ITV

Tag: Sony TV

  • ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ all set to bat against the IPL on weekends

    ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ all set to bat against the IPL on weekends

    MUMBAI: The funster and stand up comedian Kapil Sharma is all set to come back to the small screen with the much awaited The Kapil Sharma Show on Sony Entertainment Television. In fact, the speculations about Sharma and his show with Sony Entertainment Television ended when SET on 1 March announced the launch of the show. Despite the cricket fever being high this month due to IPL, there is confidence that Kapil’s show will be welcomed by all.

    The Kapil Sharma Show will go on air at a time when Sony’s biggest asset IPL will be at its peak but the response to the promo of Shah Rukh Khan coming in the first episode shows Kapil’s fans will find time to watch it. Co-produced by Kapil Sharma’s own K9 Productions and Frames, the show is all set to commence from 23 April on Saturdays and Sundays at 9.00 pm.

    The channel has roped in Lava Mobile as the presenting sponsor while Ching’s Secret and Datsun have been roped in as co-power sponsors. Indiantelevision.com learns that the deal has been signed for the presenting sponsorship at between Rs 8 to 9 crore. A source informed Indiantelevision.com, “For a 10 sec ad slot the channel is charging Rs 2 lakh for The Kapil Sharma Show.” 

    Industry estimates the production cost for the first episode as close to Rs 1 crore because it has Shahrukh Khan and also it will be live event shot in New Delhi.

    Another source further informed that the production cost of each episode of The Kapil Sharma Show will come down to between Rs 50- 55 lakhs excluding the talent cost. It may be recalled that production cost for Comedy Nights With Kapil was approximately Rs 1.3 crore per episode. 

    The promo was launched on 4 April and the video on YouTube crossed more than 5 lakh views in one week. In second episode, The Kapil Sharma show  will entertain the audience with the star cast of Baaghi, Sharddha Kapoor and Tiger Shroff on 24 April. 

    Earlier while speaking with Indiantelevision.com, Sony EVP and business head Danish Khan said, “IPL is a great success and is very popular. But we believe The Kapil Sharma Show will have a totally different set of audience and both will have high viewership. IPL and The Kapil Sharma Show can both run successfully at the same time. IPL is a big advantage for us, we will use it to promote and generate more awareness.”

    “The show will be good, as I always say people watch content not the channel. Kapil himself is a brand name and the star is in himself. His loyal audience will watch the show despite it being an IPL month. It is like a cricket match, and people watch matches on whichever channel that shows it,“ said a senior media planner.

    Concurring, another media expert said, “Kapil is a star and has a good fan following, the show will definitely get traction from people. I do not think that shows on other channels or IPL will impact Sony’s upcoming show. ”     

    The Kapil Sharma Show on the opening day has been pitched against Colors world premiere television of Bajirao Mastani, Star Plus’ Diya Aur Baati Hum at 9pm and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai at 9.30 pm, along with Life OK’s Super Cops Vs Supervillains.. Shapath, Sab TV’s Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma, Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya on Saturdays and SaReGaMaPa at 9.30 pm slot and &TV’s So You Think You Can Dance which will go on air from 24 April.

  • DishTV’s HD offering touches 50 with Sony ESPN HD

    DishTV’s HD offering touches 50 with Sony ESPN HD

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator DishTV has taken its High Definition (HD) channels’ offering to 50 with the addition of the newly launched sports channel Sony ESPN HD. Incidentally, this is also the highest HD offering by a DTH player in the country. 

    DishTV India CEO Arun Kapoor said, “DishTV has always taken a lead in enhancing the TV viewing experience for our audience. To further add spruce to the sports lovers this sporting season, Dish TV has added Sony ESPN HD to its bouquet of channels. The company not only has the first mover advantage in the DTH category and also will be accredited with the highest number of HD channels across the industry with a whopping 50 HD channels. Our endeavour is to increase affinity with our audiences by providing them the choice of content they would like to watch. Latest trends suggest that the growth of the High Definition category over the past year together with rising sales of flat panel TV’s (LED/LCD) has added a new dimension to the superior HD viewing experience.”

     

    The Sony ESPN HD channel kicked off its sporting calendar with the live broadcast of the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. 
     

    DishTV subscribers can watch Sony ESPN HD at channel no 87.

  • Colors maintains No. 1 position in BARC week 52

    Colors maintains No. 1 position in BARC week 52

    MUMBAI: Closing 2015 on a high, Colors managed to retain its numero uno position and continued to lead in the Hindi general entertainment channels’ (GECs) genre in the last week of the year.

     

    While free to air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol managed to secure its second slot, Star Plus was perched on the third slot in week 52, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) All India data.

     

    Colors grabbed the first spot with 744923 (000Sums) followed by Zee Anmol with 742876 (000Sums) and Star Plus in the third place with 712114 (000Sums).

     

    Zee TV witnessed a marginal decline in ratings but maintained its claim on the fourth spot with 651175 (000Sums) as against 669655 (000Sums) in week 51.

     

    Star India’s FTA Star Ustav saw fall in ratings and stood at the fifth spot with 464803 (000Sums) as against 514354 (000Sums) in the previous week followed by Life OK in sixth place with 396615 (000Sums) and Rishtey on the seventh rung with 379529 (000Sums).

     

    Sab TV stood at number eight with 328873 (000Sums), while Sony Pal garnered the ninth spot with 323119 (000Sums).

     

    Sony Entertainment Television was down to the tenth spot with 314286 (000Sums). 

  • Zee TV ropes in Rohini Singh as head of commissioning

    Zee TV ropes in Rohini Singh as head of commissioning

    MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Zee TV has appointed Rohini Singh as its new head of commissioning. In her new role, she will be responsible for developing fiction content for the channel.

     

    She comes to Zee from Star Plus where she was heading the fiction content development division. She has also spearheaded several milestone projects on Indian television since 1998. 

     

    After completing her graduation in B A Hons (Political Science) from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi and a Comprehensive Television Course from Academy 18 (A division of Television 18 Networks, Delhi), Singh was working with TV 18 and was part of many projects including Bhanwar (Sony TV) and Haadsa (Sab TV) from 1998 to 2000.

     

    She has previously also worked with many brands including BBC (Jasoos Vijay), Twenty Twenty TV Company (Kaajjal – Sabbki Aankhon Mein Basi, on Sony & Darna Mana Hai) and Cinevistaas (Dilll Mill Gayye on Star One). She then joined Star Network and handled shows on Star One (Dill Mil Gayye, Milley Jab Hum Tum, Geet- Hui Sabse Parayi amongst others.)

     

    Singh was responsible for the concept development of shows like Geet, Pratigya and Maryada. As head of Star Plus, fiction content development division, she launched shows like Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna, Pyaar Ka Dard, Veera, Arjun, Kaali, Saraswati Chandra, Meri Bhabhi, Ek Ghar Banaounga and Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 2.

     

    Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “Rohini has an exceptional track record for delivering outstanding drama. Her work speaks for itself and is driven by her passion for writing and storytelling. Her focus is always on recognizing and developing projects based around strong ideas with the potential to engage and entertain audiences. With her vast experience, Rohini will bring the very best from the established and emerging writers talent pool to Zee TV. Known for its original and differentiated dramatic range and quality, Zee TV has scored some notable successes recently and Rohini is the right person to take it on to a new level. She and Charu Singh (head- fiction) will make a formidable team.”

     

    Singh added, “I look forward to steering Zee TV into the future and building on its success as it continues to be the home of the most original storytelling across a range of drama that is unique to it in the rapidly changing Indian television landscape. I am most excited to have this opportunity to commission and make entertaining, popular programmes for Zee TV audiences. We aim to make programmes that people watch and talk about in equal measure, and that’s a challenge I look forward to.”

  • Zeel tastes success in satellite TV signals’ theft & piracy; mastermind arrested

    Zeel tastes success in satellite TV signals’ theft & piracy; mastermind arrested

    MUMBAI: In a major relief for Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel), Delhi Police acting on FIR No. 243/2014 after carrying out a detailed initial investigations raided premises in Kalyanpur area of Lucknow on 22 May, 2015 and found illegal tapping and unauthorised uploading of live-content of all popular Indian television channels like Zee TV, Star Plus, Colors and Sony TV amongst other on pirated websites.

     

    During the raid, more than two dozen workers were caught red-handed, digitally stealing live feed of Indian pay TV channels using more than 50 DTH and cable TV set-top boxes. These persons were extracting TV feeds, removing watermarks and uploading them on their sites such as www.Desitvforum.net. The websites are being accessed by millions of viewers abroad in USA, Canada, Europe, UK and Netherlands. Thousands of dollars are being illegally earned by the pirates, which in turn is causing a huge amount of loss to broadcasters. In addition, there has also been rampant violation of foreign exchange regulations and money laundering.

     

    The Delhi Police arrested the mastermind of this piracy racket, Md. Asif Siddiqui. Various equipment including computers and other accessories, used in carrying out the piracy and signal theft were also seized.

     

    Investigations in the matter are continuing and more such raids and arrests are likely to follow based on the interrogation of the accused.

     

    Zeel had lodged an FIR no 243/2014 u/s IPC 379/420/465/107/109/120B, u/s 63 Copyright Act 1957 and u/s 66/66C of IT Act 2000 with Delhi Police in Chanakyapuri Police Station for unauthorised streaming of the episodes of various Zee channel programs within 10 to 12 minutes of their actual broadcast. The modus operandi was that in addition to tapping and stealing live feed of various channels from DTH and cable set top boxes, the accused persons within these 10-12 minutes, were recording video, editing identifiable information, adding their logo and uploading it to several servers simultaneously.

     

    This is the first occasion when an internet-pirate has been caught red-handed in India. Normally identifying individual persons and their physical locations behind their pirated sites is very difficult. It took more than a yearlong investigation and digital evidence gathering by Zee’s in-house IT security team to collect irrefutable evidence to identify humans behind the mask of these websites, which were hosted from Sweden.

     

    With the proliferation of Internet enabled devices, the Indian broadcasting industry has been bleeding badly. According to an open-source web-based analytics, this particular group had more than 10 lakh daily viewers and has been earning thousands of dollars every day. The targeted customers were mainly from US, Canada, Europe etc.

     

    With the rapid advent of technology enabling the dissemination of content across digital platforms and web, there are enormous revenue opportunities for broadcasters and other content owners. The Indian channels, which are available in more than 100 countries around the world, are extremely popular amongst the South-Asian diaspora. However, piracy, stealing of signals and their unauthorised transmission and streaming on web has been a major stumbling block in revenue monetization. In fact, broadcasters are losing huge revenue to these pirates.

     

    Unfortunately the provisions of existing laws such as Copyright Act, IT Act 2000 have not proved to be effective in curbing these kinds of new-age crimes as piracy is categorised as a “bailable” offence. In order to effectively deal with the menace of copyright piracy the copyright infringement should be made “non-bailable.”

     

    Similarly, whether signal theft could be regarded as theft of “property” as contemplated under section 379 of IPC also needs to be clarified. The need of the hour is to review these laws and introduce more stringent provisions to deal with such offences so that these provisions may act as an effective deterrent.

  • BARC week 19: Star dominates GEC; Sony leads sports

    BARC week 19: Star dominates GEC; Sony leads sports

    MUMBAI: Star India’s Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Star Plus continues to dominate the satellite waves.

     

    According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s Week 19 analysis, Star Plus leads with a rating of 163554 (000’s sum). With 144899 (000’s sum), Viacom 18’s Colors is placed at the second position while Star India’s other entity in the same genre Life OK with 121931 (000’s sum) sits comfortably at the third position over Zee TV 99794 (000’s sum).

     

    Sab with 73738 (000’s sum) is the only channel from Multi Screen Media (MSM) to feature in the top 5 channels in GEC category.  

     

    Star Plus’ dominance is not limited amongst channels only but the most popular programme with 2442 (000’s sum) Saath Nibhaana Saathiya also comes from the broadcaster. Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya with 1917 (000’s sum) is placed second, followed by Colors’ Sasural Simar Ka at the third position with 1818 (000’s sum).

     

    MSM emerged as the clear dominant in the sports category courtesy the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sony Max and Sony Six, official broadcasters of the IPL are placed on the first and second slot with 187924 (000’s sum) and 52731 (000’s sum) respectively.

     

    Backed by the strong fan base of WWE action and UEFA Champions League, Ten Sports with 15954 (000’s sum) managed to clinch its third spot back from Star Sports1.

     

    The Hindi News broadcasting space did not see much of a change in the list of top three channels as Aaj Tak with 14155 (000’s sum) continued to be in the first spot. Meanwhile, a close battle for the second spot was witnessed between ABP News with 12981 (000’s sum) and India TV with 12589 (000’s sum).

     

    Times Now led by the flamboyant Arnab Goswami continued the dominance in the English News broadcasting space with 378 (000’s sum) followed by Headlines Today at 296 (000’s sum). Narrowing the gap, 236 (000’s sum) NDTV 24/7 was placed third in the list of top three.

     

    Viacom’s Nick led the kids’ genre with 70516 (000’s sum) closely followed by Turner International’s Pogo with 67397 (000’s sum). Disney with 52086 (000’s sum) was placed at the third place.

     

  • All GECs witness fall in viewership

    All GECs witness fall in viewership

    MUMBAI: It was a dull week for all the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) as all witnessed a drop in the viewership. There are no gainers in the week 31 of TAM TV ratings.

     

    The leader in the GEC space Star Plus lost its 700 million mark and stood at 676,578 GVTs, down from 709,317 GVTs. Almost all its offerings has seen a fall in the ratings. Thus, the channel’s chart leader Diya Aur Baati Hum scored 9,311 TVTs, down from 10,379 TVTs, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai noted 6,958 TVTs, down from 7,995 TVTs and Mahabharat recorded 9,139 TVTs, down from 9,312 TVTs.

     

    With not much loss, Zee TV reported 438,207 GVTs, down from 438,914 GVTs. Thus, the channel leader Jodha Akbar recorded 8,580 TVTs, up from 8,571 TVTs, Kumkum Bhagya reported 7,467 TVTs, up from 7,405 TVTs and Qubool Hai lost some eyeballs and scored 5,550 TVTs, down from 6,277 TVTs. The channel’s talent property India’s Best Cine Stars Ki Khoj also seems to have lost eye balls as it garnered 1,858 TVTs, down from 2,668 TVTs.

     

    At number three stood Colors which noted 375,025 GVTs, down from 397,824 GVTs. Most of its famous offerings have seen a drop in viewership. Thus, Sasural Simar Ka noted 5,153 TVTs, down from 5,306 TVTs, Balika Vadhu got 4,713 TVTs, down from 5,309 TVTs. Talking about its non-fiction series, Comedy Nights with Kapil also observed a fall in the ratings and stood at 6,787 TVTs, down from 7,199 TVTs and The Anupam Kher Show reported 1,575 TVTs, down from 2,263 TVTs.

     

    At number four, Life OK witnessed a drop in the viewership by huge margin. It tracked 311,423 GVTs, down from 360,675 GVTs. Thus, Shapath recorded 2,087 TVTs, down from 2,095 TVTs, Savdhan India reported 2,676 TVTs, down from 2,760 TVTs, Gustakh Dil generated 2,033 TVTs, down from 2,069 TVTs and the latest entrant Laut Aao Trisha stood at 1,744 TVTs, down from 2,133 TVTs.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television (SET) retained its fifth position with 275,107 GVTs, down from 288,358 GVTs. Thus, CID, the channel leader scored 3,886 TVTs, down from 4,161 TVTs and Maharana Veer Pratap rated 3,054 TVTs, down from 3,497 TVTs. The much hyped show – Yudh, failed to grab eyeballs as it saw a significant drop in the viewership and stood at 737 TVTs, down from 796 TVTs.

     

    Last but not the least, Sab noted 265,377 GVTs, down from 275,380 GVTs. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to remain the chart leader as it scored 5,343 TVTs, down from 6,572 TVTs and Chidiya Ghar is the second highest rated show and maintained 2,335 TVTs, down from 2,783 TVTs.

  • Life OK beats Colors, registers third spot

    Life OK beats Colors, registers third spot

    MUMBAI: It indeed calls for celebration for the two-year old channel, Life OK that has proved its might in the general entertainment (GEC) space. In the week 22 of TAM TV ratings, the channel has pushed Colors and has bagged the third spot with 365 million GVTs, up from 333 million GVTs, recorded last week. 

     

    Colors ranks four with 347 million GVTs, down from 360 million GVTs. All the other GECs have maintained stability in their positions.

     

    Thus, Star Plus continues to lead the chart with 655 million GVTs, down from 699 million GVTs. Zee TV stands at second position with 400 million GVTs, up from 387 million GVTs, last week.

     

    Sony witnessed a huge hike in its viewership and reported 340 million GVTs, up from 313 million GVTs. Sab remains at number six with 256 million GVTs, down from 267 million GVTs.

  • Sony Mix now on Thailand’s Scan International

    Sony Mix now on Thailand’s Scan International

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) network has partnered with Scan International Company for the launch of Sony Mix on its SMATV platform in Thailand.

     

    The platform already carries Sony TV, Sony Max and Sab.

     

    MSM (Singapore) SVP and GM Rajveer Singh said, “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Scan, Thailand’s primary provider of Indian content to bring Sony Mix to South Asian audiences.

    It is no secret that Sony Mix has rapidly risen to the top of the charts and is India’s number 1 Music channel. I am confident that Sony Mix’s thematic content and Bollywood music hits will make it a “must watch “channel”.

     

    “Scan International is proud to deepen our relationship with MSM as we now bring India’s number one music channel Sony Mix to Thailand. SET, Sony Max and Sab have not just been pioneers on our platform but have gained tremendous popularity due to path breaking shows that resonate with our subscribers. The gap that existed in the market without a single dedicated Hindi Music channel has now been filled by Sony Mix”, said Scan MD Raj Kumar Manchanda.

     

    Scan International, established in 1998 in Bangkok, is a SMATV platform in Thailand delivering quality entertainment mainly to Thais of Indian origins and a large number of diverse Indian expatriate communities who reside in the cities.

  • Man Jit Singh likely to continue as IBF president

    Man Jit Singh likely to continue as IBF president

    MUMBAI: It was in early January of this year, that a major announcement emerged from MultiScreen Media (MSM – Sony Entertainment) wherein NP Singh was announced as CEO of the network, replacing Man Jit Singh. 

     

    The industry hadn’t digested the news when another one broke which stated that  Man Jit Singh was being moved into a global position as president of  Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, replacing David Bishop who will depart in March when his contract expires.

     

    What this elevation means is that Man Jit Singh will now be located in Los Angeles (LA). 

     

    So what does it mean for Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) of which he is the president?

     

    Last year in September, the IBF re-elected Singh as its president at its 14th annual general meeting. But with him spending more time in LA, will IBF look for someone else to take his place? 

     

    No, comes the unanimous response from highly placed industry sources. An IBF representative states that:  “Man Jit Singh will continue to preside over the body as the president. For us, things are working smoothly and we don’t expect to see any changes.”

     

    Another source from the industry who is in agreement adds, “There is a board meeting to discuss the issue on 16 of this month but we see status quo being maintained.”

     

    When we called up Man Jit Singh to get his view on the same, he was unreachable. However, sources reveal he will be jetting to and fro between India and the US even now like he used to earlier. “He is used to the travel and has been doing it for ages now, so we don’t think distance is going to change anything.”