ITV

Tag: Sony

  • GECs aim to retain viewership with 8 show launches in March

    GECs aim to retain viewership with 8 show launches in March

    MUMBAI: March is all set to be a mega launch month for entertainment with eight big-budget shows debuting on six general entertainment channels (GECs)—Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Colors, Zee TV, Star Plus, &TV and Sab TV.

    Zee TV has already launched DID Li’l Masters season 4 on 3 March. The upcoming launches that are hitting TV screens in March are Sony’s Shriman Shrimati Phir Se on 13 March at 7.30 pm, Zee TV’s Ishq Subhan Allah on 14 March at 10 pm, &TV’s new dance reality show on weekends High Fever Dance Ka Naya Tevar on 17 March from 8 pm, SET’s new late-night show Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai on 19 March at 11 pm, Colors’ Bepanah on 19 March at 9 pm, Star Plus’ Kulfi Kumar Bajewala on 19 March at 8.30 pm and SET’s popular comedy Family Time with Kapil Sharma on 25 March from 8 pm onwards.

    Though channels are experimenting with new time slots, March is proving to be an ideal month for shows to premiere as the Indian Premier League (IPL) begins on 7 April and will continue till 27 May.

    The IPL has a massive roadblock for most Hindi GECs as the nail-biting cricket extravaganza used to routinely cannibalise GEC viewership, sometimes sealing the fate of primetime soaps forever. Now that Star India holds the rights from this year, channels are prepping new shows to capture viewers’ attention.

    Looking back at the ten seasons of the IPL, GEC viewership has been subsumed by cricket. With the IPL luring eyeballs, the trend seems to be that audiences give the Hindi GECs a miss during the two months of the year.

    In the tenth season, which commenced on 5 April 2017, within three days, SPN India’s Hindi movie channel Sony Max rose to the top of ratings in the Hindi movies genre list for week 15 of BARC 2017 with 14,29,479 (000s) impressions. Sony Max telecast the IPL matches till last year.

    However, before the launch of the IPL, in week 13 of BARC India data, Sony Pal led the Hindi GEC (urban + rural) markets with 702,603 (000s) impressions. With a fall in viewership in week 14, however, Star Plus grabbed the first position in Hindi GEC (U+R) markets with 691,210 (000s) impressions and the viewership continued to fall in week 15 with Star Plus leading again but with 678,258 (000s) impressions.

    Being grouped in the category of highest viewership is never easy. From creating new time slots to bringing in compelling content, it is always a struggle to retain and attract eyeballs. Therefore, it seems like a smart move on the part of the broadcasters to launch the shows before the IPL starts and get a good hold on viewership.

    With the launch of the Shrimaan Shrimati Phir Se, Sony SAB is all set to create ripples in the entertainment genre with its fresh take on the 90s hit comedy series Shrimaan Shrimati by presenting it in a new avatar. The story of the show is based on the premise of ‘love the neighbour.’

    Zee TV introduces viewers to the world of Kabeer and Zara who are grappling with the issue of triple talaq first-hand in its new fiction offering, Ishq Subhan Allah, even as the Parliament is debating the case.

    & TV’s High Fever Dance Ka Naya Tevar is the new dance reality show offering on weekend time slots. The show will explore the strength of dancing pairs across age groups based on their relationships. The pair can be real-life family pairs such as husband-wife, mother-daughter, father-son or couples.

    Partnering once again with Bindu & SJ Studios, SET is bringing a breezy yet absorbing world of romance in Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai. It’s that shade of love, which is unspoken but palpable, unexpressed but perceptible of Siddhant Sinha (Namit Khanna) and Anushka Reddy (Palak Jain).

    Bepanah, premiering on Colors, is a romantic thriller and drama TV series with Jennifer Winget and Harshad Chopra in lead roles. The show is produced by Cinevistaas Ltd.

    Star Plus’ new show Kulfi Kumar Bajewala will showcase the journey of Kulfi, essayed by Aakriti Sharma. The new show is being produced by 4 Lions Films and Invictus T Mediaworks.

    Comedy king Kapil Sharma is back in a new avatar with Family Time with Kapil Sharma from March 25 onwards. The show will premiere immediately after the Super Dancer Chapter 2 finale, which is on March 24. The new promo of the show was launched on 10 March.

    SET has also announced the comeback of ace superstar Salman Khan with his show Dus ka Dum. Speculation, however, is that the show will launch only after the IPL. For now, there seems to be no new show in the pipeline for the upcoming two months.

    With interesting shows lined up this month, Hindi GECs are attempting to get viewers to switch their loyalties from the IPL to shows. Since the IPL is on a new platform this time, Star Sports, it would be interesting to see the ratings pan out. 

    Also Read :

    ‘Porus’ viewership soldiers on

    Crime reality shows maybe doing more harm than good

    Scary times for horror shows

  • ‘Porus’ finds an audience in more countries

    ‘Porus’ finds an audience in more countries

    MUMBAI: In another shot in the arm for Indian television producers, the producers of mythological show Porus, Swastik Productions, have managed to bag content syndication deals in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Swastik Productions founder Rahul Kumar Tewari said that it has already launched in Thailand and other countries will see launches by July 2018. In Thailand, the show is being broadcast on weekdays at a primetime slot. The show will be dubbed in Malay, Thai, English, and Burmese for the new markets.

    Last month, a source close to the development revealed that the 260-episodic series had been sold to Maharaja Television (MTV).  Porus is renamed as Digvijaya in the Sinhala-dubbed version and has been launched on channel Sirasa TV, during the weekend at the 8pm slot combining two episodes thereby giving each episode a one-hour run.

    The show started off well in India with 3.6 million impressions in week 48 but then saw a dip in ratings. It has managed to hook viewers till week 5 with 3.3 million impressions according to Broadcast Audience Research Council data.

    In an earlier interaction, Swastik Productions founder Siddharth Kumar Tewary said, “Porus has been consistent in its ratings since its launch and this was our plan to be consistent in the beginning and then grow slowly. We have made Porus with a huge amount of conviction.”

    In its 10-year existence, Swastik Productions has produced over fifteen television shows which also include Mahabharat, Razia Sultan, Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Mata Ki Chowki, Amber Dhara, and Begusarai among others. It recently launched a light-hearted emotional drama on Sony Sab, Shankar Jay Kishan.

    The production house is free to sub-licence the show to a digital or international player, to air the episodes after 3-hours of original airing on Sony. While talking about the IP rights with the production house, a media report said that these kinds of deals vary. Historically broadcasters have been bearing all the cost. If the producer is ready to bear the cost, it will work out fine for the channel also as it reduces the risk and budget.

    The 22-minute show aired at 8.30 pm from Monday to Friday on Sony, depicts the untold story of the greatest conqueror of the world, Alexander and the most spirited defender of India, Porus. Set in 350 BC, the story traces its roots to a time when India was at its glorious best and Porus resisted the first attack on Indian soil by the Macedonian legend. The chronological narrative will trace the journey from birth to the epic battle between these two warriors born on the same day but raised with completely different upbringings.

    Also Read :

    ‘Porus’ launched as ‘Digvijaya’ in Sri Lanka

    Thai broadcaster Workpoint acquires TV rights for Porus

  • The seasonal show saga on Indian GECs

    The seasonal show saga on Indian GECs

    MUMBAI: Daily soap operas, with an infinite number of episodes, is the unique feature of India’s TV entertainment offering. From the era of a single national broadcaster to today where you can pick from a plethora of general entertainment channels (GECs), times have surely changed. What is slowly catching up is the trend of limited episode shows with seasonal follow ups.

    Since 2000, Indian television has intermittently witnessed a trend of shows ending after a certain stage and returning with its new season. To be precise, it all started with the show Aahat, which began in 1995 and ended its first season in 2001 on Sony. The show had back-to-back six seasons, with its last season televised in 2015 for about six months.

    One would think India is attempting to fit to international standards of shows to maintain its quality. Zee TV deputy business head Deepak Rajadhyaksha says that they do not compromise on quality regardless of it being a fiction or non-fiction or the duration of the show. Zee hasn’t done finite shows with follow-ups intentionally except perhaps Chhoti Bahu, Punarvivaah (both of which had a second season but not launched as a finite series). Chhoti Bahu launched its first season in 2008 and ended in 2010, whereas the series came up with another season in 2011 which lasted till 2012. Punarvivah completed a year with its first part in 2013 and in the same year the network started with another season.

    He said that cost saving isn’t of utmost priority for a channel and a story will be told regardless. Do shorter shows maintain audience and advertiser interest as well as the longer ones? Rajadhyaksha believes that sustaining audience interest is a function of great content only such as its flagship show Kumkum Bhagya, which recently completed 1000 episodes. “Great shows that are both relatable and aspirational will always attract audience and advertisers’ interest,” he says.

    Sony Entertainment Television’s head of non fiction Ashish Golwalkar says that he doesn’t see this as a trend but rather a way to make use of the first season’s success. When a writer is able to create a fresh story with old characters, channels give a thought to reinvigorating the show.

    He says, “Whoever does a second season of any show, never considers cost as a criteria. There is an affinity towards the character that you build over time and once the story is over, you take a pause, wait for a while, redo the story and come back within a span with the same characters where the affinity of the show continues.”  For instance, Sony is telecasting Prithvi Vallabh in two seasons and the reason for it is not cost-effectiveness. “The way we want to mount the show needs a lot of time and if we commit ourselves to 80 episodes at a go then we might trouble the production and it will compromise the quality. So we will stick to 40 episodes. Majority of them have already been shot and are into post production.”

    Sony had rolled out three shows named Aahat, Kutumb and Parvarish. 1995 was the year when Aahat made an entry. Its last two seasons barely got seven months of air time compared to the six years of season one. Kutumb-its first part aired for about two years, but its other season was completely different from the older part. Parvarish launched in 2011 with a commendable extension of three years—till 2014. But the second season got just nine months, from November 2015 to July 2016.

    Syndication could be the reason for channels limiting show episodes because European and American audiences don’t welcome infinite series with open arms whereas they are likely to sample shorter series. Indian historical dramas with fixed episodes are seeking global takers.

    Star Plus came up with the thriller Ssshhhh…Koi Hai  in 2001 with two production houses Contiloe and Cinevista producing it. It ran for more than three years and consisted of 154 episodes. Season 2 was produced solely by Contiloe and the show was shifted to the then newly launched Star One in 2004. This time it ran for nearly three years before the plug was pulled.  Its last comeback was in 2010 and it broke the record by shutting down in just two months. Adding one more show to the list, Iss pyaar ko kya naam doon? had three comebacks—the first season lasted for a year (2011-2012), other season lasted for two years (2013-2015) and the last season they decided to wrap up within four months in 2017. Star TV declined to comment when Indiantelevision.com reached out to them.

    Viacom18’s Colors also had a number of short shows that garnered great traction but had three blockbusters which were reincarnated  –  Balika Vadhu, Na aana is des Laado and Naagin. Balika Vadhu was an infinite series that lasted for eight years-starting from 2008 to 2016 with a relaunch in April 2016 but the show had to pack its bags within four months.  Na aana is des laado’s first season continued for two years and the sequel-Laado is the upcoming show on the channel. Naagin’s first run was from November 2015 till 2016, whereas its other season continued for about nine months-from October 2016 till June 2017. Its third season is expected to launch this year. Kitani Mohabbat Hai launched in 2009 on NDTV Imagine with the first season lasting nine months and the second season in November 2010 which wrapped up in May 2011

    What we witness is that the first season gets rave reviews but the subsequent seasons get hardly any attention from audiences – whether because of the gap in the launch or the new story line or maybe because people have moved on to newer shows, especially in times when minds are so fickle. Unless audience attention builds up for recurring season formats, channels are unlikely to indulge in experimenting a lot with the format.

    Also Read :

    ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ hits the 1000-episode milestone

    Most watched Hindi GEC channels across genre until week 22

  • James Murdoch could be next Disney CEO: FT

    James Murdoch could be next Disney CEO: FT

    MUMBAI: Fox boss James Murdoch, according to a report by the Financial Times, is being considered as a potential successor to Walt Disney chief executive Bob Iger if the two companies reach agreement on a possible takeover.

    Disney began holding on-and-off discussions to take over some of Fox’s major assets last month. The sale would include Fox’s movie studio, cable channels and international units–Sky and Star India. It could be worth more than $60 billion and would reshape the global media landscape.

    According to the FT, Rupert Murdoch and his younger son, James, could take senior roles at a combined company if a deal is struck. Igeris due to retire in 2019 and James Murdoch, currently chief executive of 21st Century Fox and chairman of the satellite broadcaster Sky, is a possible successor.

    Comcast, the US’s largest cable operator and owner of NBC Universal, the TV network and movie studio company, is also reported to be assessing a bid, as is Verizon, the largest US telecoms group. Other reports that have come in state that even Japanese major Sony has also evinced interest. While CNBC reported that a deal could fructify next week, a Reuters report stated that no one is in  a hurry to strike a deal and that regulatory clearances will take their own due course.

    Neither company was immediately available for comment. “No promises have been made,” one person briefed on the talks told The FT.

    According to the FT, the Murdochs favour a deal with Disney as they believe it poses the lowest regulatory risk.

     

    Rendez-vous with James Murdoch at MIPCOM 2014

    James Murdoch bets big on Star India; expects $1 billion EBIDTA  by 2020

    Rupert and James Murdoch to host PM Narendra Modi in New York

  • Sony changes LaLiga telecast time for India

    Sony changes LaLiga telecast time for India

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN), the official broadcaster of LaLiga, has scheduled the El Clasico match between arch rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona on 23 December 2017 at 5:30 pm to suit the timing of Indian viewers.

    The live coverage of the game will begin at 4:30 pm on SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN 2 channels. Recognising India’s potential as a footballing nation, LaLiga has also planned a special screening of the match at the NSIC Grounds, Okhla, in New Delhi supported by additional on-ground activations to engage football fans.

    Football Extraaa will be broadcast directly from NSIC. It will not only showcase pre, mid and post-match analyses and expert insights from football guest panelists but also run a live contest in the studio where viewers can pose questions to the guests on Twitter and win merchandise.

    SPN India president sports and distribution business Rajesh Kaul said, “Sony Pictures Sports Network and LaLiga have come together once again to serve football fans both on-ground and on-air in India and across the Indian subcontinent. Our commitment to Go-Beyond is demonstrated not only in broadcasting the El Clasico at primetime for fans in India but also giving them an on-ground experience of the live screening taking them closer to the game in Spain. Last season we telecast over 300 live games which is the highest number of games telecast in any European football league in a single season in India. The first El Clasico of season 2016-17 was the most viewed international league football game in India that season. We want to continue to drive the growth in viewership and our collaborative efforts for the first El Clasico of the season will further amplify its presence in India and expand our reach.”

    LaLiga president Javier Tebas said, “This 23 December, the first El Clasico of the season will be played. A match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona always generates a tremendous amount of interest around the world. We want the many LaLiga fans in India to enjoy the match as if they were in the stadium. We are going to prepare an event so that more than 15,000 fans from India can be with us, enjoy the match, and experience LaLiga more closely. It will be an event for fans of both teams, and LaLiga in general, to engage with the best football match in the world. We are sure that it will be an unforgettable experience. It’s a great way to be closer to Indian fans.”

  • YouTube launches TV app in the US to better serve in-home viewing

    YouTube launches TV app in the US to better serve in-home viewing

    MUMBAI: YouTube continues to march into traditional TV’s domain. Earlier this year, it launched its 40 channel bundle in the US for about $35 in certain markets. Along with some originals, the personalisation and recommendation has helped its content consumption skyrocket. Using Chromecast, viewers in 50 markets in the US can now watch it on their TV sets, apart from wirelessly watching it on their tablets, their phones and their computers.

    But that was a thing of the past: it has just announced the launch of its own YouTube app which will first be available on the Android app store for any Android TVs and Xbox Ones, followed by releases on Apple TV, Roku and smart TVs from Samsung Sony and LG.

    Why did the streaming service-turned- cloud pay TV operator have to take this route? YouTube executives state that customers insisted that they wanted it on more fixed devices, especially in US living rooms which are primarily TVs. Data showed that despite the mobile first option, living room is still the hub of entertainment.

    Additionally, it is just protecting its turf. Traditional advertising on desktop browsers is sliding, and mobile ads are picking up the slack, even as viewers are continuing to consume content in living rooms on their TV sets. By launching an app for its YouTube TV, it will be able to capture some more ad dollars is the reasoning.

    The YouTube TV app has an in-depth programming guide. Each channel has a page which features the top programmes, a zapper sidebar lets you scroll through channels even as a you watch a show of your own. And what’s most important is the voice enabled search which allows you to talk to your TV set.

    The YouTube TV app built for actual television sets doesn’t cut any of the features you find on the mobile version, but it does add a bunch of new ones. Mobile didn’t feature an in-depth programming guide, but the living room experience has one, so you can see what’s playing a few hours in the future. There are also channel pages that show off top picks from network partners. The programming team built the app in HTML so it can easily be ported onto any device without having to recreate it for other operating systems of other smart TVs.

    Recent data releases from YouTube have revealed that close to a billion hours of video are being watched every day. Mobile viewing accounts for 600 million; desktop is at 300 million hours, while TV accounts for 100 million hours. But the last is growing at a rapid 70 per cent per annum; hence the YouTube App will only see it accelerate faster.

    Clearly, the battle for viewers eyeballs with traditionally delivered cable TV is only going to get more intense. When the service will arrive in India is not known. But it’s something that both India’s struggling cable TV MSOs and operators need to keep a close watch on. Google, with its billions of dollars in cash reserves, can turn on the switch in a second. And that might be too late for the low-on-cash Indian cable TV distribution system.

  • Samsung becomes India’s most attractive brand in 2017

    Samsung becomes India’s most attractive brand in 2017

    MUMBAI: The crown for India’s most attractive brand has yet again gone to a South Korea-based company. Smartphone company Samsung dethroned LG as India’s most preferred brand.

    LG has slipped to second position followed by Sony in the top 3. Tata, after falling by almost three ranks in 2016 has come back to hold its position to rank 4th in 2017. Honda ranks 5th after ranking 4th in 2016 and 6th in 2015. The 6th most attractive brand in 2017 is Apple, which has jumped 12 places after ranking 18th in 2016 and 15th in 2015.

    The survey for the 4th edition of India’s Most Attractive Brands was conducted among 2,456 consumer influencers across 16 cities and generated nearly 5 million data points and 5,000 unique brand mentions, out of which the top 1000 brands have been listed in this year’s report.

    TRA Research CEO N Chandramouli mentioned, “The one aspect that has somehow stayed constant is the fight for the top 3 ranks between Samsung, LG and Sony. Will this be the case even next year? Well it may be difficult to predict as the rankings this year have seen some major rank climbs and falls, making a few of the former new category leaders and the latter resigning from their coveted spot.”

    One of the list’s major brand rank climbs is Patanjali; from ranking 371 in 2015 to ranking 87 in 2016 to making it to rank 12 in 2017.

    Chinese mobile phone maker Oppo has claimed the 20th position by taking a major jump from its position at 341 in 2015.

    In the Media-TV segment, NDTV has emerged as the numero uno channel followed by Aaj Tak and Sony Entertainment at number 2 and number 3 positions respectively. In Hindi GEC, Zee TV slipped to number 2 position with an overall ranking of 226 which is a major slip from its last year’s position of 93.

    Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali emerged at number 1 position in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) category with an overall position of 12 which is 75 ranks up than its last year’s position at number 87. Colgate followed at number 2 position and saw a slip in its overall ranking by retaining its position at 43.

    In food and beverage category, Brooke Bond tea saw a major slip in its ranking. The tea brand ranked at 120 in the category but slipped by 776 points in its overall ranking this year with 941 as compared to last year’s 165.

    In the branded fashion category, homegrown brand Fastback emerged as a clear winner at number 1 spot beating international luxury brands Gucci at number 2 spot, Tommy Hilfiger at number 3 respectively.

    In DTH sector, Tata Sky was the most attractive brand with an overall ranking of 315. Reliance DTH was among the worst losers as it ranks at 888. Cadbury Perk joined the bandwagon of losers with its rank at 949 as compared to the previous year’s 499, a difference of 450 ranks.

    “This year we have incorporated the theme of diversity in the report. Diversity is something that our study radiates,” concluded Chandramouli.

  • Sony renews IP licence deal with TiVo

    Sony renews IP licence deal with TiVo

    MUMBAI: TiVo Corporation, a leader in entertainment technology and audience insights, has announced that Sony Corporation, a leader in consumer electronics, has renewed its multi-year intellectual property (IP) licence agreement. The license to TiVo’s patent portfolios covers all of Sony’s worldwide products and services.

    “This licence agreement accentuates the value TiVo’s patent portfolios bring to the fast-growing and competitive entertainment industry,” said TiVo company Rovi Corporation, EVP and chief intellectual property officer Arvin Patel. “We continue our long-standing relationship, renewing our multi-year licence agreement with one of world’s leading entertainment companies,” Patel added.

    TiVo’s innovative solutions touch practically every aspect of consumers’ day-to-day interaction with their entertainment, enabling customers to build customised, next-generation digital entertainment solutions for users around the globe.

    From the interactive programme guide to the DVR, TiVo delivers innovative products and licensable technologies that revolutionise how people find content across a changing media landscape.

  • Zee, Sony and Disney tech providers NexGuard, Colorfront collaborate to ensure distributors stay ahead of pirates

    Zee, Sony and Disney tech providers NexGuard, Colorfront collaborate to ensure distributors stay ahead of pirates

    MUMBAI: NexGuard and Colorfront have released key updates to their joint solution, adding support for multi-layer watermarking workflows and enhanced scalability and automation of forensic watermarking.

    NexGuard’s Emmy award-winning solutions are used by content producers, broadcasters, Pay TV operators and OTT providers around the world, including all major Hollywood studios; AMC Networks in the US; iQiyi, the largest Internet and mobile video service provider in China; ZEE TV in India and sports leagues.

    NexGuard MD Harrie Tholen will also be speaking at the IBC panel discussion “Protecting media assets and countering cyber threats in the OTT world” on 18 September at Content Everywhere Hub.

    NexGuard, a Kudelski company and provider of forensic watermarking technology and solutions, and Colorfront, the Academy and Emmy Award-winning developer of high-performance, on-set dailies and transcoding systems for motion pictures, high-end episodic TV and commercials, released the updates to their joint solution launched in 2016.

    NexGuard also works with the majority of the members of the newly founded Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, a new global coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market for creative content and reducing online piracy.

    The joint Colorfront-NexGuard solution protects digital content assets, particularly 4K/UHDTV and High Dynamic Range (HDR), in digital cinema, broadcast, Over-The-Top (OTT) internet entertainment and Video on Demand (VoD) applications.

    The solution enables the protection for a vast range of dailies, mezzanine and master deliverables at all stages of the production and post production workflow, whilst also allowing users to track the source of illicit B2B and B2C distribution, particularly of 4K/UHDTV and HDR content.

    The joint solution leverages NexGuard’s world-leading forensic watermarking alongside Colorfront Transkoder deployments by major Hollywood studios including Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Universal, and Colorfront On-Set Dailies systems used in the workflows motion picture and high-end episodic TV productions including Blade Runner 2049 (Warner), Atomic Blonde (Universal), Game Of Thrones – Season 7 (HBO), Avengers: Infinity War (Marvel/Disney), Robin Hood: Origins (Lionsgate), Moonlight (A24) and The Revenant (20th Century Fox).

    “Security of media assets is a matter Colorfront takes take very seriously. We work closely with our media and entertainment customers to help them find new and better ways to safeguard their content,” says Aron Jaszberenyi, managing director of Colorfront. “Colorfront joined forces with NexGuard in 2016 to integrate their forensic watermarking technology into our On-Set Dailies and Transkoder product. Now, the full integration of the new generation of NexGuard watermarking technology means we are delivering even more advanced content protection tools, to support our clients as they continue the challenge of staying one step ahead of the pirates.”

    New for IBC 2017, the solution has been extended to include:
    Full integration of the NexGuard Manager with the Colorfront Transkoder: Users of the joint solution can easily scale up their use of forensic watermarking on pre-theatrical and pre-aired content, and store all their NexGuard watermarking job metadata in a centralized database for a 360-degree view of all watermarking activities.

    Support for multi-layer watermarking: Up to three levels of NexGuard “G2” watermark layers can be embedded in any given pre-release or pre-aired piece of content by using different watermarking keys, which do not affect the robustness and imperceptibility of the watermarks. This feature enables watermarks to be embedded at the ingest and outgest of post-production workflows.

    “Last year, we joined forces with Colorfront to launch a tool that protects content when it is at its most vulnerable – during the production and post-production phase’’ said Tholen. “As the industry becomes more aware of the dangers of piracy for the creative industries, solutions that provide a robust yet simple integration into existing workflows are increasingly essential. The latest additions to our solution provide customers of the combined Colorfront-NexGuard solution, ranging from studios through to post-production companies and distributors, with an even higher level of content protection and full visibility on all watermarking activities to secure prime assets.”

    Based on the world’s leading forensic watermark, NexGuard forensic watermarking adds a unique, invisible identifier to video content. The watermark remains with the content, even in the case of transcoding, resizing, downscaling, recording by camcorder or any other alteration before illegal re-distribution.

  • GEC: Sony climbs in two markets, Star Bharat jumps five slots in U+R

    GEC: Sony climbs in two markets, Star Bharat jumps five slots in U+R

    MUMBAI: Zee Anmol and Colors retained leadership in their respective markets in week 35 of BARC’s all-India data.  On the other hand, Star Bharat (previously called Life OK) has jumped from the tenth position to the fifth in Hindi (U+ R) GEC market and entered the rural market. 

    Piggybacking KBC, Sony Entertainment Television has jumped a position each in two markets.

    Hindi GEC (U+R)

    Zee Anmol continued to be the leader even after a fall in ratings  in Hindi GEC (U+R) market with 771523 Impressions (000s) against 815471 Impressions (000s) in the previous week. 

    Colors retained its number two position with 613679 Impressions (000s) sum followed by Zee TV on the third with 598705 Impressions (000s) and Star Plus stood on number fourth with 574003 Impressions (000s).

    Star Bharat pocketed the fifth slot with 519743 Impressions (000s) climbing from the tenth position.  Sony Entertainment too climbed up to the sixth position with 474425  Impressions (000s). 

    Sony Pal, Rishtey and Sab TV bagged seventh, eighth and ninth spots respectively with 469504 Impressions (000s), 418914 Impressions (000s) and 368444 Impressions (000s). 

    Star Utsav stood at number ten with 290265 Impressions (000s).

    Hindi GEC Rural 

    Zee Anmol bagged the first position with 608797 Impressions (000s) sum followed by Sony Pal on the second with 329928 Impressions (000s) sum and Rishtey with 306972 Impressions (000s) sum on the third spot.

    Star Bharat (Life OK) has entered the rural market this week with 278785 Impressions (000s) sum followed by Zee TV 248559 Impressions (000s) sum and Star Utsav with 219630 Impressions stood at number six. 

    Colors, DD National and Star Plus grabbed the seventh, eighth and ninth spots with 201560 Impressions (000s) sum, 174453 Impressions (000s), and 172688 Impressions (000s) sum, respectively.

    Big Magic stood at the tenth position with 163412 Impressions (000s).

    Hindi GEC Urban

    Colors continued to top with 412119 Impressions (000s) sum followed by Star Plus on the second position with 401315 Impressions (000s) sum and Sony Entertainment Television on the third with 353685 Impressions (000s) sum.

    Zee TV stood at the fourth position with 350145 Impressions (000s) sum followed by Sab TV on the fifth with 261410 Impressions (000s) sum.

    Star Bharat and &TV stood at the sixth and seventh positions with 240958 Impressions (000s) sum and 163766 Impressions (000s) sum, respectively.

    Zee Anmol, Sony Pal and Rishtey grabbed the eighth, ninth and tenth positions, respectively, with 162725 Impressions (000s) sum, 139575 Impressions (000s) and 111942 Impressions (000s) sum.