    Sony Entertainment Network executive VP – new media, business development and digitalsyndication Nitesh Kripalani

    Speaking on the revamped version of the app and its success, Sony Entertainment Network executive VP – new media, business development and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani said, “This is indeed one more feather in the Sony LIV cap iPhone, undoubtedly is one of the most loved, sophisticated and successful mobile handsets today. The new iOS7 is visually as well as functionally very advanced and we have updated our app to match this high level of sophistication. We want to be available wherever our user is and being compatible with the iOS7 was a natural progression. To now also be featured as the best new application on iOS is undeniably a rewarding and very elating moment for us.”

    The Sony LIV application offers 18 years of rich and exclusive content from Sony Entertainment Television, covering genres including drama, comedy, thriller, reality shows and many more. It offers users their favourite current and archive shows from Sony, through a single log-in, seamless and engaging experience. The application also packs in features like multi-bitrate video streaming which provide users with better quality videos, based on their internet connection speed.

    Apart from being available on Apple iOS, this premier video-on-demand brand is available online, on Google Android, Java, Windows Phone 8, Windows 8 PCs and tablets. It offers an immersive user experience through various innovative features. Users can use the Mood Wheel on Sony LIV to watch their favourite video as per their mood/genre; they can create playlists of their choicest of shows through My Q and be rewarded as a LIV Guru, by consuming Sony LIV content.  In addition to original complete content, Sony LIV also offers short content formats like Catch-up episodes, Quickisodes and Short crunch episodes.

  • Boogie Woogie is back with a bang

    Boogie Woogie is back with a bang

    MUMBAI: One of the oldest and longest running dance reality shows – Boogie Woogie – is returning to television screens after a hiatus of nearly four years.

    The show promises to be bigger and better in its new avatar – Boogie Woogie Kids Champion – even as it retains popular elements like the judges’ trio of Javed Jaffery, Naved Jaffery and Ravi Behl. Scheduled to premiere on Sony Entertainment Television on 7 December, the show will take the slot vacated by Kaun Banega Crorepati, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30pm.

    Produced by R&N TV Productions owned by Ravi and Naved, the show will see 16 talented kids between 7 and 13 years of age compete for the title of ‘Boogie Woogie Kids Champion’. This time round, nearly double the amount of money has been spent on producing the show; informs Naved. The show travelled to 10 cities and auditioned around 1 lakh children, of which 1000 kids were short-listed in the beginning. “100 were finalised, out of which 16 have been selected for the show,” says Naved.

    A lot has been done in terms of packaging to add freshness and newness to the show. For instance, the show will now have two hosts in actor Sargun Mehta and 12-year-old Rakshit Wahi who will keep the audience entertained. Speaking on the sidelines of the show’s launch on Monday, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) VP & Head – Non-fiction Programming, Aloka Guha, said: “While earlier, we didn’t have hosts, this time, we have got Sargun and Rakshit on board to add more fervour.”

    Since the show is not trying to compete with any other dance reality show on television, the theme is very family-oriented. “We are competing with ourselves. We were ruling for 17 years and have become a culture in a way,” says Naved, adding that the huge leap in technology in the last three to four years is helping them come up with a better product. “However, only technology can’t really help a show; one has to come up with strong engaging content as well,” he points out.

    While earlier, we didn’t have hosts, this time, we have got Sargun and Rakshit on board to add more fervour, says Aloka Guha

     

    The show is a mix of old and new elements and unlike other dance reality shows, the makers haven’t introduced any audience voting system. “We didn’t feel the need for a voting system. We want the audience to watch the show for its content and nothing else,” says Naved.

    Programming-wise, Sony Entertainment Television is working in tandem with R&N TV Productions and Aloka is of the view that since the channel has hosted some of the best reality shows like Indian Idol and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, it has a team of the top order, which can really help produce an excellent show. Interestingly, SET wanted to start a dance show for quite some time and what better than to revive a brand like Boogie Woogie, which enjoys a long and successful association with the channel.

    About the phantom high-speed camera used for shooting the show, Aloka says: “The camera can record up to 5,000 frames per second and that has given an edge to the show. The show has scaled up in a lot of other ways as well. While we have a very large set-up, we are also following the pyramid shape structure for the first time. Boogie Woogie has never been a reality show where you follow a contestant. It has had special episodes like super moms, weekly etc. However, now, through the 15 weeks, we are going to follow the journey of the contestants and that is a big development.”

     

    The team is trying to get on board the show celebs with a knack for dancing. So, the first episode will have Prabhu Dheva and Shahid Kapoor while latter episodes will see Madhuri Dixit and Arshad Warsi among others.

    Coming to promotions, SET has so far released four videos that are parodies of popular songs including ILU ILU, Lungi Dance, Na Na Na Re and Chaar Baj Gaye.

    16 finalists with the judges

    Aloka says the idea was to make the promotions fun just like the theme of the show. “We were brainstorming for the promotional videos when somebody generally hummed Ye Boogie Woogie kya hai, ye Boogie Woogie..And bang on, we got the idea of what we have to do,” she says.

    Informs SET head of marketing and senior VP Gaurav Seth: “The promotional videos are being promoted on all the Multi Screen Media channels including SAB, SET, PIX, MIX, SIX and MAX.” He hopes the show will help take SET’s ratings up. “Since the weekend slot has worked really well for us, we are hoping for a lot of traction for this as well. Plus, since the concept has worked really well for us in the past, we are planning a lot of on-ground activities to promote the show. We may even come up with a mobile app to reach out to the tech-savvy generation,” he adds.

    Currently, Horlicks has come on board as the ‘powered by’ sponsor whereas other deals are in the process of being finalised. “We would clearly know the final sponsors by the week end,” says Seth.

    SET plans to go in to a digital overdrive as well for the show. However, they want to keep their strategies a ‘secret’ at the moment. “We have to go with the time and we will go all out to make the show a phenomenon. However, we will decide the promotional strategies as we progress,” Javed signs off.

  • Bebo Imran shake their tooh on KBC

    Bebo Imran shake their tooh on KBC

    MUMBAI: In the upcoming episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, AB will put on his dancing shoes and shake a leg with Kareena and Imran. Bebo and chocolate boy Imran Khan will make a grand entry on the stage of KBC by shaking their leg on the song ‘Chewing Gum Chaba Ke’ from their upcoming movie. Bebo will also teach Amitabh Bachchan a few ‘thumkas’ of her own. This is not all! AB, Kareena and Imran will take the entertainment quotient of the episode a few notches higher when they dance to the popular song ‘Tooh’. The trio will leave the audience asking for more.

    Catch Kareena and Imran shake their ‘Tooh’ with Big B on Kaun Banega Crorepati, this Friday, 22nd November 2013, 8:30 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television

  • Maharana Pratap bags six awards at ITA 2013

    Maharana Pratap bags six awards at ITA 2013

    Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television’s historical show Bharat Ka Veer Putra… Maharana Pratap dominated the 13th Indian Television Academy (ITA) Awards by bagging six awards.

    The show has been hugely appreciated and loved by the audiences since its inception. This was further solidified by its huge victory at the ITA awards. The show won six honours in various award categories. These were for Best Actress in a Negative Role – Aashka Goradia, Best Historical/Mythological Serial- Maharana Pratap, Best Art Direction – Sandesh & Vishwanath, Best Costumes – Nikhat Mariyam Neerushaa, Best Editing – K Rajgopal and Best Title Music/Song Track- Karthik Shah.

    The show narrates the awe-inspiring story of Pratap Singh, one of the first freedom fighters that India ever saw and was launched in May, this year. It is produced by Contiloe Productions.